After arriving in Frankfurt on June 5, we picked up our rental Mercedes van and drove to the charming city of Wurzburg. Lauren is standing in front of the Archbishop's Residence that was damaged by bombs in WWII but entirely restored. Those "Bishops" really knew how to live! Although suffering from jet lag, we tried hard to have a good time and had dinner at a nearby Biergarten. Most of us ordered traditional German food, but Holly and Stephanie ordered pasta for some reason. Holly slipped into her Spanish and asked for "Dos" portions. I am not making this up!

This is the famous Sound of Music Gazebo at the Hellbrunn Water Schloss outside of Salzburg. Although the famous "I am 16 going on 17" scene was shot on a Hollywood lot, this is the actual gazebo that served as the model! Ironically, Lauren is 16 in the photo and turned 17 four days later!

The Handys and Shribers make their own "Sound of Music tour" by renting and riding bicycles from Salzburg to Hellbrunn, probably about three to four miles. It was a terrific way to get out into the countryside and we really felt a little less like tourists!

Holly and Steve in Rothenburg, on June 6, 2009. This is a charming medieval city that has retained its walls, old buildings and famous towers. We stayed the night here and prowled around for most of the next day. We'd go back to Rothenburg in a heartbeat!

On June 13, we celebrated Lauren's 17th birthday with a mini Rhine Cruise. Several castles dotted the nearby hills including this unique edifice built in the form of a ship on a small island. It was very fun and gave us just a taste of the river and surrounding countryside although we were only on the river itself about three hours.