My folks did great after landing in Frankfurt. After picking them up around 8am, we got back in the car for another ~4 Hour drive + 1 hour ferry ride to meet up with Eva's parents and sister on the North Sea island of Borkum. They napped for an horu or so in the car, but once we caught up with Eva and Quinn at the dock, they were full of energy...definitely required to keep up with the little man.
The weather ont he North Sea can be sketchy, but we had unbelievable warm temps and blue skies. Notice on the pic with Quinn and both sets of grandparents the gradual decline in height as you move to the left (Gould) side of the pic.
Three generations of Robert Goulds...barefoot on the beach.
Borkum was known as a whaling comminity, and the 'fence' below is of whale teeth and bones - a few hundred years old.
Quinn is slowly starting to dig ice cream, and we finally let him eat the ice cream on his own. It got a bit messy, but he figured it out.
Oh...the North Sea! One big sandbox for Quinn.
A few family pics before heading to dinner.
After our 2 days in Borkum, we headed back home (a 700 km trip) to head to work, which left my folks home alone with Quinn (the real reason for their visit ;-) 
Quinn having fun as Eva is blowing bubbles.
Another great advantage of their trip was that the European soccer championship was in full swing...and my dad did a great job rooting for Germany, I have to admit, it was a lot of fun during the world cup going out to the Biergartens or Restaurants/Bars to watch the games, but it is a bit more difficult to work around the bedtime of a 1 year old. This European was definitely exciting...and Germany finished second. Now the (soccer) focus turns to the upcoming soccer season and the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
Quinn opening his first Duplo's. He had a ball with the bag (of course), but got into the swing of stacking the blocks. Thanks Jessica, Charles, and Landon! We've been playing with these a lot, and I've also built some interesting sculptures...one was especially funny, but it didn't pass the censor (aka Mommy) and I couldn't post the pic of the anatomically correct Legoman.
Day at the zoo! Nürnberg's zoo is one of the best in Germany, and it received a new addition this winger: ababy polar bear that was born in the zoo: Flocke. She doesn't seem much like a baby anymore...
I had a hard time deciding which of the two pics below to post...so I took the easy way out and posted both. This first one is a great view of both my mom and Quinn looking very interested (at something).
But, this one of Quinn hamming it up for the camera is precious as well.
Another good one of Quinn and my Mom.
My dad took great care of Quinn at the playground (at the zoo and near our place). He noticed that Quinn is pretty much fearless, which will change once he busts his head a few more times.
My Dad tought Quinn how to slide by himself, which still seems crazy dangerous, but Quinn loves sliding by himself. Here is a pic of one of the practice runs.
After a relatively calm week at home, we headed to the other side of Germany to head to the Bavarian Forest to do some hiking and to catch some of the mountain air.
A pre hike family pic and another three generation picture below.
Mom and Dad took care of Quinn for a few hours so that we could rest a bit, and Quinn loved hiding in the drawer.
A family pic outside our hotel. We've been staying with Familie Brandl for a number of years at their Landgasthof Postwirt. The family run B&B is very well kept, they are extremely friendly, treat us exceptionally well...and the food is simple but amazing! If you are in the area, you can't go wrong staying here. Tell them that crazy German/American couple sent you.
A short walk before heading home.
Before heading home, Mom and Dad did some laundry...and my dad took Quinn on a few airplane rides in the laundry basket.
We had a great time with my parents, and most importantly, Quinn got to spend more time with his Grandparents from Texas. My folks were super with Quinn and were very active playing with him. We think he had a blast as well... We are already looking forward to the next visit from Grandma and Grandpa Texas...and Quinn is as well.
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