19 Comments

  1. you and your SIL are so cute!!! love it! and i am glad you made it there safely! just focus on having a much deserved good time with people you love.

    1. Thanks my friend! I’m trying really hard to do just that

  2. Missing Germany and heart sick about all the attacks but particularly those in Ansbach where we lived. I am not a person who lives with fear and anxiety but the onslaught of non-stop reports in the media can be overwhelming. I try to stay away from listening to it as much as possible just to preserve my sanity. I think the world has been a horrifying place for all of eternity we just didn’t have to hear about it 24/7 in an dramatic format. I think it has also been a wonderful place with amazing, friendly, and loving people but no one seems to feel the need to share that part. Sure you can stay at home and “feel” safe but If you close yourself off to the ugly you also close yourself off to the beutiful as well. I choose to risk the ugly, savor the beauty, and share kindness with others. Enjoy your trip and eat a butter brezel for me!

    1. Wow that was so well said Maggie and so so true

  3. Julia, so sorry all of this has happened while you are in beautiful Germany. I too am fearful when traveling. It is so wrong that we have to fear one of life’s greatest treasures-seeing our beautiful world. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

    1. Thank you Karen and I so agree that it is wrong and awful

  4. I so totally agree with your feelings of fear of flying.

    My husband has to be in Germany in october..i am already nervous…of the flight…of the train ride, of the convention hall. I told him to keep his head up,eyes open, back to the wall and…sorry….think “racial profiling” in the back of his mind.

  5. Thanks for blogging. The fear can be paralyzing, personally I just stopped travelling but don’t feel too bad as I did a lot when I was younger (I am now 66 years old). Enjoy your visit, to do anything else lets ‘them’ win. Stay safe!

    1. Thanks Lynn and I will enjoy my visit because it’s so so nice to see my family

  6. thank you for calling attention to all of these examples-i just don’t see them trending on social media or anything over here. i am sharing them personally on my facebook, and i finally had to upload my vacation photos from austria/germany so there was something positive on my timeline about europe! maybe it’s b/c of the conventions, etc, especially being in philly that is all we are hearing and preparing for, but your sentiments were exactly how i felt in crowds while we were on vacation, and of course even at home. i hope you are able to enjoy yourselves, and sending thoughts for safe travels to your son and husband on their train ride.

  7. I can understand the fear for sure! Luke and I’ve talked about that when we booked trips and I think it’s best to just go and have fun. Things will happen when they happen and we have no control. BUT, I do understand! Hope you are dealing with it and having a grand time!

  8. I can imagine your fear Julia and I’m sure most people would feel the same way. Hope your time with your family is safe and enjoyable.

  9. Barbara Ann Sandoval says:

    I am so Happy!! you & your family are OK. But our hearts are often not OK. If you choose not watch the news, it will still happen anyway. I like to stay current but it is a scary thing to watch everyday.
    All we can do is keep our eyes open, be aware and keep going. With young children, we adults, can’t hole up and go no where. They would learn fear from us. Your children are learning to get up and move on. And how things are handled when there are troubles. Stay strong, and live your life. Your family is strong.
    Have a great time and I love seeing the beautiful pictures.

  10. I love looking at your beautiful pictures of Germany. It is just so picturesque. Thanks!

  11. Beautiful photos, as always. 🙂 Safe and happy travels to you and your family!

  12. Hi Julia, I completely understand how you feel. This year my family and I finally get to go home to Germany and this is what we face. The last 3 events you mentioned are waaay too close to my parents’ home, but, like you said, we cannot let fear rule how we live our lives or the bad guys will have won. So, as I prepare to fly into Munich soon, knowing that my older son and husband will be on the train through Würzburg at the tail end of their trip, I cannot help but think about what could have gone so much more wrong in Ansbach than it did. And with the Olympic games starting soon in Rio, I am always reminded of my very earliest memory of terrorism, the massacre at the “happy games” in Munich in 1972, when I was 8 years old. Terrorism is nothing new, but I sure do wish the people who are so intent on causing others harm would just realize that we are all in this together and that no hateful act will ever bring about the outcome they are bent on achieving.

  13. so glad you made it safely! My aunt and uncle visited Turkey right after the airport bombing (and flew home the day before the attempted coup). They seriously considered canceling the trip, but decided they didn’t want to let fear control how they lived their lives. I’ve loved seeing all your photos 🙂

    1. Oh my gosh, that is a scary thing in Turkey for sure. I don’t know what I would have done.

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