Winter Family Fun
Right outside our house in Degerloch (Stuttgart), there is a beautiful forest. We have gotten so much snow this winter! Way more than last year. We love the snow. Coming from San Diego it is especially a treat. We spent the last few snow days sledding in town, on the hills at R.B., and in Garmisch.
Here are some pics from our family adventures in Germany…
Kids playing doorbell ditch in our front yard. I was the lucky receiver of a snow ball when I opened the door.
Sledding on the stairs in front of our house. Crazy kids!
Degerloch
Playing with sparklers on New Year's Eve.
Cam loved the loud ones.
PJ shooting rocket fireworks out of a gutter.
Shooting rockets out of bottles as recommended by a friend.
Riding scooters in the Schlossplatz.
Play date with Emmy and Jake downtown.
Cambria in Garmisch.
Oberammergau, Germany
Snow fights!
Oberammergau
Picture in the barn
My husband.
Family in Oberammergau.
Christmas Markets in Germany
Nothing gets you into the holiday spirit like European Christmas Markets. It’s definitely something you have to experience in person. It is a time for family, friends, drinks, good food, and festive mania! You name it, they have it. I love to get ornaments and sample the chocolates. My kids love Kinderpunch and the rides. PJ loves the würsts and Glühwein. There is something for everyone. I don’t even want to think about the withdrawls I will have when we can’t hop in the car to check out a new market during the holiday season.
This year, we visited Ludwigsburg, Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Esslingen, Vienna, Ulm and Triberg. Each one was fantastic. Here are some pictures…
Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Choir performance at the Altes Schloss in Stuttgart.
Ice skating at the Wintertraum!
Ulm
Nativity scene in Ulm.
Checking out the Steiff bear exhibit.
Ulmer WeihnachtsMarkt
Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt
shopping in Nuremberg
Medieval market in Esslingen.
Ludwigsburg
Karlovy Vary
We went to Karlovy Vary in October to buy a chandelier. We were surprised to find the town so pretty and unique. The city is built on hot springs, so there are Colonnades everywhere. You can buy a porcelain drinking cup at any of the souvenir shops in town. The popular thing to do is to take your cup and drink from the hot springs. I must say, we didn’t care for the water and thought it tasted terrible. But it was fun for our kids to try.
The trip was a success as we came home with a gorgeous chandelier, sconce, Bohemian glasswear, and Czech beer. Yes!
The hotel we stayed in was called:
Hotel Boston
Chandelier Shop:
Crystal Glass Shop
Na Vyhlidce 73
36001 Karlovy Vary
The store we bought our Bohemian Glass from was called Celetna Crystal
Tržiště 23, 36001 Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic – 353 585 132
And lastly, coming from Stuttgart, we took a detour to Nachtmann Factory Outlet. They have great prices on German glass and crystal. They have a warehouse with fantastic prices.
F. X. Nachtmann Bleikristallwerke GmbH
Werksverkauf Neustadt
Zacharias-Frank-Straße 7
92660 Neustadt a. d. Waldnaab
Tel.: +49 – 96 02/30 11 76
Here are a few pictures from our trip…
Tasting spring water at the Colonnade.
Castles in Germany
We visited Ludwigsburg Palace, Neuchwanstein, and Linderhof while my mom and grandma were in town during the month of November. The weather wasn’t great, but we still enjoyed good views and fun on our day trips.
Noon light at Neuchwanstein was not ideal. I will definitely be going back for the early morning light in the Spring.
Ludwigsburg, Germany
Super dad hiking up the hill to Neuchwanstein.
View from Neuchwanstein.
Neuchwanstein
Hohenschwangau
Linderhof Castle
Linderhof
Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival
This was our second year going to the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival. It’s one of the most unique festivals we have experienced while living in Stuttgart. The theme this year was Fairy Tales. It was incredible! Our kids loved it. Fall in Germany is spectacular. Especially coming from San Diego, where the season changes are minimal.
Here are some pictures from the Kürbisfest…
Addy and Cambria in front of Cinderella's carriage.
Sampling pumpkin soup, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin muffins, yummy!
Toscana and November fun with the Grandma’s
My mom and grandma just left after a great 3 week trip. We took them to Tuscany, Füssen, Ülm, and Christmas Markets. We had so much fun having them here. My grandma is a great baker, so I watched as she made some of her specialties. We cooked Thanksgiving here at the house and had the Kling family over. Everything was gobbled up. I think the pumpkin pie was a big hit with the Kling’s. And they tried Eggnog for the first time. Well, I should say Brigitte tried it, I don’t think anyone else was that adventurous. We love getting the change to share different traditions with our best German friends. It’s been a wonderful experience. Can’t wait for Christmas Eve at their house for fondue and other festive food.
Here are some of the hundreds of family photos while the grandma’s were in town. My mom is an avid scrapbooker so many of the photos were for her.
PJ and Micah in San Gimignano
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Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore
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Fall trees covered in snow on the drive to Tuscany.
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Florence, Italy
Can't get enough gelato!
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Cambria and the Leaning Tower.
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My funny boys.
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Volterra
Cambria in Sienna.
Addy smiling for another tourist.
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Adelaide in Sienna
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Volterra. No Volturi sightings on this trip...
