Trier

Last week, Daniel and I started doing some research on what places we would like to visit first.  After a  bit of reading, we chose Trier for our first day trip.

Trier Germany is only an hour from Landstuhl where we are currently staying.  It is possibly the oldest city in Germany, founded on or before 16 BC.   The history through the times in this city is incredible.

We piled in the Suburban and headed out to Trier at about 10am.  The scenery was gorgeous.  Along the way, there were tiny towns dotting the country side. The beautifully colored houses and chapels decorating the hillsides were just breathtaking.  We passed through farm land, and quite a few vineyards.  It amazed us all how these vineyards go right up the side of a vertical hill.

We came onto the Moselle River where boaters were out enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures.  We even saw a few boats towing tubers.  As we came into Trier, colorful homes hugged the side of the Moselle.  It was picture perfect.

We also drove by The University of Trier.  This school was founded in 1473!  It was closed in 1898 by the order of French administration (Trier was at the time part of France).  In 1978, it was re-established.

Trier is also the home of Karl Marx.  His childhood home where he was born, raised, and homeschooled is now a museum.

We strategically located some parking online before we even got in the car.  Finding parking anywhere here can sometimes be a challenge, especially in the tank we drive.  The parking lot we found only allowed us to park for two hours and we were certain we would take longer than that.  We paid for the full two hours and just hoped for the best.

First, we made our way through the 3 blocks of narrow streets to the Hauptmarkt (the main market).  We read about this before coming, but I was astounded at how large this market is compared to others I have seen in Europe.  Stores lining the streets were in great abundance not to mention the stands set up in the streets.  Apparently many people from Luxembourg (on the other side of the Moselle) come to Trier to do their shopping.  Their money goes much further.  There were people playing music and mimes.  The kids could not get over the mimes.  Trier hosts one of the largest German Christmas markets.  Each and every window in the square holds a light.

For the next 2 months, Trier also has brightly painted life size baby elephants all over the city.  You cannot pass a block without finding an elephant.  It is a charitable effort to draw attention to the plight of the world's dwindling elephant population.

We made our way to the Port Nigra, the large Roman city gate.  Today, it is the largest Roman gate North of the Alps.  It is incredible to think people were tarred shot with arrows off of this structure.  Trier is not a city that has been exempt from brutal times.

We saw the Jewish Quarter (Judengasse), located right down an alley street in the middle of the Hauptmarkt.  It was essentially a Jewish ghetto. This was at one time home to all the Jewish people of this area.  The back alley street right off the Hauptmarkt has a large archway that once hung large doors and a chain to keep the people in this area.  They most certainly were not allowed out in the evening.  During World War II, the families living here fled to The United States or The Netherlands.  Those that fled to the Netherlands more than likely ended up in a concentration camp.  Some of those families that survived returned to this area and still live there today.

Our walk continued on to the Constantine Basilica (dating back to the Roman Empire), the Imperial Roman Baths (where apparently people used to scrub their bodies with fermented urine), the palace gardens, and the amphitheater.  The amphitheater is surrounded by a protecting wall with openings for animal cages.  It had a seating capacity of 18-20,000 spectators.  Underneath the arena is a vast cellar where the death sentenced prisoners were kept in cells side by side with the wild animals they should fight with.  A moveable platform took them up to the arena for the final fight.  Brutal times.

An ice cream cone for the kids and a pint of beer for the hubby was the perfect end to our day.  Well... almost.  Maybe the 15 Euro ticket on our windshield for our over two hour expired parking pass was the kicker.  But it was worth it.  We were thoroughly impressed with how well the kids did keeping up with all the walking.  It is quite promising for future trips!  Needless to say, after all the walking, it was a sound night of sleep for all.

Daniel, Liam & Rowan on one of the elephants on parade.

Daniel & Liam at the Port Nigra

Family at the Hauptmarkt

Jewish Garden, a Jewish ghetto during WWII.

Walking the Hauptmarkt

Hauptmarkt

Taking it all in in the basilica.

Rowan & Liam in the basilica

Patrick in the basilica

Ice cream at the Hauptmarkt

Approaching the Baths.

Imperial Baths

Climbing on some Roman ruins.

Liam at the baths.

Teddy in the amphitheater. Keeping things interesting.

Rowan at the amphitheater

Checking out a place where people once had to fight for their lives.

Up in the seating.

Palace Gardens with my girl

                                                           Photogenic Patrick in the amphitheater

                                           Liam the Firecracker chasing ducks in the garden.
                                          Liam actually caught the tail feathers of this duck.  It
                                         let out a loud quack/yell.  Liam is not that quick, I am
                                         pretty sure these ducks get fed all the time but don't
                                         always have curly haired little boys trying to grab them.

Landstuhl Living... and Adjusting.

As of today, our family of 6 has been living out of suitcases for 53 days.  I am ready to hurl these bastards out the window into oncoming traffic.

Our Chevy Suburban arrived in Germany last week.  On that day, I had walked the kids down to the park we discovered only 4 blocks from our apartment here in Landstuhl.  The kids had really enjoyed the park.  On that particular day, they met a few children that speak English whose mother is native German, and father is a civilian for the Department of Defense.  On the walk back to the apartment, Patrick broke down.  He told me, "I want to be their friends but I am too shy to ask.  I need to be where I belong and that is in Arizona."  

We have had a handful of these types of breakdowns with the kids that focus on anything from not having their dog Holly anymore, missing their extended family, missing their toys, their house, or their yard.  I have even had a few myself over the challenge of getting out to exercise in our transient mode, family and friends, our regular routine and activities, and just thinking about the comfort of the home we left in Arizona.  No one ever said change is easy.

Daniel has been driving the Suburban to work every day for a week now.  Of course this leaves the children and I with no vehicle, but to be quite honest I would rather not drive it right now.  First of all, I am fairly certain the street we live on was constructed before cars were even invented.  Getting it down this street and backed in behind the apartment building takes some serious skill I am fairly certain I do not possess.  Needless to say the kids and I have been hoofing it which is best anyway at this stage of our transition.  The day Daniel brought the Suburban home, Patrick was lying on the couch in the living room crying about how much he misses his family, his home, his basset hound Holly.  

Daniel came in and told the kids to look out the back window.  When they saw their old car parked out back they all started to cheer.  We all piled in and took a drive.  I asked how they felt about having their car back.  "Good.  Very good."  I never knew a 2003 Chevy Suburban could provide so much comfort and solstice.

Last Thursday was also a particularly hard day.  We have been to the park each day and to be quite honest, after spending 2 to 3 hours at the same neighborhood park for 3 weeks a child can somehow grow tired of the same activity.  So on this day I decided to seek out a orthodontist for Teddy (it is on our to-do list here once we get settled).  I found one right here in walking distance in Landstuhl and got a same day appointment.  

Anyone that knows me knows I have a challenged sense of direction.  I got turned around, asked for some directions from a few locals passing by, and somehow managed to get our motley crew to the back alley office.  Perhaps this was not the best activity to schedule for this day but what is done is done.  Long story short, Liam wet his pants and threw a temper tantrum and Rowan broke the braces off the model teeth in the office.  We all left exasperated and emotionally spent.  Teddy will be getting braces in January. 

Shortly after leaving the office as we made our way through the narrow streets, Patrick and Rowan informed me Liam took a car from the toy box in the office.  Liam had the guiltiest look on his face, and attempted to hide the car behind his back.  I took the two youngest's hands and led them to an open square in the neighborhood with park benches and fountains.  I sat them down, and explained to Liam why is was not okay to take the car.  I have the car in my purse with every intention of returning it when I can leave my posse behind with their father.

In all this calamity and emotion, we managed to find a silver lining.  After resting a spell on the park bench, we realized all the mothers and grandmothers everywhere rolling up the pants and removing the shoes of young children to romp in the fountains.   There were water misters, waterfalls down the stairs, even a small splash pad.  What anyone in the United States would deem as off limits, these Germans found perfectly suitable for cooling off in on a steamy August afternoon.  

Liam jumped off the park bench and raced for the splash pad- socks, shoes, jeans and all.  I quickly peeled off everyone's shoes and socks, rolled up everyone's jeans, and let them have their freedom.  

At this moment I realized a big part of our struggle are my expectations.   I have been expecting my children to act like adults.  They are not adults.  Not only have they been temporarily stripped of their home, their toys, and their dog, but they cannot go outside and play, run, swim, or explore as they did with their own home and their own yard.  I need to stop trying to stifle their innate desire to explore, run, jump, touch, and move.  I need to choose my battles.  So today, in this moment, I let them move without their mother trying to tell them what to do.  They walked home soaking wet, but happy.

One thing i have noticed here in Germany is the lack of governing on simple things such as a park or a water fountain.  In the United States, we are always trying to tell someone how tall or how old they must be to go down the slide.  If you were to take your shoes off and stick them in the water fountain people would be mortified.  I think as a society we should really start letting people know what they can do instead of what they cannot.  Choose our battles wisely.  Don't sweat the small stuff.  Sometimes you just need to roll up your pants and get wet.

"Out of clutter find simplicity.  From discord find harmony.  In the middle of difficulty lies                      opportunity."

Rowan and Liam under the mister with another little boy.

         

                                                      Liam playing in the water fall.

Better Late Than Never!

So I promised myself when we found out we were coming to Germany, I would keep up on my blog and write at least once a week.  Three weeks here and I am already breaking my first vow.  But... Better late than never, right?

This summer has been absolutely gorgeous.  I am fairly certain it has only rained maybe 3 times and each one a short burst since we have been here.  Locals have informed me this is the first "real" summer they have had in 3 years.  Typically, temperatures do not get much higher than 70 degrees.  We have enjoyed plenty of sunshine, walks, park time, and even managed to get our toes wet here and there.  I have personally slipped on my running.  Between trying to adjust to the time difference, living in an apartment in downtown Landstuhl, and Daniel leaving for work in the early morning I have barely managed to get in two runs a week.  I have told myself I will deeply regret not taking advantage of this summer weather once the rain and colder temperatures roll in.  Once we get into school (which we are now registered for and starts in a week and a half) I plan on getting back in it.  However we have had plenty of other tasks and activities keeping us busy.

We have been busy little bees with all kinds of in-processing things.  The most time consuming chore on our list was house hunting.  At first, we were so excited to look at the german homes.  How romantic is it to find a traditional German home located in a quaint town, where each little village has their own kindergarten and bakery?  However...  the pieces were just not falling into place to make that romantic German dream a reality.  Every home we looked at seemed to disappear before we even had a chance to call or inquire.  So we finally got smart.  We were watching the online listings like hawks. A ridiculously daunting task to say the least. As soon as a home that looked interesting would pop up, we would take to the cell phone as quickly as humanely possible.  We were always the second interested party.  We lost a few homes this way.  Guess we just were not as quick to the draw as we needed to be.  Needless to say, after looking at 8 homes (yes... 8.... and you know Daniel and I always act fast!) we were at a loss.  I finally found a listing for new construction in the quaint little town of Weilerbach Germany.  It was not exactly what we had in mind.  We honestly were sticking to our romantic notions of renting a German home in a town with not many Americans, rolling green hills, tiny streets, the younger two in a German Kindergarten (although I am not giving up on this last dream just yet).... all with its own unique story and charm.

The house we ended up renting is a brand new construction, we are the first to ever occupy.  It has a larger lot than most German homes.  It is on a small little residential street, bike trails running behind it, the school bus stop on the corner, walking distance to local shops, parks and soccer field.  There will be plenty of American families surrounding us (we originally wanted to immerse as much as possible).  For the first time the kids will be able to walk or ride their bike to parks, fields, and friend's houses.  We have never gone to school with the same kids in our neighborhood.  They will have the opportunity to play sports with all the local kids.   The house is 3800 square feet (yes... those are your tax dollars at work), 5 bedroom, 3 bathrooms, amazing kitchen, big open loft with bar on the third floor...  So maybe our German dream has experienced a minor revision.   We are still in a quaint German town.  We will just have a little more of the United States at our disposal than what we originally set out for.  We hope to move in next week sometime.

Front of house

                                              Front of our new home for the next 3 years

                                          Large area of "soon to be grass" in our new yard

The first weekend after we arrived, Landstuhl was having a local fair.  We decided to walk the kids down there on Saturday evening and enjoy a beer and brat for dinner.  They had plenty of food, drink, rides, and games.  Teddy and Patrick immediately saw the bumper cars and had to get on those bad boys.  I am pretty sure they go just a touch faster than the bumper cars back in the states.  They had a great time and rode them twice.  However when we sat down to eat it was obvious Teddy was suffering from a rather large seatbelt burn on his neck!  Luckily there were no complaints of whiplash. Rowan and Liam took a few trips around the block on the fire truck and luckily there were no resulting injuries.

Teddy and his seatbelt burn

                                                    Rowan and Liam on the fire truck

Last Saturday we took the kids to the dinosaur park in Kaiserslautern.  It is actually called Gartenschau Kaiserslautern, Garden Show. It has the largest open air dinosaur exhibit in Europe.  The replicas show the evolution of the dinosaurs in the different geological ages from Devon to Cretaceous.  The trails wind through breath-taking  flower gardens, deep forests, and around to open fields.  It also had the most amazing playgrounds I have ever seen!  Daniel and I could not stop asking ourselves why you cannot find play equipment like this in the states? The kids were thrilled.  The kids walked, up and down I don't know how many stairs to slides.  The rope course was amazing. There were disc and basket swings the kids could crawl and lounge inside.  You name it, they had it.  Outdoor table tennis, soccer courts, skate park, and sand volleyball courts.  There were even water features! Pictures just do not do it justice.  And the kicker?  Daniel could sit in the grass under the shade of a tree drinking beer while watching the kids.  The cost?  $16 entrance for a family of 6 and fun for everyone!  The atmosphere is exactly why I love Europe and wanted to come back.  Whole families everywhere.  Little kids running around in their skivvies that failed to pack a swim suit... but who cares?  People napping on lounge chairs under trees.  Families gathered around picnic benches with coolers overflowing with food and drink.  This is what life is all about.

Patrick on the rope course

Rowan on the rope course

Patrick in the castle on a log draw bridge

Rowan hitting the trails

See?  Daniel in the grass with a beer.

Rowan

Isn't this incredible?!  Liam was all about these slides!!  Funny story about these slides.  Daniel and I were sitting in the grass when we watched a beautiful blond haired little girl approach Teddy.  They spoke very briefly when we saw Teddy shake his head no and dart up the stairs.  When asked what that little girl said to him, Teddy responded, "I have no idea.  I told her I am not from this country and I don't speak German."  I later ran into the little girl myself and she spoke perfect English and told me she's from Florida and just visiting.  Our theory is Teddy wants nothing to do with girls and gave the girl no opportunity to speak, and only heard noises like Charlie Brown's teacher.  

Daniel and Teddy

Me and my bambinos

Daniel with the bambinos.

                                                            Finally!  One of both of us!

                                                           The kids in the dino mouth.

So I understand this post is a bit long winded but I swear I am getting close to wrapping this up!  We also took the kids to a park in Homberg Germany.  I am not sure the name of it, but we call it The Pirate Ship Park.  I am fairly certain that is not necessarily what it is called by the locals.  Anyway, once again, Germany hit a home run with this park!  Aside from the skate park, rock climbing wall, and slide, it also had a fairly large pond with a pirate ship right in the middle.  And what is a family park in Germany without a beer garden?  Oh yes.  This park came complete with a beer garden.  And the Karlsberg brewery right across the street.  I saw some boys around Teddy's age walking around with buckets in the pond water.  I asked them in my half English/severely murdered German what was in their bucket.  How do you say polywog in German?  I wasn't sure but come to find out its just polywog.  Quickly our two oldest were also searching for polywogs.  I also spoke with an older couple there with their 9 grandchildren.  They took all 9 grandchildren to the park themselves!  The children seemingly ranged from about 15 down to 3.  They were so involved.  The older children helping the younger, the Oma and Opa (grandma and Grandpa) playing with the children, rolling up their pants and wading in the water.  Once again another fun day.

                                   
                                   Kids playing on the rafts, big beer garden in the background.

Teddy and Patrick in front of the pirate ship.

                                                         Looking for polywogs

Until next time,which I will make sure is not this long again, Guten Tag!

Point A to Point B

I know I have not posted anything yet on Germany.   Shame on me.  However I have a few items from earlier in our trip that I think are worth mentioning.

#1.  When we arrived in the Tucson International Airport terminal waiting for our plane that we would take to Dallas Texas (our first leg of the trip to New York), we saw some good friends of ours walk up to the same gate.  The Bristows.  The boys played soccer with Matthew Bristow.  Our families bonded over a traumatic experience at soccer practice one evening in Tucson Arizona just after the sun set.  Liam and Tyler Bristow, then 2 years of age, got lost in the park.  We were so worried they possibly wandered out into the desert.  However they were found about 10 minutes after we realized they were gone.  I found them on the playground up on the slide with their shoes off.   Anyway, here is a photo of the older boys hanging out while waiting for their flight.

                                    Matthew, Patrick, and Teddy in Tucson Airport July 2013

#2,  Now I am not quite sure what the story is about this next photo, but I stumbled upon this treasure as I was searching for a few photos I took on Daniel's phone while traveling. Now this is just speculation, but if I were a betting woman I would put money on the fact that this was taken on Tom, Chad, and Daniel's golf trip.  Word on the street (or Fosters Corners) is Chad and Daniel suck at golf.  Granted they are 37 and 36 years old respectively and have never golfed a day in their lives.  I believe the outing commenced at 10am.  I asked Daniel what this was.  He looked at me and scoffed, "Its a diaper box full of golf balls and beer?!"  They have another golf date set for 2016.

                                                        This is how a golfing dad rolls


Now I will jump ahead to our journey to Germany.  The trip was absolutely flawless.  We all slept for the most part the entire journey.  I had armed myself with coloring books, books to read, word search books, toy cars, trains, cards, movies, and the all important benedryl (to use in a pinch if I needed to sedate my children).  However I never used any of these things because the kids fell asleep before the flight attendants even had the chance to give their safety spiel.

                                        Patrick, Rowan & Daniel on the way to Dallas Texas

                                              Teddy and Liam on the way to Dallas Texas

We flew into Ramstein Air Base at 1:45pm local time.  It was a cool, cloudy day and it was sprinkling outside.  We were all absolutely exhausted.  Luckily we only had a 10 minute taxi ride to our apartment in Landstuhl.  The gentleman we are renting from, Udo, was giving me the "low down" on the apartment, including the recycling which I have yet to figure out.  However I could digest very little of his information because the kids were about ready to go into a meltdown (as was I).  That first evening we wanted to prevent jet lag as much as possible (we are still dealing with that.  The kids have not gone to bed earlier than 11pm since we got here) so after a short period of down time, we showered and went for a walk in search of ice cream cones.  After traveling abroad for over 12 hours with 4 children under the age of 9, that is what you do right?!  The kids were thrilled about it... so whatever works.  We are still working on the jet lag.  Daniel and I have yet to get to bed before midnight, and the kids are naturally getting up around 3am to start the day, then back to bed and sleeping until noon.  Once we get over this hardship things will be much better!

The apartment we are temporarily staying in until we find a house to rent is wonderful.  You would think a 2 bedroom apartment for 6 people would never work, but think again.  Of course our children insist on sleeping in the same bedroom even at home so this is just fine with them.  German engineering is so efficient!  The appliances are so easy to operate and are very energy efficient.  Everything is so Feng Shui.  At first I was hesitant to drink the water, because the only experience I had overseas was in Naples where they deterred you from drinking local water.  However the water here is quite good and safe.  Safe is good.  The bathroom is gorgeous with a garden tub, and beautiful stand up shower, both equipped with hand nozzles.  Liam loves the buttons in the walls used to flush the toilets, and the light switches.  He makes sure we have plenty of light in each room, and that the toilet always has fresh water.  ;)

The kitchen of our temporary digs

The bathroom (excuse the luggage) of our temporary housing

                                          The kids kicking back in our temporary living space 
                                          Note:  Rowan uses those speakers in the corners on 
                                          stands as microphones and.... if I do say so myself...
                                          puts on quite the performance.  She made up a 
                                          song the other day with a chorus, "Its not if you 
                                          win or lose, its whether or not you had fun..oooohhh."

I noticed there is an older woman who lives across the street from us, one floor up.  She smiles and waves to us from her window when we walk outside.  I watched her clean her windows.  When she finished, she threw the window open just a bit wider and dumped her huge bucket of dirty water right out her second story window into the street.

                                     The outside of our temporary Landstuhl Germany apartment
                                                             We are on the bottom floor.

                                            Daniel on the top of our street, ImserstaBe.
                                                 

The base is a 10 minute car ride, however we have no means of transportation as we are still waiting for our German drivers licenses and our 2003 Chevy Suburban (which the government felt was so vital to our national security that they paid to ship it overseas) to arrive.  Needless to say, we have taken the bull by the horns and delved right into local German markets.  We have two grocery stores right around the corner from our apartment.  One reminds me of an Aldi that we are familiar with back in the states.  The other store, I am wondering if it is geared towards health foods.  The produce seems to be a great quality, along with plenty of healthy choices of most anything you can imagine.  On my first trip, I purchased unrefrigerated milk and eggs.  I recall some time ago a friend of mine informing me that truly fresh eggs need no refrigeration.  It is after they have been around a while that they require refrigeration.  Milk? I have no explanation for this.  However, there was no option for refrigerated milk.  So... when in Rome!

I was quite hesitant to try the milk.  So of course, I let the kids try it first and just didn't say anything to them.  ;)  I asked Teddy in the morning while he was eating his cereal how the milk was, and he said "Fine."  If its good for you its good for me!

The eggs are amazing!  I have seen organic eggs before but I can't believe how orange these are.  I can only imagine what they feed these chickens. They are the orange-est eggs I have ever seen in my life.   And they taste so creamy and wonderful.  Oh delicious, wonderful, nutrient rich eggs!  Where have you been all our lives?

The coffee I bought in the store?  Eh..  Daniel and I think the one in particular I purchased was quite bitter.  I told him the packaging could read, "Icky bitter coffee made for suckers just like you!" and I would never know any different.  Of course I typically drench my coffee in my signature International Delight. Apparently Germans have not been introduced to this (what a shame), or maybe they just hide it all for themselves from Americans such as myself.  Or perhaps I have yet to stumble upon the local coffee creamer store. I purchased this small little container of once again, non-refrigerated "milky substance" to put in my coffee called Kondens Milch.  It had a picture of an attractive German lady adding it to her steaming hot cup of coffee.  I get it home and after a little online translation I realize.. it is condensed milk.  The package claims its "gut and gunstig," (good and favorable).  I have a different opinion.  Now if its all I have as an option, I will take it.  As my mom always said, beggars can't be choosers.  However it doesn't have anything on the coffee creamers I am used to.

Daniel is thrilled with the bier (beer).  The bottles are much bigger.  He purchased a variety 6 pack the other night and it was 6 euros, just under $8.  He believes its much better quality and quantity than what you get back home.  I quit drinking a year ago but I am very happy for him.

Today we took a mile walk up to Nanstein Castle which can be seen towering over most places in Landstuhl.   The walk was incredible, especially for a family that loves the outdoors.  We took a hiking path through the woods up to the castle. We came upon a tree stump someone had carved into the head of a hog.  It was impressive work! Church bells could be heard ringing down in the town below.  The birds were singing.  The sky was as blue as could be without a cloud in sight.  The temperature was warmer than any other day we've had here.  We even broke sweats!  Patrick was able to spot, capture, and identify the elusive Northern Bavarian Leaf Lizard.  Okay he was just a tiny little lizard and I totally made that name up.  We don't know what kind he is but he (I'm pretty sure he was male.  If not she was one ugly female) is a German lizard nonetheless.  Liam broke his tail off but thankfully he can grow another.  We took our time checking out all the different plants, trees, and berries that grow along the path.  We came upon several different benches that peered out through the trees onto the village below.  The kids were so excited to tour Burg Nanstein, seemingly built into the side of the sandstone hill, even touring the bowels of a real dungeon.  Here is some information on the castle I found online:

"Burg Nanstein is a castle in Landstuhl, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

It was built around the year 1162 after Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I demanded its construction as additional defense for the Palatinate.

In 1504, German knight Franz von Sickingen, inherited part of the castle after his father's death in the War of the Bavarian Succession, finally acquiring the entire castle in 1518. He immediately began extensive refortification to make the castle suitable for firearms.

Nanstein is well known for an elaborate siege during the Knights' Revolt in 1523 which claimed the life of von Sickingen. The fall of Nanstein was a symbol for the decline of castles in the Palatinate.

In 1542, von Sickingen's sons recovered Nanstein as a fief and started reconstruction of the castle. Reinhard von Sickingen completed the reconstruction in 1595. In 1668, Elector Charles I Louis forced Lotharingian troops from the castle and razed the fortifications.

In the 19th century the first conservation work was done on Nanstein, and this has continued to the present day."      ~Wikipedia

After our tour, we walked back through the woods, down to the village and enjoyed an early dinner at an outdoor eatery.  We tried our first authentic schnitzel, one with mushroom cream sauce, the other with a lemon sauce.  It was wonderful.  Teddy says he loved the schnitzel just as much as "chinese chicken" and sushi.  This eatery had a great ambiance with an outdoor play area for the kids.  While sitting at the table of this outdoor eatery, I looked up at the shade tree overhead and realized it is the same kind of tree we sat beneath on my mom and dad's picnic tables.  After finishing our dinner, we learned how to say, "Check, please" in German, uberprufen sie bitte!  : )

Patrick & Rowan in front of the hog carved stump

Teddy enjoying the view from a Castle window

The view of Landstuhl, from Burg Nanstein

Sandstone wall in the castle

Daniel & the kids at Burg Nanstein

Teddy in the dungeon

Patrick and his lizard

                                                           A walk home from the castle

Me and Patrick hanging out on a castle