Germany

Ryan jetted off to Germany with several of his co-workers for a conference.  Their first stop was the Nurburgring test track.  A portion of the track nicknamed "The Green Hell" is currently featured in a Cadillac comercial.  Of course all these car guys thought it was awesome.       

This is what I love about Europe.  Right next to this state of the art complex is a medieval castle on a hill. 

They spent a few days in Karlsruhe which looks gorgeous.  I was surprised to learn that Oktoberfest starts in September and continues only through the first week of October.  So Ryan missed the big festivals, but he still had plenty of beer.  Ryan described this part of Germany as being a lot like France, just with beer instead of wine.

Next on their trip was Cologne, a beautiful town in the northwest part of Germany.  Construction of the Cologne Cathedral  began in the 13th century.  It is one of the tallest cathedrals in the world and Ryan climbed all the way to the top of the bell tower.  It is famous for housing the largest reliquary in the Western world, a gold sarcophagus which supposedly holds the remains of the three wise men. 

Tessa has really taken an interest in where Daddy is going these days.  So in an effort to explain Germany, we told her Daddy was going to where Snow White lives.  Most parents would pull out a map, but this made more sense to our princess.  She was fascinated.  When Ryan called home she would reminded him to say hi to Snow White for her.  This shot of Cologne looks like it could be from a fairy tale book.   

Ryan loves to travel and Germany was extra fun because he got to drive on the Autobahn.  A freeway with no speed limits and a rental car is an interesting combination.  But he told me not to worry, he only got honked at twice.  I don't even want to know.  So between that, the swanky hotels with underground pools and friendly local pubs, these guys had a good time.