"RICOLAAAAAAA"

We are having a load of laundry done for several euros while we wait here at the hotel Maximillian in Reutte, Austria. It's just across the border from our German hotel at the foot of Neuschwanstein Castle, which doesn't have laundry, but does have a great Bavarian Restaurant AND a fabulous canopy bed. I hope it's comfy!

Today began back in Rothenburg at the Pension Elke. We ate breakfast there and took a photography walk and checked out of the Pension. We said good bye to our new friends Erich and Klaus Endress, who were wonderful hosts. Klaus reminded us so much of Cousin Brent and Erich (his father) reminded of us that cute little old man on the Pixar cartoons with the super-thick glasses (he makes a cameo in Toy Story II as the toy doctor/refurbisher). After loading the car, we took another walk around Rothenburg and bought and shipped some souvenirs, and tried out some schneeballen (I still cannot upload pictures, but if you click links, you can see somebody else's pictures), then we hit the road (A7 south thru Bavaria, to be exact).

We ate lunch in Dinkelsbuhl, which is known as Rothenburg's little sister. We had yummy pretzels and weisswurst and then drove down thru Fussen to Schwangau and our darling little hotel. It is so beautiful, itäs hard to believe it's all real. I canät get over the cuteness of the cows with their big ol' bells on their necks. Also, the forests are dense and green and gorgeous, but the trees and wildflowers are totally foreign to me, so different from North American "flora & fauna."

I can't wait to post pix and to video chat with our kids again! It was so fun to talk to them last night before bed. It was midnight in Rothenburg, but it was 4pm there. They were just having some after-school fun and were so adorable laughing at Rich making funny faces and shouting greetings at us. I missed them terribly, but I felt better having seen them and laughing with them and knowing they are happy.

Things that are annoying me: my hair is behaving badly. Itäs heinous. You cannot get ice in your drinks. No drinking fountains or bottles of water. I had to go to a McDonald's just for ice! Other than that, it's is inexpressibly gorgeous here and I canät wait to share our adventures with you!

More tomorrow after the castles (maybe)--tomorrow night is night train to Paris and I am not sure we'll be able to update. But have a happy Sabbath!!!

"The hills are alive with the sound of Griswald...."