We spent Monday in Potsdam beginning with a beautiful German breakfast in a lovely hotel and then headed to Frederic I 's palace and garden. Unfortunately the palace was closed on Mondays and we got caught in a summer downpour, but stayed to enjoy the beautiful gardens and got some fun photos of the boys pretending to be statues. They have caterpillars that any contact with them causes a rash- I dont remember touching them but I must have.
We continued on to Berlin and took photos at the Brandenburg Gate and got on a double decker city tour bus which is a great way to get to know the city to begin with. We visited the Wall Museum and saw how people escaped East Berlin in very creative ways- hard to believe it only just came down 24 years ago- the year I graduated high school. We went to the old Gestapo headquarters which is a museum now- hard to read about all the atrocities that happened there. We visited the memorial to murdered Jews and it was closed on Mondays as well, but still a powerful memorial site. We took photos of checkpoint Charlie which was important because when Rich and his family lived there in Berlin from 1967-68 his parents crossed through the checkpoint to go Christmas shopping for inexpensive gifts in East Berlin. Also we discovered that his birthday is a National Holiday here and the main street is named 17 June! We also introduced the boys to doner kebabs (Turkish food) which they only sort of liked. Turkish food is easily found all over Germany so it was fun for us to have them try it.
It was good to see the place that I have often taught about in my History classes. A lot of tragic things happened here but they are rebuilding (lots of construction) and it was important for the boys to see. Jake seemed to grasp the historic relevance and it seemed to fly right over the heads of the other two, which is fine- they are too little to understand/take in the human capacity for evil. While tragic, it's important to teach future generations of past crimes so that hopefully they won't be repeated again. Jake has a natural interest in politics, governments, dictatorships, and economics; for him it was a lesson about how far the totalitarian dictatorships can go in destroying people's lives and ethnic groups as a whole.
On Tuesday, we drove from Berlin to Warsaw, Poland. I love it here so far. The people are so nice and the streets clean. It reminds me of northern Italy. We had a wonderful dinner with goulash and pierogi in Old Town and wandered around eating our ice cream cones (super tall) after dinner. there were street performers and it was beautiful. It was about 75-80 degrees and the atmosphere was amazing. Our hotel was just outside of Warsaw and we got completely lost. The names of the streets are really tough Polish names and they change like 3-4 times on the same street. Our GPS in the rental car only works in Germany not Poland so it's a little tough with me navigating while Rich is driving but we are making it happen slowly but surely. Lots of patience required, especially with 3 little boys in the back! Tomorrow we head to Krakow and then to Auchwitz.
g to be statues. I also some how got a rash from the gardens- we happened to read about some infestation of caterp
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
So lots has happened since the last time I posted during our cruise. We have taken an RV to Denali National Park and seen lots of wildlife and the boys earned their Jr. Ranger badges. We saw Mt. McKinley and have eaten "Rudy in a Parka." We traveled to Fairbanks and enjoyed a Father's Day lunch next to a river before hitting a moose on our way up the Dalton Hwy to the Arctic Circle. We have killed at least a 1,000 mosquitos each and have a fair share of battle wounds (bites)! Fed Musk Ox and Reindeer and climbed on a glacier. Endured record heat in Alaska and now on the East Coast too- I think the heat is following us. We saw Monsters University 3D on opening day and enjoyed the summer solstice in Alaska. Put 1,500 miles on the RV! lots of driving around Alaska. Nathan and Zack both got to ride in C-17 cockpits during take off. We unexpectedly visited my sister and her family which was SO great. Swam, BBQed, caught fireflies, played ladderball, played games, trampolined, jumped from the trampoline into the pool (hilarious- wish I had a video of us doing that), s'mored, drank adult beverages, told stories around a firepit, watched Wreck It Ralph, got mani/pedis (ok just the girls) and relaxed!
So far we have thought we were going to Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Australia, England, Spain, and now Germany. Nothing like being flexible- good thing we don't really care where we are going. However since we have lived in Europe for 4 years, we were really wanting to hit a different continent like Asia or Australia.
Been postponed 4 hrs which turned into 24 hrs. Slept overnight in the DV lounge in the AMC terminal, showered in the terminal, been passing time watching The Partridge Family, Father Knows Best, Price Is Right, Let's Make A Deal, and America's Got Talent. They have a great USO here and they even fed us meatball subs last night for dinner. We are getting ready for roll call here in about 1/2 an hour so I thought I'd jump on their computers and update my blog. I have been posting quite a bit on Facebook to pass the time - so if you aren't friends with me on Facebook my user name is Michelle Whitfield Nolan- feel free to send my a friend request.
I guess that's it for now- hope you all are having a great summer! Let me know what you are up to- it's fun to see how everyone is spending their summers. One of our best summers yet was last summer when we didn't move (PCS) or go anywhere on vacation. It was mostly swim lessons, pool, beach, the fair, local attractions and just being home bodies. It was wonderful.
Hope to hear from you all soon. Love and hugs, Michelle :)
So far we have thought we were going to Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Australia, England, Spain, and now Germany. Nothing like being flexible- good thing we don't really care where we are going. However since we have lived in Europe for 4 years, we were really wanting to hit a different continent like Asia or Australia.
Been postponed 4 hrs which turned into 24 hrs. Slept overnight in the DV lounge in the AMC terminal, showered in the terminal, been passing time watching The Partridge Family, Father Knows Best, Price Is Right, Let's Make A Deal, and America's Got Talent. They have a great USO here and they even fed us meatball subs last night for dinner. We are getting ready for roll call here in about 1/2 an hour so I thought I'd jump on their computers and update my blog. I have been posting quite a bit on Facebook to pass the time - so if you aren't friends with me on Facebook my user name is Michelle Whitfield Nolan- feel free to send my a friend request.
I guess that's it for now- hope you all are having a great summer! Let me know what you are up to- it's fun to see how everyone is spending their summers. One of our best summers yet was last summer when we didn't move (PCS) or go anywhere on vacation. It was mostly swim lessons, pool, beach, the fair, local attractions and just being home bodies. It was wonderful.
Hope to hear from you all soon. Love and hugs, Michelle :)
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
I know I will forget something as I write this because I don't have my travel journal in front of me, but I do know that my memory is better than the other 4 Nolans put together. So here it goes...
Monday, June 3rd- board cruise ship, get aquainted with the layout and staff. Boys love it!
The boys go to the Kids Club after playing basketball on the top deck while Rich and I go to the Welcome Aboard show.
Tuesday, June 4th- we are at sea all day -sailing from Vancouver to Ketchikan. We went swimming while Rich played in a Texas Hold 'em Tournament and went to a Veteran's Meet and Greet. I went to an Art Auction and bid on an actual Pablo Picasso drawing, knowing I wouldn't win, of course- just for fun. The free champagne made me do it :) The evening entertainment was a show of a acrobatics from Cirque who were amazing- especially on a ship.
Wednesday, June 5th- We arrived in Ketchikan and went on a small boat to the Misty Fjords and saw bald eagles, dolphins, and sea lions. We tasted the Alaskan salmon and got a stamp in our National Parks passports. After that tour we went into town for the lumberjack show. They were hilarious and the boys really got into the silly competition. We had our photo taken with the lumberjacks and got back on board. I played BINGO and won, but had to split the $120 with another winner. Later the family enjoyed the Production casts rendition of several Broadway musicals.
Thursday, June 6th- we landed in Juneau and headed straight for the creeks to pan for gold! And Eureka, we did find it! We all found gold flakes that morning and put them in little vials to take home- the boys were super excited about that of course. Next we headed to a salmon bake. The funny thing that happened there was that a raven stole Jake's entire portion of salmon right off his plate while Jake was going to get lemonade! Luckily it was an all-you-can-eat buffet, so Jake still got to eat salmon. After that, we went to Mendenhall Glacier and got our National Parks stamps there too. Jake, Zack and Rich hiked to the waterfall while Nathan and I watched a film about the glacier and learned about Dall sheep.
After a full day out there was still more fun to be had back on ship. Jake didn't want to go to the Kids Club so he went back to the room by himself and enjoyed his independence and watched Back To The Future, while his brothers enjoyed the Pirate themed fun with Kids Club. Rich and I went to see another singing/dancing production- another hit! After tucking the kids in bed, we went to the casino on board and played a little blackjack- we doubled our $100 and got out of Dodge. Fun time.
Friday, June 7th- Skagway- tiny little town tour and off we went up into the Klondike region where we had lunch and met sled dogs and their adorable puppies. The boys got to ride in a sled pulled by 9 dogs- boy, were those dogs energetic, loud, and mean to one another. It was a wild ride that the boys won't soon forget. There was a cool museum to see and then it was off to Yukon territory. We stopped at some amazing scenic stops and took a bunch of photos. At Frasier we got on a 115 year old railway train and rode it 2 hours back into Skagway. It was an 8 hour adventure in total! We wandered around town after that - watched a movie at the Visitor's Center about the Klondike Gold Rush- got our National Parks passports stamped and Rich got his Skagway Brewery T-shirt. Long day, but amazing.
Later that night after dinner, Rich and I went to see a comedian while the boys played basketball. They are loving all the freedom of being on the ship, checking in every once in awhile. Danced the night away at the 80's dance night!
Saturday, June 8th - we woke up to being inside a National Park- Glacier Bay. We had some park rangers climb aboard for the day and teach us about the park and it's glaciers. We got our passport stamps and the boys even earned their Jr. Ranger badges and patches at the Kids Club. We all attended a ranger program in the theater and then enjoyed the views. At lunch we saw humpback whales, sea otters, and bears along the shore. Later that day we all got sea sick at dinner except Rich. He took each one of the boys back to the room and put them to bed after leaving the dinner table one by one because they felt so bad. I couldn't help him because I myself felt like I was going to lose it. I hung in there and we played Deal or No Deal- no winners that night. We stayed in the theater to watch a Rock-n-Roll show. I fanned myself the whole time because I felt so bad. After we went to the White HOT party where everyone wore white and danced the night away- we sat and watched. I told Rich to go ahead and dance without me but he didn't go out there- go figure!
Sunday, June 9th- at sea, but we did stop by a glacier which I can't remember at the moment. We all felt much better the next day thank goodness. Nathan and Zack went to practice for their big circus performance while Jake played basketball all morning. We enjoyed a quiet morning reading and going through our photos because the camera was FULL already - so I had to delete some! Then we went and saw the circus that the boys had worked hard on and they were SO cute dressed as clowns. Jake didn't do it because he was too old he said. :( Later we all played BINGO and Nathan won! We split $170 three ways but was so happy. We played Deal or No Deal one more time- no love. We went to see the magic show/ illusionist and the boys were amazed at his tricks (Rich and I were too)! We ended by putting them to bed and packing a little bit before we went out to enjoy our favorite band SOUL for one last time and then called it an early night since we had to get up early and disembark. It was an incredible vacation! Cruises are the way to go.
Great way to start our trip!
Monday, June 3rd- board cruise ship, get aquainted with the layout and staff. Boys love it!
The boys go to the Kids Club after playing basketball on the top deck while Rich and I go to the Welcome Aboard show.
Tuesday, June 4th- we are at sea all day -sailing from Vancouver to Ketchikan. We went swimming while Rich played in a Texas Hold 'em Tournament and went to a Veteran's Meet and Greet. I went to an Art Auction and bid on an actual Pablo Picasso drawing, knowing I wouldn't win, of course- just for fun. The free champagne made me do it :) The evening entertainment was a show of a acrobatics from Cirque who were amazing- especially on a ship.
Wednesday, June 5th- We arrived in Ketchikan and went on a small boat to the Misty Fjords and saw bald eagles, dolphins, and sea lions. We tasted the Alaskan salmon and got a stamp in our National Parks passports. After that tour we went into town for the lumberjack show. They were hilarious and the boys really got into the silly competition. We had our photo taken with the lumberjacks and got back on board. I played BINGO and won, but had to split the $120 with another winner. Later the family enjoyed the Production casts rendition of several Broadway musicals.
Thursday, June 6th- we landed in Juneau and headed straight for the creeks to pan for gold! And Eureka, we did find it! We all found gold flakes that morning and put them in little vials to take home- the boys were super excited about that of course. Next we headed to a salmon bake. The funny thing that happened there was that a raven stole Jake's entire portion of salmon right off his plate while Jake was going to get lemonade! Luckily it was an all-you-can-eat buffet, so Jake still got to eat salmon. After that, we went to Mendenhall Glacier and got our National Parks stamps there too. Jake, Zack and Rich hiked to the waterfall while Nathan and I watched a film about the glacier and learned about Dall sheep.
After a full day out there was still more fun to be had back on ship. Jake didn't want to go to the Kids Club so he went back to the room by himself and enjoyed his independence and watched Back To The Future, while his brothers enjoyed the Pirate themed fun with Kids Club. Rich and I went to see another singing/dancing production- another hit! After tucking the kids in bed, we went to the casino on board and played a little blackjack- we doubled our $100 and got out of Dodge. Fun time.
Friday, June 7th- Skagway- tiny little town tour and off we went up into the Klondike region where we had lunch and met sled dogs and their adorable puppies. The boys got to ride in a sled pulled by 9 dogs- boy, were those dogs energetic, loud, and mean to one another. It was a wild ride that the boys won't soon forget. There was a cool museum to see and then it was off to Yukon territory. We stopped at some amazing scenic stops and took a bunch of photos. At Frasier we got on a 115 year old railway train and rode it 2 hours back into Skagway. It was an 8 hour adventure in total! We wandered around town after that - watched a movie at the Visitor's Center about the Klondike Gold Rush- got our National Parks passports stamped and Rich got his Skagway Brewery T-shirt. Long day, but amazing.
Later that night after dinner, Rich and I went to see a comedian while the boys played basketball. They are loving all the freedom of being on the ship, checking in every once in awhile. Danced the night away at the 80's dance night!
Saturday, June 8th - we woke up to being inside a National Park- Glacier Bay. We had some park rangers climb aboard for the day and teach us about the park and it's glaciers. We got our passport stamps and the boys even earned their Jr. Ranger badges and patches at the Kids Club. We all attended a ranger program in the theater and then enjoyed the views. At lunch we saw humpback whales, sea otters, and bears along the shore. Later that day we all got sea sick at dinner except Rich. He took each one of the boys back to the room and put them to bed after leaving the dinner table one by one because they felt so bad. I couldn't help him because I myself felt like I was going to lose it. I hung in there and we played Deal or No Deal- no winners that night. We stayed in the theater to watch a Rock-n-Roll show. I fanned myself the whole time because I felt so bad. After we went to the White HOT party where everyone wore white and danced the night away- we sat and watched. I told Rich to go ahead and dance without me but he didn't go out there- go figure!
Sunday, June 9th- at sea, but we did stop by a glacier which I can't remember at the moment. We all felt much better the next day thank goodness. Nathan and Zack went to practice for their big circus performance while Jake played basketball all morning. We enjoyed a quiet morning reading and going through our photos because the camera was FULL already - so I had to delete some! Then we went and saw the circus that the boys had worked hard on and they were SO cute dressed as clowns. Jake didn't do it because he was too old he said. :( Later we all played BINGO and Nathan won! We split $170 three ways but was so happy. We played Deal or No Deal one more time- no love. We went to see the magic show/ illusionist and the boys were amazed at his tricks (Rich and I were too)! We ended by putting them to bed and packing a little bit before we went out to enjoy our favorite band SOUL for one last time and then called it an early night since we had to get up early and disembark. It was an incredible vacation! Cruises are the way to go.
Great way to start our trip!
So we are now in Anchorage at Elmendorf AFB. We finally have wifi at the library on base and we are getting some library books for the next stage of our trip - RVing for a week in Alaska.
We got in town last night after getting off our cruise ship, the Norwegian Sun, and then getting on a tour bus that would take us to Anchorage. We figured we might as well take a TOUR if we have to find a way from Whittier to Anchorage anyway, in true Nolan style.
The tour included a boat tour of Portage Glacier (in which our boat broke up ice by ramming the front end of our boat into the lake ice :) fun!) Then we went to the Alaskan Wildlife Care Center and saw moose, caribou (reindeer), bears, elk, porcupine, lynx, bald eagles, owls, and bison. We also traveled through the tiny town of Whittier and into a one-way tunnel -was the longest in N.America before the Big Dig was dug.
How to sum up a week long cruise in a few lines? It was amazing and tiring! It's an impossible task for someone like me who doesn't want to be left out of anything because there is something going on every hour of every day and many things happening at the same time. If you know me, then you know I want to do it all and experience it all. I didn't make it to all the things I wanted to- like napkin folding lessons- who knows, it might come in handy one day!
The entertainment and staff on board were top notch. Cruises always feel like you are extending your vacation for some reason. Maybe because you can do SO many things in just one day. I'll give a brief description of each day and just some highlights in my next post.
We got in town last night after getting off our cruise ship, the Norwegian Sun, and then getting on a tour bus that would take us to Anchorage. We figured we might as well take a TOUR if we have to find a way from Whittier to Anchorage anyway, in true Nolan style.
The tour included a boat tour of Portage Glacier (in which our boat broke up ice by ramming the front end of our boat into the lake ice :) fun!) Then we went to the Alaskan Wildlife Care Center and saw moose, caribou (reindeer), bears, elk, porcupine, lynx, bald eagles, owls, and bison. We also traveled through the tiny town of Whittier and into a one-way tunnel -was the longest in N.America before the Big Dig was dug.
How to sum up a week long cruise in a few lines? It was amazing and tiring! It's an impossible task for someone like me who doesn't want to be left out of anything because there is something going on every hour of every day and many things happening at the same time. If you know me, then you know I want to do it all and experience it all. I didn't make it to all the things I wanted to- like napkin folding lessons- who knows, it might come in handy one day!
The entertainment and staff on board were top notch. Cruises always feel like you are extending your vacation for some reason. Maybe because you can do SO many things in just one day. I'll give a brief description of each day and just some highlights in my next post.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Chinese Garden and Children's festival were disappointing said bye to the Shaws - good to see them again! Laundry done and getting our back packs reloaded for our cruise tomorrow . Our friend Victoria Tori Stehn noticed that we have 7 backpacks for the five of us. Good observation! One is our camera case/daypack so we don't have to unload a pack to carry our daily outing stuff. The other is a small backpack just for our electronics (sad to say)! We have 1 iPad, 1 iPhone, 4 kindle fires, 3 3DS', 4 cameras, 1 pair of binoculars, chargers and cables galore! And an electrical tree too! Got to record, communicate and entertain
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Saturday June 1st- Hard to believe it's June already.
Today we visited the aquarium and had fun seeing the seals,otters, dolphins, beluga whales and penguins. Then it was off to the Capilano suspension bridge. Everyone did a great job crossing even those who were afraid! It was a beautiful place to hike. So green. Didn't rain on us today - nice break.
Back to the hotel to rest and then swim again!
Today we visited the aquarium and had fun seeing the seals,otters, dolphins, beluga whales and penguins. Then it was off to the Capilano suspension bridge. Everyone did a great job crossing even those who were afraid! It was a beautiful place to hike. So green. Didn't rain on us today - nice break.
Back to the hotel to rest and then swim again!
So we got caught in a hail storm of all things! We were up on Grouse Mountain on a ski lift and it only lasted about 10-15 minutes but we were totally exposed so we got pelted. They were the size of Dippin Dots ice cream :) Zack was next to me in shorts and was asking me why it hurt so bad-:( poor guy! We got off the lift wet and cold but laughing. I told the boys that this is the kind of adventure we signed up for.
Next we went to a lumberjack show that was totally entertaining and very impressive! After the show we raced inside for some hot chocolate and a movie about grizzly bears.
Going in the wind turbine ( you know those big white windmill things with three huge blades that create energy from wind) was anti-climatic. We took an elevator to the top and it was nothing but clouds as far as the eye could see _ which wasn't far considering we were in a cloud. Rich was happy since he's not fond of heights. We paid extra for that experience so that was a bummer but you can't control the weather.
Next we met up with Mark and Cara Shaw and their kids Zack and Alyssa. They just moved to Seattle a few months ago for Mark's job with Microsoft. He was one of our groomsmen and has been friends with Rich since they were 15. We walked around Vancouver and let the kids go for a swim in the hotel pool. later we met them for drinks in the hotel lobby.
Random facts about Vancouver
* over 200 movies are made here every year. 3rd most popular film destination
* Guinness family once owned most of West Vancouver
* Stanley Park is the same Stanley as Stanley cup
* Salmon are food for over 200 species of animals
* Stanley Park is modeled after New York city`s Central Park
Next we went to a lumberjack show that was totally entertaining and very impressive! After the show we raced inside for some hot chocolate and a movie about grizzly bears.
Going in the wind turbine ( you know those big white windmill things with three huge blades that create energy from wind) was anti-climatic. We took an elevator to the top and it was nothing but clouds as far as the eye could see _ which wasn't far considering we were in a cloud. Rich was happy since he's not fond of heights. We paid extra for that experience so that was a bummer but you can't control the weather.
Next we met up with Mark and Cara Shaw and their kids Zack and Alyssa. They just moved to Seattle a few months ago for Mark's job with Microsoft. He was one of our groomsmen and has been friends with Rich since they were 15. We walked around Vancouver and let the kids go for a swim in the hotel pool. later we met them for drinks in the hotel lobby.
Random facts about Vancouver
* over 200 movies are made here every year. 3rd most popular film destination
* Guinness family once owned most of West Vancouver
* Stanley Park is the same Stanley as Stanley cup
* Salmon are food for over 200 species of animals
* Stanley Park is modeled after New York city`s Central Park
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