Croatia and Hungary

We were very fortunate to be able to have Matt's parents, John and Laura, come over for a July visit. Despite being underground inside the subway during the London subway bombings and dealing with the hectic and frightening events that ensued, the Garrison's managed to straggle into Frankfurt unharmed and in good spirits.

After their long plane trip getting here, we didn't give them much time to relax, as we stuck them on another plane headed to Budapest, Hungary two days later. Mom G and Amy were unsure of flying on WIZZ Air (come on now, the name doesn't give the most reassuring vibe), but everyone managed to make it to Budapest in great condition. Budapest was a beautiful place and we were able to learn a bit about the are while there--quick tidbit: Budapest is not one city, it's actually 2...Buda and Pest (looking at this picture, Buda is on the left of the river and Pest is on the right). The Danube River separates the two, however, the area is most commonly referred to as one, 'Budapest.' These first 3 pictures are of Budapest. The top two are of the 'Chain Bridge,' a famous bridge that connects Buda and Pest together over the Danube. We took a river cruise on our last night in town, so the second picture captures how beautiful Budapest and the Chain Bridge are at night.

After a few days of eating some of the best and most international food in Europe (believe it or not) in Budapest, we hopped onto another plane and eventually stepped off to meet a driver who held a sign with our name on it in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Strangely enough, that was a highlight of Amy's trip--henceforth the picture. Although once a war-stricken nation, Croatia has become one of the biggest hot-spots in Europe for coastal relaxation and recreation. The beaches ranged from rocky and full of shells to soft sand. Luckily, we were all able to catch some rays and enjoy the waterfront views. Amy tends to get a little darker than Matt in the sun, so that's why she's about 10 shades darker than he is!

We all agreed that the food was much better in Budapest, since Dubrovnik offered mainly seafood (think shrimp, random salt-water fish, and sea creatures). After a few days, the idea of eating another bite of seafood became quite unmanageable. Mom G did do an un-forgettable thing one night and ordered a plate of 'grilled shrimp' (just picture Matt and me looking at each other in dismay with smirks on our faces since we knew what was to come). About 15 minutes later out came the waiter with -as advertised- 'grilled shrimp.' But, these weren't just your everyday average grilled shrimp...these were FULLY CLOTHED sea creatures complete with eyeballs, antennas, legs, arms, and every disgusting hair still attached. Mom G was a trooper and without a single complaint, managed to unpeel, decapitate, and de-vein her plate of shrimp (at this point just imagine Amy gagging, Matt laughing, and Dad G watching in awe).

On July 20th, it was time to head back to Germany and leave our fun vacation behind (although everyone, Matt & Amy included, were back to Frankfurt Airport that same week to fly to the States). Matt and I had a wonderful time in Budapest and Dubrovnik and we think Mom & Dad G had a great time too.