I admit it, there is a reason that I haven't blogged in a few weeks: we have been on vacation in Hawaii for the last three weeks - enjoying some fun in the sun and some family time. For this type of post, I struggle on having the content being short and sweet (so as to not to bore those of you that may read this) or to be a bit more verbose and to add a few more pictures (so that we have a mini diary of our wonderful vacation). I do try to serve both masters with my blog, so this post will be a bit longer. Truth be told, we took over 600 pictures, and it was very difficult to cut it down to the 80+ pictures that I'm blogging.
One additional note, in a few spots, I've added some bits of Hawaii trivia. Unless otherwise noted, credit has to go to Lonely Planet - an amazing guidebook for planning vacations and for making fly by the seat of your pants decisions.
Day 0: 24 Oct 08: Friday
Today was a day of preparation. I took an extra day off of work to help get ready for the big trip. This was a great decision (and I should do this again for future big vacations) as it made for a very relaxing day of pre vacation prep. I was able to get all of my work stuff done on Thursday, so I could fully concentrate on the trip and vacation! Everything was packed by noon, and I even got to take a short ride on my mountain bike.
The only thing that was still open was confirmation of my new job. I had been interviewing internally with Siemens since July, and I had accepted a position within a different Siemens sector, but the internal union had not yet approved the placement: with all of the internal turmoil at Siemens regarding workforce reductions, the internal union (Betriebsrat) would not "rubber stamp" this open position. Outside of this one item, everything had been cleared for 3 full weeks of vacation - without a computer and with virtually no work worries.
Day 1: 25 Oct 08: Saturday
Now, vacation starts in full force. We got up at 630am, and our friend Rene took us to the airport at 830am. Checking in was a bit complicated, but after about 30 minutes, we had everything we needed to begin our 2 day trip to Honolulu, which included 21 hours of flying (with a small child!). First the short flight to Amsterdam, then a longer flight to Houston with an overnight stay, and then an 8 hour flight to Honolulu.
The flight to Amsterdam and Houston went practically without any issues. Quinn was practically perfect the whole trip to Houston. He was looking at everything in the airport and hotel, and he thankfully went to bed without a fight.
Day 2: 26 Oct 08: Sunday
After an early wake up call (about 4am from Quinn), we got up and started our last travel leg to Honolulu. We thought about walking to Waffle House, but it was a bit far by foot. We decided on having the buffet at the hotel, but I forgot that it was Sunday, and we didn't have enough time to eat before catching the shuttle. Settled for a VERY good breakfast burrito (or two) at the airport at Pappasitos. We had lots of time to kill at the airport, so I focused on tiring Quinn out: we spent tons of time on the moving walkways and running around like an idiot carry Quinn like a football.
Quinn got a bit cranky on the flight...no wonder since he didn't sleep as much as normal the previous day. After a few minutes of screaming, he finally went to sleep for the final 3 hours of the trip to Honolulu. My biggest fear of the whole vacation was the 21+ hours of flying with a small child. So far, Quinn did great.
Eva and I were a bit tired upon landing in Honolulu, so we went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things before picking my folks up from the airport...not exactly what you want to do after all of that flying, but at least it was out of the way.
We stayed the first week in a Marriott condo outside of Honolulu with my parents the first week...which was absolute paradise! The pools and lagoons were amazing and perfect fun for Quinn. Since my parents were there, we had a babysitter built in as well as a few extra sets of hands to help out with Quinn.
One additional note, in a few spots, I've added some bits of Hawaii trivia. Unless otherwise noted, credit has to go to Lonely Planet - an amazing guidebook for planning vacations and for making fly by the seat of your pants decisions.
Day 0: 24 Oct 08: Friday
Today was a day of preparation. I took an extra day off of work to help get ready for the big trip. This was a great decision (and I should do this again for future big vacations) as it made for a very relaxing day of pre vacation prep. I was able to get all of my work stuff done on Thursday, so I could fully concentrate on the trip and vacation! Everything was packed by noon, and I even got to take a short ride on my mountain bike.
The only thing that was still open was confirmation of my new job. I had been interviewing internally with Siemens since July, and I had accepted a position within a different Siemens sector, but the internal union had not yet approved the placement: with all of the internal turmoil at Siemens regarding workforce reductions, the internal union (Betriebsrat) would not "rubber stamp" this open position. Outside of this one item, everything had been cleared for 3 full weeks of vacation - without a computer and with virtually no work worries.
Day 1: 25 Oct 08: Saturday
Now, vacation starts in full force. We got up at 630am, and our friend Rene took us to the airport at 830am. Checking in was a bit complicated, but after about 30 minutes, we had everything we needed to begin our 2 day trip to Honolulu, which included 21 hours of flying (with a small child!). First the short flight to Amsterdam, then a longer flight to Houston with an overnight stay, and then an 8 hour flight to Honolulu.
The flight to Amsterdam and Houston went practically without any issues. Quinn was practically perfect the whole trip to Houston. He was looking at everything in the airport and hotel, and he thankfully went to bed without a fight.
Day 2: 26 Oct 08: Sunday
After an early wake up call (about 4am from Quinn), we got up and started our last travel leg to Honolulu. We thought about walking to Waffle House, but it was a bit far by foot. We decided on having the buffet at the hotel, but I forgot that it was Sunday, and we didn't have enough time to eat before catching the shuttle. Settled for a VERY good breakfast burrito (or two) at the airport at Pappasitos. We had lots of time to kill at the airport, so I focused on tiring Quinn out: we spent tons of time on the moving walkways and running around like an idiot carry Quinn like a football.
Quinn got a bit cranky on the flight...no wonder since he didn't sleep as much as normal the previous day. After a few minutes of screaming, he finally went to sleep for the final 3 hours of the trip to Honolulu. My biggest fear of the whole vacation was the 21+ hours of flying with a small child. So far, Quinn did great.
Eva and I were a bit tired upon landing in Honolulu, so we went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things before picking my folks up from the airport...not exactly what you want to do after all of that flying, but at least it was out of the way.
We stayed the first week in a Marriott condo outside of Honolulu with my parents the first week...which was absolute paradise! The pools and lagoons were amazing and perfect fun for Quinn. Since my parents were there, we had a babysitter built in as well as a few extra sets of hands to help out with Quinn.
After a short jog, a light poolside dinner, we were off to bed early.Day 3: 27 Oct 08: Monday
I don't know where this day went: it seemed like it just flew by, and I don't really know what we did. I guess we just relaxed, went on a few walks, and enjoyed the pools and beaches nearby. The condo did have a "free" breakfast...but you had to listen to their list of activities that you could sign up for. My dad and I watched a bit of Monday Night Football (at like 2pm Honolulu time), and I took a short nap afterwards: vacationing in Hawaii is very stressful.
A shot of the coastline outside of the condo
Relaxing by the pool. I could do this all day long.Day 4: 28 Oct 08: Tuesday
After waking up earlier than normal, we had a quick breakfast and went up for a hike. We had to drive a bit to get to the trailhead, but the hike was worth it. While the cloudy weather prevented us from having great overlooks, it kept the temperature relatively cool. There were tons of cool trees and flowers to see...including native ginger root. After the 2+ hour hike, we were back to the resort for more relaxing on the beach. I grilled steaks for dinner...perhaps I was socializing a bit too much with the other grillers, as Eva thought that I overcooked the steaks. I guess we'll have to grill again! 
The first of many hikes with Quinn
Day 5: 29 Oct 08: Wednesday
Quinn hadn't got back to his normal pattern of sleeping through the night yet, so we were still waking up pretty early. After a short breakfast, my dad and I went to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. The afternoon was filled with more beach and pool lounging. Quinn and my mom had a blast in the water...plus it tired the little guy out.
A view of the Memorial. You can still see oil slowly seeping out of the water.Day 6: 30 Oct 08: Thursday
We headed to the North Shore to go to the Kaunala Loop Trail, but the guidebooks were serious when they said that the trail was only officially open on the weekends. We thought that we could sneak in anyway, but when we got to the trailhead, we saw a huge US Army 'KEEP OUT (except for weekends)' sign. There was no way we would ignore that sign. No need to get shot at.
So, we headed to a few North Shore beaches and saw some amazing waves; Quinn and I played in the water a bit, which he loved.
Not a worry in the world
Footprints in the sand
Eva caught this rainbow on the North Shore in Oahu
After having a great late morning breakfast burrito in a little village, we stopped by the Dole Plantation on the way home. I had never seen a pineapple in its native form - attached to its plant. To be honest, I thought they grew on trees like bananas. These super tasty tropical fruits look like they are attached to an aloe vera plant. I still don't think the huge pineapple fruit fits with the cactus like plant that bears this fruit.
You can't convince me that this cactus really produces a pineapple?
The afternoon was filled with resting, poolside resting, and beachside resting. We had an awesome dinner at Roy's: they were especially child friendly, giving a very hungry Quinn a cheese quesadilla shortly after we sat down. If it weren't for my amazing dinner, I would have been jealous of Quinn's dish. Thankfully, Quinn had some leftovers for Papa.
Quinn in local garb. Thanks Grandmom and Grandpa Texas!Day 7: 31 Oct 08: Friday
The morning was a pure beach and pool day, including the Pina Coladas for Papa. 
Tonight was also our 'date night'; we left Quinn to my parents and headed into Honolulu and Waikiki Beach. In the city, I saw my first banyan tree. Neither words nor pictures can really describe how cool a large banyan tree is. The limbs grow somewhat horizontal, and when they get too heavy, they drop 'roots', which plant in the ground to creat another vertical support for the tree. The largest is in India (which takes over 10 minutes to walk around), and the largest in the US is in Maui (pictures to come).
Super cool banyan tree
'Iolani Palace in Honolulu
Sunset on Waikiki was very picturesque, and dinner at the Cheescake was super tasty. Apparently, Waikiki has a pretty strong Halloween tradition, and we saw all sorts of very cool costumes as we walked up and down the streets after dinner. 
Waikiki with Diamondhead Crater in the background.
A Waikiki sunset and the happy couple on their date night
Day 8: 1 Nov 08: Saturday
Today was our last full day on Oahu with my parents...so we celebrated by sitting on the beach and by the pool. I even went running in the morning.
I really like this pic of my mom with Quinn: the water is overexposed in the pic for a great effect.Thankfully, we got a nice sunset picture at dinner as well as a few good family picture during the week.
A great picture of my mom and dad!
Day 9: 2 Nov 08: Sunday
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and my parents headed home. It was great that they invited us for the week in Hawaii and it was great to see them, especially with Quinn getting older.
He was picking up more words in English...mostly 'food words' like hot dog. Don't know where he gets his affinity for food ;-)
To make a long story 'short'...after the week with my folks, Quinn started to refer to my mom as 'Oma' - the equivalent to Grandmom in German. We don't know where or how Quinn could make that connection since we don't mix Oma/Opa/Grandmom/Grandpa...but it happened. Perhaps he made the connection ... and that Oma is just easier to say than Grandmom. Thanks for letting me ramble...I hope this made sense.
We packed our bags, made lots of sandwiches, had hotdogs for breakfast, and headed to Maui for the next four nights. We stayed upcountry at about 3000' at a cute B&B of a very nice couple that made their home very comfortable for us.
Our B&B in upcountry Maui, which have virtually vanished (11,000+ of them) due to new county laws, virtually making them illegal
Day 10: 3 Nov 08: Monday
We woke up at 430am and headed to Haleakela for sunrise. When Robert Louis Stevenson travelled there, he reveled that it was virtually a spiritual expecience to see sunrise on the volcano. Needless to say, we were excited to make it to a sunrise.
...but 430 am is really early, especially when you are on vacation, and it is really cold at 10,000 feet. Thankfully, we had our hiking gear with us, but many others were in shorts and t-shirts in sub freezing weather.
We had a bit of a drive to make it into Haleakala National Park, and it was already starting to get light out by the time we got there. The surroundings are surreal: you are on a volcano, the clouds are below you, you look into the distance and see only blue in the distance, but cannot distinguish between clouds and ocean, but you know the ocean is there.
While pictures cannot show the beauty of the sunrise, Eva does a great job with the pic above.
We had a saying in college: If I need to see a sunrise, I'll stay up (drinking) to catch it. When you have a little guy that is full o energy at 5am, it is much more advisable to go to bed early, skip the drinking, and set the alarm. Sometimes I wonder if Quinn every wonders why we schlepp him all over the place at odd hours. I guess as long as we're there and there is some food nearby, he's ok.
One of my favorite pics of the trip: one of the long roads to the volcano with sky in the background
After a short breakfast in the car, we headed on a 2+ hour hike into the 'crater'. Despite its look, Haleakala is an eroded volcano without a crater. You do, however, get the impression that you are on the moon, and astronauts trained here for the Apollo missions.
Standing on top of the world, so it seems. It is about 50km from the beaches of Maui to the peak of Haleakala (3000+ meters), making the road from the beach to the peak one of the longest, steepest roads in the US.
After the hike, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and relaxed the rest of the day. When you get up at 430am, you really get the feeling that you had a full day when you get back at 2pm.
Day 11: 4 Nov 08: Tuesday Election Day.
We headed to Lahaina today, a cute village on Maui's west coast. Along with a great coast, they have tons of great shops and restaurants done in an early 1900's architechture which brings you back in time a bit.
With the little guy, it is not exactly fun for him to stroll in and out of cute little art shops and knick knack stores...so we saved tons of cash ;-)
In the town's center, there was a HUGE banyan tree. With 12 major trunks and countless minor trunks, the tree takes up almost a full acre and is a simply amazing tree.
One of the tips in Lonely Planet was to visit this out of the way bakery. We both love fresh baked goods, so we were game for the adventure. It was out of the way, hard to find, and from the looks of the store on the outside, it looked like a health inspector hadn't been there to visit in decades.On the inside, however, was a french bakery, full of great looking (and tasting) breads, muffins, and rolls. Very high quality baked goods. Our guess was that they baked for the local restaurants...which was our only explanation for the very non 'user friendly' entrance.
Yet another Rob & Eva adventure.
Shootin' hoops with the little guy
Day 12: 5 Nov 08: Wednesday
Went on a very cool hike on the Waiakoa Loop Trail. The trailhead also serves for the entrance for hunters, and I read the signs very carefully to make sure there would be no hunters. Can't run really fast when shot at while carrying Quinn.
Had lunch at a local hangout, the Cafe 808. The couple at our B&B did not recommend the place as it wasn't clean by their standards...but they did say that it is a local hangout. Per their word, the place had a 3rd world feel, wasn't very clean, but the place was packed - and we were the only tourists there. Our rule is: full restaurants = good food. So, we went in. And, it we had a very hearty, inexpensive meal. We just didn't want to look in their kitchen.Quinn was a bit unruly that afternoon and wouldn't take a nap. When we went in the room to see what he was up to, he was awake and had taken off his diaper. This started a trend where Quinn started trying to change his own diaper.
Without a nap, any child can be difficult...so, full of cabin fever, we packed Quinn in the car and headed to a local winery...to so something.
The road and views of the coast were awesome, but the landscape changed so much, with rolling hills and stone fences, that we thought we could have been in Ireland.
Day 13: 6 Nov 08: ThursdayToday was our final day to Maui, and we had a few hours to kill before our flight to Kauai, so we headed to 'Iao Valley State Park for a very short walk to look at the 'Iao Needle.
Quinn loves pulling my hair and ears when I carry him on my shoulders.
Quinn and his huge sandwich before the flightDay 14: 7 Nov 08: Friday
Right out of the gate on Kauai, we woke up at 3am to the sound of roosters. We read that there were tons of roosters on Kauai, but we didn't think that they would be that LOUD. After a few more hours of interrupted rooster sleep, we headed for a short drive to the trailhead of the Kuilau Ridge Trail for a 2+ hour hike.
Right out of the gate on Kauai, we woke up at 3am to the sound of roosters. We read that there were tons of roosters on Kauai, but we didn't think that they would be that LOUD. After a few more hours of interrupted rooster sleep, we headed for a short drive to the trailhead of the Kuilau Ridge Trail for a 2+ hour hike.
To the left, in the clouds, is Mt. Wai'ale'ale - the wettest spot on earth, which receives 486" of rainfall each year.
The trail had a great grassy area, which we used to let Quinn out of his backpack and run a bit.
Day 15: 8 Nov 08: Saturday
Sunrise from our balcony
Daylight from our balconyWe had a pretty easy day on Saturday...focusing mostly on fun things for Quinn: the pool, building sandcastles on the beach, and playing at the cool playground at Lydgate State Park, which was just around the corner from our condo.
Day 16: 9 Nov 08: Sunday
The weather was overcast on Sunday on the Eastside of the island, so we headed to the Southside, to Po'ipu, where it is always sunny.
We first drove past Po'ipu to see the spouting horn. This is one of those tourist destinations that you just have to do and 'check off the list'. It was cool, we're glad we did it, but there wasn't much to do there other than look at this 'blow hole' and buy cheap trinkets at the souvenir stands.Po'ipu and Po'ipu beach were true to their reputation, and we spent a few hours in the sun before having lunch (and ice cream) and heading back to the condo. With Quinn on his ice cream sugar rush, we spend some time at Lydgate Park to help him burn some energy.
This playground was so cool! And actually pretty fun for adults as well.
Day 17: 10 Nov 08: MondayToday, we took our last hike of the vacation: to the NaPali Coast. The views of the coast are spectacular, and it is one of the most popular destinations on Kauai. Many take boat or helicopter rides to see the coast. We took, instead, the hour ride to a trail head and started to hike. Scenery is alway more beautiful if you've earned it.
We started the Kalalau Trail at Ke'e beach, an 11 mile one way trail. We knew we would only do a few mile stretch, but this is the holy grail of hiking on Hawaii, and one of the most beloved and known trails in the world.
The views were spectacular. While we were very happy that Quinn 'put up with' yet another one of his parents' hikes, it would have been nice to have gone farther. Maybe next time.
Beyond the scenery, there is a reason that the trail is so known and beloved: it is EXTREMELY technical and this trail is the only way you can see the coast without a helicopter or boat. There are no roads and no lookouts other than this narrow, steep, and technical trail.
I don't usually have issues carrying Quinn, but on this very technical, steep, and slippery trail, there were a few very sketchy points.
...but it was worth it!
After our hike of part of the Kalalau Trail of the NaPali Coast, we wanted to see the Queen's Bath: a spot of water on the coast near Princeville where the water has so much salt in it that you can float without moving. Unfortunately, the waves are too high to access the Bath in the winter months, especially with a child.
Eva found some great breakfast burritos along the way for us to power up before the ride back.
Mountains and horses in the field.
Day 18: 11 Nov 08: Tuesday
Today was our last full day of vacation before the long flight back. Since Quinn would have such a long flight, we focused our last day of activities on fun stuff for him: pool, beach, playground.
Today was our last full day of vacation before the long flight back. Since Quinn would have such a long flight, we focused our last day of activities on fun stuff for him: pool, beach, playground.
The Kauai County bird: the rooster. They start crowing at 3am EVERY morning.
Quinn liked me burying him in the sand.
Quinn's favorite food, the banana.
Look ma! No hands!We were a bit lax on some rules, and since it was our last day, and since we still had some ice cream in the freezer, we decided to snack: ice cream at 930am.
Not wanting to give Quinn the impression that we were bad parents, we gave him a banana.
About half way through the banana, he realized that we had something better...
Quinn in his 'Surfer Dude' swim trunks.
Gazing at the ocean...for the last day.
Day 19: 12 Nov 08: WednesdayAs all good things must come to an end, we had to fly back home. We had a 7pm night flight out of Kaui to Honolulu, then a 9pm flight to Newark. We just didn't want to pine away in the condo (which had a 10am checkout), but we knew we needed to tire the little guy out.
After spending as much time as possible at the pool, we headed to Waimea Canyon: the Grand Canyon of Hawaii. It was a bit of a drive, but well worth the views.
We didn't want Quinn to take a nap too late in the day, since we had 21 hours of time in an airplane in front of us. He wasn't interested in a nap early on when we were driving, but his eyelids were getting a bit heavy later in the day. So, to prevent the nap, we did what any sane parent would do: we gave him a sugar rush with some more ice cream.
This time, he got his own cone of Lappert's Ice Cream. He was stoked. Lappert's is definitely the place to go for ice cream, and if you find yourself near one, go. After ice cream, we were off to the park again to let Quinn burn some energy and get tired! We had Taco Bell for dinner. Yum.
The flight to Honolulu went off OK. Quinn was getting a bit cranky before boarding the 11 hour flight to Newark, but he was tired. He made it to take off and fell asleep in Eva's arms. We put him on the floor, and he slept for about 7 1/2 hours! We never would have guessed that he would sleep so long.
Day 20: 13 Nov 08: Thursday
Thursday was the day that never was. We landed in Newark around noon and took off around 7pm. With the time changes, it seemed like we missed a whole day.
Unfortunately, as is somewhat normal in Newark, we had a LONG taxi period...over an hour. Sitting on a runway is frustrating enough, but try to explain this to a 2 year old! Quinn screamed bloody murder for about 30 minutes. Thankfully, after takeoff, he fell asleep and was out for almost 5 hours of the 7 hour flight.
We never would have dreamed that he would have slept so good on the flights.
Day 21: 14 Nov 08: Friday
We landed in Amsterdam, had a few hour layover, and then were off to Nürnberg. We were finally home at 3pm and were exhausted. I hit the sack around 5pm; Eva and Quinn were not far behind.
It was an amazing vacation...and much better than I had been expecting. It had a little bit of everything, and we were able to have some adventure...with Quinn tagging along like a champ. We were both ready for a much needed vacation, and we left all of our worries at home: work, financial crisis, etc. It was three weeks of pure family and enjoyment.
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