Scott and I were talking over dinner one evening this past week, and the accountant in him came out when he started putting some numbers to our experiences. So, in his honor, let me "hit" you with some numbers...
Days left before we are home: 2
Days spent in Europe: 105 days
Countries visited: 5 (Germany, Italy, France, Austria, Czech Republic)
Biergartens visited: 24
Oktoberfest visits: 4 for Carrie, 6 for Scott, 2 for Colin on Family Days
First's for Colin: too many to count! (But, they include his first taxi cab, domestic & international flights, subway and tram rides, so many museums, biergartens, lakes, foods, learning German....)
Places we had been previously that we revisited: 3 (Cinque Terre, Italy; Salzburg, Austria; and Munich, Germany)
New cities/towns/villages visited: 25 (maybe some quick stops we forgot?)
Innsbruck, Bad Ischal & Hallstatt, Austria
In Germany: Tegernsee, Kaufbauren, Fussen (Hohenschwangau & Neuschwanstein Castles)
Kloster Andechs & Ammersee (1 hour outside Munich), Bamberg, Berlin, Nuremburg, Berchtesgaden (Eagle's Nest), Stambergersee, Freiburg & Black Forest, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Pfaffenhofen, Regensberg.
Strassbourg, Colmar, & Obernai, France.
Prague, Czech Republic
Modes of transit used: plane, train, boat, subway, tram, funicular, taxi, bicycle, feet, sommerrodelbahn
Debt we racked up...undisclosed! But don't worry, CPA Scott has a plan and a spreadsheet to quickly pay it all off ;)
Items lost: 9 (Scott's brand new shorts (see Cinque Terre post!), Colin's hand me down shorts, Vera Bradley reusable shopper bag, $2 Old Navy flip flops, 2 pairs nice silver earrings, Thomas the Train & Spencer the Fast Engine toys, Colin's $5 Toy Story sunglasses, Colin's fleece jacket)
As one of Scott's coworkers asked me (thanks for the deep thoughts, Peter Röder!), what would I take back in my heart from our time in Germany? So, Scott and I started talking about how we'd answer that. It's really Bavarian, not necessarily German, culture that we've immersed ourselves in for the past three months, and there's definitely a difference. We definitely will take with us a renewed sense of adventure and desire to commune with nature...ask any Bavarian what they did over the weekend, and you'll likely get an answer like, I went for a hike/bike/walk/run/climb/swim/something active outside. (Most) Bavarians also love their biergartens and gemütliche (cozy, communal vibe found in the biergarten with friends, family & good bier)....but it's really that I think they take time and make a priority to meet up with family and friends and spend quality time with the people they love and like the most. We do this too, and although it's true Germans are a very hard-working people, they really seem to put a priority on relationships and really seem to have a much better balance with work and the things that are most important. Material "stuff" also seems to take a back seat to people, relationships, and experiences that are good for the body and soul...for the majority of people I pass each day on the subway and street, clothes, accessories, etc are more about function and utility than impressing anyone. This has been very good for me the past three months. Don't get me wrong, the business men and women are usually impeccably groomed and dressed and there are plenty of chic-y-meeky (hoity-toity) people to be found in Munich, but the masses are just sort of average dressed, usually in flat shoes, jeans, shirt, jacket and scarf-wearing people.
We will also take home a brain and heart full of amazing memories, and we are a changed family in many ways, all for the better.
We can't wait to see our family and friends and sleep in our own comfy beds!
The last load of laundry is done and drying on the rack, then suitcases will be ready to sat on and zipped closed. Borrowed things have been returned. Last trip to the V-Markt for juice and snacks for the plane ride home is done! German bank account will be closed tomorrow. Thank you gifts have been given and some surprises received. The last group work lunch was today for Scott, and Colin and I went along. Favorite platzes, gardens, restaurants, markets have been visited. Colin has played at all his favorite spielplatzes one last time this week. Only one more package to shipped off tomorrow, then we leave on Saturday morning at Dark:30.
I've gotten so behind in my posts due to having an amazing time being tour guide and hosting friends and my sister who visited us during the Oktoberfest the past two weeks, and we've just been enjoying the gorgeous weather the past week. Stay tuned as I relive memories and post more pictures during October of all the adventures we had in July and August!
Auf Wiedersehen, Y'all!
Auf Wiedersehen, Y'all!
Adventures of the Lusk's: chronicles of a Southern family of three temporarily relocating our life from Birmingham, AL, USA to Munich, Germany for Summer 2011. Our dog, Woody did not make the trip--he's getting spoiled by a combo of family and friends until we return.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Time flies when you're havin' fun!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
No amazing travel pictures today...well, just a sneak peak at our Weis'n (Oktoberfest) pics! Yes, Scott has on lederhosen and I am wearing a dirndl! Enjoy!
I still have to post for our weekends in: Prague, Berlin, Nürnberg, Freiburg & the Black Forest, an authentic Volksfest in the hop-growing town of Pfoffenhofen to warm us up for Oktoberfest, more favorite biergartens, more of Colin's favorite spielplatzes (sometimes conveniently located in the biergartens!), Mommy's Day Out, and Volume One of Oktoberfest!
One of the things that I prayed about as we prepared for this German adventure was that I would really let myself "be present" and soak in the experiences and really "be present" with Colin spending great quality time with him as he experienced all the new things we were throwing at him. If I had to grade myself, I'd give myself an overall "A." There were a lot of days when we stayed in when it rained and just watched his DVD collection and ate popcorn and cookies for lunch and I did laundry and probably farted around on Facebook or other blogs or Pinterest (my new addiction!) when we could have been at a museum or something educational, but we have packed so much into our short 10 weeks here, that I'm going to tell myself the movie and popcorn days are fine too! It is Summer, after all. Yeah, I think I'm going to continue with this whole "giving myself a break" thing. Maybe I'm getting older, maybe it's been easier since I'm not constantly comparing myself to all my friends I see on a daily basis over here? But I have felt more of a peace that I don't have to be the "perfect mommy/wife/daughter/sister/friend (now add blogger to the list too)." As long as I'm loving God and putting on His full armor (to defend against the spiritual warfare that ramps up when I least expect it or pounds in harder when I'm already down) and go on about doing the best I can each day, that's I'm OK. Easier said than done.
It's been so incredible to see Colin (now 3 years, 5 months old) grow, develop, adjust, adapt, learn new vocabulary in English and German, etc., and we are so proud of him. My dad and uncle think I should write a children's book about Colin's experiences this summer in his perspective. Hmmm...
He knows the names and/or colors for each of the subway stations (their interiors are painted!) that we pass and use on a regular basis. We've had lots of times where he just blows us away knowing directions to go somewhere if we've gone to a place just once or twice. He reminds us about the lines for the bike lanes or the lines in the subway not to cross, holding hands crossing the street or waiting on the green walk sign to walk, etc. Such a big city kid now! And, he knows where all his favorite foods in the market are, and one night Colin went with Scott to the market and showed him exactly where things were on my list. Truly a helper!
He has refined his palette. Three months ago, he ate none of these things which he now loves and asks for by name: he's discovered he likes Edamer cheese, Pizza Margherita, (more) yogurt, rotisserie chicken, brown rice, Käseknocker (sausage with oozy cheese inside), weiners, Nutella (finally!!!), (more kinds of) chocolate, and chocolate croissants. Since we couldn't find cheese Goldfish, he's moved onto plain Pringles. You can tell all my "rules" have sorta gone out the window. But he eats any and all fruit, and green peas. He's just fine, I promise!
He likes SAND!!!!! If you had gone to the beach with Colin, oh, as recently as this past Memorial Day in May and saw the ridonkulous fit he threw over touching any sand, this would be very impressive to you. Now, it's no big deal and he sits down to take off his shoes as he enters any spielplatz with sand on it. HUGE!!!
Colin also can play games, videos, and songs by finding their respective icons on an iPad and our iPhones....very amazing. He's so intuitive. If we have to show him something, it's only once and then he learns where it is. We have had so many looks and questions from people when we've been out and about or at the dinner table at a restaurant. Don't worry, he still loves mostly to play with sticks, rocks, and sand at the spielplatz.
Another major social/emotional milestone with him was about a week ago. I got stung by a pair of angry yellow jackets (stepped on one in the grass when chasing him barefoot at the park, then one stung me on the thigh when I sat down on a bench nursing my foot!). Colin gave me his lovey and kept wetting a rock for me to put on the sting spots (the cold, wet rock did actually feel good!). He kept telling me he was sorry and rubbing my arm, and that we needed to go home and put medicine and a bandaid on it. And, he told me when I could walk on it, he would get in the stroller and we could go home. He was so sweet and caring, even in my excruciating pain, I was blown away how he acted. I know something like that would eventually have happened at home in the US, but the fact that it was in a foreign country and a sort of stressful situation really did fill me with pride and awe in him.
What we will NOT miss about Germany/Europe:
1. secondhand smoke
2. very few places that take credit cards (very challenging to travel every weekend before you run out of money!)
3. not having a dryer (I will probably line dry more at home, but when it's cold outside, or for towels, or you need something clean AND DRY the next day, it's just inconvenient)
4. the unsettling feeling of being a "foreigner" or feeling just plain dumb, even as comfy as we've become in a short time, not knowing the language
5. friends and family so far away and the time difference which makes using Skype challenging
6. how expensive it is to eat, drink, shop, etc with exchange rate to the Euro (see #2)
7. ordering something that you think looks like ground sausage but actually is TUNAFISH! BLECH!! This happened to us twice--once in a quiche and another on a pizza. We can almost laugh about it now.
Top 10 Things we WILL miss about Germany/Europe (in no particular order!):
1. the biergartens & bier
2. the spielplatz (playgrounds) on almost EVERY other street
3. convenient, cheap, and efficient mass transit
4. history around every corner and on every street
5. learning a new language
6. traveling/exploring somewhere new anytime we can
7. the markets and specialty shops for top quality bread, wine, cheese, fruit, veggies, pastries, chocolate...and trying a brand new something and finding new favorites to eat every day!
8. new friends
9. Scott will miss his morning bike rides through the Perlacher forest; and for me, my leisurely bike rides/walks in the Englisher Garten
10. living simply without a lot of "stuff" in our apartment (simple cooking, eating fresh food, shopping often because the fridge, freezer, and pantry are so small)
Okay, 11. no Wal-Mart or driving on Highway 280 in three months
Top 5 things Colin is looking forward to doing as soon as he's home (I actually interviewed Colin for this and he loved that!):
1. playing with my big train table in my house in Alabama
2. going to the train park (Olmstead Park in Mt. Laurel)--he's an equal opportunity lover of a spielplatz!
3. eating Goldfish (as in the Pepperidge Farm variety, we couldn't find anywhere in Europe!)
4. playing with my friends at church...that means church and school (Mother's Day Out :)
5. playing with my family (shout out to Nonna & Pop, Mimi, Mamaw, Granna & Papa, Aunts Claire & Nancy, Uncles Casey and Carter!)
Top 5 things Scott is looking forward to doing as soon as he's home:
1. eat mexican food (well, Tex-Mex...Chuy's, preferably) and some homemade cajun dishes I especially like to cook in the Fall, like Red Beans & Rice and Gumbo.
2. watching SEC football game (in English!) on his own TV in his own home
3. seeing family
4. driving his car
5. going to church
Top 10 things I'm looking forward to doing when I get home (definitely not necessarily in any order):
1. see my family and friends
2. manicure/pedicure/haircut & highlights...no pedi, mani, haircut, highlight, or wax in three months!
3. go to church
4. launch detox diet (after #9 :)
5. Colin goes back to Mother's Day Out=I have time to do something with no kid attached!
6. regular workouts and visits to the gym with provided childcare, like EVERYDAY, probably need 2-a-days for a while
7. cooking my favorite fall soups, stews, muffins, and things with pumpkin and butternut squash in my own kitchen with all my tools, pots, pans, appliances at the ready (can't bake and freeze big batches of soup or quick breads when you have a small Euro fridge/freezer/kitchen!)
8. sleep in my own bed
9. eat a homecooked meal from my mom (I hope!?!)
10. look at the price of something and not have to convert it to how much it's really costing me if I buy it
Looking ahead to the future and getting re-settled, I have ideas and semi-grand plans I want to tackle...
I've really enjoyed the writing aspect of blogging after I forced myself to get through the technical difficulties with the pictures. I'll eventually morph this blog from a chronicle of our travels, to a lifestyle blog and a way for our family and friends to keep in touch. It will probably become a hodgepodge to document our life, home, family, meals inspired by our travels, future trips, etc. I may also chronicle my weight loss and workout plan to get rid of all the pounds and inches I've gained in the past three months....Auf Wiedersehen, 20 lbs! And, I've got a plan about the redesign (lots of DIY and no-cost rearranging/repurposing in our future!) for our downstairs too. Mostly because we've been thinking about baby #2, and will eventually need Scott's office to move from Colin's old nursery to somewhere else, and there's really no other option than enclose the side porch downstairs.
If you've read this far, you may know that I had a complete molar pregnancy in October 2010 and had to be on a 12 month wait to try to conceive again. So...we're nearing the 1 year mark as soon as we get back. This trip may not have even happened or certainly have been so awesome if I'd had a newborn or young baby along with Colin 24/7 in a foreign country. God's impeccable timing!
So, I've begun to think of what I will call this blog after we get back, because Auf Wiedersehen, Y'all wouldn't make much sense once we were home... And, I need a name that would encompass it all, the only thing I will throw out there is this one: Home Ec Teacher's Daughter. (Let me know your thoughts, gently please!! My mom really was a 25-year Home Economics Teacher in her previous career before she became an Ed. D. and an e-learning, non-profit working, grant-writing extraordinaire.)
Speaking of family, we just had friends, Jennifer and Casey Smith, visit us and leave this morning, and Aunt Nancy Meeks is coming in tomorrow morning, so I've got to get some sleep. We've got to show her the city in a marathon tour, go to Salzburg, Austria over the weekend, and then Round Two of Oktoberfest on Monday! I've got to convince her to buy a dirndl!
Thanks for reading! Guten nacht! Auf Wiedersehen, Y'all!
No amazing travel pictures today...well, just a sneak peak at our Weis'n (Oktoberfest) pics! Yes, Scott has on lederhosen and I am wearing a dirndl! Enjoy!
I still have to post for our weekends in: Prague, Berlin, Nürnberg, Freiburg & the Black Forest, an authentic Volksfest in the hop-growing town of Pfoffenhofen to warm us up for Oktoberfest, more favorite biergartens, more of Colin's favorite spielplatzes (sometimes conveniently located in the biergartens!), Mommy's Day Out, and Volume One of Oktoberfest!
Going into the Schottenhamel "tent" |
One of the things that I prayed about as we prepared for this German adventure was that I would really let myself "be present" and soak in the experiences and really "be present" with Colin spending great quality time with him as he experienced all the new things we were throwing at him. If I had to grade myself, I'd give myself an overall "A." There were a lot of days when we stayed in when it rained and just watched his DVD collection and ate popcorn and cookies for lunch and I did laundry and probably farted around on Facebook or other blogs or Pinterest (my new addiction!) when we could have been at a museum or something educational, but we have packed so much into our short 10 weeks here, that I'm going to tell myself the movie and popcorn days are fine too! It is Summer, after all. Yeah, I think I'm going to continue with this whole "giving myself a break" thing. Maybe I'm getting older, maybe it's been easier since I'm not constantly comparing myself to all my friends I see on a daily basis over here? But I have felt more of a peace that I don't have to be the "perfect mommy/wife/daughter/sister/friend (now add blogger to the list too)." As long as I'm loving God and putting on His full armor (to defend against the spiritual warfare that ramps up when I least expect it or pounds in harder when I'm already down) and go on about doing the best I can each day, that's I'm OK. Easier said than done.
It's been so incredible to see Colin (now 3 years, 5 months old) grow, develop, adjust, adapt, learn new vocabulary in English and German, etc., and we are so proud of him. My dad and uncle think I should write a children's book about Colin's experiences this summer in his perspective. Hmmm...
He knows the names and/or colors for each of the subway stations (their interiors are painted!) that we pass and use on a regular basis. We've had lots of times where he just blows us away knowing directions to go somewhere if we've gone to a place just once or twice. He reminds us about the lines for the bike lanes or the lines in the subway not to cross, holding hands crossing the street or waiting on the green walk sign to walk, etc. Such a big city kid now! And, he knows where all his favorite foods in the market are, and one night Colin went with Scott to the market and showed him exactly where things were on my list. Truly a helper!
He has refined his palette. Three months ago, he ate none of these things which he now loves and asks for by name: he's discovered he likes Edamer cheese, Pizza Margherita, (more) yogurt, rotisserie chicken, brown rice, Käseknocker (sausage with oozy cheese inside), weiners, Nutella (finally!!!), (more kinds of) chocolate, and chocolate croissants. Since we couldn't find cheese Goldfish, he's moved onto plain Pringles. You can tell all my "rules" have sorta gone out the window. But he eats any and all fruit, and green peas. He's just fine, I promise!
He likes SAND!!!!! If you had gone to the beach with Colin, oh, as recently as this past Memorial Day in May and saw the ridonkulous fit he threw over touching any sand, this would be very impressive to you. Now, it's no big deal and he sits down to take off his shoes as he enters any spielplatz with sand on it. HUGE!!!
Colin also can play games, videos, and songs by finding their respective icons on an iPad and our iPhones....very amazing. He's so intuitive. If we have to show him something, it's only once and then he learns where it is. We have had so many looks and questions from people when we've been out and about or at the dinner table at a restaurant. Don't worry, he still loves mostly to play with sticks, rocks, and sand at the spielplatz.
Another major social/emotional milestone with him was about a week ago. I got stung by a pair of angry yellow jackets (stepped on one in the grass when chasing him barefoot at the park, then one stung me on the thigh when I sat down on a bench nursing my foot!). Colin gave me his lovey and kept wetting a rock for me to put on the sting spots (the cold, wet rock did actually feel good!). He kept telling me he was sorry and rubbing my arm, and that we needed to go home and put medicine and a bandaid on it. And, he told me when I could walk on it, he would get in the stroller and we could go home. He was so sweet and caring, even in my excruciating pain, I was blown away how he acted. I know something like that would eventually have happened at home in the US, but the fact that it was in a foreign country and a sort of stressful situation really did fill me with pride and awe in him.
What we will NOT miss about Germany/Europe:
1. secondhand smoke
2. very few places that take credit cards (very challenging to travel every weekend before you run out of money!)
3. not having a dryer (I will probably line dry more at home, but when it's cold outside, or for towels, or you need something clean AND DRY the next day, it's just inconvenient)
4. the unsettling feeling of being a "foreigner" or feeling just plain dumb, even as comfy as we've become in a short time, not knowing the language
5. friends and family so far away and the time difference which makes using Skype challenging
6. how expensive it is to eat, drink, shop, etc with exchange rate to the Euro (see #2)
7. ordering something that you think looks like ground sausage but actually is TUNAFISH! BLECH!! This happened to us twice--once in a quiche and another on a pizza. We can almost laugh about it now.
Top 10 Things we WILL miss about Germany/Europe (in no particular order!):
1. the biergartens & bier
2. the spielplatz (playgrounds) on almost EVERY other street
3. convenient, cheap, and efficient mass transit
4. history around every corner and on every street
5. learning a new language
6. traveling/exploring somewhere new anytime we can
7. the markets and specialty shops for top quality bread, wine, cheese, fruit, veggies, pastries, chocolate...and trying a brand new something and finding new favorites to eat every day!
8. new friends
9. Scott will miss his morning bike rides through the Perlacher forest; and for me, my leisurely bike rides/walks in the Englisher Garten
10. living simply without a lot of "stuff" in our apartment (simple cooking, eating fresh food, shopping often because the fridge, freezer, and pantry are so small)
Okay, 11. no Wal-Mart or driving on Highway 280 in three months
Top 5 things Colin is looking forward to doing as soon as he's home (I actually interviewed Colin for this and he loved that!):
1. playing with my big train table in my house in Alabama
2. going to the train park (Olmstead Park in Mt. Laurel)--he's an equal opportunity lover of a spielplatz!
3. eating Goldfish (as in the Pepperidge Farm variety, we couldn't find anywhere in Europe!)
4. playing with my friends at church...that means church and school (Mother's Day Out :)
5. playing with my family (shout out to Nonna & Pop, Mimi, Mamaw, Granna & Papa, Aunts Claire & Nancy, Uncles Casey and Carter!)
Top 5 things Scott is looking forward to doing as soon as he's home:
1. eat mexican food (well, Tex-Mex...Chuy's, preferably) and some homemade cajun dishes I especially like to cook in the Fall, like Red Beans & Rice and Gumbo.
2. watching SEC football game (in English!) on his own TV in his own home
3. seeing family
4. driving his car
5. going to church
Top 10 things I'm looking forward to doing when I get home (definitely not necessarily in any order):
1. see my family and friends
2. manicure/pedicure/haircut & highlights...no pedi, mani, haircut, highlight, or wax in three months!
3. go to church
4. launch detox diet (after #9 :)
5. Colin goes back to Mother's Day Out=I have time to do something with no kid attached!
6. regular workouts and visits to the gym with provided childcare, like EVERYDAY, probably need 2-a-days for a while
7. cooking my favorite fall soups, stews, muffins, and things with pumpkin and butternut squash in my own kitchen with all my tools, pots, pans, appliances at the ready (can't bake and freeze big batches of soup or quick breads when you have a small Euro fridge/freezer/kitchen!)
8. sleep in my own bed
9. eat a homecooked meal from my mom (I hope!?!)
10. look at the price of something and not have to convert it to how much it's really costing me if I buy it
Looking ahead to the future and getting re-settled, I have ideas and semi-grand plans I want to tackle...
I've really enjoyed the writing aspect of blogging after I forced myself to get through the technical difficulties with the pictures. I'll eventually morph this blog from a chronicle of our travels, to a lifestyle blog and a way for our family and friends to keep in touch. It will probably become a hodgepodge to document our life, home, family, meals inspired by our travels, future trips, etc. I may also chronicle my weight loss and workout plan to get rid of all the pounds and inches I've gained in the past three months....Auf Wiedersehen, 20 lbs! And, I've got a plan about the redesign (lots of DIY and no-cost rearranging/repurposing in our future!) for our downstairs too. Mostly because we've been thinking about baby #2, and will eventually need Scott's office to move from Colin's old nursery to somewhere else, and there's really no other option than enclose the side porch downstairs.
If you've read this far, you may know that I had a complete molar pregnancy in October 2010 and had to be on a 12 month wait to try to conceive again. So...we're nearing the 1 year mark as soon as we get back. This trip may not have even happened or certainly have been so awesome if I'd had a newborn or young baby along with Colin 24/7 in a foreign country. God's impeccable timing!
So, I've begun to think of what I will call this blog after we get back, because Auf Wiedersehen, Y'all wouldn't make much sense once we were home... And, I need a name that would encompass it all, the only thing I will throw out there is this one: Home Ec Teacher's Daughter. (Let me know your thoughts, gently please!! My mom really was a 25-year Home Economics Teacher in her previous career before she became an Ed. D. and an e-learning, non-profit working, grant-writing extraordinaire.)
Speaking of family, we just had friends, Jennifer and Casey Smith, visit us and leave this morning, and Aunt Nancy Meeks is coming in tomorrow morning, so I've got to get some sleep. We've got to show her the city in a marathon tour, go to Salzburg, Austria over the weekend, and then Round Two of Oktoberfest on Monday! I've got to convince her to buy a dirndl!
Thanks for reading! Guten nacht! Auf Wiedersehen, Y'all!
Labels:
blogger,
Casey Smith,
Colin,
Euro,
Europe,
Germany,
home,
Jennifer,
milestone,
Nancy,
Oktoberfest,
reflect,
travel
Friday, September 16, 2011
Hinterbrühl and Brückenwirt (Maybe the most historic and unique biergartens)
Here we biergarten hop to two biergartens in the same night. These two (in our humble opinion) are the most unique and historic biergartens on our top 20 list from indispensable The Beer Drinker's Guide to Munich. They are a bit of a challenge to get to with out a car, so we ventured to find them when we had a rental car with handy GPS on Friday, August 26, 2011.
Follow us to Hinterbrühl and Brückenwirt.
First up, Hinterbrühl. This was the preferred haunt of Hitler and his top ranking officials, like Gerhring and Gobbels, before and during WWII when they had to be in Munich, rather than in their opulent mountain chalets. I do feel a little eery walking in. Here's their website with more great pictures: http://www.gasthof-hinterbrühl.de/ |
Here we go...think we'll find a spielplatz for Colin?!? |
It's a perfect warm summer evening and it's a beautiful place to be. |
It's not too crowded tonight...fine with us! |
Get your eats and bier here. |
Cool kegs in real wooden barrels and brass taps. |
Scott gets helles. I have a weissbier. Most foam I've seen on a bier since we've been here...must be a rookie pouring? |
They have a trampoline and a pirate themed playground--SWEET! Colin even coordinates with his little pirate shirt on. |
Toys galore to play in the sand too! |
Inside the gasthof (restaurant), so warm and cozy with all the wood paneling and banquettes. |
Dining room in the Gasthof Hinterbrühl |
The bretze (pretzel) had JUST come out of the oven and was SO GOOD! Best bretze we've eaten in Munich ever. |
Colin was mixing it up with all the other little ones and having a blast! |
We drive about 10 minutes on up the river to Brückenwirt. Here's a link to their website http://www.brueckenwirt.de/wellcome.html And, here's what "the biergarten book" says about it and a link too: http://www.beerdrinkersguide.com/BDGWebsite/Mainframe.html | Bavarians who know how to mix business with pleasure love Brückenwirt. On the banks of the Isar River and in the shadow of Grünwalder Bridge, this small beer garden is home to one of Munich's most venerable traditions: Floß (Floh-es). The plan is simple: gather together about 60 people on a 22-ton log raft, lay on an Oom-pah band, and a whole lot of beer. Then ride down the river, dip your feet in the water now and then, drink the beer and enjoy the day. What a concept! Of course, if you can't book passage, then you can always enjoy it from the shoreline beer garden at Brückenwirt. This beer Mecca is a little outside the urban Munich area and features a great walk (not that long really) to get there. That's why we've devised two separate routes for this one, coming and going, to add some variety. Brückenwirt gets a top rating of 5 beers. |
It's a very romantic place at night with all the lights and flowers. |
Prost! |
We are drinking Russ'n--half weissbier and half lemon soda. Very refershing and a good way to moderate your alcohol intake! |
Sneaking sugar from Colin |
Watching Kung Fu Panda. Very serious... |
YUM! Almost for got to take the picture before we wolfed this down--warm apfel strudel in vanilla sauce! Best in Germany/Austria that we've had so far! |
Guten Nacht! Auf Wiedersehen, Y'all! We're going to Freiburg and the Black Forest tomorrow so I have to go to bed now! |
Labels:
biergarten,
Brückenwirt,
Floss,
Hinterbrühl,
Isar,
pirate,
rafting party,
spielplatz
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany...we may have missed the Romantic Road
Rothenburg ob der Tauber (over the Tauber River), Germany
We get there by the A7 Autobahn because we didn't tell the GPS in the car to take us on the "Romantic Road," Bavaria's medieval heartland, which runs from Würzburg to Füssen. Oh well...we got there faster and we're here! And, it's also the weekend of their annual Reichsstadt festival which celebrate's the city's 900+ year history. In the Middle Ages, Rothenburg was a free imperial city where the king/bishop only had to answer to the Holy Roman Emperor, so it had its own laws, taxes, courts, etc. It's a very well preserved walled, cobbled Medieval city, thanks to a couple of German and American generals in WWII who allowed the city to escape more bombing due to their acts near the end of the war. After the war, there was a publicity effort to get people back into these picturesque towns that hadn't been totally destroyed and generate some income through tourism, so the "Romantic Road" was born. It worked!
Two-thirds of the population are employed in the tourism industry, and it really was the friendliest and most accomodating place we've visited so far. 2.5 million people visit a year, but only about 500,000 spend the night, so it was even better and less crowded after all the people in the tour buses vacated the town.
Two-thirds of the population are employed in the tourism industry, and it really was the friendliest and most accomodating place we've visited so far. 2.5 million people visit a year, but only about 500,000 spend the night, so it was even better and less crowded after all the people in the tour buses vacated the town.
Here's a link to Rick Steves' take and one of the reasons we wanted to come visit:
http://www.ricksteves.com/tvr/rhinerothenrse212_scr.htm
And here's a link to the city's homepage if you find yourself planning a trip:
http://www.rothenburg.de/index.php?get=121
And here's a link to the city's homepage if you find yourself planning a trip:
http://www.rothenburg.de/index.php?get=121
Everywhere we looked was clean, beautifully maintained and manicured, and definitely OLD! |
A shop with locally made handpainted pottery. I could have spent a fortune...I love dishes and pottery! The patterns and colors were so pretty. |
Here come some people in Medieval costume. And you can see the arched gate of the city wall down the street. |
Most all the hotels, shops, and restaurants have very ornate and symbolic signs like they did before most of the population could read. |
Local artists painting en plein air... The clothes on the line down the street were displaying sale items from a textile and linen shop, not drying laundry... |
Rothenburg ob der Trauber |
Cafes, hotels, retail shops, bakeries, restraurants line the streets |
Buy your baked goods here |
And wine here |
and a sword or weapon here |
A vegetarian or vegan nightmare... |
Cured meats and sausages |
hotel sign |
Colin couldn't stop screaming about the big Gummi bear though! Colin is just over three feet tall, so that gives you some idea on the clock... |
Market Square, Rothenburg ob der Trauber, Germany |
Women dressed in Medieval costume...some even have dirt rubbed on their face for effect! |
Town Hall, Rothenburg ob der Trauber, Germany |
Herngasse, named for the Herren, the richest patrons and merchants have lived since medieval times |
a parade through the Market Square with people dressed in armor, chain mail, medieval and renaissance costume |
Not sure what era these dancers are dressed to represent, but it's not far off from today's German trachten (lederhosen for men and dirndl for women) |
As we walk down the Herrngasse, there are people literally camping in the middle of the street, cooking, crafting, eating and drinking as they would have in the Middle Ages |
I know, what are we thinking, right? I consented to buying him a sword but was shopping in a Christmas store while this purchase was made. |
Scott told him this was the only way he could carry his new weapon. |
Time for a bier brake while we watch the scene around us |
We listen to the town band playing traditional German tunes |
Selling bier |
Then back up the street comes another band parading |
Spielmannszug...not a clue...spiel means game or play, zug is a train, spielmann may mean minstrel, so maybe something to do with a travelling minstrel? |
Renaissance feasting...playing their tiny flutes |
We walk down around the street to St. Jakobskirche (St. Jakob's church), built in the 14th century. For more detailed info on the church: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._James%27s_Church,_Rothenburg_ob_der_Tauber |
The main altar of St. Jakobskirche |
another altar in the church |
They were gettin' jiggy... And the old man on the left--his outfit and whole get-up probably cost him 3,000 Euros+ with the vest, pants, shoes, hat, and the silver coin chain. |
Spinning yarn and knitting, wearing some traditional local clothing (era?) |
Big entry with lots of patina on these doors...can you imagine having the keys for those locks on your key ring? |
We are at the city wall and walk up along the wall for a bit... |
Colin is protecting and guarding me with his sword. |
It's made for short medieval Europeans.... |
Once moat around the wall... |
I admire from the outside... |
A really cool coat of arms...if you can know Latin, then you know what it says, smarty pants! |
Colin was not interested in a horse ride....and was not phased by anything going on around him. |
This was a beautiful hotel right on the town wall. Hey that reminds us, when are we going to go back and find our hotel and get our bags and check in? OK, maybe later... |
Walking through the town wall--yes, it was as thick as I'm walking through in parts, but some very thin because the city was situated on a cliff to naturally fortify themselves. |
A pretty passageway |
The town coat of arms, the roten Burg, or red castle. |
The gorgeous day, the red tile roofs, and the medieval walled city reminded me a lot of Sienna, Italy, another well preserved, medieval walled city we've had the pleasure of visiting. |
A nice American lady volunteered to take our picture. |
We played at the Burggarten (Castle Garden). |
Gummi Bears on the pillows! Colin squeals with joy and delight! Then he goes and gets ours off our pillows too! Did you know Haribo and Gummi Bears are from Germany? Gotta love Germany! |
A decked out kid's play area in the hotel! |
Another pretty building catches my eye as we head back toward the main square. |
Sausage-a-palooza |
How adorable are those little girls in their medieval dresses in that wagon? |
Night Watchman's Tour in Rothenburg http://www.nightwatchman.de/index.php?&sprache=ENG Rick Steves' says Hans-Georg Baumgartner, pictured above with Scott, jokes like a medieval Jerry Seinfeld. We'll see... |
The Night Watchman in action...maybe closer to 150 people, he probably picks up more as he goes. |
Colin was watching Kung Fu Panda on Scott's iPhone...and the rest of us were enjoying our tour! |
It was still hot and there were fireworks coming soon, so we got some ice cream at an Eis Cafe. Colin has ein kugel schoko eis (one scoop of chocolate ice cream). |
Scott has a banana split... |
The Bavarian King's seal from 1818 |
A dungeon room in the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum...that chair has spikes all over it. And that is a rack next to it. Just looking at any of it would make me talk. |
There are lots of displays describing the legal procedure for torture, trial, and punishment. |
Colin really doesn't know what things are and we don't tell him anything unless he asks...I don't want to scare the kid to death! |
Torture and punishment devices...yowza |
Stroller was a no-go with the stairs, so Colin rode in the backpack carrier...at least for a little while. |
Drawings of torture and punishments being given out, devices, books with the first recordings of torture in drawings... |
Documents explaining what punishments were to be given out for certain "crimes." |
Document and seals which signified agreement and acknowledgement of the law |
More neck violins and shame masks for "punishments of honor" |
The traditional hat for unmarried women in the Black Forest region. |
And the traditional hat for married women in the Black Forest region. No, these were not punishment... |
This is an Iron Maiden. Again, I never knew where the term came from or what it actually was. A women might be made to walk around with this on if she had done something really dishonorable. |
Iron crest of a noble |
Another crazy cool crest |
Look at that sweet, fake, kid smile...he had just gotten in trouble for running around. |
That lasted about 2.5 seconds.... |
Crown jewels of Rothenburg |
Medieval seal |
Box with coat of arms where some rich merchant or patron kept his personal seal |
Another cage that could be spun around. Also, we learned that some women put in the cages had a metal gag if they were a "nag". Wow... So happy I'm a 21st century gal! |
Hanging out...ready to roll out of here! |
Just an amazing old looking barn/house on the way out of the town, just before the wall. |
Auf Wiedersehen, Rothenburg ob der Tauber! It's been medieval! |
Labels:
chastity belt,
Colin,
convent,
festival,
fireworks,
ice cream,
medieval,
neck violin,
night watchman,
Renaissance,
Rothenburg ob der Tauber,
shame mask,
sword,
toys,
wall
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