Paris in the Springtime

This past weekend we finally embarked on another road trip.  It felt like it has been 'forever' since we've taken one.  But in reality it's only been about 8 weeks.  Having all these places to see at your finger trips is very spoiling & surreal.  Especially when you are itching to see it all.  Kirk has also been working some pretty grueling hours lately with all the global unrest going on so finding the time has been difficult.  It was wonderful to be able to escape for a couple days.

We took off to see The city of lights, Paris France.  Instead of driving, this time we went down to the main train station in downtown Stuttgart & took the train.  Taking a train is something we've wanted to do for a while now, even in the states.  It was a 3 hour & 40 minute trip through the gorgeous french countryside & so convenient.  It took us right to Paris & we took the appropriate subway transportation to our hotel.  All of us with our rolling bags in tow.  

As usual we "powered" through site seeing packing as much as possible, or that the kids would allow.  Alex & Brynn have proven to be fantastic travelers.  They are complete troopers about the incredible amounts of walking, eating at restaurants that have new cuisines & adjusting to the hustle & bustle of a new city with a different language.  Not without their moments of course, they are kids after all, but we have been very proud & grateful.  Brynn has been itching to see Paris since we arrived in Europe.

We just missed the budding of the flowers on the trees.  You could see a tiny bit of green starting to open up in the buds.  The people were friendly, the food delicious & the architecture was gorgeous.   Prague (our first trip) is stunning but Paris is beautiful!

The Notre Dame

Dinner in Paris

The Musee Du Louvre

The Mona Lisa - So glad to see it, but for all the hype it was smaller than I thought &  anticlimactic .  With the crowd & glad in front it was hard to get a picture.

Referencing an 80's movie....wonder if anyone will guess which one...

Arc De Triomphe

Before our cruise on the Seine

Listening to the historic commentary on our boat cruise

Nightfall on the Seine

The Eiffel at night.  I know the Parisians aren't that excited about the lights on the  tower but it is extraordinary to see

Getting ready to catch the train back to Stuttgart

Living Museum - Alex's 4th Grade project

Houston we are a 'go' for presentation

Alex recently completed his class Social Studies project called a Living Museum.  I have to admit that I was a little perplexed, at first, about what exactly a Living Museum is & what the end result would be.  But what a fantastic idea for hands on learning.  It involved a lot of steps.  Starting with picking their person of interest & then developing a bibliography, research, notes, poster & ending with the presentation put on by the 4th grade for parents & other students which was the actual museum.  Alex chose Alan Bean, the astronaut.  They were encouraged to dress the part & be creative. He borrowed the helmet from someone in class & wore one of Kirk's flight suits. (I think Dad might have been a bit jealous about that).  When approached the kids would have to tell you who they were & speak in first person about their character relating details of their accomplishments & life.  All the kids did really great & there were some wonderful costumes. Choices ranged from Martin Luther King to Laura Ingles Wilder.   I love any idea or curriculum that provides hands on learning for children.  Even though the project felt never ending for us as parents helping Alex stay on task it is an incredible idea.  

Alex with his wonderful teacher Ms. Bohlman

Cupcakes & Fundraisers....oh my!!

It was a fun afternoon of  girl bonding with Brynn.  Both kids are in Drama club this year with their elementary school, Robinson Elementary.  They are called "The RB Players"...yes I giggled at that name too.  They are getting ready to put on a production of "Happy Feet" this month & have gotten so much out of the experience.  In an effort to raise money for their costumes drama club is having a bake sale at school during the lunch periods.  It was a really great opportunity to have some fun time with Brynn in the kitchen.  Alex had more pressing engagements.... a nerf gun war at various base parks this afternoon, you know duty calls for a nine year old.  He was available to come home & eat them, however.  I would love to tell you that you could tell our cupcakes apart yet I am not the baker in the family.  I will cook you a nice dinner but deserts I will buy no problem.  Martha Stewart needn't worry about competition from this house.   Brynn was so determined & adorable doing it.  Hopefully she'll have a better start than I did.  And thankfully the target market is elementary students!

Decorating

Our Thespians

Alex showing up just in time as the "best supporting role of a cupcake eater"

Viola!!

SENSAPOLIS

Now that is a word we use very carefully around our house......Sensapolis.  We only say that word if we have the intention of going there because it can create such an exciting stir in our house that it takes hours, if not days to recover from.  It is a huge indoor play....well mall.  I can't think of a better word for it.  It is truly GENIUS.  Here in Germany we have similar weather (winters especially) to Washington state.  Wet, rainy, cold, gloomy.  Which can lead to children literally pinging off the walls.  There are several indoor play places here but Sensapolis is the king of them all.  Very safe & clean with interactive devices in every part as well as science experiments on movement & sound.  We love taking the kids there for a special treat.  Last weekend we  had planned on a few day trips.  We got out to Rothenburg but the snow hit on the holiday.  So off to Sensapolis we went.  It was fantastic on an American holiday because it was not as busy as it would be on a normal winter weekend.  Now that the kids are older Kirk & I just sit in the food court area in the middle (equiped with everything from burgers, fries, pizza, made to order Wok, chocolate fountains, slushees & many other assorted beverages for children & adults).  We have the kids check in with us or sometimes order a bowl of pommes frittes (french fries) & some drinks set them in the middle of the table for that occasional refreshment fly by.  It's hours of fun for the kids & for Kirk & I too, especially at bedtime. I'd like to tell you that we have some pics of the kids but we mostly see the backsides of them if at all.......

Open eating area adjacent from the castle, pirate ship, rock wall & high ropes course on the ceiling

The multi story castle with pictures on the walls that talk to you & lots of interactive fun

Usually Alex lives in the spaceship.  

Cool tree house with another seating section

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

One of the entrances through the wall into the town

A long weekend in europe usually means you go out & travel.  Unfortunately, we couldn't get our dog Reggie a spot at the kennel in time so we elected to do some day trips this weekend.  With so many places to choose from within a two hour radius we still have some really exciting options.  One that has been high on our list is Rothenburg ob der Tauber.  A medieval walled city that is one of the best preserved in Germany.  Made popular by one of my favorites, Rick Steves, it's quickly gone from quiet & quaint to touristy.  But still very wonderful to see & experience.  This is one of those places that we will most likely visit at least one more time if not a few more.  The wall that surrounds the city is about a mile & a half long & you can still walk it & climb some of the towers.  Since we are so close we can view it "off season".   There were still tourists there but I can imagine them in mass during the summer time.  One of the top attractions is to take "The Night Watchman's Tour" where a guide,  dressed in period attire & playing the part,  takes you through the city at dusk explaining history, his duties & his part in social rank.  Today we just leisurely walked the town, ate lunch & went into beautiful St. Jakobs Lutheran Church.  I find the churches so fascinating.  They hold such amazing, well preserved displays of period architecture & design but yet so simplistic sometimes as well.  These are some pictures of our trip today.  The sun wasn't shining like it has been lately but you don't need sunshine to see a neat place like Rothenburg.

My old door fetish....& it's starting to be embraced by the kids

St. Jakobs Lutheran Church

The sanctuary & High altar.  Parts of this church date back to 1311

The high altar (1466) also called the Twelve Apostles is one of the finest in Germany.  The altar is the work of Swabian master Riemenschneider, the Michaelangelo of German wood carvings.

One of the beautiful stain glassed windows.  Each depict a story.  They all date back to 13th/14th century

Kirk & the kids on the exterior wall with some of the town in the background

Schneeballs! (snowballs)  Compare them to a very crispy large doughnut hole covered in any flavoring you can imagine.  

Another beautiful entrance into the city through the wall

LEGOLAND Duetschland

Does it get any better then Legoland?  Well if you asked Alex, our son, probably not.  Since the time we first talked about receiving overseas orders & researching where we would be Alex learned that that Denmark was the home & founder of all things Lego....the Lego utopia if you will, especially for a 9 year old who is completely & totally into Legos & has been for some time.  We will no doubt be traveling up north to see the birth place of all things Lego.  While we were stationed in California Kirk had always wanted to take the kids to Lego Land in San Diego but the kids were young & we never had the chance.  Arriving here in Europe was a complete whirlwind & we had a month in a hotel before we were finally moved into housing.  When we received housing we did not receive our things for another 4 weeks so all told we kept pretty busy sight seeing locally & on small day trips.  Fortunately it was the summer months & that made it very conducive to see things that were out door oriented.  I'm looking back at some of the things we did upon arriving.  So I feel like I've gone backwards in time but one day we decided to take the kids to Lego Land in Germany.  It's only a little over an hour away but we had fun! We will surely be visiting Lego Land again.   One of the reasons we chose this particular time was because they were having a Star Wars Lego Event, another passion of our 9 year old.  It was very cool & let's just say Alex was very happy!

Lego Neuschwantstein Castle

Legoland Star Wars Parade

I believe this was an Italian part of Legoland creations

Star Wars exhibit

Strasbourg, France

Cathederale Notre Dame de Strasbourg.  So huge/imposing that I could not get a shot of it all in one frame.  It's Gothic architecture dates back to the 13th Century.

Today we took a day trip to Strasbourg, France.  It's a little over an hour away and just  across Rhine River into France.   We've had gorgeous weather this weekend & today especially.  Thanks Paxsutawney Phil  - or at least that's what I'm telling myself since he predicted an early spring this year...either way we'll take it!  Strasbourg is in the Alsace Region of France where French & German cultures collide.  We had a delicious lunch of alsatian cuisine & Kirk & I sampled some alsatian beer.  Apparently the region is known for it's beer & sweet, dry  white wines like Riesling &  Gewurztraminer.   We  have yet to find and area in Europe that isn't 'known' for some kind of libabtion?? Ha,ha.... we  are always happy to sample.  We also explored the Cathederale, which is the biggest tourism draw for the city.  Then walked around "La Petit France" a neighborhood with old buildings & cobble stone streets that surrounds the cathedrale area  filled with homes, shops & restaurants.  We can't wait to go back.  Hopefully during the summer months where we can take a boat tour, The Batorama,  on the Rhine through the city.  Overall, not a bad way to spend a Sunday.  

La Petite France

Astronomical Clock in the Cathederale.  Not the greatest picture to represent the clock, which was really stunning.  The dark lighting & high ceilings made it hard to get a good one.

Dutch Ovens galore!! The Alsace in France is known for these with their country cuisine.  Made of heavy pottery  they cook the most amazing food! Like having a crock pot in the oven.  Next time we go back one of these will be coming home with us!

Kirk & kids at the back part of the Cathederale

Alex with a street performer

This plaque was inside the Cathederale.....a reminder that this war was no so long ago

Having some fun with a sign outside one of the restaurants