Not So Invisible

Life has seriously been a roller coaster around here lately! Contract ending, new job beginning, new school for Easton, vacation to use or lose . . . should we stay in Germany or try to move back to the comfy States . . . Seriously, I don't know how we're still sane. I know my sanity is still debatable by the hour.

I think the hardest part, as is true for most married people I know, is finding quiet time when you're both able to talk it all out and feel like doing it. I have recently been listening to the Diary of Anne Frank. It was as if she was telling me how my kids must feel as they'd get snapped at for wanting attention in the midst of one our attempted discussions. Love that book for many other things it made me think about! It really is a must read!

A friend sent the following to me and I had to remember how un-invisible I have made myself. I'm sure this excerpt has traveled far and wide, but it's worth keeping and repeating!

The Invisible Woman, Excerpt By Nicole Johnson



At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness.

It started to happen gradually…


One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, “Who is that with you, young fella?” 


“Nobody,” he shrugged. 


Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only five, but as we crossed the street I thought, oh my goodness, nobody? 


I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family, like “Turn the TV down, please.” And nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, “Would someone turn the TV down?” Nothing. 


Just the other night my husband and I were out to a party. We’d been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, “I’m ready to go when you are.” He just kept right on talking. 


That’s when I started putting all the pieces together. I don’t think he can see me. I don’t think anyone can see me. 


I’m invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, “Can’t you see I’m on the phone?” Obviously not. No one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I’m invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more.

Can you fix this?

Can you tie this?

Can you open this?

Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being.

I’m a clock to ask, “What time is it?”

I’m a satellite guide to answer, “What number is the Disney Channel?”

I’m a car to order, “Right around 5:30, please.”

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude – but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She’s going…she’s going…she’s gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out of style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped 
package and said, “I brought you this.”

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription. “To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.”

In the days ahead I would read, no, devour, the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I would pattern my work:



• No one can say who built the great Cathedrals—we have no record of their names.


• These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.


 • They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.


 • The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, “Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.”

And the workman replied, “Because God sees.”


I closed the book, feeling the missing piece just push into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, “I see you Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one else does. No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.”

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn, pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who will show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, “My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.” That would mean I’d built a shrine or monument to myself. I just want him to come home. And then if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, “You’re gonna love it here.”

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

** And I must add my gratitude for the sacrifices of men as well. I know Ryan and many men give up a lot in order to provide for their families and I truly, deeply appreciate them!!!

The Greatest Ability

I have manipulated these sentences for my own purpose.

"Peace, joy, and hope are available to those who measure success properly . . . The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. . . When we have done our very best, we may still experience disappointments, but we will not be disappointed in ourselves.

We know we are successful if we live so we might qualify for, receive, and know how to follow the Spirit."

For a quick how-to "Back to Basics" refresher, check out the real deal. I love this talk!

Touching the Hearts of Our Youth

Thanks Amberly, for the reminder of this great talk! It's Monday morning, I'm going to try to make a good start!

A Little History and the Tantrum of Vienna

After the beautiful lake country around Salzburg, we drove on to Vienna. It was on this trip that I started to really grasp European history better, putting the pieces together. Charlemagne, ruling nobles and electors, the Holy Roman Empire, the Hapsburgs . . . it's nice when things start to click! Vienna is known for its rich classical musical heritage, but that was because of the royal Hapsburg's patronage. Let's put it together, I promise I won't be long with the history! The treat will come in the end when I divulge one of my weaker moments of the trip - a full blown tantrum by yours truly.

Alright, so around 800, the Christian (pre-Protestant Reformation) Charlemagne defined the Middle Ages and ruled all of Western Europe with Austria as his empire's eastern border. Seeing this portrait of him wearing the Holy Roman Emperor crown next to the actual crown in Vienna was a highlight for me. Remember that crown!

In 1273, an Austrian noble from the Hapsburg family was elected as the Holy Roman Emperor. His election had him ruling over Austria, Germany and Northern Italy. "Holy" = Catholic, "Roman" = claiming the vastness and grandeur of the world's greatest empire to their knowledge, and "Emperor" = leader of many nations. The Hapsburg's gained influence and power in Europe for the next 600 years by strategically arranging marriages of their children rather than making war, although they did plenty of that too. WWI anyone? That was the demise of the Hapsburg empire. Those marriages though, that's what's had me reeling throughout European history!

The Hapsburg heyday was in 1500s when they also ruled the Low Countries ("Low" refering to elevation - Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg), Spain with its New World territories, and much of today's Eastern European countries. As the eastern Christian empire of western Europe, the Hapsburgs were kept quite busy fending off the encroachment of the Muslim Ottoman Empire for centuries. The Hapsburgs were staunchly Catholic as the Reformation swept through Europe and that too shaped their empire and many of its wars and tensions.

On the far left, there's the Holy Roman Emperor Crown Charlemagne wore!

The other crowns are for different territories she ruled, the one on her head for Hungary.

One of the most famous Hapsburgs was Empress Maria Theresa (1717-1780). She was the only female ruler of the Hapsburgs, had 16 children in 20 years and famously arranged many strategic marriages such as Marie Antionette to France's Louis XVI. While bearing all those children, she ruled the empire and fought successive wars. She had a lot to live up to since no sons were born in her generation to be heir to the throne and her husband didn't want to rule as she saw need be.

Here's one of her royal family portraits. The proportions drive me crazy!

The Hapsburgs ruled from Vienna and made it a beautiful city that rivals other grand old empire cities of Europe. Say hello to Mr. Clooney hanging on the Hofburg Palace plugging his favorite expresso! Ryan and I really loved Vienna and the very laid back vibe. We'd love to return without the kids to explore so much more.

I was often reminded by the passers by how east we were in western Europe. I don't know how to describe that since Europe is such a melting pot or salad bowl (whatever the PC term is now), but we did see more Eastern European people and many Muslim women wearing their long robes and head covering, called the hijab. I think that rocked my world because the last time I saw such numbers of Muslim women clothed like this was while living in the Holy Land. But I was in the heart of Vienna now and so were they. Does that make sense?

I've found it very interesting how European countries have their own immigration politics, issues, and prejudices just like the US. Parties and elections tote this issue just like in the States. In Germany and Austria, Turkish immigration is the equivalent issue to Mexican immigration in the States from what I gather. It's so fascinating!

Now to the good stuff. To Easton who is old enough to remember such events, Vienna will go down as the place where mom threw her tantrum. And by recording it here, the kids will enjoy it years from now. And so . . .

After two long days of seeing sites with little kids and all the fun that is, I just wanted to lay in my bed and read myself to sleep. The boys were happily absorbed watching Ryan play Plants vs Aliens on his ipad. I just needed to shower and then get Morgan to bed. Easy enough.

Just as I was ready to start on Morgan, she and Easton got on "my side" of the bed with the near empty package of animal crackers. As if in slow motion, Morgan decided to get comfy and multi-tasked laying down with reaching into the bag. A day's worth of crumbs showered her and my precious resting place. It was my last straw. It wasn't intentional or belligerent, just life with a baby so I couldn't justifiably punish anyone. But I was just done.

I roared loudly through a clenched jaw and actually stomped my feet like a toddler, ready to cry. I'm not proud, but there it was. My last straw. Broken. I was immobilized in my tantrum not even knowing how to clean it up. The thought of sleeping in crumbs, crunching escaped crumbs underfoot in the morning was overwhelming and I had checked out for the night.

Ryan stepped in as the peacemaker, cleaned it up and offered to sleep on that side. I'm positive he was laughing on the inside. They all were the next day and it continues today as one of Easton and McKay's favorite stories - when mom threw a tantrum at the hotel.

Elbow Heroism

Ever heard of Nursemaid's Elbow? We hadn't til last Sunday.

We woke up late after getting back from our Austria trip and were getting ready to go to a friend's birthday party. I was exasperated while trying to get a very uncooperative Morgan dressed. I had hold of her wrist and was pulling on her hand to get it through the armhole at the very moment she decided to stop standing on her own legs. The force of her sagging and my pulling dislocated her elbow apparently. I didn't realize it in the moment because although her screaming increased, she was already pretty unhappy with me. A minute or so later though, the cry was a hurt cry and then I felt bad because she was holding her limp wrist. Hello Guilt, take a seat on my shoulders please. Fantastic, thanks.

We wrapped her wrist and forearm in an ace bandage and headed to the party thinking we'd keep our eye on it. Our friend who has a great deal of emergency medical training took a look at it and gave me all sorts of worse case scenarios relating to her growth plates and such while being a laid back wait-and-see type of guy. What do you do?!

On a side note, when we got home from the party and were getting out of the van, I was admiring one of McKay's German classmates riding his bike with no training wheels. McKay said hi to his friend and was starting to walk inside. The little guy stopped his bike and began talking to me, of course, in German. I was unloading the car and the little guy kept repeating himself to me so I could understand but there was just no hope. I've been a complete slacker on the language front.

Then I hear McKay holler, "My mom doesn't speak German yet." His voice was apologetic and matter of fact. Across the street, the other boy's mother burst into spontaneous uproarious laughter! She couldn't help herself, it was a gut laugh! She quickly translated what McKay said into German for her husband and they were still laughing out loud minutes later as I sheepishly chuckled to myself walking into the house with all our pool gear. It was just too classic. I really wish I'd stuck to learning German last fall and hope I do better this year as Easton starts at the bilingual international school here. I better start practicing!

Back to Morgan's arm . . . After a rather sleepless night, she was still obviously not willing to put weight on that arm or even move it. Later that evening after we'd gotten our crew plus two young visiting cousins to bed, we hit the internet to see if we could figure out what to do with her. We immediately found descriptions of Nursemaid's Elbow and boy did it fit! The name bugs me. It does nothing for my guilt. But would you be surprised to find there were youtube videos showing doctors in their offices and mothers at home resetting arms?! Holy Cow!

Ryan was all excited to go try the simple procedure right then but I couldn't bear the idea of how Morgan would cry in pain, not to mention wake up the other four kids we'd just gotten to sleep and who would have to be settled down again. So he tried it first thing the next morning and WALAH! It worked!!! Within an hour she was back to climbing up to the kitchen table and grazing everyone's leftover cereal. Only this time she had five bowls to graze instead of three! Gross. But it sure makes her happy and feel independent. I knew she was cured and that did wonders for assuaging my guilt and the anxiety welling up in me of taking five kids between 1 and 6 to a doctor's office!

Ryan, you are my Mr. Incredible!

Hallstatt, Austria

Hello, Beautiful!

We took a day trip to Hallstatt (it's the small town on the left) wondering if the forecasters had lost their minds predicting rain all day! Anywhere you are on this hillside town holds a gorgeous view in every direction.

Hallstatt claims to be the oldest salt mine in the world. The population has always been between a thousand or two at the most. It is an adorable little town hugging the mountain against a glassy still lake. Only quiet electric boats or manually oared boats break the stillness, all others exceed the noise law. Ryan couldn't help wish for a boat and some skis to get out there with!

We parked above the town and began our little walk down the mountain steps and I tried not to think about walking up them at the end of the day with tired kids. This is not a stroller town if you want the freedom to explore. And it's all about choosing a path and following it up or down and around the corners. Fantastic views!

We came down some stairs and around a corner to land right in the town square! The kids began running circles on a wooden stage platform here. Their happy squeals and pounding feet were not welcome by at least one very vocal local. I think they take noise quite seriously here!

First we went into the Protestant church. It is very simple and light and I don't have a picture because the kids were restless. The church is only a century and a half old because Martin Luther’s inspired Reformation was not welcome in Austria – land of the Habsbourgs and the seat of their Holy Roman Empire. While the working class miners here tended to be Protestant after the Reformation, the nearby Salzburg bishop often sent soldiers out to stem the tide. There’s a plaque outside the door of this church citing that it falls under the UN Hague Convention protecting church structures. How much I often take for granted my religious freedom!

Next we went up some windy and tunneled stairs to see the beautiful Catholic church that is perched above the town. You can see the spire and the church's placement seems to infer how it oversaw the little town in its shadow. Inside the church, there are two side-by-side beautifully ornate altars. One was made by artists from the town in 1897 while the other, more ornate, was made in 1515 and dedicated to Mary. She is flanked by St. Barbara (patron saint of miners) and St. Catherine (patron saint of foresters) – very important to a mining town that used the wood to tunnel into the mountain and boil the salt and distill it. Salt was big money for any empire.

Ryan was eager to see the Bone Chapel behind the church with over 600 painted skulls. For centuries, because there isn’t much space for burials, bodies would be buried for 12 years and then dug up. The skulls were often painted to show respect and love – laurel leaves, olive, and others symbolizing well-wishes by family and friends. This stopped in the 1960s as cremation became more customary but the last person placed in here was in 1995 at her own wish. The skulls on the bibles were priests.

After the boneses, we were hungry! Not because of the bones, it was just that time of day, I promise! We had a great lakeside lunch while the kids dug in the dirt and gravel or squawked at the ducks. We’re so refined, don’t ya know!

Ahhh! It was such a nice place to eat on the river surrounded by all this!

After lunch we split up. The boys then went up the funicular to see the salt mine but Morgan was too young. The boys had a great time!

A view from the top.

The boys look like they're in straight jackets!

Or like crazy chefs in need of those tall hats!

But here's the mine's entrance and then their guide.

[Hurray! Our scanner finally works!]

The girls had a great time too. First we snuggled in the shade watching ducks and tourists. Then we headed into a grocery store where Morgan pushed a kid cart to her heart’s content. She finally requested mini crescent rolls and strawberry yogurt. We enjoyed our spoils lakeside and fed the ducks. Morgan loved this as any kid does and any parent loves to watch!

I was curious to see the town’s swimming park so we headed down the road. What a cute place, but Ryan had the camera! A manmade island with fresh mown grass spread the size of a small soccer field stood twenty yards from the park and was connected by a sturdy walking bridge. Classic playground toys you can’t find in the states anymore were along the shore with lots of nice soft grass and shade trees. Morgan spent the majority of her time on a little lady bug shaped baby slide. She also learned the hard way how to share the slide, or sit in time out. She’d holler “Nein!” to another little girl who wanted to slide. It took five or so time outs for Morgan to back down and share. We’re getting there and I can see her wheels turning more often about this sharing concept but she'll still test the limits to see what she can get away with.

Wolfgangsee Lake, Austria

This is a beautiful vacation spot! Hallelujah! I've been craving a vacation rather than a trip and we sure lived up our day spent here.

I'm sure you've gathered by now that to live in Europe, it'd be a shame not to be destination travelers, especially since we have no idea how long we'll live here. Ryan is truly a "destination traveler" at heart whereas I've discovered I'm a "vacation" type, content to sit somewhere with a good book and a view and be happy for days on end. It's kinda like discovering the differences between how you and your spouse envision the perfect weekend. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the destination traveling and we've been very blessed to see so many places since we've moved to Germany.

And now we've added the Austrian lake country known as Salzkammergut. We enjoyed perfect sunny weather in the 70s and the lake was just 200 meters from our door!

Having been off a normal schedule for a few weeks with the Normandy trip, Vacation Bible School and running catchup errands - Morgan was in complete meltdown mode by 9am and needed a nap. I gladly stayed behind for uninterrupted quiet time while the boys went down to the lake before the crowds hit, enjoyed a family of ducks and at some point got a little motor boat ride.

After lunch I took the kids back to the lake while Ryan napped away his sun headache. The boys really could have used a nap too, but I thought the lake would be fun. After a rocky start, we had a pretty good time. This was a clothed beach, thank goodness, but changing in public seems to be the norm with no qualms about covering up for many. Aren't ya glad I'd left my camera in my bag on the stroller?

When we arrived at the lake's beach, Easton walked to the end of the dock saying he'd jump into what would be chest high water for him. He surveyed the scene and decided the beach entry was more his cup of tea so in he and McKay went. A couple times in the next few hours he'd head down to play on the steps on either side of the dock, watching other kids jumping in. Then one time he headed down there, he actually jumped in! He'd jumped a couple times before I saw him do it. I was so proud of him getting up the nerve!

Lake shores were new to Morgan. She likes the water, just not the little waves lapping against the shore. McKay wants to love being in the water as much as Easton but ends up hovering around me once he's gotten enough. Easton could live by the water! He not a fish when it comes to swimming, but he's gaining confidence and just makes up his own games as he goes. A man gave the kids a tennis ball at one point and the kids took turns throwing it in and Easton fetching. Soon Easton was the only one left playing the game but he'd come ashore each time, throw it out and go fetch it. Cute kid!

It was time to go when Morgan began melting down. And that's when the swans appeared.

Oh glorious snack time!

A cutie harassing her resting parentals with a beautiful example behind her of the painted woodworking that decorated everything in the apartment.

A home cooked not-so-fancy dinner of mac'n'cheese in this traditional corner booth. I see these corner table boothes in stores still and I don't know what to call them. Anyone know? I always think of them as breakfast nooks, but we ate all our meals here even though there was another dining room. I'm all about easy!

After dinner I took the kids outside. The boys desperately wanted to jump on the trampoline but had been asked not to so we walked a little. A duck walked into the yard and right as the boys saw it, the thing's bladder let loose giving Easton an incurable case of giggles. We followed the duck for a bit and then a cat with Morgan leading the way until the boys gave up and went inside. Girls can be so boring I guess. :) Besides, maybe Dad would play "Plants vs. Zombies" if they asked!

Morgan and I walked back down to the lake for some quiet time. This is my favorite time of day, when the evening begins in earnest. One swan swam right up to us and put on a show.

I wish I had Morgan on video so you could hear her non-stop squawking! She is such an animal lover!

It was so peaceful there. All I needed was a nice reclining lawn chair and a book and it would have been perfect! But we needed to head home, Morgan was done humoring me.

The adorable house and garden were across the street from our house. The house we stayed in was under a complete renovation with only the top floor apartment where we stayed complete. Our house wasn't so pretty yet from the outside, but we liked our views of surrounding houses and the mountains all about!

Following a renewed effort at evening family scripture time and while waiting for our cookies to bake, these two snuggled up to me. This is one of my favorite things about being a mom! After all the ups and downs in a day, they still want to be near me! PHEW! And I absolutely love how McKay contorts himself when sleepy and sucking his thumb. Optimal skin contact seems to be the name of the game! Easton is snuggling up to his daddy and probably talking silliness as they do so well together.

And that concludes a bonifide day of vacation for the Carter family! I can hope and dream for more now.

August on the Autobahn

As we drove to Salzburg, it was hard not to notice this wasn't the usual traffic we were used to. It was the first Saturday of August. Oh wait! August is when European countries go on vacation! Bleh. Obviously heavier traffic makes flying down the autobahn in our minivan less remarkable. Bleh.

We were surprised at how completely packed pit stops there were! They were filled with picnic'rs and horrific long lines outside the women's bathroom. It was as if the pit stop was a planned destination! Perhaps it's taboo to eat in their cars? Granted it was lunch time when we saw the bulk of the stops filled to the brim, but it was just so odd to see it sooo full! I wish I snapped pictures. I did see plenty of drivers snacking away stopped in traffic.

Another sure sign that Europe is on vacation is that the right lane is filled with all types of vehicles pulling a trailer, camper and more often than not - BIKES! I remember a few times I counted how many vehicles in front of us had bikes and/or trailer/campers. It was always about half and half! I have never seen so many camper variations in my life as you see here! It's fascinating! Perhaps we'll rent one for a road trip some time although I'm quite partial to the vrbos.

Last bit of Normandy

Our trip to Normandy was very last minute - as in two days after deciding to go, we went. Ryan had discovered he must use or lose some vacation time. We originally thought we'd camp since great weather was expected. I was a bit leery about camping but thought it could be worth it to make the trip happen. Then Ryan was able to strike a deal on an apartment found through the vrbo.com site. HURRAY!!! A bed, a shower, a kitchen, and a washing machine all under the same roof! My needs are simple, but oh so necessary to my sanity traveling with little kids!

Here's our "stable room." Living room/dining room/kitchen, a bedroom and bathroom. Cozy but completely adequate for a place to crash each evening.

This place was a converted stable and opened up this past June. It is only for a couple plus baby, but Ryan got the owner to let us stay there if our boys camped outside in a tent. We were all very happy with that arrangement and quite luckily, the weather cooperated!

I love vrbos! I can do laundry and pack less clothes. The kids can enjoy their regular cereal breakfast and we pack lunches and snacks galore. Sometimes we cook dinner, but usually that is eaten out. We buy the bulk of our groceries on base before leaving with the dollar being weaker than the euro. It saves us quite a bit you could say! Milk and bread are really the only things we must stock up on once we arrive. Ryan's even taken a fancy to us bringing along the cooler with cookie dough for our evening treat! We're so stinkin' spoiled.

The kids were left to their own devices as we got ready to head out each morning. Morgan loved trying everyone's shoes, a rite of passage for this age.

This would also be the day she threw the contents of my wallet into the trash while I was attempting to sleep in. My car keys are also somewhere in a Normandy landfill as well. The cute factor definitely comes to her rescue often! And now I've pretty much learned my lesson that my bag must always be up and out of her reach at all times. Grrrr.

Across the road from the stable was another farmhouse with a chicken coup on the road. I took Morgan and McKay over there to see it and the loved it. Three chickens and a bunny rabbit. I kept waiting for one of them to get bit or pecked because they would not listen to my warnings.

Morgan kept giving them kisses through the fence, cracked me up!

Each morning as we got underway, we made what we deem the obligatory stop for pastries at the local boulangerie/pattisserie.

This is the local shop in our little village outside Coutances, Orval. We'd get there at 10ish and were never alone - always a stream of people in and out. Not the best pastries like those we've had in bigger cities, a little dense, but still yummy! We're quite partial to anything with chocolate!

Driving around Normandy was so scenic. We used our GPS and yet were rarely on highways, lots of small country roads. It was great to see so much of the landscape.

Morgan is our family's animal lover. She gives a high pitch squeal whenever she sees any animal and at this point her name for them all sounds the same, "DOE!" In Normandy, we drove past every color of cow I've ever seen. And Morgan would holler at them. To distract her from meltdowns in the car, Ryan and I would watch for cows with fierce intensity. Ahhh, the joys of traveling with a toddler.

I am sad I didn't really capture any good shots of the infamous hedgerows. They are very much a part of the landscape still today and made it easy to see what a horrible obstacle they were for the Allies invading Normandy. Imagine tanks, machine guns and riflemen hiding in these ready and waiting for our troops.

This road isn't as sunken as most we saw. Essentially, the Normans heaped up earth around their property edges and planted hedge-like bushes and trees to create a natural property barrier or to keep their cattle in. The heaped up earth portion seemed be be from 3'-5' and then the hedges were at least a story high or more. Between these hedges and the stone and cement buildings of the countryside, the Germans really had quite the advantage of natural fortifications defending occupied Normandy.

Thanks for bearing with all these looooong recent travel posts. You ready for more? Next up - Austria's lake country around Salzburg and also Vienna! Wit' da kids!