I am finally getting caught up on blog postings going back to August. Those that follow us on Facebook already know that we had a wonderful visit from our German friends, the Schmid's.
Georg, Gisela, and Lars flew into Kansas City on the evening of August 23. They arrived about 8:00pm after traveling for the better part of 14 hours. They were tired and hungry. We ate at Granite City Food & Brewery in Zona Rosa since it stayed open late and was close to the airport. We had a pretty extensive plan for their visit, but getting some rest was the main priority after we got home.
The next morning, we got a leisurely start at home before taking a driving tour of Lee's Summit and the KC Metro area. In KC, we started at the City Market and then slowly moved south. We stopped at the old river front landing, drove though downtown KC and saw the Sprint Center and the Kauffman Performing Arts Center. We walked though Union Station and then enjoyed the view of KC from Liberty Memorial. From there, we moved to Westport and spent a little time in Pryde's Old Westport Hardware. Sigrid loves that place and knew that Gisela would as well. We did a drive though of the Country Club Plaza and looked at the old homes on Ward Parkway. We then headed for the Cheesecake Factory on 119th Street in Overland Park for a meal that lasted us the rest of the day. Here are a few photos we took along the way.
Georg, Lars, Gisela, and me at the old river front landing in KC.
Lars, Gisela, and Georg at the memorial statue of Lewis and Clark at Case Park in KC.
Georg and my son, Scott, enjoy the Cheesecake Factory ambiance.
Even though our friends had visited the US several times before, their trips were mostly to our National Parks out west. They rented an RV and stayed at camp grounds while here so they didn't really get to experience everyday living in the US. It was our goal to immerse them in US culture on this trip.
So many little things are different between the US and Europe that it was fun to watch them experience them. For instance, unlimited free refills on drinks at most US restaurants. In Europe, you pay for each one. Knives and forks are always used when eating meals in Europe.....no such thing as "finger foods" there. It was a challenge for us, but we fixed that with heavy doses of BBQ ribs, corn on the cob, and other things that really require fingers for efficient consumption.
Our friends stayed with us for three weeks, so I have lots of other posts on their visit coming. I didn't take many photos while in the KC area since we already have so many from here. We did take an eight day driving trip, so you will see those post soon. With their three week stay and our preparations for their arrival, you can see how I got behind and have been so slow in getting the post on the blog. Not complaining though.....we enjoyed their visit very much and will pay a visit to them in 2013.
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