I Think It's PAST Time for an Update

Since our Austria adventure we've been busy with our life here in Germany. The winter was pretty brutal, especially for Amy’s southern roots. More than once we went two weeks without seeing the sun! For Easter break we escaped the dreariness of Leipzig and found a last minute trip to the Turkish Riviera. There we enjoyed a week of sunshine, ocean, free drinks, and the wonderful Turkish hospitality we’ve come to love. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and we left the sun and warmth for the remaining few months of German winter. There was actually a collective groan from the plane passengers upon landing in Leipzig when the pilot announced the current temperature and weather.

Craig and Amy on the beach in Turkey

We managed to keep ourselves busy during the dark months. Amy performed in the school’s Fame musical and took night classes to receive a certificate for teaching ESL in the mainstream classroom. Craig finished up with his German classes and is still awaiting the results from his final exam.

Amy in her FAME costume.

We also had some visitors brave the cold and spend some time with us in Germany. Craig’s brother Mark and his girlfriend Taryn made a quick trip over from France (where they were visiting Taryn's sister). We hope they come back for a warm weather visit, when Leipzig is at it’s best. They brought Craig Triscuit crackers and made him very happy.

Craig and Amy in front of the Berlin Wall.

Mark, Taryn and Craig relaxing at a bed bar in Leipzig.

Sometime around June the sun finally won his battle with the dreary winter and came out to stay.

Amy and Craig enjoying a nice day on the lake.

Craig managed to train for a marathon during the cold winter months.

In June, Craig and Amy headed off to camp with the Grade 5 students from LIS.

Camp lasted five days and was situated in the beautiful Harz Mountains in northern Germany. It was a great time, everyone had fun, but it was nice to get back home at the end of the week and actually get a full night’s sleep.

The next exciting time in our life came at the end of June, when Craig’s parents and sisters came to visit us here in Leipzig. They had a wonderful time, enjoying the food, sights, and sunny weather. The parents headed off on their own little romantic holiday in the romantic Tuscan region of Italy while Amy and Craig took the girls on our own little adventure to the south of Germany. There we saw Neuschwanstein castle and Rothenberg ob der Tauber, two of Germany’s best historical sights. We also ate the best pizza in Germany. It was made by Italians. Germans can’t make pizza. The girls got to experience the difference between American and German accommodations. Germans don’t really worry too much about the extra comforts we’re used to in the states. Here you get a room, a bed, a blanket for each person and a pillow. Not much else. It was a lot of traveling by train in a short period of time, at least 20 hours over the course of 3 days, but it was fun and a great chance for the girls to see the contrast between east and west Germany. It was a wonderful time having the family here to visit and experience the beautiful city we live in.

Craig and Taylor enjoy some ice cream in Fussen.

Checking out the Alps from the train.

Craig, Kate and Taylor with the Alps in the background.

Königsschloss Hohenschwangau.

Neuschwanstein Castle. This castle might look familiar. Walt Disney based the Disney castle off of this.

Rothenburg.

For those of you who don't know Amy very well, this was the first place she visited when she made her journey to Germany at age 15. This was the city that made her fall in love with Germany and determined to live here someday.

The Goodwins

Aww

Now, you may be wondering where our four-legged childre

n are during all of our little adventures. They go to ‘camp’, too. Here in Germany, kennels are called tierpensions and this is where the dogs st

ay while we’re away. They always come back to us dirty and tired, which is exactly how you want y

our chi

ldren to return from camp.

That was a very brief summary just to bring you up to date on our lives right now.