Joyous Baseball Game: Dodgers vs. Angels

One of the first things I did upon returning to California was attend a Dodgers/Angels baseball game.  It was a fun time of family bonding, American culture, and wonderful entertainment.  Being a Dodgers' fan (like my dad) I especially enjoyed the outcome of the game...a Dodger win!!!  My mom and grandpa were not quite as excited as I was being Angel fans.

The Ticket

View from our Seats

Angel Fans (Grandpa & Mom)

Dodger Fan (Dad & Me)

Final Score: Dodgers-5, Angels-0

End of Game

Fireworks Extravaganza

I Love London, but NOT the Heat

Shortly before returning to the states for the summer Amy and I took a short trip to London.  I had been twice before, but this was Amy's first experience there.  The sights were exciting as usually, but the heat was NOT!  I ended up getting a sun burn during our hop-on-hop-off bus tour. :(  Our hostel also had showers that did not allow you to determine the temperature of the water.  The shower was set at one temperature...scalding.  It was scalding even without a sun burn!  All in all, we had a great time together.

Portobello Road Market

Buckingham Palace Guard

Fun British Cars...I'd love to have a scooter like that!

View from our "napping bed" in the park

Scary experience, but loads of fun!

Changing of the Guard

British Firetruck

Memorial that Amy wanted to climb until she found out she had to pay in order to go up.

Cool museum about the War

Tower Bridge

Tower of London Tour

How to Drive a Stick Shift

Teaching my sister Amy how to drive a stick shift in Austria was a fun, yet very interesting experience.  We spent about an hour in a Eurospar (grocery store) parking lot one evening near Linz working on this new skill.  After many bumpy starts (and a few stalls), she was finally able to figure out how to start and stop smoothly.  Good job Amy!

Going through Austria and Germany

A week after school ended Amy and I went on a road trip through parts of Austria and Germany.  It was a lot of time to spend this time together (even though it rained most of the time) and explore places we had never been to before.

Salzburg (Austria):

Day Trip to Konnigsee in German Bavarian Alps

Hiking in the Bavarian Alps

Our Tour Bus

Ketchup anyone?

Hitler's Eagle's Nest

City of Salzburg

Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany):

The Castle

Picture in the rain :)

Another castle close by...goodness, how many castles do they need?

Front of the castle

Mary's Bridge

Rotenburg ob der Tauber (Germany):
Medieval town along the Romantic Road

Back in the car after a rain storm

Wurzburg (Germany):

The Residenz

Ingolstadt (Germany):
The Romberger (my mother's side) homeland

Mauthausen Concentration Camp (Austria):

Entrance

Prisoner Barracks

Mass Grave

Layout of Camp during the 1940s

Stairs of Death

Rock Quarry

Path from Stairs to the Camp