Family Vacation on the North Sea

While I was in Denmark riding, Eva met up with her parents on the North Sea island of Borkum. The fact that her parents were already planning to be there for two weeks (of which one of those weeks we had planned to join them) made the logistics for me (getting me to Denmark faster) and Eva much easier.

Overall, Eva was on the North Sea for two weeks, and I was there for the second week. The final few days we were in Ostfriesland visiting some of Eva's childhood friends.
No huge surprise here, Emily really likes ice cream. She's finally figuring out that we get to eat the 'good stuff', and she wants to try it. No more rice cakes for Emily.

The world cup was in full gear, and Germany was playing really well...unfortunately losing to Spain in the semifinals. Quinn and I sported our jerseys prior to the Germany games.

At low tide, we caught crabs...lots of them.

The North Sea is not known for amazing weather. At any moment, it can begin to rain and storm. Thankfully, we had amazing weather for two weeks...only having two days where it was not really 'bearable' to be on the beach.

The beaches are optimal for kids, and Emily really liked being in the sand.

Pic with Oma and Opa. We stayed in a newly renovated house, which is a historical landmark since the house was the first on Borkum. One night Eva's dad and I went to the bar next door to watch the Holland game, and we stayed a bit later to listen to the group of local folk musicians sing...which was a very nice cultural touch to the evening and the trip.

@Rainer: nächstes Mal, trinke ich auch ein bisschen weniger Kultur ;-)

Emily even smiled when her feet were in the cold waters of the North Sea.

The water was pretty cold - cold enough to keep me out of it most of the time - but Quinn had a great time jumping over the waves.

Emily loving her pretzel. If this picture doesn't look like Eva as a baby, then I don't know what else does (other than the real thing).

Our three days in Ostfriesland were amazing as well. The weather was hot and dry, and Quinn and Emma spend most of the day outside running into the kiddie pool. With the long days, the kids were jumping into the water even after dinner.

Of course, there has to be ice cream as well.

All in all, it was an amazing two weeks. I got my bike tour and a week on the beach, and Eva got to spend two weeks on the beach with her family (including a week with me).

More pictures of our time in Ostfriesland will be posted later: Marc (who was also with us) is a very good photographer, and took most of the pics. When we get those, we'll post them.

Now it is back to work and back to reality...but at least with our batteries fully energized.

Texans in Germany

It is hard to believe that my folks landed in Germany almost a month ago for their 11 day trip through Germany. As with any trip, the time seemed to fly by...but thankfully we have some great memories, pictures, and video of the trip.

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.

Vacation on the North Sea

Ahhh...vacation. Since we were going to be in or around Eva's folk's place on the 2nd and the 9th of June, we thought we'd just take off on vacation in between. Since the North Sea is close and favorite of the Göttgens family, we packed our bags and took our first vacation as a family!After a 3 hour drive from Hattingen and a 40 minute ferry, we found ourselves on the North See island of Langeoog - one of the many German islands that dot the North Sea coast.

With any vacation on the North See, the weather can be tricky and ever-changing. Thankfully, we had great weather (and no rain!) all week long. While the weather can be less than optimal on the North Sea, the beaches are awesome - with powder sand beaches that go for miles.
The traditional building material for roofs is reeds from the natural grasses that grow wild on the island. These reed roofs can last for centuries, but present quite a fire hazard.

Quinn experienced sand for the first time. He didn't seem to like the sand between his toes, but I'm sure he'll grow into it - especially when we can build sandcastles together.
The North Sea is a particularly good vacation for families. The kids can play for hours on the beach doing everything from sandcastle building to flying kites. It is especially cool on the North See during the low tide because the ebb is so BIG. The difference between the high and low tides can be kilometers, and it is very cool to walk so far from shore during the low tide.
Thankfully, Eva's parents were with us as well. It allowed us some time to ourselves when they would take Quinn for a walk, and their company is always appreciated. We played cards quite a bit during the evening together, and Eva's dad is teaching Quinn the basics.

...these are the pics that kids hate their parents for...