Our fall break was this past week, and it just so happened to take place on opening weekend of Germany's Oktoberfest. So we booked our tickets and headed to Bavaria once again.
This time in Germany, we started in Neuremburg - a place we have never been to before. There we went to the Nazi headquarters which is now a museum about how Hitler rose in to power in such a small amount of time. This was the first time the girls were really exposed to Hitler, and it was a non-graphic way for them to learn about what happened during the Holocaust.
Justin then ran a marathon and the girls entered kids' races just outside of Neuremburg. The girls' run was first, and Taelyn did a great job running her hardest with a huge smile on her face. We didn't count what place she came in, but she was definitely in the lead pack. We discovered, however, that Kaelia doesn't really like the idea of racing. She struggled after falling asleep in the car ride to the race and then didn't want to run. She still entered the race but had a volunteer helper join her. Justin's race was the next, and the girls and I had a wonderful time driving to various points on the course, cheering him on. We found lots of playgrounds and picked apples off of trees in the parks while we waited.
The next stop on our trip was to Munich for Oktoberfest! Since Justin and I have already been on opening weekend without the kids, we decided to go during the week for Family Day. We had a wonderful time as a family, hanging out in various tents, eating pretzels, gingerbread cookies, and chickens (they are amazing at Oktoberfest!), going on rides outside of the tents, and of course, drinking delicious liter beers. We also met up with a family that we know from school. At one of the tents, a kids' station was set up where the girls made lots of different crafts while the adults enjoyed the ambiance of the band, beer, and food.
After Munich, we went to my favorite town in Germany, Fussen, where there are gorgeous mountains, lakes, trails, and castles as well as great shopping and restaurants. After some amazing runs in the morning, we ventured off to see the castles - one of which was Walt Disney's inspiration when he designed Cinderella's castle. To top off the day, we ended up at a beautiful brewery for dinner. There was a kids club with a climbing wall and a two-lane bowling alley for the kids to enjoy after dinner. Then we all took advantage of the outdoor mini golf course on the premise. It was an all natural course with no railings, and the view in the background was of the mountains and castles. It was the most breathe-taking mini golf ever!
We concluded our vacation in the medieval city of Rothenburg where we went to a medieval torture museum and a night watchman tour. At the museum, we saw all different sorts of punishments from medieval times. Taelyn's favorite was a mask that women had to wear in public if they were caught talking too much. Kaelia loved some of the schoolroom punishments like wearing a dunce cap in the corner. The night watchman tour took place at night where a man dressed up as a night watchman and took us all around the old city, teaching us about its history. It was both fascinating and comical, and well really enjoyed the tour.
Germany was once again, an amazing country to visit. I especially loved how much the girls took in the culture this time around. Kaelia knows the entire "Ein Prosit" song that is sung at Oktoberfest and loves to sing and dance to it. And after spending some time back in the Middle East, I loved the crisp, clean air and lush green all around. It was really hard to leave!
This time in Germany, we started in Neuremburg - a place we have never been to before. There we went to the Nazi headquarters which is now a museum about how Hitler rose in to power in such a small amount of time. This was the first time the girls were really exposed to Hitler, and it was a non-graphic way for them to learn about what happened during the Holocaust.
Justin then ran a marathon and the girls entered kids' races just outside of Neuremburg. The girls' run was first, and Taelyn did a great job running her hardest with a huge smile on her face. We didn't count what place she came in, but she was definitely in the lead pack. We discovered, however, that Kaelia doesn't really like the idea of racing. She struggled after falling asleep in the car ride to the race and then didn't want to run. She still entered the race but had a volunteer helper join her. Justin's race was the next, and the girls and I had a wonderful time driving to various points on the course, cheering him on. We found lots of playgrounds and picked apples off of trees in the parks while we waited.
The next stop on our trip was to Munich for Oktoberfest! Since Justin and I have already been on opening weekend without the kids, we decided to go during the week for Family Day. We had a wonderful time as a family, hanging out in various tents, eating pretzels, gingerbread cookies, and chickens (they are amazing at Oktoberfest!), going on rides outside of the tents, and of course, drinking delicious liter beers. We also met up with a family that we know from school. At one of the tents, a kids' station was set up where the girls made lots of different crafts while the adults enjoyed the ambiance of the band, beer, and food.After Munich, we went to my favorite town in Germany, Fussen, where there are gorgeous mountains, lakes, trails, and castles as well as great shopping and restaurants. After some amazing runs in the morning, we ventured off to see the castles - one of which was Walt Disney's inspiration when he designed Cinderella's castle. To top off the day, we ended up at a beautiful brewery for dinner. There was a kids club with a climbing wall and a two-lane bowling alley for the kids to enjoy after dinner. Then we all took advantage of the outdoor mini golf course on the premise. It was an all natural course with no railings, and the view in the background was of the mountains and castles. It was the most breathe-taking mini golf ever!
We concluded our vacation in the medieval city of Rothenburg where we went to a medieval torture museum and a night watchman tour. At the museum, we saw all different sorts of punishments from medieval times. Taelyn's favorite was a mask that women had to wear in public if they were caught talking too much. Kaelia loved some of the schoolroom punishments like wearing a dunce cap in the corner. The night watchman tour took place at night where a man dressed up as a night watchman and took us all around the old city, teaching us about its history. It was both fascinating and comical, and well really enjoyed the tour.
Germany was once again, an amazing country to visit. I especially loved how much the girls took in the culture this time around. Kaelia knows the entire "Ein Prosit" song that is sung at Oktoberfest and loves to sing and dance to it. And after spending some time back in the Middle East, I loved the crisp, clean air and lush green all around. It was really hard to leave!
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