Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Pitstops

Huh. That title just reminded me of a funny story. Among the kids that I grew up with, (shout out to the Meadowlake gang!) the boys liked to race cars. I mean, really, race cars. And so we all lived and breathed racing. When I had Charlotte, my friend Shaun teased me that we named her after the racetrack in Charlotte, NC. And then when we were expecting Toby and I told him the name we were thinking of, he informed me (while laughing) that Toby Tobias is a racecar driver! I swear I did not know that. We did not name our kids with a racing theme in mind! (That said, a special hello to Angel Daytona and Victoria Lane-- you girls are beautiful.)

So anyway... as I was saying- PITSTOPS. On our last two trips we made brief visits to places that we wanted to see anyway. It gave the kids a good chance to get some wiggles out mid trip too.

On our way home from Switzerland, we stopped in Strasbourg, France. The cathedral there is gorgeous. It's completely disarming to just be walking down a narrow street and then turn a corner and BAM-- huge cathedral.

We'd like to go back and explore Strasbourg some more. Maybe when we have some visitors. It really looked charming. Rob enjoyed chatting in French with some ladies who were admiring our kiddos. But it started to rain and we didn't stay for long at all.

Toby's been taking posing lessons from the master herself.
(Charlotte, that is.)

This is a really cool astronomical clock. There's more to it up above this photo. It keeps a perpetual calendar. And obviously, the time.

Toby and Charlotte took turns in the umbrella stroller. The goal, after all, was to wear them out for the rest of the drive. I really hope we have time to come back to Strasbourg again.

On the way to Bruges, we stopped in Aachen, Germany. Aachen has the oldest cathedral in northern Europe. Charlemagne began building it in 792. He is also buried here.

It is not the biggest... but it is probably the most beautiful church we have seen. The stone work, gilding, and layout are just breathtaking.

Beautiful.
You can really see, when you are in buildings like this, how the church was often the centerpiece and gathering place in a village. And how it inspires you to think of God as a magnificent, creative being.

Again, we didn't stay long in Aachen, but maybe we'll make time to return here. The downtown looked fun and inviting, but we only took the time to grab lunch in Old McDonalds (as Charlotte calls it,) and head out on our drive again.

Just one more note. We LOVE our GPS. Rob got it for me for Christmas. It has been an absolute lifesaver on these trips. Locating gas stations, making detours, finding parking. We love you Little Miss Maps. ;)

2 comments:

Aubrey said...

Those are a little more glamorous than the "pitstops" we took on road trips when I was a kid (like gas stations and fast food joints)!

Glad you're loving the GPS. I take it yours isn't a Wrong Tom?? :)

Tom said...

So awesome that you can just drive around and make "pitstops" in places like that! Becca is so jealous.

What brand of GPS did you buy?