Stuttgart Half Marathon ~ June 22, 2008

Tim and I both ran the Stuttgarter Zeitung half-marathon on 22 June. It was an extremely hot day for us here in Stuttgart. They were hosing us down at the water stops and the neighborhoods were kind enough to drag out there hoses for us to run under. This was my first half-marathon that I completed - I finished in 2:25. This was a fun run for me as I ran with my co-worker Joy and her friend Kirsten. We crossed the finish line together. Tim completed in just over two hours. He is more ambitious than I am as he has signed up for the Amsterdam marathon.

2008 June ~ Santorini, Greece

Well Tim and I finally went back to Greece for a much needed relaxing vacation. We stayed at a resort called Mira Mare, directly across from the beach in Perivolos. www.miramare-resort.gr For us this was a perfect time because the tourist haven't flocked in yet - we weren't waiting in lines for anything and pretty much guaranteed a spot on the beach. Just about a mile and half up the road was another town called Perissima ~ we spent a lot of time up there checking out different restaurants. We tried traditional dishes such as Mousaka, Greek salads and baklava. We enjoyed the area so much we didn't want to do much of anything else. We did go to a Santorini Festival ~ which included wine tasting, an excellent Greek buffet and traditional Greek music and dancing. We also rented a car one day and drove to Fira (Thira), Oia (IA) and Red Beach. Other than that we were content hanging out on the beach or walking around the towns nearby. The last day was extremely windy - so I guess it was a good time to go.

2008 Memorial Day Weekend ~ Vienna, Austria

Tim and I went to Vienna for the long Memorial Day weekend. After a seven hour drive there we were relieved to park the car for the weekend and start exploring on foot. Our hotel was across the street from a beautiful park, where they held Mozart concerts. We didn't go to a concert but we did visit the famous Lipizzaner horses, toured Hudertwasser house and shopping village and visited the Schloss where Napoleon's son passed away. It was a jam packed weekend but we are glad we went.