Two things really stand out about our travel adventures in 2011 - the first is that we had so many, and the second is that we didn't really write about them at all. In total, last year we visited 14 countries. Yup, you read that correctly: 14 countries.

Prior to landing, the pilot announced chilly conditions with a bit of rain. Even though we didn't have any umbrellas with us, we knew we'd still be heading out to explore the city for as long as we could during our 12-hour long layover.

We had a total of 19 hours in Germany during layovers to and from South Africa. This, of course, has made us the utmost experts in German culture. And you, dear reader, are probably eager to delve into some of the more subtle nuances of German culture we have unearthed.

We've scored ourselves two long layovers in Germany on the way to South Africa! We won't have very long there, but we're hopeful it'll be just long enough to give us a taste of Germany (much like our whirlwind trip to Paris at the end of our honeymoon last year) and a few hours to hang out with a dear friend too.