This post is a travel report for our parents and children and any friends who want to travel along with us.

As my parents dropped us off at the airport they seemed so relieved to not be the ones getting on the plane.  They wished us well while celebrating staying at home – nevertheless they hoped to hear of our adventures.  I promised to send them blog posts along the way and hope our parents, children and friends can enjoy our vacation along with us.

Following our quick trip to New York we flew from Buffalo to JFK.  Originally we had planned these days in New York before our long-anticipated tour of Israel.  We had reserved our Israel adventure while we still lived in Texas.  It has been postponed several times due to COVID19 but this fall it seemed a sure thing.  I finally bought our connecting tickets to New York just as Israel announced it would remain closed to tourists.  This time our money was refunded and I began to find new ways to spend our time we had already set apart in October.  This vacation is a result…

Mark and I were thrilled to see a very small crowd at our gate in JFK.  Sure enough, our international flight was had so few people that every passenger had a row to ourselves.  Laying across three seats is not as comfortable as it sounds but it sure beats sitting shoulder to shoulder with strangers through the night.

We arrived in Munich at 6:50 – nice and early.  We picked up our rental car and since it was a Sunday we headed 30 minutes north to the small town of Ergolding to attend church.  We were rather early so Mark put on his tie (he traveled in a white shirt) and I slipped a skirt on over my leggings.  We rested in our car until 10:00.  They were a bit late beginning which gave us time to visit with a few members.  We met a very kind man named Julien who gave us a few travel tips as well as the names of some people we may meet at church in Salzburg next week.

While at church I had a moment that may turn out to be a highlight of our trip.  We sang” I Know That My Redeemer Lives.”  Mark and I sang in English while everyone around us sang in German.  It was a beautiful moment – sharing testimony of our Savior through song with strangers who at once became our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. 

We had to leave early to get back to Munich to pick up Greg and Jackie.  They are both single college grads who had the time and means for a Germany adventure.  They left Salt Lake City at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday and landed in Munich at 9:45 a.m. on Sunday.  They had a crowded flight and were completely exhausted.  Mark and I were glad to see that they had a bag full of snacks!

Our only other stop Sunday was to tour Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial.  During the past year David and I had listened a series of six historical novels relating the history of Germany from WWI until the start of WWII.  The protagonist becomes a friend to Hitler and thus we saw many of the inner workings of the Nazi party.  Reading about the rise of the Nazi agenda in Germany in Dachau was interesting because I was familiar with more of the players.  It was more disturbing than it has been before because it reminds me far too much of what I see happening back at home and around the world now.

Dachau is very sobering.  I like knowing that they require students to come and learn about the atrocities so that they are not repeated.  There is a unique and reverent spirit here.  I have a picture of the gate and the sculpture (which is being repaired).  Otherwise I have no desire to use my camera here – and that is a rare occasion as my family can attest.

Mark drove to Colmberg while the kids and I slept for a couple hours in the car.  We were pretty happy to arrive at our hotel – Mark and I had stayed here previously with David and Kimberly in 2017.  It is a medieval castle – but more about that next time.