We just got back from our first family trip to Germany. Jon has been several times already for work and so this last week we all joined him. Jon flew military air on Monday morning. We were traveling with another family so we all flew on Monday afternoon together. It was an easy 2 hour flight but none of the children slept so you can imagine by the time we got to the hotel they were both passed out in the backseat. Did I mention that it was only a 10 minute drive to the hotel? Of course this did not slow us down. We let the children finish their nap and then we were off to dinner to try some German food. There is a great German resturant in the hotel complex. It made life simple and the food was wonderful. Both Grace and Charles ate like it was the norm. I really enjoyed eating more meat and potato style meals until the 3rd day and then I really needed some veggies. Can you believe this is Lana asking for veggies?
We were able to do some sightseeing while Jon worked. We explored the rail system and some shopping on the first day. While shopping we saw this church and went inside. As you can see the windows, ceiling, and pipe organ are fabulous.
We were able to do some sightseeing while Jon worked. We explored the rail system and some shopping on the first day. While shopping we saw this church and went inside. As you can see the windows, ceiling, and pipe organ are fabulous.
While shopping in the outdoor market Charles was able to find some time to play. Here are some shots I took of him playing. Not to mention the attention he attacked from the Japanese tourists. They too took pictures of Carlo playing.
The second day we went to the zoo and it was wonderful. We saw lots of monkeys, seals, giraffes, elephants, penguins, kangeroos, polar bears, etc. This is probably the nicest zoo outside of San Diego that I have visited. The grounds were clean and manicured. The animals had wonderful habitats. I will visit this zoo again if we get back to Stuttgart. There even was an incident with a polar bear. The polar bear would come up to the plexiglass window almost like giving Charles a kiss. It did not matter where Charles stood the polar bear always found him. It was fun to play with this bear. No, the boy was not scared nor flinched when this large bear came straight at him. You would have thought this was Charles' best friend giving him a hug.
On the 3rd day we took a drive outside of town to visit a castle with Fairytale gardens. This was a little disappointing. The gardens were closed for the winter. The castle was beautiful and we saw lots of pottery and a clothing museum but we were looking for something for the little ones.
On the 4th and final day the weather turned bad. The cold weather was now cold and rainy so an inside activity was a must. Jon got off work early this day so we all went to the Mercedes-Benz museum. It was a nice museum even for a non-car person.
That pretty much wrapped up our week. The next morning we were all suppose to fly home together except Jon got the call from work that he would have to stay. That is just the way it goes sometimes so Jon went to work and we headed home. This morning the weather turned even colder so the children were able to see snow for the first time. Luckily for mom it was just a dusting.
I can't say enough about how nice Stuttgart, Germany is. All the yards, roads, and public areas were so clean and everyone was nice and spoke some English. I only wish I knew more German. Maybe if we move to Germany one day I will be able to work on the language and learn more about the customs of the country.
