Coming up...
On eight months here in Stuttgart for us! I am in shock...thought it was more like four months. Nope, we arrived on December 5th, so August 5th will be eight months.
We have a lot to get done, especially if this tour turns out to be only 24 months!
We're thinking of going to Zurich tomorrow. We're going to Paris over Labor Day and we're thinking of Northern Italy sometime in October, when it's cooler and the bulk of the tourists have left. Jen and her family just got back from an amazing trip to Northern Italy...Pisa, Florence...the whole nine yards. Jen sent out a few of her hundreds of pictures and it looks like it was spectacular. So now we want to do the same trip.
In other news: the first round of car shopping was yesterday. I think that we have decided against the Q7 (for those of you who don't know, the Q7 is Audi's new 7-passenger SUV). There were a couple of factors involved in veto-ing it: the fact that the one that Hans wants, with the biggest engine and all the options, was hideously, prohibitively expensive. And why in the world would I want to break the bank for a family vehicle that is going to get barfed and spilled in?
The Chrysler minivan is starting to look better and better. That awesome 180 degree rotating middle seat and the table that sits between the second and third row just make me drool. I imagine them sitting there, coloring or playing trains. Also, Jen told me that the Chrysler minivan has dual row DVD players, but they are separate players...meaning, Josiah can watch "Thomas" and Annika can watch "Star Wars" (don't ask). Gahhhhh. Plus, you can get wireless headphones for each of the kids. Meaning...Hans and I don't have to listen to "Cars" again. Unless we want to. Plus...in the US, we could have Sirius television satellite-ed to the van.
But then again, I think of Gen, Eli and myself shoehorned in the back of the station wagon together for long car trips. We had a full size Ford Econoline, but that was before Eli was born. That was the biggest family vehicle we owned. And totally pimped out with a custom window...yeah, baby! Somehow, the three of us kids managed to get along and coexist and even (gasp!) enjoy car trips without DVD players or wireless headphones or Sirius television.
And then I feel slightly guilty for even considering a minivan! The kids should be reading or looking out the windows, right?
Long story short, I think we've decided on the new Volkswagen Routan. It is infinitely more affordable and though we can't get the table, we can get the entertainment package.
Sigh.
We have a lot to get done, especially if this tour turns out to be only 24 months!
We're thinking of going to Zurich tomorrow. We're going to Paris over Labor Day and we're thinking of Northern Italy sometime in October, when it's cooler and the bulk of the tourists have left. Jen and her family just got back from an amazing trip to Northern Italy...Pisa, Florence...the whole nine yards. Jen sent out a few of her hundreds of pictures and it looks like it was spectacular. So now we want to do the same trip.
In other news: the first round of car shopping was yesterday. I think that we have decided against the Q7 (for those of you who don't know, the Q7 is Audi's new 7-passenger SUV). There were a couple of factors involved in veto-ing it: the fact that the one that Hans wants, with the biggest engine and all the options, was hideously, prohibitively expensive. And why in the world would I want to break the bank for a family vehicle that is going to get barfed and spilled in?
The Chrysler minivan is starting to look better and better. That awesome 180 degree rotating middle seat and the table that sits between the second and third row just make me drool. I imagine them sitting there, coloring or playing trains. Also, Jen told me that the Chrysler minivan has dual row DVD players, but they are separate players...meaning, Josiah can watch "Thomas" and Annika can watch "Star Wars" (don't ask). Gahhhhh. Plus, you can get wireless headphones for each of the kids. Meaning...Hans and I don't have to listen to "Cars" again. Unless we want to. Plus...in the US, we could have Sirius television satellite-ed to the van.
But then again, I think of Gen, Eli and myself shoehorned in the back of the station wagon together for long car trips. We had a full size Ford Econoline, but that was before Eli was born. That was the biggest family vehicle we owned. And totally pimped out with a custom window...yeah, baby! Somehow, the three of us kids managed to get along and coexist and even (gasp!) enjoy car trips without DVD players or wireless headphones or Sirius television.
And then I feel slightly guilty for even considering a minivan! The kids should be reading or looking out the windows, right?
Long story short, I think we've decided on the new Volkswagen Routan. It is infinitely more affordable and though we can't get the table, we can get the entertainment package.
Sigh.
Comments
I know, I know. A Chrysler? It sure does look nice. But, as I said, we'll stick with VW, even though VW worked WITH Chrysler to build the Routan. It's essentially the Chrysler van with the VW touch.