Family History

We are back from a 16 day trip to the other side of the world (Germany & Austria). It seemed like yesterday when we were all planning this trip - Jack, my parents and my brother, Mark. Then reality sets in and flights are booked; accommodation is made in two cities (the unknown areas so fear of being located in the wrong place) and then some trips are even booked and confirmed.
We had a few anxious moments and some restless nights with lots of noise from the streets below but all in all it was a good trip. We saw some of the same sights in Salzburg and met with a small number of family members. The language barrier is always the hardest but my dad met the challenge and did most of the translating for us.
But the best city was Munich and we would recommend that to anyone. So much history there and if you are a history fan from the war, this is a great place to start. We learned so much and saw first hand what it would of been like to have been living during the "Hitler Days". My dad was named after Adolf Hitler as his mother received $500 schillings for doing so. I never gave it much thought about his name until you visit a country that had so much hate for a man. Even on this trip several folks asked my dad if he wanted to change his name to something else given the history. But he has always stayed strong to his birth name that his mother did in sacrificing him for money to feed their family while my grandfather was away fighting the war. So much history in a country and in a family.
My dad even learned some new history facts on one of our guided trips and so this brought some new insight to his recollection of growing up.
We were made to appreciate our lifestyle and our faith after witnessing so much drinking and smoking at every age. Both the drinking and smoking are made so inexpensive that this lifestyle is accepted everywhere and for every age. It's sad to see this take over so many lives and yet at the same time, the people see it as being a normal way of life.
On our last three days by ourselves we visited and stayed in a little sleepy town known as Freising. This is a town adjacent to Munich and houses some hotels known as the "Munich airport area". We stayed there the last time we visited but only on a overnight trip. This time we actually got to explore this town and we were amazed to see all the young families - it seems to be where commuters live rather than in the big city and with the trains running directly to Munich, people commute. But the main thing was the old buildings and the history of such a small place. We wandered around the main cobblestone street admiring the old buildings and the amount of statues everywhere. Of course it wouldn't of been complete until you hear the beautiful bells ringing through out the land for everyone to hear. This was supposed to be a sleepy little stop over but instead it gave us a sense of history and family all in one short little visit. We loved this town and would think nothing of going back and spending a couple of days here again.
So we are glad to be home; not glad to be on a different time zone still but glad to get ourselves back in a routine and not living out of a suitcase.
We thank God for blessing us with safe travels; good health during our stay, as well showing us another side of life and the importance of having a balanced life which includes faith.