Can You Say "Scared Stiff???"

Hey-ya friends!! It has been really eventful the last couple of days . . . I was without internet service on Saturday (which would have been Friday night in the States . . . I swear the time difference messes with my head!). Most of the hotels where we have stayed have had internet access (at about 18 euros for 24 hours - which translates into about $27!! YIKES!!). Happily for me, though, is that the hotel we are in today has FREE internet - HUZZAH!! Finally SOMEthing on this trip is FREE!!)

We spent a lot of time on Saturday driving . . . driving and driving and driving . . . the German countryside is absolutely gorgeous, though!! Funny story . . . we have had a GPS with a European data card, which has been GREAT!! My daughter nicknamed the GPS (which is a Garmin) "Garmina" last year when we first got it. It speaks with feminine voice, so that's how it all started. Well, anyway, when we left Salzburg to head for Mittenwald, Garmina seemed to be taking us the loooonnng way around. We tried using "shortest" route and "fastest" route, but we still seemed to be going via China! Anyway, after more than two hours (or was it three?) of roaming the German countryside Devan discovered that my husband had left Garmina in "pedestrian" mode from the day before!! Poor Garmina was trying to find the safest way for us to WALK to Mittenwald (I guess that is why she was keeping us off the freeways!!)!! Our trip progressed MUCH more quickly after that!! hehehehehe!

We went to Mittenwald, which is a charming little town. That is where I was eating that chocolate snowball you see in the picture. Sadly, those things look much better than the taste!! The chocolate on the outside was really good, but the "snowball" itself kinda tasted like cardboard . . . not that I have EATEN much cardboard . . . I just IMAGINE that is how it would taste!! Everything else we have eaten here has been magnificent, though!!

Lots of pictures to share today . . .



Devan took this one of me on the bridge to Old Town Salzburg. I think that has been a favorite place so far . . . (I feel like I am doing the "Cover Girl" pose here - kinda like I planned that breeze blowing my hair!!)







Here I am with my mother-in-law and my husband on the grounds of King Ludwig's palace at Linderhof. BEAUTIFUL!! There were swans swimming around behind us. The palace was GORGEOUS!!




Devan and I in front of the fountains (which only shoot water for 5 minutes on the half hour). I could get used to living here . . . (palace was a bit on the over-ornate inside, but the grounds were SPECTACULAR!!)







Here I am in the arbor archway above the palace . . .







And here is where I get to the "Scared Stiff" moment. My husband took this photo of Devan and I on this little "Indiana Jones"-style bridge way up behind Neuschwanstein castle. Okay, this castle is HUGE - GIGANTIC - ENORMOUS!! It still looks big from this vantage point and we are about a mile away! We went to step out onto the bridge . . . I took about two steps and could feel the boards wobbling . . . and I FROZE in my tracks!! Honestly, I couldn't go one step further!! My knees where shaking and I felt like crying (weenie moment!!)! It took all my strength to back off the bridge! Seriously!! The bridge is teeny-tiny-super-skinny and it was PACKED with people!! I thought I was gonna DIE!!! My husband and son FINALLY got me on there, but this photo is totally FAKE (as in the smile on my face was painted on there!!). Do you see how close my husband was to us to take the photo? There was NO zoom involved in this, baby!! I couldn't get off of there fast enough!! Sheesh!! At least I DID it!!



Which brings me, FINALLY, to today's ugly card . . . seriously, I am going to save the best for last (it is sooo hideous, but you will have to wait to see it for a little while longer!!) What WAS I thinking here? The card in and of itself is okay, I guess, but WHO had my color wheel that day??? I was still refusing to buy SU cardstock at this point . . . this card just makes me laugh!! And to think I was proud of it at the time . . .

Stay tuned for more Germanic adventures! I'll post more as I have internet access (we never know for sure where we are going to end up at the close of the day, so we'll just have to wait and see!)