We're back and almost ready to head home.

We got back two nights ago from the 3 week tour of Europe and we had a great time. We regret not being able to update our blog as often as we would've liked during the trip, but free highspeed wireless internet is about as rare as hen's teeth in Europe. Or rather, it's rare at campgrounds; if I had risked taken my computer with me out on the town then maybe I could've written. But no bother, it just means that we have better stories to tell when we get back. Right now we're in the process of repacking all of the stuff that we brought, in addition to a treasure trove of goodies, so it's a bit hectic and tomorrow we're meeting up with the family for some last pictures and some "bier zeit." Though we're ready to come home and get back to our real life, I'm pretty sad about having to leave. This has been one heck of a trip, and I have 3000 pictures to prove it. Yes, everyone has to sit through all the pictures.

So on this trip, we managed to visit 6 countries: Germany, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Belgium and we drove through about 10 miles of the Netherlands so that counts too. By unanimous decision, Belgium was the favorite place that we visited and without a doubt is the best kept secret in travel. I didn't manage to visit any breweries in Belgium as they are all on banker's hours and are open at weird times. Also, they don't give many tours as they all jealously guard their advanced brewing techniques or something like that. Actually, many of them are run by monks so they don't have a lot of time to give tours, between the 30 times a day they have to pray a day and making beer. But... Pe and Axel secretly arranged for a private tour at a local brewery this morning near their garden. It is the smallest brewery in Saxony, and it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. A brewmaster, actually, THE brewmaster, took us on a personal tour all through the brewery and showed us all the operation and how they make beer and all of the equipment and ingredients and everything. He spends 10-12 hours every day brewing the beer there, and it is without question the best tasting Pilsner beer I have ever had in my life. It was awesome, I got to talk beer talk with him, thanks to translator Anne, and we hung out for a while and drank a couple of cold (in a German sense) ones with him. And when my German gets better I can come back and help out in there over the summer, no seriously, he said I could. Anyway, we ended up leaving with a few beers and a beer mug and he gave me some labels and stuff. So anyway, Belgian beer is no longer my favorite, that guy's beer is my favorite.

Well, I think it's pretty much impossible to write about everything we did given the amount of time we have left here in Germany. I will write a comprehensive recap of our events and we'll eventually post all of our pictures on-line. Though, as I said, I alone took over 3000 pictures, and I'm sure Anne has a few hundred, not to mention all of the pictures I have on the computer that Pe took. But we'll be seeing everyone soon anyway, so we can personally share with you everything we've done.

As far as the rest of the trip goes... we're leaving Germany on Saturday morning (August 11th) and we'll be arriving in St. Louis on Sunday evening (the 12th, duh.) So I'll be probably pretty hungover for our early morning trek into Berlin. We'll be staying in St. Louis for a few days, and then come back to Kansas on Tuesday the 14th, if we survive the jet lag. Poor little Anne has a meeting on Wednesday morning while I play with the kitties and my long neglected Destroyer. Then school starts, I think we both have class on Friday. Then in about 2 weeks, I start teaching again, and summer then officially ends. But I think I'll still be working for the German department so I can keep up all of the great German that I've learned while I was here. I'm fluent at ordering bread and meat.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. In a few days we'll be seeing all of our English speaking friends and family, so that'll make another 23 hour trip worth while.

Tchuss