Last Day in Deutschland

Today was our last day in Germany *sigh* so we took in a local family amusement site, Freizeitpark Lochmühle. This place is part amusement park, part petting zoo, part picnic destination. The kids (and us) had a fantastic time.

The deer were a big hit:

And so were these oversized swings you set in motion by pulling on a rope:

But nothing compared to the giant carpet slide. You can't tell from the photos, but it was a loooong way down:

I especially loved the teeny ferris wheel that was powered by ... an amusement-park worker pedalling. Yep, get a job and tone your legs. Not bad for summer work...

(addendum: Phil just told me that's not a worker, it's a father. I guess if you want your kid to enjoy a ride, you've got to work for it!)

We leave tomorrow morning for the 4-hour drive to Brussels... although given our track record with driving in Europe, it will likely take 50% longer. We'll be in touch once we get settled there!

by William

We took Dad to the crêperie. Dad liked his crêpe.

Castles and Company

At the recommendation of several friends, we visited Heidelberg Castle today.

About 100km south of Frankfurt, Heidelberg Castle was built beginning in about 1200AD. It's undergone many changes in the past 800 years, and is pretty phenomenal.

After driving almost 2 hours this morning (it should have been much shorter, but the city of Heidelberg is very confusing...) the kids were glad to get out of the car and stretch their legs.

The view from the castle gardens is beautiful:

After walking along the back gardens and through the back entrance to the castle, we stopped for lunch at this little restaurant,

where the bees outside were so persistent, we had to eat inside the building.

Here we are standing at what seems to be the top of a giant wine barrel. We saw two of these inside the castle. Looks like the royalty really enjoyed their wine.

You can't really get a photo that justifies the magnitude of this castle, but here are a few shots:

After a simple supper back at home, we were invited to join Mr. Schmidt and his friends downstairs for dessert and champagne. They were so friendly and nice, and their 25-year-old daughter Nina is fantastic. She studied in Australia and works in London, so she acted as a translator between us, her parents and Mr. Schmidt.

We even tried a traditional Frankfurt food, which is called Handkäs mit Musik. It is a particular type of cheese, soaked in oil, vinegar and chopped onions, served on bread and sprinkled with caraway seeds. Surprisingly good : )

Bonne Fête Philippe

In honour of Phil's birthday today (even though he's been out of town for a couple days and won't be back until tomorrow), the kids and I celebrated by going to La Petite Crêperie for lunch.

The kids each had a Crêpe au Chocolat, which they all enjoyed immensely:

And I had Le Végétarien, which was stuffed with a creamy cheese, spinach and tomatoes. It was fabulous.

The chef-propriétaire seems to run a one-man show, and would deliver the crêpes one by one, six or seven minutes apart. By the time mine finally came (last), the kids were pretty much done. We solved that problem by ordering two more Nutella ones for them to share while I had my lunch. Voilà, everyone was happy : )

We will definitely have to take Phil back there before we leave for Brussels. Then, of course, we will have Belgian waffles...

Ironman European Championship

Today the Ironman European Championship passed through our little town of Bad Vilbel!

Ironman is one of the most difficult athletic challenges there is: 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and then a marathon (26.2 mile run). The most elite athletes take over 8 hours to complete it. Other athletes can take 17 hours or longer.

Bad Vilbel is home to the most difficult hill climb on the bike course: Heartbreak Hill. And to add insult to injury, athletes have to circle the bike course twice to make up the full 112 miles, so they have to climb Heartbreak Hill twice.

Here is one case where the dismal German weather:

- yes, that's 14 C (57 F) in the middle of July -

was actually a benefit, as the athletes gave it their all.

For those of us who weren't giving every ounce of our blood, sweat and tears to the course, there were a variety of refreshments in true German style:

Sausages right off the grill

And beer

We saw the lead male and lead female pass through, each with their own police motorcycle escort and cameraman. We saw senior citizens and novice athletes. The enthusiastic crowd cheered them all on, snapped their photos, and drank a beer in their honour.

On the way back down the hill, Indira and I came across an athlete whose luck had run out.

Alex had been in the top 100 cyclists this morning, but his bike gave out on the first loop of the cycling course and was irreparable. His countless hours of training for this prestigious event weren't to be rewarded today.

I stopped and chatted with him for a while, and he had a surprisingly good attitude about the whole thing. He took it as a matter of fact, and even had a sense of humour about how he was going to get back to Frankfurt since he couldn't finish the course. He was an inspiration.

Once home, we switched on the TV and watched the event from the comfort of our couch. It's 8pm here now, and some athletes are still out there, slogging away on the marathon course, over 12 hours after they started. May we all have their determination, heart and perseverance, whatever passions we choose to pursue in our own lives.

(Subways), Trains and Automobiles

We hopped on the train and headed to Frankfurt today to visit the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History.

We caught the train here in Bad Vilbel and took it to Frankfurts's Central Station, about a 25-minute trip. This station is a city unto itself.

It has three levels -- street-level for the long-distance trains, one floor down for the mid-distance trains, and another level further underground for the subways. The upper level of long-distance trains alone has 24 platforms. It serves 350,000 people a day.

From here, we caught the subway and took it two stops north to the Senckenberg Museum.

The museum has a dinosaur exhibit, and the most complete display of stuffed (taxidermied) animals I have ever seen. The kids loved it.

About two-thirds of the way through our visit of the halls, Phil got a message: there was a case in Stuttgart that afternoon. He had to take off right away to get there -- about 210km away. He would take the train.

The kids and I enjoyed the rest of the museum, and then headed back to the Frankfurt Central Station. Once there, we purchased our return tickets at a kiosk, and then stood in the middle of the bustle, wondering where in the heck we were to catch our train. Phil was the train guru, but we were just novices left to our own devices in a land where we don't speak the language.

To make a very long story short, after much wandering and swearing (under my breath), I asked someone who worked there. "You need Essex," he said, pointing down to the next level below. Trains were whizzing by, and I was looking for anything that said Essex, but the word was nowhere to be found. By this point, we'd been trolling the station for about 30 minutes, and I'd just about had enough.

Suddenly, we saw Phil coming off one of the trains. He had gone home to shower and change, and was back at Central Station to catch the train to Stuttgart. "You need the S6 to Friedberg," he said as he rushed by. Ahhh, S6. I was looking for Essex. Suddenly it was all clear.

We made it home, and Phil made it to Stuttgart. This train system is phenomenal, once you get it figured out. We North Americans have something to learn from the Europeans about efficient public transportation.

On the other hand, I was relieved to get into our own car at the Bad Vilbel station and drive to exactly where I wanted to go, in my own timing and direction. There is also something to be said for self-determination : )

Die Peeps in Deutschland

Yep, the Peeps are in Germany -- the first stop in our 7-week European adventure.

We arrived in Bad Vilbel (town just north-east of Frankfurt) after a 23-hour journey that consisted of a car service, three airplanes, a bus and a rental car. Said car being manual transmission, but more on that later.

After getting only three hours of sleep last night (jet lag is not our friend right now), I am too tired to write anything very coherent, so let's stick to photos for now.

Tegut, the local grocery store. Practically every piece of produce is organic here, and the prices are great. Bought the standard traveling fare of fruit, bread, pasta and cheese, plus a frozen pizza at the kids' request : )

First dinner in our cozy kitchen, which William described as "half the size of my bedroom." Yes, it's a tight squeeze (I am actually sitting on the countertop to take this photo), but the meal was good and the company was better.

Our apartment is in a fantastic location, just a few minutes' walk from everything. Indira loves this statue/fountain -- probably because the stone kids are just her size.

We found the local toy store on our first night, but it was closed. We returned today and were not disappointed. Here, William stands in front of the Lego display. Only drawback: the saleslady followed us around as if we were going to steal something.

I look pretty bland and boyish next to a figurine of Lara Croft, Tomb Raider. She must have had those boobs done in California.

The park just down the street from our place has an amazing "hammock swing" which makes you feel like a bird sitting on its nest. William and Aislinn push each other on it so high, they have to hold on for dear life or they will fall out. It's our favourite local attraction : )