Our trip to Germany

[jld]

I wasn't going to post on this, but I saw the recent travel questions and thought someone might enjoy hearing about it.

 

About a month ago, I found some incredibly inexpensive tickets to Frankfurt from India (less than 3k for 6 of us). So two weeks later we flew to Frankfurt and spent the night at the Airport Ibis there, picked up a rental van the next morning (9 passenger, all they had in "our size", a hoot for dh to drive) and promptly got stuck in traffic.:glare: A couple hours later we stopped at a roadside cafeteria, loved the food so much (potatoes and steamed veg with a hollandaise-type sauce on them, great lettuce --not easy to find where we live in India, so always a treat) we decided we'd keep looking for Serways places -- later finding some are great, and some not so good-- and got to Legoland (the whole point of the trip for ds8 and ds5) at about 1:30.

 

Fun day, couldn't find a hotel in Gunzburg after an hour of searching, so went to Stuttgart to stay with my friend Uli. Great breakfast with Uli the next morning and back to Legoland. Another fun day. That night we drove down to Reutte (thanks, Rick Steves!) and had a great day Wed. in the area. The kids did a pony ride, played at a park (nobody was spitting or peeing, so common here in India), went to a grocery store (paradise!) for bread, cheese, lettuce and sun-dried tomato sandwiches, with Northern fruit for dessert -- what a treat! -- then on to the Biberwier luge.

 

Dh and the kids had a great time, and we took some pictures on the way back. Stopped for gelato (almost as cheap as in India -- surprising!) and then the rain came. Drove to Neuschwanstein and enjoyed the view. Drove back to the inn and took a walk in the foothills. Gosh, I miss cool weather walks with the kids. We're always so hot here in India, and have so many mosquitoes around. It was such a treat to just be able to take a normal walk again.

 

Next day we took a walk in the little village we stayed in, and I lamented why I ever left the West for India. Then we started talking about the cost of the trip and I quickly remembered why.:) Dh reminded me that I would probably miss India if we left it (especially the food!), and I told him I was definitely spoiled going from India to Europe, and probably couldn't accept traveling from America to Europe again, as the jet lag is such a killer. So we said goodbye to the Alps and went back to Legoland for our third and last day.

 

The boys had a great time and then we were back to Uli's for the rest of the stay. Friday she took us to a chocolate factory near her house and we stocked up for the trip back to India. Later that day dh, dd and the boys (the baby and I stayed home) went to Uli's ds7's school for a performance. Homeschooling is illegal in Germany, so her ds7 goes to a Montessori-inspired school (dd called it a school for unschoolers, lol), and her ds8 goes to a Waldorf school. She would really love to homeschool, but, of course, it's not possible, so she's found the next best thing for her family.

 

Saturday we went into Stuttgart and did some shopping, as the temp had dropped quite a bit and we hadn't brought any cool weather clothes. We also bought some Fischertechniks for ds8, and enjoyed our last full evening in Germany with Uli and her family. Next day we visited the Sinsheim museum (planes, engines, cars, that sort of thing), quickly drove through Heidelberg, and hopped on the plane in the evening. A long trip home (cheap tickets, remember) and plans to return next summer.:)

 

I'm really glad we went. I really wanted a break from India, and came back refreshed. It was just wonderful to be with dh all week, instead of just seeing him on Sundays (he works in a different city here).

 

We've decided a 9 passenger van is the way to go, with plenty of room for everyone and the luggage, too.

 

We didn't try to do a lot of sightseeing, and really just did what the kids wanted -- Legoland, luge, lots of time playing with Uli's kids. That lowered the potential stress level so much. The first day and a half we were at Legoland I kept pushing us to go on the rides, as rain was predicted for the end of the week, and finally dh told me the boys just wanted to play with the Legos, and that's what they would be doing. So dd and I went on some more rides and started to relax, shopping, taking a leisurely lunch, and just enjoying the interesting creations there, and of course, our long conversations. She is such a gift in my life.

 

We didn't go into Neuschwanstein. Dd was there 2 years ago with my sister, and didn't think it was worth the hassle with her brothers being so young. We'll go when they're older, and ds11 is with us (he's in France right now, so didn't go on the trip with us). We definitely want to go back to the area, and may see if we can rent something for a few days or a week. The region is just beautiful, and so clean.

 

It was so much fun to see my friend again, and such a good reminder of how hard moms in the West work. She's always doing something in her house, or with one of her kids. Moms in the West are very busy.

 

I can't tell you what a treat it was to shop in clean stores with a good variety of items. When we lived in Europe, I was always comparing the shopping unfavorably with what was available in America. Now, I see it so differently. The first morning we were there we walked into a little Penny Markt in Frankfurt, and I thought I was in Paradise! I couldn't believe the selection and the cleanliness! We didn't shop as much as I had hoped, because I got sick the last few days, when the rain started, and so we only bought the Fischertechniks, some Legos, and the jackets in downtown Stuttgart. I wish I could have bought some Playmobil (can't find it at all in our city in India) and some more Legos. I didn't even look for puzzles and games (so many interesting, high quality ones in Germany). And of course I should have bought more chocolate! We're almost out, and will have to go back to buying Cadbury at our local Nilgiri's (which is okay, too!).

 

Gosh, it was such a great time. What a great country, with such hard-working, friendly people. And normal-sized people, lol. In France, the women, especially, but men, too, are often so thin, and there's so much emphasis on fashion and beauty in general. Germans seem much more relaxed about all that.

 

Bonus: Ds8 wants to study German now, so I may get the Rosetta Stone materials for him. He wants to be able to speak to his friends in their language. The trip was a success, lol.;)

Edited August 3, 2010 by jld
spelling

[Pretty in Pink]

I have some very fond memories from my childhood growing up in Germany; it is so beautiful. I am really glad that you guys enjoyed your trip!

[jld]

Thanks. Where in Germany did you grow up? Are your parents German?

Edited August 3, 2010 by jld

[PollyOR]

Thanks for sharing. My oldest dd and her DH went to Germany a couple of summers ago for vacation and really enjoyed it.

[nd293]

I love reading about people's trips, and yours is such a good reminder of how to enjoy a trip with kids - keep it child-focused! We are planning a big trip along the east coast of Australia for later this year, so it is a timely reminder. (We live in Australia, but it's still a big trip - 5hrs flight away from us).

 

Nikki

[jld]

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Nikki. We do low-stress travel whenever possible, lol. I always feel a little guilty about not trying to see all the sights, but I just can't take bored, screaming little kids. And our vacations always seem to be as much about spending time with dh as sightseeing, anyway.

 

Good luck with your big trip. We'll be anxious to hear about it!;)

[Sebastian (a lady)]

What fun you all had. And I'm glad that you were able to recharge your mental and emotional batteries a bit.

[Mom in High Heels]

We were just in Stuttgart and Legoland a week ago! We live an hour from Stuttgart and 2 hours from Legoland. Indy loved Legoland. We took him for his 8th birthday.

We've lived in Germany on and off for a total of 8 years now. We love it here and are hoping to stay for another 4 years at least (unless we can get orders to England).

Glad you guys had a good time. Sounds like a good trip.

[jld]

Thank you, Sebastian. It was indeed a refresher. A much-needed refresher! And thanks for all you've written over the years about your time in Germany. I've always enjoyed hearing what military families have experienced overseas!

 

What did you think of the change in weather about a week and a half ago, MinHH? From 90 to 60 in a couple hours is too much for me! I'm glad you are enjoying Germany, and hope you are able to stay there a long time!

 

And PollyOR, I'm glad your daughter and her dh enjoyed their trip there, too. What a great country. I am so impressed with Germany!

[mama23]

I would LOVE to go there!! My distant family is from there, and my hubby has a cousin that lives there. My aunt has gone and she went to the little village that our family was originally from, which happened to have been named after us as well.

[Mothersweets]

What a delightful trip! Glad you had a good time and were able to recharge, jld.

[jld]

Thanks, Laura!

[Mom in High Heels]

What did you think of the change in weather about a week and a half ago, MinHH? From 90 to 60 in a couple hours is too much for me! I'm glad you are enjoying Germany, and hope you are able to stay there a long time!

 

 

We were thrilled with the weather change! It's been in the upper 60's-mid 70's for the last 2 weeks and it has been heavenly.

[Dandelion]

Thanks for writing about your trip! I enjoyed the walk down memory lane... :)

 

I grew up in Freiburg (at the "three country corner" where Germany, France and Switzerland meet) and also lived in Mannheim for a few years. Not military-affiliated - my mom is German so she moved back to Germany after I was born so we could be near her family.

[cathmom]

I'm so jealous! And I loved Neuschwanstein!

[Rhea]

Thanks for sharing! I loved reading it, especially the perspective change (Europe after America and Europe after India).

 

Rhea

[NightOwlMama]

I love reading about peoples trips too! Sounds like a lot of fun:) We were able to live in a cute little village in Hanau for alomost 3 years and I miss it! I really miss being able to walk to everything I need. I had a great thrift store near me where I found a lot of Playmobil, Haba and puzzles and I loved going to the flohmrkts:) Everyone takes such good care of their things there, everything always looked new when I thrifted.

[Jane in NC]

What a great trip! Thank you for your travelogue with cultural comparisons.

 

Now that you have recharged, are you ready for a new school year?

 

Warmest regards,

Jane