Well, the Moms have come & gone already. We kept them on the move the entire time they were here - they probably were glad to get back home to rest! We spent the first two days just hanging around Dusseldorf so they could get a feel for our daily life. Carol was shocked at how much walking we do!! She & Mom both had to buy new walking shoes on day two! We took them to Zons, the D'dorf Altstadt & even made a trek to the Ski Halle.
Monday we hit the road for Belgium, driving through The Netherlands. We toured a medieval torture castle in Gent that was strangely interesting and then went on to Brugge. Brugge turned out to be a favorite for all of us. Canals, castles, and the most awesome town square. The best (and the worst) chocolate was widely available plus tons of handmade lace. From Brugge, we set off for Paris. There's not enough time or space to depict the trauma we all experienced while on Paris roads. We all enjoyed the sites - Eiffel Tower, Arch D' Triomph, Notre Dame, Bastille, and YES, I finally made it to The Louvre. I could have stayed all day. Jaymie & the kids were not quite as thrilled about all the art work as I was - imagine that! I've decided that Paris is not for me - guess I'm more of a country girl than I thought. The protest we got caught in, the police escorts with machine guns, and the horrific truckdriver (that we'll all have nightmares about) were the final scenes from Paris that did me in. It's beautiful, but I'll
look at in photos from now on!!
After our long trip home, we headed to the Roman Ruins in Xanten and more time in Zons. Zons has become mine & Jaymie's favorite little place to visit. There's unbelievable history there & the shopping is good, too! We also went back to see the nightlife of the Dusseldorf Altstadt and get some Christmas shopping done. Fun night, but it was just a little bit chilly. Nothing a few German beers couldn't handle!
Our last day was spent at home trying to cram all the trinkets and gifts into the Moms suitcases. I took them on the ICE train to Frankfurt for our girls' night. Needless to say, we almost missed the train due to my great skill of telling time on a 24hr clock. We did get to have dinner & wine at The Flavors restaurant inside the Sheraton Towers. They had ICE & AIR CONDITIONING!! Something I haven't seen in 3 months!
Overall, it was a great trip! We enjoyed spending time together & hated to see them go. So nice to have family around - that's what we miss the most. The kids are counting down the days....60 more until we get home for Christmas!

Hope everyone is doing well - see you soon!