Somehow we got through another long and tiring week! The weather has been really warm and it feels like Spring.
School is wrapping up and the kids are in the middle of AP exams and finishing big projects. In my German class, we are getting close to the final DTZ exam, so every class has turned into heavy exam prep. Work has been busy too, so by the end of the week we were completely exhausted.
Luckily, I just started a new work schedule where I work four ten-hour days and then have every Friday off. This was my first Friday off and after a week of ten hour days and I desperately needed it after all the early wake up calls. I started the morning by sleeping in, which felt amazing. Then I tackled a major house clean that was long overdue after such a busy week.
After that, I made the rounds to all three supermarkets to stock up on everything we needed: the commissary, Lidl, and Kaufland. Yes, we really do need all three because each one carries things we cannot find elsewhere. Somehow, despite spending forever grocery shopping, our cupboards seem to always be bare.
Friday afternoon I joined some of the other baseball moms to assemble lunches for the team for the next day. By the time I finally got home around five o’clock, I laid down for what I thought would be a short nap. Four hours later, I woke up just long enough to eat something before heading straight back to bed. I truly was exhausted.
Saturday was filled with baseball and softball, but it was also Senior Recognition Day, which made it extra special. Brooklyn pitched the first game and did an amazing job. Between games, the seniors and their families lined up on the field while each player was recognized for their years on the team.
Brooklyn even earned the coveted Black Letter, which is reserved only for athletes who have played on the team all four years. It was such a proud moment.
After softball, we headed to Ryan’s baseball game. He played great and made several really good plays. We are so happy to see him getting more and more game time.
That evening we went to some friends’ going away dinner at the Horse Farm Biergarten. On the way home, we stopped by a neighbor’s fire pit for a little while, but we were all so tired that we did not even stay long enough for a drink. Everyone was ready for an early bedtime.
Sunday was Mother’s Day. Originally we had planned to spend the entire day deep in the southern Black Forest, but the weather forecast looked terrible, so we adjusted our plans and stayed a little closer to home. We still headed into the Black Forest for a hike, starting at Allerheiligen Waterfalls.
The waterfalls are absolutely beautiful, with a series of cascading falls rushing through the forest over moss covered rocks and wooden bridges. The trail winds alongside the water the entire way, climbing steadily upward through the trees. We started at the bottom and worked our way all the way to the top. By the time we made it there, we were definitely ready for a bathroom break and something to drink.
Thankfully, Germany never disappoints because there always seems to be a Biergarten waiting at the end of every hike. At first we were worried because we did not see one anywhere, but after walking a few more minutes we suddenly found two. We decided to stay for lunch, which was delicious, and they were serving Spargel soup, one of my favorite spring dishes here.
After lunch we headed to Seewald Leisure Park, a tiny amusement park tucked into the forest that also, naturally, has a Biergarten. The main attraction was the huge mountain coaster that we had all been wanting to ride. We each took turns going down. It was especially funny when the operator warned us before starting that if we did not brake in the turns, “it will hurt a lot.”
We were exhausted by the end of the day, but luckily Brooklyn had volunteered to drive that day as a gift for Mother’s Day. We rode home and ended the week the same way we often do: sitting on the couch together with Thai food and absolutely no energy left.
Gilcrests Abroad 