Category: 2023
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Day 2: Big Ben, Westminster, and Royal London ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ ๐ฌ๐ง
On February 11, we introduced our Ben to the other Ben โ Big Ben, gleaming after recent restorations. The tower (technically the Elizabeth Tower) was completed in 1859 and has been Londonโs timekeeper ever since. During World War II, its chimes continued even as bombs fell on the city, a symbol of endurance broadcast across…
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The Magic Behind the Movies โ Harry Potter Studios ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ ๐ฌ๐ง
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour โ The Making of Harry Potter was much larger and more detailed than we expected. The sets, costumes, and props from the films were incredible โ walking into the Great Hall felt like stepping straight into the movies. We strolled down Diagon Alley, peeked into Hagridโs Hut, and watched green-screen…
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Arrival in London โ Bridges, Franklin, and the Sky Garden ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ ๐ฌ๐ง
Our familyโs first trip to London began late on February 9, with a flight from Frankfurt-Hahn to Stansted Airport. By the time we reached the city, the streets glistened with rain under the glow of black cab headlights โ exactly how we imagined our first London night. The next morning, February 10, we set out…
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Day 5: Neuschwanstein Castle โ A Fairytale Farewell ๐ฉ๐ช๐บ๐ธ
On January 16, we began our journey home with one last stop: Neuschwanstein Castle, near Fรผssen, Germany. Rising high above the valley, its white towers piercing the winter sky, the castle looked exactly like the storybooks promised. Its name, Neuschwanstein, means โNew Swan Stoneโ โ a reference to King Ludwig IIโs emblem, the swan, which…
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Day 2โ4: Skiing and Sledding Under the Stars in Ischgl ๐ฆ๐น
On January 13, we arrived in Ischgl, Austria, a lively ski town nestled deep in the Tyrolean Alps near the Swiss border. The drive up wound through mountain valleys dotted with chalets, frozen rivers, and church steeples poking through snow. Ischgl sits at over 1,300 meters (4,260 feet) and is part of the vast Silvretta…
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Day 1: Arrival in Austria โ Lakeside Beauty in Lindau ๐ฉ๐ช ๐ฆ๐น
Our Alps skiing trip began with a drive south from Germany toward Ischgl, Austria, but we couldnโt resist making a stop along the way in Lindau, a stunning lakeside town on the eastern edge of Lake Constance (Bodensee). Nestled near the borders of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, Lindau has been a crossroads of cultures for…
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Day 4: Vikings and Farewells ๐ฉ๐ฐ
The first morning of 2023 was calm and clear. We visited the National Museum of Denmark, exploring exhibits that trace the countryโs history from Stone Age hunters to Viking explorers. The Viking section was especially fascinating โ showing how Scandinavian seafarers reached as far as North America centuries before Columbus. That legacy of exploration and…