Family Reunion in Italy

"So happy together..." This classic tune was ringing in my ears as the Catlin, Blue, and Clough units descended upon Italy for a bombastic end-of-summer reunion in bella Italia. Although the four days flew by much too quickly, we succeeded in family togetherness and fun while traveling to four different cities in the Veneto region.

Prior to meeting up in Italy, Laurel and Jason spent some time with us in Wiesbaden. Unfortunately, Jon was not back from the States during the first three days of their visit, but we still managed to have a great time attending a medieval festival in the ruins of a castle, touring a wine village along the Rhine and enjoying the incredible weather with a swim and picnic in the park.

After Jon arrived, we headed down to Munich where we spent one day seeing the sights on Mike's Bike Tour and of course, a necessary stop at the world-famous Hofbrauhaus. As we sat there enjoying our monster sized beers, surrounded by boisterous tourists and raucous oompah music, we pondered hos in the world Char and her AA friends DID get kicked out of the Hofbrauhas those many years ago. I'm not quite sure we totally believe the "we were simply singing Texas our Texas loudly" explanation, considering singing is a welcomed expectation there. I guess we will never be as cool as you Charm!

The next day we embarked on our scenic journey through Bavaria, the Austrian Tirol and into Italy. In order to allow Jason the opportunity to experience Austria (not just drive through it), we stopped for lunch in the charming town of Hall, near Innsbruck. After admiring the picturesque town surrounded by mountains, we continued our trip across the Europa bridge, through Brenner Pass and into Italy.

Our meeting point was the town of Bolzano, nestled between the hills of the Dolomites. Although the town looks Italian and the food tastes Italian, you wouldn't necessarily know the people are Italian considering the casual greeting "Gruss Gott" is actually Austrian and everyone there speaks both German and Italian. Only a part of Italy since the 1920s, Bolzano is very much a fusion of both cultures, which may be why I feel in love with it immediately.

Castles are scattered around the pristine countryside, yet pasta and prosecco are plentiful. Beyond enjoying the town itself, we toured the Archaeological Museum where the famous 5,000 year old Ice Man is kept. It was an interesting first few hours of our family reunion being surrounded by mummies - going back in forth between reading about the mummification process and catching up on what everyone's been up to the past few days.

The following day, we caravaned to our next destination, Cortina, via the dazzling, if not somewhat daunting, Great Dolomite Road. This winding road snakes through the Dolomite mountains escalating higher and higher to a point of 3,300 meters. The views were unbelievable, but those of us not driving had to deal with some queasiness during the 2.5 hours of sharp turns. Nausea or not, it was completely worth it and was an unforgettable experience.

Our hotel for the night was technically 20 minutes and 2,000 meters above Cortina in the Passo Giau. Nestled between two peaks at what felt like was the top o the world was our hideaway.

We had quite an awakening when we stepped out of the car and felt the gushing, freezing wind. I'm not exaggerating - it was a far cry from the warm and humid weather we experienced a couple hours earlier in Bolzano. We assessed our wardrobes and put on as many layers as possible before descending the mountain into Cortina.

When we arrived the temperature warmed and we enjoyed strolling around the quaint town and admiring cars entered in an old car rally. That night, we celebrated Lar's birthday over a delicious dinner.

The next morning, we awoke in our mountain hideaway hotel to crustal blue sky and the most gorgeous views of the Dolomite mountains surrounding us.

Although I had intended to do some running, a quick jaunt up the first hill provided me a reality check as my lungs felt as if they were about to burst. A run turned into more of a photo shoot and a chance to enjoy the surreal beauty.

Later that morning, we caravaned out of the Dolomites to Castelfranco. It just so happened that this medieval city, complete with fortress walls and a moat in the town center, was celebrating a medieval festival.

We had a wonderful time exploring this event complete with night guards, flag throwers and even a village idiot.

Also that night, we enjoyed an incredible gourmet dinner with friends, Al and Cristina. After four courses and three different types of wine, we were sufficiently stuffed!

The following day was bittersweet as it was wonderful to be Venice on such a perfect day, but sad it would be our last day together.

Despite the multitude of tourists that invade Venice every summer weekend, the weather was magnificent and we once again stumbled on another fantastic local event that day.

The Regata Storica was taking place and is a race for gondolas through the Grand Canal.

Pizza for lunch, buying a painting as a memento, coffee in St. Mark's Square and wandering through the narrow alleys and canals added up the the perfect day. But then again - being with my entire family anywhere would be the perfect day. This was yet again an unforgettable vacation that I will always treasure (at least until the next one comes 'round). Grazie mille to Italia and my familiga!

Future Unveiled in U.S.

It's hard to believe that my three week visit in the U.S. is almost over. This afternoon, I board a plane to Dallas where I'll spend one more night in the lone star state, before crossing the pond to Germany tomorrow and a bright future ahead. More news about our big surprise (that's becoming more common knowledge with tele-Catlin in the works) below.

It's been an incredible trip that flew by far too fast. The whirlwind visit began in DC and North Carolina hangin' with Jon's family. He had been there for a few days spending time with his parents (getting roped into VBS and other fun activities) before I arrived and we headed down to the NC farm. We enjoyed hangin' with Jon's grandparents, parents, Mark, Karen, Sam and the new farm dog, Charlie. Like usual, we had delicious meals straight from the bountiful farm and even spent an afternoon at the Outer Banks beach. After a wonderful weekend together, Jon and I parted again in the Norfolk Airport as he flew to Montgomery to begin his five-week Squadron Officer School course and I headed to Texas. I spent five glorious days in Bryan with my parents eating LOTS of Tex-Mex, running with Lar and unfortunately, working on a school paper due that week (what timing).

After some time at home, I went to Austin to hang with mis hermanas to celebrate Mandy's birthday. We had a fantastic time simply being together, whether we were watching "So You Think You Can Dance" (I had lots of catching up to do with my favorite reality show), eating (you know lots of that went down) or going out downtown. I am so blessed to have such fab sisters and although it was only a weekend's time, it was incredibly special. In addition to catching up on married life with Laurel, or Mandy's new job, we talked a lot about my future and where Jon and I would go next. Our time at Wiesbaden is coming to a close (end of November) and we've known for a while that we would most likely be headed to Oklahoma. Although Jon was dreading some aspects of his job there, the opportunity to be close to Texas is a big plus. His goal was to stay overseas, however we were told that chance was basically slim to none.

From Austin I headed to Midland where I rented a car and drove south to Fort Davis to meet my parents at Camp Meeting, which we attend yearly. On the drive, Jon called and dropped some BIG news. Remember me saying a couple sentences ago that the chance of us staying in Europe was basically nonexistent? Well, apparently we made the cut and we'll be headed to Geilenkirchen, Germany, for a couple years beginning in November. Geilenkirchen is home to a NATO base and is located near the border of Germany and the Netherlands.

I could hardly believe it. I was in shock for about an hour and experienced a plethora of emotions from bewilderment, to happiness, to confusion, to sadness, etc. Poor Jon didn't know what to think when he would call one second and I was filled with joy and 10 minutes later I was crying on the phone about not being able to use my wedding gifts for another two years. He on the other hand, was thrilled and more thrilled about this assignment in Europe - no wave of emotions was required for him. After one night of getting used to the idea, I realized that it doesn't matter where we are in the world, as long as we're together it's going to be home and the best experience imaginable.

I mean seriously - am I really sad about NOT being in Oklahoma? Heck no! I'll get to travel to all those places we weren't able to fit in this past year, make many more international friends, continue working for Baylor and have the experience of a lifetime. After all, what's another two years? The opportunity in Oklahoma I mourned was the proximity of family and friends. Being able to partake in weekend football games, reunions, barbecues, float trips, ranch trips, etc. But, those will still come, simply a little longer timeline is needed. And in the meantime, this will give more friends and family more time to visit us in Europe. We can't wait to host many more in Germany or the Netherlands (we may be living in either country), and are thrilled the "newlyweds" in Europe adventure will be continuing!

Okay - enough of that business. After a few wonderful days in West Texas with fantastic weather, I headed to Montgomery, AL, to spend the weekend with Jon. Although we had only been apart a week and a half, it was a necessary reunion in order to celebrate and digest our big news together. We had a great four days together attending a Montgomery Biscuits baseball game (that's right, their mascot is the Biscuit), hangin' at the pool, catching a flick, supporting the U.S. economy with some shopping and we even snuck in an overnight trip to Mobile to visit my grandmother.

We had a fantastic time at Somerby, her retirement community, where Jon and I got to be celebrities for the weekend as everyone wants to meet the grandchildren of the ever-so-popular Corky Catlin (my Gran). We enjoyed some delicious meals there as well as a tour of downtown Mobile that I had not visited in years. In addition to spending time with Gran, we also got to hang with my cousin, Brian, who recently moved back to Mobile from Atlanta. It was yet another great reunion with family during our three week trip.

By Wednesday, I'll be back in Germany after three weeks in the U.S. including visits to four States, eight cities, and seven airports just in time for the Wiesbaden Wine Festival kick-off this Friday (how convenient). Jon will be in Montgomery until the 29th, when he'll head back to DC for a couple days to attend a funeral at Arlington Cemetery for a good family friend. By September 1, we'll be reunited again in Germany followed by an immediate trip to Italy to hang out with the Catlin clan. As usual, the good times and travel will keep on rollin!

Spain and Morocco

Greetings from Texas! I'm publishing the blog entry about our incredible holiday in Spain and Morocoo in late June/early July from the Lone Star State where I'm visiting my family for a bit. Last week we were in North Carolina visiting Jon's family and this week, Jon has begun his five-week captain's course in Alabama. I'll be joining him next week after catching up on eating some delicious TexMex fare. I hope you enjoy reading about our adventures.

Sevilla – the heart of Andalucia where sun, sangria, and flamenco are plentiful. This Southern Spain destination was the beginning of our nine day summer holiday. June 24th, we arrived at our beautiful hotel in the Santa Cruz neighborhood, which was located in the old Jewish quarter.

After exploring the hotel and it’s labyrinth of tunnels, we set out for a tapas-hopping excursion and flamenco performance.

The next day, we toured the gothic cathedral, which contained many architectural Moorish influences.

Later, we toured the nearby Alcazar Palace, which was built by Christians, however also had many Moorish influences (archways, tiles, fountains and gardens).

That evening, we enjoyed shopping and a paseo, or pre-dinner stroll along the pedestrian promenade. We are dinner along the river overlooking the old town and the finale of the evening was an impromptu trumpet concert we stumbled upon at the Golden Tower.

The following day, we picked up our rental car and drove the 2.5 hours from Sevilla to Nerja, along the Costa del Sol.

Located just north of Malaga, this quaint beach town emanates old world charm and is famous for their Balcon de Europa, or promenade that juts out over the steep cliffs and crashing waves of the ocean below.

We immediately hit the beach and were ecstatic to begin the beach bum portion of the trip. After exploring the two nearest beaches to out hotel, we spent the evening experiencing more tapas and flamenco music.

The next day, we ventured to the beach where most locals go, and Jon fit right in with sea cave expeditions and jumping off rocks with the locals.

The highlight was a mid-day break for lunch when we ventured to a beach eatery under tents and had freshly prepared paella and of course, more sangria.

Our last day in Nerja, we spent the morning soaking of a few more hours of precious beach time before our trip south down the Costa del Sol to the port town of Algeciras, where we would catch the ferry bound for Africa.

First, we would make a stop in Gibraltar, which we decided was an odd place that didn’t quite fit with the rest of Spain. Perhaps because it’s NOT Spain. As soon as you cross the border, British accents abound and signs for “fish and chips” and “God save the Queen” come into view. We drove through the small town to the opposite end of the island where we took the cable car to the top of the rock and saw what we really came to see – a spectacular view? Perhaps. Monkeys? Oh YES!

After a few hours of monkey viewing, we journeyed back to Spain where we continued onward to Algeciras. An unimpressive city primarily known as an industrial shipping port, we didn’t expect much from our overnight stay here. However, we were pleasantly surprised by our beautiful, resort-type hotel we stayed in for the night. We took an evening swim in the pool, ate dinner at the restaurant and researched Morocco in their lounge room – allowing us to recharge for the next segment of our trip.

The following day, we boarded our ferry to make the two hour journey across the Strait of Gibraltar where we could see the outlines of both Europe and Africa at once. We were filled with mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety as we neared the Tangier port (at left). Of course it was thrilling to be in a new, “exotic,” city, but we were also somewhat nervous about the many “hustlers” that are a well-known nuisance in Tangier. Used to seeing many day-trippers from Spain, these hustlers have become quite savvy in offering their services and “professional” tours to foreigners. Most guidebooks recommend a tour guide (professional or not), however Jon and I both (being the expert travelers we are), decided it would be best to walk right past all these people at the port and experience Tangier on our own. Boy were we wrong! We must have been spotted a mile away, because as soon as we stepped off the boat, we were latched on by a guy who was of course an “official” tour guide and would answer all of our questions about getting to Marrakech, where to leave our luggage and a tour of the city. We looked at each other and thought, what the heck.

I had one question going through my head the entire day. Is a tour of Tangier with a guide for the sucker or time-saver? I like to think we were the latter. We saw all the major sights we wanted to, purchased a carpet, herded into a lovely restaurant for dinner and even delivered to the train station. All hassle free (bu not necessarily hustler free).

At this point in our trip we had been transported by a plane, car and ferry, so now it was time to board a train. We departed on the overnight Marrakech express from Tangier at 9:00 p.m and arrived the following morning at 8:00 a.m. Our bunkmates on the train were a couple from Mexico.

We awoke the following morning to views of the barren desert, sheep herders and cart-hauling mules.

In Marrakech, we immediately hit the ground running, or carriage-riding, for a tour of the sights.

First was Jardin Majorelle, owned by Yves St. Laurent before he died, and is now his final resting place. It is a breathtaking oasis with color schemes of bright blue, yellow and orange.

Afterward, we visited the beautiful Bahia Palace and made our way back to our Riad, our guesthouse, through the many narrow and winding alleys of the medina. After having the tour experience in Tanger, Jon and I were convinced we could find our Riad on our own. After all, we had a map and an address? Umm, yeah, we quickly learned that maps aren’t exactly useful in the medina (or old town) that have existed for thousands of years. Once again, we were targeted right off the bat, and a cart carrying local asked if we needed help. We thought, hmm, we could wander around the alleys and eventually find it on our own, or pay the 10 dirham (or $1.25) for him to show us to the place. And I’m so glad we did, because five turns later, we arrived what looked to be a dead end alley, but at the very end had a beautiful wood door with Riad Diana written across the top in gold.

We had arrived at our Riad, which although was a very nondescript building on the outside, was another world on the inside. Riad is another name for guesthouse, that at one time was a family’s home. The bottom level has an inner courtyard with rooms on all four sides. There is usually three or four levels and a rooftop terrace.

This was our haven away from the hustle and bustle of the medina where during the afternoon we could cool off in the plunge pool and late at night, we would enjoy a hookah atop the roof and hear only faint sounds of the city below.

Marrakech is a fascinating city complete with elegant restaurants and rooftop cafes, that contrast with the frenzy of the souks (or bazaar area) and the largest square in the world, the Djeema el Fna.

At night, this square comes alive with entertainment that has been passed down through the centuries. Walking around the square, you can see different circles formed where locals and tourists alike are watching acrobats, snake charmers, story-tellers, and traditional Berber music while dodging monkeys who want a picture with you, ladies who want to give you henna tattoos and orange juice and grilled meat vendors.

It’s a place where all your senses are heightened and you stand in the middle of this unbelievable square and think –am I really here and does this place truly exist? Absolutely!

The following day, we took a day trip outside Marrakech to the Ouirka Valley. About an hour outside of Marrakech, the desert began to look more green and rolling hills became bigger and bigger. Pretty soon we were in the middle of a lush oasis and we thought to ourselves…. Are we really in North Africa?

With our driver/guide, we meandered along a flowing river through the valley to the Berber village of Setti Fatma in the Atlas foothills.

Once in this town, we walked to see the source of this river, a mountain stream with seven waterfalls.

Although we only walked to the first one, we enjoyed beautiful views of the mountains and a traditional Moroccan lifestyle. We never pictured Morocco to be quite like this, and we were so happy we were able to experience a village that not only foreigners come to see, but many Moroccans vacation in this area as well.

Upon returning to Marrakech, we arranged to have a traditional dinner prepared for us on our Riad terrace and afterward, took a final stroll at the exotic bazaar atmosphere of Djeema el Fna.

Although it was a jam-packed three days, it was amazing to experience an entirely new country that is so vastly different from anywhere we’d been before. Sure, there are tons of tourists, the hustling can be exhausting and you may bring some unexpected souvenirs home with you (like TD), but in the end, it’s all worth it to explore this magnetic destination. Hearing the call to prayer while sipping mojitos during the beautiful sunsets, the views across rooftops, delicious food, the excitement of bargaining in the souks and the most intense square setting in the world all leave you wanting more.

Gracias and Shookran to Spain and Morocco for another unforgettable holiday!

Summertime in Wiesbaden

NEWSFLASH: 3 MONTH HIATUS FROM BLOG FINISHED!I truly can't believe that it's been three months since I've posted anything. I'm embarrassed, ashamed and mortified. We have had so many exciting happenings take place since the last post, and procrastination has got the best of the Cloughs yet again. NO MORE! From now on, we vow to update our blog consistently each week, especially as our time in Europe is running short. Although I could write for pages and pages about the adventures we've had over the past few months, I must keep it concise in order to cover everything. Although I began the May 4th and 27th posts ages ago, they have only recently been published. I apologize to you all for the delay in posting this information and thank you for your continued support.

Wilhelmstrasse Festival

Wiesbaden's premier festival took place June 11-13 and proved yet again to be the most fun festival of the city. Basically, they close off the most popular street in Weisbaden and fill it with nothing but food vendors wine stands, beer stands, cocktail stands and much, much more. The nearby parks have stages for live music of every kind and of course, no fest would be complete without rides. From Thursday night through Saturday, Jon and I took part in the fest-ing in every way possible. This is by far our favorite festival in Germany and we will miss it dearly!

On Saturday, we ran into some friends from the squadron and enjoyed listening to classic rock music on the bowling green.

Before take-off on my favorite ride, the swings.

Jon on his ascent on the swings before the craziness begins!


Later that evening, Jon, Justin and Ray experienced the magic of the swings yet again.

A Visit from the Swedes

This past weekend, two of my favorite Swedes, Maria and Jakob came to visit us in Wiesbaden. Maria was a former exchange student at BU in 2005 and we became fast friends and have kept in touch since. Jakob also spent an exchange semester at TAMU and they are now together. I visited them in Stockholm in September 2007 and it's about time they made it down to Germany for another visit.

Although they were only in town 48 hours, we made it the most packed, eventful two days possible. After picking them up from the airport, we spent the day touring the Rhine and wine-tasting in Bacharach. That evening, I showed them around Wiesbaden and Jon was able to join us for dinner at one of the lovely Italian restaurants downstairs from our apartment. Later that night we went for drinks at a friend's place and finished the night at the Irish Pub.

The next day (after some serious sleeping in), we visited the town of Eltville, known for its rose gardens, and met up with some other friends for wine at a weinhaus in the village.

Later that afternoon, we went to the nearby town of Erbach for the strawberry festival. We enjoyed the delicious drink of strawberries soaked in Riesling wine and sekt (Germany's champagne).

And of course Jon and Jake had to get their picture with the strawberry princesses. After the festival, we came back to the apartment where Jon and I prepared a midnight Texas feast of brisket fajitas, pico de gallo, chips and queso and Corona and margaritas. They absolutely loved it and it was wonderful to be around two people who also think the world of Texas. The weekend was a complete success and Jon and I hope to be able to fit in a trip to Stockholm this fall for one more visit before returning to the States. Swedes rule!