Germany

We made some great memories last week in Germany- take a look!

Birthday Party in a BackpackSpencer's 10th birthday was the day after we left so I thought it would be fun to have his birthday party as we drove. I filled his pack back with 10 gifts and let him open one each hour. Here is a picture of Spencer opening one of his gifts- I think he liked it, don't you?!

The Zoo

We visited the Zoo in Stuttgart and loved it. There were so many things we enjoyed seeing but the monkey's were without question every one's favorite. However, I decided to share a picture of the zebra's because they were the last animal we saw and for three hours after seeing them Spencer and I discussed whither zebras are black with white stripes or white with black stripes. It was a head spinning- Spencer- sort of conversation and I thought since you weren't there to enjoy it- you might enjoy seeing the animals that started it all!

Mineral Bath / Pool Complex

This was perhaps one of my favorite parts of the trip. The building the boys are standing in front of contains 6 indoor pools, a mineral bath and three water slides! It was awesome. We decided to go one day because it was raining and ending up staying ALL day. It was so much fun we went again one evening after Robert got off of work.

Botanical Gardens

The botanical gardens were breathtaking- really. They had an entire green house devoted to each kind of flower. This was taken in the hydrangea building- isn't it lovely? My favorite part is artists. I am so going to sit in a green house of hydrangea's when I am old and paint the day away!

The Mercedes- Benz Museum

We decided to take the boys to the Mercedes-Benz museum because we had heard good things about it but to be honest, I wasn't very excited. I mean, I don't like cars and I don't like museums BUT it was so cool! The museum displayed the progression of cars through history and even had model cars of things they expect to produce in the future. It was great. Anyway, I had a really hard time picking my favorite car- they were all so cool but here it is- the cheery red roadster. The sign said it was "popular among the stars" and "among the most expensive cars Mercedes-Benz ever made". It figures, hu?

The View from our Hotel in Stuttgart
We spent 6 nights in our hotel in Stuttgart and it was wonderful. Every thing was clean and comfortable- they even gave us a microwave so we could cook in our room. The best part for me though was the view- isn't it beautiful?

Lego Land

There just aren't words to describe the anticipation, excitement, sheer joy Spencer and Ross expressed at Legoland. They were thrilled about everything the entire day. They loved the roller coasters and the model cities but I think picking souvenirs was their favorite part of the day! In the Lego factory they have bins and bins full of every Lego piece ever made in every color imaginable. I must admit it was pretty cool.

German / Austrian Alps
We spent a few night in a place called Garmisch Germany. It is a resort town at the foot on the German / Austrian Alps and oh my goodness people- it was amazing! I am a total mountain person anyway but this place was beyond beautiful. In fact, it was so amazing I am adding it to my list of places to run away to. In addition to being beautiful and cozy- there were a jillion fun things to do. There was hiking, biking, rock climbing, rafting, canyoning, horseback riding and of course, skiing in the winter. Anyway, above it the view of the mountains from our room.

Swarovski Crystal FactoryThis was an interesting place- not at all what we imagined and to be honest a little disappointing. They did have an entire wall of crystals though (which the boys are standing in front of (doesn't Robert look thrilled)) and a beautiful gift shop (which provided about an hour of owing and awing from me (I don't have a picture of that but I imagine Robert face would have been much the same)). Overall it was a "been there, done that" kind of experience- definitely not something we plan to do again.

Neuschwanstiens Castle

This Castle was the pattern after which the famous Disney Castle was designed. It was amazing. The inside was incredible but the outside and surrounding area were spectacular. The castle is high up on a hill accessible only by shuttle, horse drawn carriage or hiking. We purchased our tickets before we realized this and HAD to take the horse drawn carriage to make our tours on time. Shoot, I hate it when they happens. There were no shuttles or carriages when we were done so got to hike back to the car through the beautiful forest.

Frankfort Germany TempleWe ended our trip by spending two days in Frankfort at the Temple. It was a quite, peaceful ending to our trip together as a family.

Driving Home

It never ceases to amaze me how kids can sleep in positions like that... but they do. Our trip home was long and hard but the boys did great. It is always a little disappointing to come back to Italy when we have been out and about the rest of Europe. Naples is just such a sad place but we are managing. Our Naples sponsor and friend once said, "the best this about Naples is all of the places you can go from here." At the time I laughed and hoped that he was just kidding but I am beginning to think he is right.

Anyway, it was a great memory making vacation for us. Thanks for reading!