Two Weeks in the Alps

I got back last weekend from attending a conference for two weeks in the German Alps. I don't really remember what the conference was about, but I do remember that the Alps were awesome.

At the conference I got to meet and spend time with people from all over Europe. It was a great time to hang out with some Belgians, Danes, Germans, and French (to name a few) and share some Bavarian beer and talk about anything from our jobs, to Belgian politics, to the inevitable question overseas, "Clinton or Obama?" I had to tell some people that contrary to popular belief and international news coverage there is still a Republican party, but they just see all of us as conservative. Finally, the Belgians, at least the Flemish Belgians, rocked my world when they tried to tell me that my name was really Flemish and not Dutch. They were quite adamant.

I was able to get some good hikes in the mountains while I was there too. It was great to be outside in the mountain air.

Most importantly it snowed a lot while I was there. We got a nice snowstorm that brought a foot and a half of snow. There was no weather channel to watch every detail about the storm but I was able to cope and enjoy the snow since it never snows in our part of England.

The day after the snowstorm our conference took a half day and some of us took a trip to Neuchwachstein. This is the castle that Walt Disney modeled his Cinderella castle after. It was built by King Ludwig von Bayern but he never completed the interior before he died. The location is gorgeous nestled right up against the Alps on the German-Austrian border.

Overall the trip was a success, but I missed being home with Kate and John. I've enjoyed the past week back home where I can come home to them nightly. We are planning a family trip to the German Alps this summer so I am sure we will have more to say about this area in the future.