Twenty three weeks feels unreal!
Having gotten home from our quick trip to Maryland on Monday night, we spent most of the rest of the week recovering.
The only exciting thing that happened is Matt finally got his new car on Wednesday! He was a little sad to say goodbye to the awesome loaner car he had, but we’re also glad to finally have a car we can feel comfortable in, and not just as guests.
Friday was my day off so we decided to head back to Fernsehturm, Stuttgart’s TV tower. We previously visited with the kids but neither wanted to go to the top. The weather was pretty clear so we made that our first stop. The elevator rocketed us to the top in about 30 seconds and we got there shortly after it opened so it wasn’t crowded.
We could see for miles and were able to point out several landmarks that we recognized.
After we checked out the views from both levels of the viewing platform, we headed back inside to the Panorama Cafe for some mid-morning drinks. We hit the gift shop on the way out and found a super cool aluminum model of Fernsehturm, that we couldn’t leave without.
By the time we were ready to go, it was still early in the day so we decided to check out a popular Biergarten that also has great views. We followed the GPS instructions that took us to the flight of stairs in the hillside.
They didn’t look that bad but they took us about 10 minutes to climb and we were so winded when we got to the top. I was really afraid the Biergarten would be closed when we got there but thankfully it was open!
The views from the top were definitely worth it. The bier was also really good and one we hadn’t tried so far- Sanwald. We (I) also got a really good flammkuchen, which is pretty much a German flatbread pizza. Matt is watching what he eats so he just watched me eat it and continually repeated how full he was from his breakfast.
Saturday, the weather looked clear so we headed out to another castle- Sigmaringen. Two weeks ago, we went to Hohenzollern Castle. The Hohenzollern family was part of the Prussian Royal Family. Hohenzollern was their “country” castle. Sigmaringen Castle was their “city” castle and it was only 15 minutes south of Hohenzollern.
When we got there, the Saturday market was underway so Brooklyn and Ryan had to stop and get their usual snacks- strawberries and French fries. We let them buy what they want in the markets, as long as they try and use German to do so.
After our snack, we walked through the town and up the hill to the castle. The town is a typical southern German town, with lots of half timbered buildings. Very cute, but also I’m noticing that I’m not as excited to see the half timber anymore.
We got to the castle just as a wedding party was heading in. I wish I had a dollar for every time we accidentally attended someone else’s wedding.
We did the audio tour of the castle and stopped in the gift shop. We try to make these trips more “fun” and almost always let the kids pick a magnet and some tiny trinket. This time I found a super cool gift for me, a map of Baden-Württemberg, the German state we live in.
After the castle, we stopped for kebabs for lunch. Matt skipped lunch and just told us how full he was from breakfast 😂.
After our kebabs, we had to make another stop at the Sausage stand that sold Glühwein! Glühwein is a hot, spiced wine that is usually sold at Christmas markets and it was the first time I’d seen it this year so I had to get some.
Our last stop in Sigmaringen was the castle viewpoint. Luckily, it is not as hard to access as Hohenzollern’s. You just walk across a bridge and there you are.
When we got back into the car, it was still pretty early and since we were so close to Hohenzollern, we decided to try the hike to that viewpoint again. Two weeks ago, we took the wrong route and ended up on a perilous trek. I really wanted to try out the easy route and see the viewpoint.
It was only about a 15 minute drive, and then twenty minute easy walk out to the ledge. It was definitely crowded with lots of other hikes but the view with all the fall foliage made it so worth it. The pictures don’t do it justice.
Some picture taking and a twenty minute walk back to the car and we were on our way home.
Saturday night was Oktoberfest on base so when we got home, we got the kids settled and changed into our Dirndl and Lederhosen.
We had bought a table in the bier tent with four other couples. There was rotisserie chicken, pork knuckle, and potato salad and a live band. It was so fun to have a kid free night out with our friends!
On Sunday we slept in but in the afternoon, we headed back to base for Family Day at the Biergarten. Ryan didn’t want to go because he said he didn’t get much sleep the night the night before. I think he was secretly worried we would force him to wear lederhosen. 🤣
Brooklyn came with us though because she was super eager to wear her new dirndl that we got at an athletic dirndl shop (not Amazon, like mine 🤣) Matt and I got dressed up again and had lunch and some biers with friends at the Biergarten while the kids played the carnival games.
We are ready for another easy going week before Brooklyn and I head back to the U.S. next weekend for Alli’s wedding!!
Gilcrests Abroad 