Another week has flown by, and after our trip to England last weekend, we stayed a bit closer to home this week. The weather has been warming up, the flowering trees are in full bloom, and the birds are back. I really love this time of year in Germany.
The regular week flew by in a blur: baseball and softball for the kids, work gym and German classes for me and Matt.
Thursday was a special day at German class. Many of my classmates are practicing Muslims, and during the month of Ramadan, they have been fasting from sunrise to sunset. As the days have gotten longer, they’ve had to come to class without having eaten all day. Since Thursday was the last day of Ramadan, called Eid-Al-Fatir, our teacher planned a party for the class.
It worked perfectly with the curriculum, as we’ll need to plan a party with a partner for during the test so this was good practice. For food and drinks, everyone brought something from their home country. I brought buffalo chicken wings, and we also had Trilice cake from Albania, Kyivski cake from Ukraine, Bosnian meatballs, Turkish and Macedonian salads, and more. Everything was delicious, and it was so fun getting to try so many new foods!
Finally, the weekend arrived, and we kicked it off on Friday after work. Matt’s old German friend, who had moved away a few years ago, was back in town, so they met for dinner at the Paulaner Bierhaus in Stuttgart to catch up.
I attended a going-away party for a dear coworker at Giarola Wine Bar near our house. When it closed, we moved the party to the Irish pub down the street and somehow stayed until they shut down at 2:30 a.m.—definitely a new record for me. Luckily, I was within walking distance of home, and Matt had already made it back by then.
We had a very early morning the next day. First, Matt got up at 4:30 to drop the kids at the bus so they could start their journey to Hohenfels, Germany, for their games. We finally got up and left a little after 7:30. After debating who was more tired—or rather, Matt declaring he wasn’t going unless I drove—we agreed that I would drive to the games and he would drive home. Let’s just say it was a very tiring two-and-a-half hours. The drive should have taken three hours and since we left late, I really had to put the pedal to the floor to make it there by ten. We flew into the field just as the first game was starting and got to see Brooklyn at bat.
Brooklyn decided to return to pitching this year, so she was back in the circle, which always makes things more exciting for us. She threw the entire first game and absolutely dominated—completely in the zone from start to finish.
After catching Brooklyn’s first game, we drove over to the baseball field to watch Ryan play, and he had a great second game. By the end, though, the temperature had dropped and the rain started coming down—it was a freezing finish to the day!
The games were fantastic—both the softball and baseball teams came away with wins in both matchups.
After the games were over, it was Matt’s turn to drive home. I snuggled into the backseat with the two pillows and full blanket I had packed and drifted off into a glorious nap while he battled the traffic.
After we got home, we finished the night with some charcuterie, wine, and games at a neighbor’s house.
On Sunday, we had to get up early again—this time for Brooklyn’s senior pictures. One of my friends, a professional photographer, suggested we go to the Wilhelma Zoo that weekend while the magnolia trees in the Botanic Garden were in peak bloom.
To avoid the heavy crowds, we arrived before the zoo opened at 8 a.m. and were the first visitors inside. Luckily, we were able to get plenty of great shots before anyone else showed up. My friend, Nano, spent nearly three hours photographing Brooklyn, as well as capturing various family photos throughout the Wilhelma’s gardens and botanical buildings.
The zoo itself was absolutely stunning, and it turned out to be a beautiful day, despite a slight chill in the air. We’ve never visited the Wilhelma during the spring bloom, so we really loved the chance to experience it; even without the picture taking.
Once we finished, it was Nick and Natia’s turn for their photos. Brooklyn and Ryan headed home on the train while Matt and I enjoyed a coffee date at the zoo café, and then we all headed to a restaurant in West Stuttgart near where Nano lives, called Metzgerei, for a late brunch. We wrapped up the afternoon by relaxing together at their charming apartment.
With what was left of the day, we came back home to catch up on things around the house and lay around on the couch.
Gilcrests Abroad 