Time for a Time Out

Feeling exhausted and burned out from all the travel, we made it to our safe haven, House of Bugbee. I had looked forward to this for almost 2 weeks and it did not disappoint! Mike was Jeff’s fraternity brother back at MSU. He and his wife, Emilie, and their 2 adorable kids (and another one on the way) have been living just outside Frankfurt for the past year. They were kind enough to take our smelly, worn out selves in. And thank goodness! I was nearly at my wits end, practically having breakdowns every time I had to pack the bag again. I can’t say enough about their lovely family. Emilie was kind enough to make us the first home cooked meal we have had in months and help us with our laundry (desperately needed). Mike took us out to the Rhine Valley sightseeing one day, which was the best part of Germany thus far. We went on a half day tour of a local town, Wiesbaden. And the rest of the time we just lounged, lazed and played. It was pure bliss and brought us back to life.
I’m not sure what Wiesbaden is famous for…money, beauty, the little train that works on water and a pulley? It had all of them. The houses here are like something out of a movie set and the stores are filled with Prada, Gucci, and D&G. I saw a pretty red jacket that I would have sold everything in my backpack for. It was ridiculously expensive, something like 2300 euros, ouch! Guess I’ll have to settle for the coffee mug souvenir instead. The town was charming to say the least. We had a picnic in a park, with chips and whatever they call salsa (it tastes like tomato paste and sweet and sour sauce).
Even better than Wiesbaden is the Rhine Valley, which is famous for the Rhine River and Wine. More specifically, Riesling. The valley’s rolling hills are accentuated by the castles that are perched along the river, watching over the vineyards and quaint houses. This is Germany! Our lunch even had entertainment courtesy of a little polka band complete with a tuba. Ok, it’s a bit touristy but I could care less. Throw on a fanny pack and tie a camera around my neck, here I come!
That was pretty much the extent of sightseeing here, but no complaints from me. My favorite parts of the last few days have been reading kids books and doing dishes. So thanks again to Mike, Emilie, Ben, Katie and Unborn Baby Bugbee for everything. Who knows, you might see us again next year. Oktoberfest, anyone?