So it has been a bit since they were here, but we are finally getting around to updating our blog. We just spent a wonderful two weeks with John's parents. After 7 airports, 12 trains, 7 London tubes, 6 Vienna undergrounds, 5 planes, 3 taxis, 3 car transfers, 3 buses, 2 car rentals, 1 boat tour, 1 overnight train, 1 tram, 1 gondola, 1 horse carriage, 2 cable cars, 1 mine shaft lift 325 meters, 3 airport shuttle buses, 1 cave train underground, and over 200,000 steps, we managed to see four different countries and eleven different cities. We ate and drank our way through Europe trying traditional beers, dishes, and treats from England, Poland, Austria, and Slovenia. To conserve your time we will just fill you in on the highlights of each country.

• Also, we had some trouble uploading all of our pictures so they may be slightly out of order, sorry.

ENGLAND:

While in England, John's parents stayed with us in Reading. Our town makes a great location to explore England. We took them to some of our favorite pubs and restaurants in Reading and they had the opportunity to meet all of our friends here. We even participated in a quiz night with a group of friends from work. Of course we did not fare so well, because our knowledge of British history is lacking, but it was still fun!

We explored the quaint town of Henley, tackled the craziness of London, and we even sent the parents out on their own to Oxford. With our friends Jim and Alan, we headed out to the countryside to visit the small but delicious West Berkshire Brewery. In addition, we got together with our big group of friends for a bank holiday lunch at the Bull in Sonning, an old restaurant and inn just outside of town. This was especially fun because we were dining nearby Jimmy Page's house, well one of his many. Tracy, Alan, and my dad even climbed up on the fence to snap some pictures. It was difficult to see the house, because of the massive amount of land and garden in the way, but it was still cool.

POLAND:

The first country we visited was Poland. We arrived in Warsaw and spent the night gorging on delicious perogis, crepes, and cabbage wraps. It was some of the best food we have ever had. The next morning we flew to Krakow and hit the market. We decided that it was a good idea to share meals and snacks so that we could try a bit of everything at the market. Though successful, I am not sure this could be classified as a "good idea" in hindsight. The market was one of the largest and coolest that any of us have ever seen! We took a short break from eating to tour the State Rooms and Dragon's Dungeon of Wawel Castle. After the tour we figured it was time to eat again, so back the market we went. We shared a picnic table with some Brits that were on holiday as well.

After, we did some shopping and headed out of the main area to find one of the oldest cafes in Krakow called Jama Michalika. The bar still maintained the same upholstery and décor from the 1920's. At this point we hit our second, third, and fourth wind and decided to head out to find traditional liquor made from Bison Grass. We became distracted by a specialty shop giving free vodka tastings. Finally we made it to a bar that served the liquor we were seeking and we all gave a taste. It was a strong punch at first, but it had a nice aftertaste.

Heading back to the market we ran into a person dressed as Tom from Tom and Jerry. John's mom got a picture with her and John's dad even got to try on the giant head (See Pictures). Lynn had never been on a horse and carriage ride so we splurged to take a tour around old town in a horse and carriage. We wrapped up the night with some chocolate covered strawberries and some sweet pastries.

The following day we met Matthew, our driver who took us to Auschwitz and the Salt Mines. Many people have asked what we thought of our experience at Auschwitz. I think the most appropriate way to describe it is intense. Emotionally it was draining to hear about the conditions of the camp and the monstrosities that took place there. Mentally it was a challenge to comprehend that we were standing in the same room that people were suffocated by gas and later burned to ash. It was hard to bring to reality the atrocities that we have learned and were learning about. Walking down the same foot path where thousands were forced out of train cars and lead to their deaths was hard to swallow. It is one thing to read about it in a text book, but standing inside the barbed wire was a life changing experience.

In the afternoon we toured the salt mines. Though we saw only a small portion of the mines it was amazing to see the excavation and creation of the mines. Miners (not artists) created magnificent pieces of artwork within the mines including: statues, chapels, chandeliers, a cathedral and even the tile floors have been carved out of the rock salt. It was pretty magnificent.

AUSTRIA:

Leaving Poland we took an overnight train to Vienna. We were surprised to find out that our train car was detached somewhere in the Czech Republic and picked up by another train to finish the journey to Vienna, Austria. We made it bright and early to Vienna, but were not able to check into our flat until 11:30. So we spent a few hours playing cards over breakfast and dragging our luggage around town site seeing. I am sure four tired and un-showered Americans wandering around town with their entire luggage was quite comical.

We finally made it into our flat which was tucked away in a quiet courtyard. After a quick shower we were out and ready to see the town. We used our underground passes to go out to the world's oldest zoo! We got caught up in some rain as we were eating outside, but that did not stop us from laughing at the penguins, posing with the big cats, and attempting to pet the giraffes. We still had a great time and got to try some Vienna chocolate on the way home. That night we stopped at a pub and tried a great drink that was new to us called the Aperol spritz. If you end up barbequing with us or John's parents this summer, I am certain you will be introduced to it. It was a great summer drink. At dinner we went to the Figlmuller where they serve the largest and best schnitzel in town. It was delicious and indeed huge!

The next morning we picked up a rental car and fought traffic, as well as the inability to read German, to get out of town, but we made it. We drove out to the country side of Weissenkirchen to enjoy some wine along the Danube River. Apparently, Austria is a huge wine producer. A few tastings and a glass of wine at a small country shop put us on the right track to finish our trek to Werfen.

Soon the vines turned into snowcapped mountains. There is a phenomenon of freezing fog that occurs in that region and all of the trees were frosted with a white glow. It was so beautiful. Not sure exactly where our place was, we started driving up the mountain until we stumbled upon it. It was a gorgeous ski resort that sits on the edge of a mountain! It was amazing! A hot meal, cold beer, a game or two of backgammon, a trip to the sauna, and we were ready for bed.

In the morning we were back on the road to Klagenfurt to catch our van transfer to Slovenia, but first we stopped at Hohenwerfen Fortress. This castle was featured in the Clint Eastwood movie, Do Eagles Dare. There we took a cable car up a steep incline to where we got to see a falconry show where several different kinds of birds took flight and glided above us with the snowy mountains in the background. We walked on some stilts, played a ring toss game, and then took a tour of the castle. Back down the mountain and in the car, we were on the road again.

SLOVENIA:

Our driver Aleesch took us up and over the mountains separating Austria from Slovenia. Within an hour or so we made it to our little village of Bohinjska Bela just outside of the town of Bled. We walked down the hill to a one of two restaurants in the village and tested out our Slovene. We were not good at it. Our big surprise came at the end of dinner when our waiter brought us each shots. One was absolutely disgusting, tasted like cleaning fluid mixed with a cheap mouth wash. It was tough to get down. The other was traditional liquor called Borovnicevec, made from blueberries. We could all agree that this was delicious!

The next morning Big John, Little John, and Erin climbed the hill (which was supposed to be a 5 minute walk) to a waterfall. This was no five minute walk; it was closer to 25 minutes. Afterwards we took the car into town where we had lunch and climbed a mountain to a lookout point towering over Lake Bled. With some encouragement both parents made it up the steep and rocky terrain to the top which was well worth it! Looking out we could see the calm blue lake reflecting the snowcapped mountains surrounding it, and in the center is a small island that is home to the Church of Assumption. We later took a gondola ride out to the island.

After our island tour we drove up to another castle at the top of the mountain. We were able to tour the museum there and get some wonderful pictures of the other side of the lake. Dinner that night we drove out to the golf course just outside of town. We would have enjoyed playing a round, but time did not allow for it. It was probably a good thing, because this course was high in the mountains, so a slight slice and the golf ball is rolling all of the way down the side. At this restaurant we tried mu (moo) cheese, which is a great grilling cheese. We also got to try another after dinner shot of traditional liquor made in a specific wine region called Teranov. The food portions in Slovenia are huge so we were constantly stuffed. Whether it was sweets in England, perogis in Poland, schnitzel in Austria, or the various meats in Slovenia, feeling full was kind of a theme throughout the trip. To top off the delicious food we had a slice of heaven called "cream cake" from a small bakery called Smon. It was like biting into a cloud, at least that is how I imagine a cloud should taste: light and fluffy with lots of butter!

The next day we started our fun at Vintgar Gorge. Even though the sign told us that the trail was closed, us rebels went anyway. We did not get very far before a couple of workers repairing the trail sent us back. It was well worth it to see what we saw though! We walked on a wooden trail built into the side of the cliff and hovering over a rushing river. It was so beautiful. Next, we drove out to Lake Bohinji. We took a cable car up the Vogel Mountain, where they still had ski runs open. Surrounded by mountains with the lake below we decided to have lunch in the lodge. Back down we went to head to our next destination near the lake: The Savica Waterfall. Another long climb to the top, but we did it! A gorgeous sight to see! After a family photo shoot with the waterfall we climbed back down and headed home.

The following day we traveled south to Postojna Caves. Postojna Caves were one of the most impressive caves I have ever seen! We traveled on an open train car through narrow caverns until we reached our exit platform. This is where we met with our sassy tour guide, who brought us around the caves. It was very impressive! We had a hard time keeping up with the group because we were so drawn to all of the amazing formations.

Leaving the caves we traveled a little ways down the road to take some pictures of the Predjama Castle, a castle that was literally constructed into the side of a mountain. Here we also ate lunch. In February there was a large ice storm in Slovenia that left trees, houses, and roads covered in 6 inch layers of ice. This region particularly had seen a lot of damage. It was very evident to us weeks later as we saw trees bent in half from the weight of the ice. Entire forests were collapsed. The devastation was terrible, which you can see in many of our pictures.

Onward we went to another gorge. This gorge was called Soteska Pekel, or Hell's Gorge, after its steep inclines, unusual trails, and dangers that exist there. Once again despite the trail closed signs we decided to tackle the gorge head on. Lynn was a little skeptical at first but we managed to make it to three of the five waterfalls there. The bridges across the water were not stable and were missing a few boards. Trees had fallen across parts of the trail so we were either climbing over or under them. We made it to what I would assume is the most dangerous part of the trail. We had to climb 3 sets of steps that were inclined more like a ladder with only a small cable as a hand rail. From there we had to literally climb/crawl up a cliff while holding onto metal "U" Bars and stakes that were driven into the side of the cliff. With a lot of encouragement and motivation BOTH parents made it up the cliff! It was at this point that a man in climbing gear informed us that the trail is closed and quite dangerous up ahead. We decided to turn back. Still we were very proud at how far we got and impressed with our skills!

By the end of the trip we felt that we were conquerors. We championed gorges, mountains, snow, rain, our dinner plates, our drink glasses, and a load of different forms of transportation. Lynn even ended the trip with a bad ass black eye! It was a great time traveling and an even better time getting to see John and Lynn!

Cheers, Erin and John