Vacation: Day Trips

Two weeks ago we picked up my dad and Reagan from Frankfurt. I was nervous about the airport pick-up (huge airport and no way to communicate), but it went great! We were so happy to see family/normal people! They got in around noon, and we took it easy on them the first day ... we went home and let them unpack and nap before we headed downtown Schweinfurt for a little sightseeing and doners. They loved the doners!

The next day we took care of getting dad and Reagan their Installation passes, so we could get in the gates without a hassle. After that we headed to Rothenburg.

Random picture ... Eli is loving his new highchair, and eating solid foods!!

Climbing the medieval wall of Rothenburg ...

He loved having dad and Reagan around ... I think it was a nice break from only seeing me and Vic ...

I love this town ... so cute ...

Huge church ...

Looks like dad is grabbing the knight's butt ...

This shot looks like a fake village at Disney World ...

Climbing one of the towers ...

Eli wasn't feeling well at this point ... a mix of teething and a cold turned him into a demon baby. We decided to sit outside to eat, so we chose a cute little terraced beer garden. Eli was fussing, so of course we were drawing death-stares from the few German couples who were trying to enjoying their dinner. I got the genius idea to let Eli chew on a piece of bread to help with his teething. It seemed to be working like a charm, until he got a little choked-up. No big deal ... nothing a little pat on the back can't fix, right?? Wrong. So wrong. I was holding him, and as I went to pat his back he explosively (Exorcist-esque, minus the head-spin) vomited - ALL over me. I quickly stood up and ran for the exit as round number two began. I only had time to see the look of horror on Reagan's face, and heard her scream, "oh my God it's coming out of his nose!"
Reagan and Vic followed behind with the diaper bag and stroller. Thank goodness I brought a change of clothes for Eli, but I wasn't so lucky.
I was a mess ... my sweatshirt, t-shirt, tank top AND bra were soaked with puke. Vic had an undershirt on, so we went into an alley and both stripped from the waist up. It was not a cute wardrobe change for me, but much better than smelling like baby vomit. We managed to salvage my sweatshirt, so at least I didn't freeze.
After this minor set-back we finished our dinner, and continued on our way ... much to the delight of our fellow diners ...

After the puke-bath ... he felt much better!

Town hall of Rothenburg ...

On the Night Watchman Tour ...

Scary face on the side of one of the towers ...

Over looking Rothenburg ...

The next day we woke up early and caught the train to Nuremberg. We visited a couple amazing churches, shopped, ate, and walked around the castle grounds ...

St. Lorenz church ...

This is the awesome little restaurant where we ate lunch. It was kind of embedded in the side of the hill that lead up to the castle ... so cool. The food was pretty good, and after our long walk - the beer was even better!

Love this face! He was so good on this trip ...

Castle ...

Castle gardens ...

Another shot of the restaurant where we ate lunch ...

We found this old picture of the square during WWII ...

And got the same shot as we were standing in the square ... pretty cool. Looks a little different as Nuremburg was nearly destroyed by Allied bombing. A little history lesson for you ... Nuremburg, which had no military importance at all, was only bombed for vindictive reasons because it was Hitler's favorite town and was considered the most "German" of all cities. Interesting, huh?

After a great day in Nuremberg, we headed to the train station. We had a quick layover, and because our train was a little behind, we ended up stuck in a little town called Rottendorf. The train station itself was just one little tiny building. Vic went to investigate inside so maybe we could sit down, but said there was nothing but Playboys and a cigarette machine. Rather than complain about the situation, we headed for a little bar right across the street. The place was empty, and the owner (the cutest little old man) met us at the door like he had been waiting all day for someone to come by. He quickly put on some music for us, poured us beers, and started to tell us about his family that had owned the restaurant for hundreds of years. I wish we could have stayed there longer, but we only had about thirty minutes before our train came. We said our goodbyes, as he walked us out, and waved from the door until we got back across the street ... seriously ... it was so cute. It was a nice little detour, and Vic and I would love to go back one of these days. 

On our third day, we headed to Wurzburg. Vic and I had recently visited, but we were not able to see the fortress, so that was our goal for the day.

Wurzburg has one of my favorite churches ...

I knew it was going to be a little hike, but I decided to keep that information to myself. Curiosity grew as we got across the bridge, and I started fielding questions about how we were going to get the the top. I made mention of a walking path with a slight incline, and promised the view would be worth it. What I wasn't aware of was the large amount of stairs mixed in with that (not so slight) incline. Dad and Vic ended up carrying the stroller, while I strapped Eli into his harness. A lot of sweat and 20 minutes later ... we made it to the top, and promptly found the nearest beer garden.

View of the fortress from the bridge ...

Fortress gate ...

Moat ... or at least where it used to be ...

Prisoner tower ...

Love this picture ...

Fountain ...

Vic's castle door picture ...

The view from the top was worth the hike!

Dad and Reagan in front of the Residenz before we did the tour ...

While leaving Wurzburg Vic was at the wheel, and approaching a stoplight when a man kind of stepped into traffic - not at a cross-walk, mind you. My dad made a comment about how he almost walked into the car, but we didn't think much of it. Well, seconds later the same man appeared at my driver's side window, and began SCREAMING at us in German. We all kind of sat there, stunned, and all looking at each other trying to figure out what in the hell was going on. Vic was just smiling at him and nodding his head, which only appeared to infuriate him more. I couldn't understand what he was saying, but I heard the German word for 'shit' several times ... I'm guessing he was most likely pairing it with, 'piece of ____' or 'eat ____, and die' ... either way this verbal tirade went on for a good 45 seconds. I finally reached over and locked the doors, and we were all cracking up by the time we pulled away. When we got up to the next stoplight the car next to us signaled for me to roll down the window ... they only spoke German as well, but made some hand gestures like the guys was drunk or crazy, and then gave a thumbs up before driving away. At least we had someone on our side! For most of the ride home we discussed this crazed man; what he could have been screaming, why he was screaming, etc. The whole scenario was fantastic, and I wish we had it on video ...

That night we dropped the dogs off at the boarder, and headed to a nice dinner at our favorite spot - The Stables. We had an early train to catch to Berlin, so it was an early night!

Eli Laughing ...

Elliott loves the dogs, particularly when they are fighting ... 

Please excuse my feet ... pedicures are hard to come by around here .... 

Swimming!

We finally checked out the German swimming pool this weekend, and it was awesome. They have this huge outdoor area, with three or four pools and a little restaurant. The weather was perfect (Vic and I have the sunburn to prove it), and Eli had a blast.

He was a little apprehensive at first, but he loved it!

This is the second summer hat we have had to buy him, and his extra-large head has almost outgrown this one too!

I think this surprised look is when he spotted one of the many inappropriate Speedos that German men love to wear ...

Five Months!

A few days late, but he's five months old!!

He loves taking pictures!

Sucking his thumb AND the burp cloth? Too much ...

Trying to talk to Lola, but she's not having it ...

All three of the babies. Poor Roscoe ... so depressed.

Volksfest ...

I have fallen way behind with updating this thing. Mostly it is due to us not doing much (still saving for Berlin), and we have been dealing with a crazed-teething/sick baby. Since I updated last, the Volksfest has come and gone. It was pretty awesome, and we managed to go a few times - mostly for the food and beer.

   Strangest thing by far is the fish on the stick. I'm still not sure how this is consumed, and I'm not sure I want to know.

This is the world's largest mobile log ride. I passed on riding this death-trap. 

On the first weekend of the Volksfest, Vic and I went out for a night while a lovely babysitter stayed with Eli.  After watching the Germany vs. Portugal soccer game and having a few beers at our favorite spot, Brazil, we headed over to ride some rides. Now, either Vic and I are getting old, and had one too many beers ... or Germany has different standards on how fast their carnival rides can go. We were both so dizzy and sick by the end of the night. 

Side note on our favorite spot to eat. It is called Brazil, but they serve German and Mexican food, and play reggae music. Confused? So are we ... 

This ride was my favorite, and not a vomit-inducing one. 

Same ride, but from inside our neighborhood. Another side note ... this is the security-detail to get into Askren Manor .... talk about a gated-community, huh?

This was the particular ride that almost killed us. It was a spinning-whirling nightmare that seemed like it was never going to end. You can't tell from the picture, but the ride was decorated with Michael Jackson (sporting the red leather jacket and sparkly glove, before he turned white), and the Gremlins. Several other rides had similar themes, one with Mr. T, Alf, and David Hasselhoff as Knightrider ... it was almost like they salvaged all of their rides from an old 80's American carnival. 

Huge ferris wheel .. it was really pretty at night. 

On the second weekend, we went during the day to enjoy a couple drinks and some German food. The beers were a meal in themselves ...

We are guessing these massive mugs are about three pints of beer. 

It took us so long to drink the beers, that Eli fell asleep. 

Eli is currently teething, and it is not a pleasurable experience for anyone involved. We went though two particularly rough days ... and sleepless nights. He is still a little fussy, and very drooly, but seems to be a little more comfortable. 

This is his pissed off face ... not in the mood for pictures! 

A peaceful moment. Please note the burp cloth ... he's still obsessed, and won't sleep without one. 

Starting to feel a little better. He loves to be propped up on the couch while Vic is on the computer ... he's always very curious as to what daddy is doing ... 

Eli seems to have outgrown his swing ... so we invested in this cool-looking jump seat. He still isn't tall enough to bounce, but he will sit in it and watch Baby Einstein. 

That's about the extent of excitement going on over here. My dad and Reagan come in about 3 weeks, so I have been researching and planning our trip. We have three day trips planned while they are in Schweinfurt, and then three days in Berlin ... very busy, but it will be a lot of fun! 

Rollin'

Please excuse my obnoxious voice in this video, but I had to show of E's newest trick. I went to get him up from his nap last Friday, and he was on his belly with the biggest smile on his face. We were a little sad we missed the first one, but he spent the whole weekend rolling around. He struggles a bit here, but he's a pro at it now!

He's also eating cereal - without spitting it back out ... it's been a busy week!