Allison posted about our trip to Paris but that was only half my trip for that week. I continued on by train to visit the Schnoors in Germany. This was my first trip on a truly fast train, around 190 mph for a stretch.

Once in Brühl, I ventured out on the buses and trains and made my way to Heidelberg while Jeff and Leilani were at work the first day. Familiar sights I'm sure for anyone who has visited already. It was freezing and snowcovered but sunny. I also toured a few of the nearby towns with Leilani during her days off did my best keep up with Camden, Audrey, and Cole. I was Happy to see the whole family after over a year away besides Leilani's visit to Dublin a few months before.

Click on the picture above to see more!

Paris (yes... for Valentine's Day)

Well, we didn't intend to be so cliche about Valentine's Day, but Ryanair had cheap tix to Charleoi, and we had a couple days off, so we couldn't pass up the chance. The last time I was in Paris was in 2005 at the height of the "freedom fry" craze in the US, so needless to say, my All -American crew made quite an impression during our late night "Bye Bye Miss American Pie" sing along in a Parisian bar. I wasn't sure they'd actually let me back in the city this time.....

This was Reuben's first trip to Paris, so we got to see all the sights. The line is definitely an obstacle (even in freezing cold February), but the Eiffel Tower at dusk is still worth every minute of a wait. I found new appreciation for the food culture in Paris this time 'round. We ate our way from patisserie to patisserie until we couldn't force down another pain au chocolat. By the time we reached our destination falafel stop (recommended by Lenny Kravitz, of course), I had a hard time even managing bites of pita. Ah Paris.... More Pictures Here!

At the Louvre

The KPs in Ireland

At the end of January, Kyle and his wife Kim came over for a visit. We are giving them the official "worst Irish weather ever award" for spending nearly a week in the SNOW. Now, we were told that it NEVER snows in Ireland. And we were lucky in that we got away to Clare and Galway for the weekend where it was bitterly cold, but at least it was sunny. The morning we checked out of the hotel, we caught the BBC news story about the huge blizzard in London, and by the time we rolled into Dublin that evening, it was a disaster. In any case, we had a great visit... Kim conquered Guinness, we found a bar showing the Super Bowl, and we had some sun for good Cliffs of Moher shots. And don't forget to ask Kyle about our 'percolator.' More pictures of their visit here.

The Cliffs of Moher - Fricking Freezing

Killiney Obelisk