Legoland, Guenzburg.

Legoland, Germany is 1 1/2 hours by train from Munich. We had a sensible time to be at the station, and we were at Guenzburg by 11.30am. A quick check in at the hotel, and we were at the Legoland gates by noon. 

The boys were beside themselves with excitement as we got closer. There were large Lego blocks in the centre of the roundabout as we turned off the main road. At the Legoland gates music was played through speakers and the kids couldn't wait to get inside. 

The first thing recommended to us was to book the boys into the Lego/Audi driving school. It was only for kids between 7-13. Unfortunately Cameron missed out on this one, but there was a junior driving school for him. Alexander had his photo taken, and sat through a 15 minute video on safe driving (all in German). He then had 15 minutes to do some driving practice on the mini roads. The kids were brilliant, they were all very sensible, all kept on the correct side of the road, and there were no accidents. After their test, they were given their Lego driving license. 

Cameron had a mini track that they went around, he still got a license, but no photo...but both of them were thrilled about it! 

  

Next were lots of rides, boats, cars, trains, horses. There was so much to do, and the kids are just the right age for Legoland. There were a couple of roller coasters, and a mad mouse. Alexander wanted to try them, and was scared on each one, but he had a go, and after the shock of it, was happy he tried it...but once was enough. Cameron surprisingly didn't want to go on those rides...and I thought he would be the one who would want to.

On the boat rides...Cameron is getting better at steering, we only got stuck twice!

We saw 2 4D movies....the 3D glasses, and the 4th dimension was snow falling from the ceiling, streamers, blowing wind etc...the kids were amazed. They kept reaching out to touch the things that were popping out at them.

This log ride, we all went on, and got soaked through (about 6 degrees that day), they had a big hay bale dryer nearby that you could get into and get dry in 3 minutes!

Phil and Alexander in the front seat in a "Mad Mouse" type ride

The mini planes....don't you just love the Lego circles on everything??

One of those spinning rides that go really fast (not Phil's favourite)

Cameron on the horse ride

The world of Crazy King Ludwig II

We took an organised tour and see the famous Neuschwanstein castle - the one that Disneyland castle is based upon. The tour also included a visit to the Winter palace of Ludwig II. 

 The first stop was the Winter Palace, which is quite small but fantastically designed and decorated. 

After a short tour of the palace, it was back on the bus and off to the gift shops, in some remote village in the mountains. As we drove out of the little township, Nicole spied the Christmas shop that we have found at the Christmas markets last year, but it was too late, we were on the way out of the village. 

When we arrived at the base of the castle (at a pre-determined restaurant for lunch, you know how these tours go), we had lunch, then set off up to the castle itself. It was a good 30-40 minute walk up the hill, and quite steep. It was possible to get a horse and cart ride up about 2/3 of the way, but the line was about 100 people deep (and with 8 per wagon, it was going to be a while). It was a nice walk, and we got up to the castle in plenty of time for our designated tour time. 

 

Ludwig was as mad as a hatter. He did, however have a pretty decent castle built. Heavily inspired by the operas of Wagner (by the sounds of it, his only friend), he designed and decorated Neuschwanstein based upon these themes. Although only 30% of the interior was finished. The castle is 150 years old, and hardly lived in (he only lived there for 175 days). Everything is really well preserved. 

The government of the time realised Ludwig was spending too much money, and getting into debt (he had plans for another castle as well, which was never built). The only way the government could stop him building and getting into more debt, was to have him diagnosed as mad. He was declared mad by a doctor, and was removed from the castle. The following day the doctor and Ludwig were found dead in the lake. To this day it is not known how they died...it adds to the mystery of the castles. 

The boys loved the castle - in fact, they were right up the front with the tour guide, looking around whilst Nicole and I were stuck in the middle of the 'herd'. They were off looking at everything having a great time.  It was good to see them being independent, discovering facts, asking the tour guide questions and really listening. As we headed back to the bus. and on the way back to the hotel hey were able to rattle off all sorts of facts about both castles! After our castle tour, we headed back down to the bus and drove back to Munich. A quick dinner and back to the hotel in preparation for the following day's surprise.

Easter Holiday : München

We have done so much touring, where the boys have been fantastic and covered incredible distances.  They have learnt to be really seasoned travellers, so this holiday we had planned something extra special for them. 

We travelled by train to Munich, April in Berlin has been really lovely Spring weather, so we packed the same sort of clothes.  We got off the train in Munich and it was snowing.  So, we wore as many layers of clothes that we could and walked fast to keep warm. 

We had our tour plans pretty well organised when we arrived, after speaking to some friends. We checked into the hotel, we had a massive hotel room (the wheelchair-friendly suite) and the boys had to be instructed NOT to pull the emergency call cord whilst sitting on the loo! It was huge, and comfortable, and perfect for us. After checking into our hotel (close to the train-station, but still far enough to freeze on the way!) and putting on more clothes we ventured out.  

We took a city bus tour to help us get familiar with the city, so we were ready for proper touring the following day. 

The "mascot" of Munich is the Lion. Now that explains the song in Hansel and Gretel, "Lions are roaming the woods of Bavaria".  It was the boys mission to find as many lions as they could! They found heaps, and we took photos of every one we found. 

The hotel proved to be very comfortable and we all had a great night's sleep. The breakfast in the morning was basic, but hearty. Very continental, the only hot things were boiled eggs, coffee and hot chocolate. After that, it was cereal, cold meat, cheese, rolls and the like. Just what you need before heading out into the sleet and snow! 

Alexander was given the job of getting us to the Olympic stadium so we could go up the Olympic tower. After consulting the maps, he took us back to the main railway station,  onto the underground. changing trains once, and straight to the Olympic Park. With the ground covered in snow, we made our way to the tower and went up for a look over the city. There was almost no-one there - only one other family, and it was a bit grey and foggy, so we really didn't see too far (but the kids still loved it!).

 We went to the BMW museum. It is currently in temporary accommodation, due to renovation, and only a small selection is on show. However the boys were really interested in all the cars and motorbikes and afterwards were continuously pointing out BMW's on the streets of Munich (which, by the way, is a lot!).

 We then caught the subway back to the middle of town, where the town-hall has the world's largest glockenspiel that chimes at certain hours. We got there a bit early and looked for cafe for a late 'morning tea'. We found a large cafe opposite the Glockenspiel. It was so full we knew we would not have been served before the Glockenspiel show on the hour. Instead we went to the front of the Town hall and found a tiny cafe that served probably the best coffee that we have had in Germany.  We were served fairly quickly, and we had enough time to wander back to the Glockenspiel for the show.

We had a good spot on Marionplatz - far enough back that we could see the Glockenspiel and at the right angle so the sleet didn't get us in the face... and we waited patiently for the famous Glockenspiel show. The clock struck the hour, the church bells rang, and we waited.  A few minutes past the hour, the glockenspiel  started up. Perhaps it was the weather, but we were underwhelmed.

We headed inside the Town hall to warm up. We climbed the tower and had a look around the city. It was a great view. It was possible to see a lot of the key city sites from a different perspective. 

The Catholic Frauen Church. 

Being outside, and up high in the breeze, this was also cold but certainly worth doing. 

We walked through the markets, where you could buy any type of stein you wanted, then down to one of the 3 remaining city gates. 

Then to the Hofbrauhaus, the famous beer hall in Munich. With long trestle tables, Oom-pah music from guys in lederhosen, and great beer. This was certainly a welcome place to visit on such a cold day. 

We had a afternoon tea here - German Sausages and beer for Phil, Apfelstruedel for Nicole and ice cream for the boys (I don't think it is ever too cold for these guys to eat ice cream!).

 It was  warm, and had a lovely atmosphere. We finished our day with some more touring, finding a nice Italian place for dinner near the hotel, then back for a well earned sleep.

In the forests of Bavaria...

For many months, the Year One's and Two's have been preparing for the 'Key Stage 1' production of Hansel and Gretel. 

Alexander had a role as a narrator, and many of his friends had other key roles in the production. Cameron, being in Year 1, was in the chorus. Alexander had the luxury of wearing jeans and a special T-Shirt. Nicole was quite relieved he wasn't a woodland animal like a bear, lion, or other creature.

Whilst Cameron in the chorus had to dress up as a lolly or biscuit! 

Nicole and Sonia shopped together and managed to get a stripey red and white hat and t-shirt and a pair of red leggings, so both Cameron and Bradley looked like candy canes. A great and easy idea - no elaborate costumes to make!  

The show was a great success, running on Tuesday and Thursday night. Alexander's friend Yasmina played the part of the witch, and really stole the show! Alexander could take his script on stage and just read his lines, but he didn't! As per his 'performance' in the 'Stars of the Future' last year, he took to the stage with his usual flair - knew all his lines off by heart and embellished with impromptu actions to support his lines! He had a great time, he loves performing. He and Emily were great narrators.

Cameron and Bradley sang their hearts out (and giggled and talked to each other, sometimes it can be boring in the chorus!). 

After each performance it was off to our favourite ice cream shop, Mauritius, for a celebratory ice-cream then home to bed!

Phil in Sofia

I flew straight from Barcelona to Sofia (via Milan). and the contrast was clear. 

From Gaudi to beaten-up soviet style apartment blocks, and roads with enormous pot holes after the harsh winter. In fact, one of my colleagues had to rush away from a dinner because his mother-in-law had flipped his wife's car (with his baby daughter luckily in a proper restraint in the back seat) after clipping a huge pot-hole. When I asked him afterwards he said "My daughter is fine, the car needs work, and I don't give a F&&% about the mother in law!" 

 Had a great trip, and finished up all the work in time to fly home and see the boys in the school production of Hansel and Gretel.

Phil in Barcelona

We ran a scientific symposium in Barcelona over the weekend. It was really hard work, but the results were fantastic. Luckily, at the end of the program we had a city tour for the speakers. The Schering team and 5 of the top specialists went on a minibus for a tour of the city.  All of the speakers were really great, and the local professor acted as our tour guide - and it was fantastic. 

One of the advantages was that we had a tour of the historic "Hospital de la Santa Creu I Sant Pau" hospital, the second oldest working hospital in the world and a World Heritage location, which is normally closed to 'tourists'. The buildings are spectacular (a series of pavilions) and it is interesting to see how you can put a modern hospital into such a setting, that dates back to 1401. 

Barcelona was really interesting, and the Gaudi work really impressed me. Before I went to Barcelona, I thought Gaudi was some guy who had lost his ruler. After seeing his work, I am now really impressed by what he achieved. The apartment building he created, the 'La Pedrera', has a small museum to his work and when I walked through the apartments and visited the museum, my opinion and understanding of his work improved dramatically. 

 After a long (very long) winter in Berlin, the weather was great. I had a wonderful visit and would love to return to really discover the place.

Wattle in Berlin

I went to the market today, and the flower stall where I get the tulips from every week had branches of wattle! 

We had a chat about how these grow all over the place where I grew up. I bought a couple of branches, and she gave me 2 extra ones for free (as well as lollies for the boys). So we have a bit of Australia in our lounge room at the moment, it is really nice!

Coffee Cups & Tulips

A blog prompt this week is to take a photo of the coffee cups that are your favourites.  My Sydney 2000 Olympics mug, I use in the evening when I make myself a chocolate milk. During the day I drink out of a plain white Maxwell and Williams Mug. 

I am collecting these Polish mugs from Boleslawiec. You can buy the same coffee mug shape but with different patterns, using the same blue and white glazes. My aim to collect different patterns in the same size mug. So far I have 2. 

The tulips here at the markets are divine, and oh so cheap! This time of the year they are everywhere, and you can buy 10 for 2 euro. I love the different colours. I buy my tulips every week from the same lady at the market. During school holidays, the boys come with me and smile nicely at the lady. Every week, she gives me a packet of lollies each for the kids after school. She is very kind.

Brocken on the Brockenbahn

Anything to do with transport trains, buses, planes, boats, we are there. 

Alexander can tell you the stations on our train line in Berlin close to our home and which stations to get off for the connecting trains! So, the steam train to the top of the mountain was a highlight of the trip for the boys. 

It takes an hour and 1/2 to get to the top. The scenery along the way was amazing! It looked fabulous with all the snow still on the trees. There were another 4-5 families on the same train as us. Some families missed the first train, but came up on the second train. 

The snow got thicker the higher we climbed. At the top the snow was about 3 metres high. It was incredible. You could see a street lamp post buried, and all you could see way the top of the light, with the post totally covered in snow! At the top, the trees were buried, and the tops were totally covered in snow. It reminded me of pictures in a Dr Seuss book. 

These snow covered trees took on a life of their own, and they looked like large snowmen. I think at dusk they could look quite spooky!  The view from the top of Brocken was amazing. The trees were totally covered in snow and bent over from the weight. From a distance they looked like people. 

We had forgotten to take the sleds, (still in Michelle and Gordon's car), but we had a few plastic bags with us in our backpacks. So the kids (and dads) went down the slope on the bags. They had a great time, and we all had a lot of fun. When the kids had to wait for a bag, they decided to go down the slope without the bag....penguin style, head first, on your tummy, and hands by your side.

Harz Mountains

Our walking/train expert guru, Phoebe, organised an overnight stay in the Harz Mountains. We got up early on Saturday morning caught the train south, 3 hours from Berlin to the Harz mountains. We stayed in a village called Wernigerode. 

A quaint little village with lots of Tudor style buildings. After lunch we did a horse and cart trip up to the Schloss (castle). The Schloss is over 900 years old. It still blows our minds to see such old buildings in such amazing conditions! Heaps of snow around, and still heaps on top of the trees. 

Lots of snowball throwing. I got dumped on really well, when Phil and Alan threw a few snowballs above the tree I was standing under and the snow just kept falling and falling, I was a real life snowman! Very funny, until it goes down your back and is really really cold, actually it still is quite funny! There was a lot of laughter from all of us.

We were a total of 12 families.. We all did our own thing and met up at the Youth Hostel in the afternoon. The hostel was still being renovated. The room we were in was very clean, and had comfortable beds and a decent shower. 

On the bottom level they have 2 bowling lanes. We booked it for 2 hours and the kids (ranging from 3 to 14) took turns. They played in teams and had a terrific time. The kids all play really well together, and the older ones help the younger ones. While the adults sat upstairs in the common area and drank lots of beer and wine! I think altogether there were 23 adults and 28 children. 

Alexander's Ten Pin Bowling Party

We took Alexander, Cameron and 7 friends ten pin bowling for Alexander's 7th birthday party. I booked the lanes over the phone..(a brave thing for me, I am not confident speaking Deutsch on the phone). I failed to mention that the lanes were for children. Not all lanes have the ability to put up the gutter rails (the rails come up, so the kids don't end up getting gutter balls for the whole time). 

Unfortunately all kid lanes were booked, and we had to tough it out on the "adult lanes". Surprisingly, the kids did pretty well. Isaiah gets the award for the slowest bowling ever. Twice the ball stopped in the middle of the lane and we had to ask the guy working there to get it for us. The kids were terrific. I loved the way when someone was bowling, the others got behind them and cheered when a pin was knocked down, and were sympathetic when the ball went into the gutter!

After bowling we took the kids to the ice cream shop for ice cream and cake. I had booked a couple of tables...(again on the telephone). I decided to go in a few days before, just to make sure I had actually booked the tables. I asked if they would be able to make an ice cream cake, or normal cake......no chance. So, I made cupcakes for everyone . They didn't look very attractive sitting on top of each other....but they were tasty. 

After cake and ice cream, we still had another 1/2 hour before parents were coming to pick the children up. Alexander opened his presents from his friends and we all had another drink. 

The kids sang lots of songs from their music classes and the school production they are all practicing for. 

 

BINGO!

Tonight we had a Bingo night at school to raise money for the PTA fund! What a hoot! I think we would have been kicked out of any "proper" Bingo hall. We were all a bit noisy, but we had fun. 

Bingo is not a popular "sport" in Germany, so the rules had to be explained. I guess it may have been a bit difficult to, when the call was in English. When you say numbers in German you say the unit first...eg 34...four and thirty. Sometimes this can confuse me, and I think the person has said 43. So I am sure it must be a confusing the other way around.

 

Nana would have been proud! The last game for the night I bought a few extra tickets and played 14 games at once! That required a bit of concentration, but lots of fun! 

 It paid off....I managed to win the last game of Bingo. My prize? 25 Euro voucher for an Easy Jet flight! ENGLAND, here I come!!