When we were on Kauai, we went to this little burger joint in the Poipu shopping village called Poipu Tropical Burgers. The food was great and both times we went there was some live entertainment that Addie enjoyed. One time she even went up front to be the guitar player’s little hula girl.
Addie love playing on the beach and building sand castles. Too bad she thought throwing the sand at the bucket was the best way.
Our hotel had a water slide that Addie enjoyed. She wouldn’t do it unless we were going with her, but as you can see from the video she always wanted to go again.
So when we were flying to Hawaii from L.A. Addie got to watch a few movies. She was wearing my Bose headphones so she could hear. I was going through my photos today and saw them and thought I should post them. These headphones are great. If you travel a lot you need these headphones they are amazing, big, but amazing.
It makes me think, how did our parents take us on long vacations without DVD players and noise canceling headphones?
We have spent the last four days in Kauai, and although it has been rainy and overcast we have had a good time. We even got to spend an extra night in LA because we left Dallas a day early so we could avoid another winter storm. Addie has loved it here and has become very accustomed to the beach. She loves to play in the sand and hates to leave. Luckily we got upgraded to a nicer room so the beach is only 50 yards from our hotel room. I’ll spare you the travel log details but here are some photos from the week.
In n Out, Andrea’s Must Stop in LA
Addie’s start to a new modeling Career in LA… Maybe
Our Hotel Room
Our First Morning began at 5am
Addie in her Cabana
Our Reward for driving up to Waimea Canyon: Clouds
I have been in Poland for business for the past two weeks and I had the opportunity to go to the Auschwitz concentration camp on Saturday. It was a neat experience, similar to Andrea and my visit to Dachau earlier in the year. Auschwitz, however, was focused more on the terror and pain of the holocaust as opposed to our tour at Dachau. The sheer magnitude of the events evokes emotion from anyone but as I walked around the grounds I couldn’t help but wonder what terrible things those walls and buildings had seen. I took hundreds of photos and tried to take some which showed the importance of the memorial while maintaining the dignity the site deserves. I wanted to share some of those photos with you here. I edited these photos in a nostalgic style because I felt they more accurately conveyed the deeper meanings and historical context behind the photos. I hope you enjoy these photos and they encourage you to learn more about these events. Please click on the photos to view a larger version for a more dramatic effect.
Zyklon B - Poison Gas used in the Gas Chambers
When the liberators arrived at the camp they found numerous evidences of the terror inflicted at these camps one of which was massive reserves of Giftgas, which translated from German means poison gas. This gas was Zyklon B, the poison gas used to take the lives of countless individuals.
Luggage packed but never used
This suitcase just one of the hundreds on display, belonged to Gertrude Neubauer, an orphan child. These bags were packed but never opened by those who packed them.
Barracks lining the road
Auschwitz I was the original camp, serving as the administrative center for the whole complex. The site for the camp—16 one-story buildings—had earlier served as Polish army artillery barracks.
Block 10 - Medical Experimentation
Each building was identified by a block number. Block 10 was the site of horrific medical experimentation.
The Fences
Surrounding the camp were miles of barbed wire fences which at the time the camp was active were electrified. I couldn’t help but think of what each barb on that fence had been through.
Administrative Offices
This building processed each new arrival to the camp.
We also visited Auschwitz II-Birkenau, which was built in October 1941. This facility dwarfed the original Auschwitz. It was massive and although very little is left, the sheer magnitude of the facility is powerful.
The Gate of Death
This gate was the entrance to the camp. Through this gate passed countless trains jammed full of prisoners, where upon arrival were inspected, sorted, and if determined not fit for work, placed in a line leading to the gas chambers.
The Bathroom
The facilities were primitive and too few for the prisoners in the camp.
A Barrack at Birkenau
Unlike Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II – Birkenau did not have brick barracks for the prisoners. They were crammed into these wooden barracks not suited for the rigors of the Polish countryside.
These tracks led people in but never out
My trip to Auschwitz was emotional and gave me a greater appreciation for the events of the past. Seeing Auschwitz is an event never to be forgotten.
We really saved the best for last. Sorrento is about an hour south of Naples, right on the coast. The most beautiful drive in the world has got to be the cliffs of the Amalfi coast, where the Mediterranean sparkles and the towns spring up out of the mountain. We had a beautiful view of the ocean from our hotel, which maybe made Sorrento my favorite place of the trip. Rome is still duking it out with Sorrento in my mind.
Favorite Sorrento things:
Shopping and walking around town. Sorrento is small compared to the other tourist towns we visited. It has shops and restaurants and gelaterias (very important), and not much else. We walked down to the pier, we shopped, we ate, we watched the sun set from our balcony.
Pompeii – an ancient city that was covered in ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. The town was buried and preserved until the 1700s, when excavations began. It was amazing to walk the streets of this city and imagine what life was like back then. This city was at its height during Jesus’ lifetime, so although I’m pretty sure Christ never visited Pompeii, I’m sure the lifestyle was similar.
Along with that, we went to the Archeological Museum in Naples, which has artifacts from Pompeii that survived – paintings, frescoes, mosaics, dishes, silverware, vases, statues, etc. Unfortunately the Mosaics room was closed, but we got to see everything else. It was neat. Although it’s too bad we had to go all the way to Naples to see it. Naples is kinda rough…
Amalfi Coast drive. Wow. So beautiful. We took a bus, which wound around the cliffs of the coastal mountains in a one lane highway, squeezing past cars and mopeds going the other way. Scary. But it was really beautiful, especially Positano, where we walked down to the beach and stuck our fingers in. The beaches are really pebbly there!
Pizza in Naples. I wanted to go to the famous L’Antica da Michele pizza place, but the only day we were in Naples was Sunday, and they were closed. But the pizza place across the street was open, so we grabbed some pizza there, and it was delish! I love my American Pizza, but Italian pizza is so yummy! I swear their tomatoes are different than ours.
Pompeii street
Chariot ruts in the road, Pompeii
Original pots from Pompeii
Fresco on a wall in a home, Pompeii
Doorways in Pompeii
Basilica ruins, Pompeii
Pompeii painting, preserved in the museum
Amalfi Coast/Mediterranean Sea
Climbing down the steps to Positano
Touching the Mediterranean
City of Positano
View of Sorrento and Mt Vesuvius from our balcony
Trevi Fountain, Rome
Overview of the Forum, Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Temple of Saturn in Ancient Rome
Basilica in Ancient Rome
Colosseum, Rome
Can you see where the steps used to be? (Colosseum)
Interior of Colosseum
Arch of Constantine, Rome
St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
Dome of St Peters from the inside, Vatican City
Ceiling of St Peters, Vatican City
Michelangelo’s Pieta, St. Peters, Vatican City
Ceiling detail, St Peters, Vatican City
Outside St Peters on a rainy day
Raphael’s “School of Athens”, Vatican Museum
Best Gelato EVER.
Della Palma Gelato. We went here every day multiple times.
Roma – The Eternal City, The City of Love, etc
Rome is seriously magical. We got there in the afternoon, ate dinner, and then walked around Rome until it got dark. Rome at night is another world. The lighting is all orange light, so that it resembles torchlight. So Rome honestly feels like an old city, since there are no LED screens or florescent lighting anywhere. you feel like you are walking through ancient Rome. We saw St. Peters, Castel Sant Angelo, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona that night.
Ancient Rome – the Imperial Forum, Arch of Constantine, Palatine Hill, Arches of Titus and Septimius Severus. This is where Rome began and was ruled. The Senate where Julius Caesar was killed, the Temple of Vesta, the Temple of Saturn, the Via Sacra (Main Street), the Basilica (governmental seat), the church where Peter the Apostle was (maybe) imprisoned, the COLOSSEUM. It’s all here. Right smack dab in the middle of modern Rome. We spent all morning here, taking audiotours and learning all about the beginning and end of the Roman Empire.
St Peters/Vatican City. This was an all day event. St Peters Basilica is the largest Catholic church in the world, and probably the most decorated. It houses Michelangelo’s Pieta, and multiple works by Bernini, including the altar and the huge brass canopy over the altar. It also houses the tomb of St. Peter, and the tombs of many Popes. It is so ornately decorated, you really have to see it to believe it. We toured the Vatican Museums as well, and ended in the Sistine Chapel. I feel like Michelangelo and I should be friends at this point, as now I’ve been to his hometown, his tomb, and all of his greatest works. Great job on the Sistine Chapel, buddy. Really, it is amazing. To think that he literally craned his neck to paint a ceiling for four years, and on fresco! It is almost emotional. Once again, you have to see it to believe it. It was so beautiful, we stayed in there for a half hour just looking and looking.
Catacombs! We went to the Catacombs of Domitilla, and did some underground hiking. This is where the early Christians buried their dead, instead of cremating them like the Romans did in that time. This was a sacred burial, because they were buried near family members and martyrs for the Christian religion. Romans did not treat Christians well at that point in time. Now, there are no bodies there, just holes in the walls. But what I liked were the frescoes and writings that have survived all these years.
We were SO EXHAUSTED by the end of our trip, that we spent a good portion of time in the hotel spa and relaxation room. At first I was worried about wasting time that could have been spent sightseeing, but as one of our reasons for this trip was to just be together, we decided this was a worthwhile usage of time. We missed our little girl a lot, but to just be together, without any responsibilities, was refreshing.
