Schloss Neuschwanstein

This castle is the most famous one in Germany. Thomas and I had been before, but we wanted the girls to see it. Thomas NEVER purchases himself souvenirs, but he found this hat, which made him want to skip back down the mountain... I'm hoping he will wear it often.... makes him look very German and so adorable! Now if I can just get him to put some Lederhosen on too!

Allgau

In mid-May, we made the 6 hour trek to the Allgau region in southern Germany to spend 5 nights in Ruderratshofen on a horse farm. The girls had 3 riding lessons with Frau Weber who was a tough trainer, but the girls learned a lot. This is where we met Trixie, the funniest pony on the planet! Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate.. It was cold and rainy every day we were there, but we managed to enjoy the scenery and each other anyway! We also visited Schloss Neuschwanstein which was also nearby.

Another injury....

The night before we were to go on a mini vacation, we got a call at 10 o'clock pm that Thomas' mother had fallen in the barn and broken her leg. Thomas went to the hospital with her that night and they immediately did surgery and placed a pin and some screws in her leg, which they determined was shattered in several places. She is currently in a rehab facility, but will be released next week. Her strength and determination is amazing... We are hoping for a quick recovery so she can get back on her bike,tend to her garden and enjoy the warm weather that has finally arrived here!

Spargel

The area where we live grows the famous white asparagus that is so popular here in Germany.... In May and June, there are farms everywhere with their little stands set up. The white asparagus has to stay underground, so it's quite a process to harvest it. The local farm where I bought some recently has a fancy machine that peels the asparagus in seconds.... We like to eat it with Hollandaise sauce, Schnitzel and salad! YUM!!!!

Thomas' Mom

This will be the first time in many years that Thomas can celebrate Mother's Day with his mom... Here's a recent shot of them on a bike ride....

Happy Mother's Day

Mom... Wish I could be there... You are my hero and i love you!!!

Sarah's Zukunftstag

Sarah's school hosted a "Zukunftstag" or Future Day, so the kids could experience a job they would possibly like to do in the future. Sarah got to spend the day at her Uncle Hermann's dairy farm and also visited their neighbor's pig farm. Sarah was definitely in hog heaven, being the huge animal lover that she is. Hannah got to go spend the afternoon there as well. Thank you Aunt Siggi and Uncle Hermann for hosting Sarah. She loved every minute!

Webb visit

The Webb family came to visit us during their Spring Break. It was great to see them and Sarah and Hannah were thrilled to be reunited with Hayley. We took a quick day trip to Bremen and Celle and showed them the sites in Eystrup.

Aschaffenburg

As Newlyweds, Thomas and I lived in the northernmost part of Bayern, or Bavaria in the town of Aschaffenburg. On our way home from our visit in Ulm, we decided to stop there and spend a night and show the girls where we used to live. The town had grown, and was bustling, but was still as charming as we remembered. We saw the castle there, Schloss Johannisburg which is just massive! We had a view of it from our apartment balcony in the nearby suburb of Nilkheim. The girls and I did a little shopping at two of our favorite stores H&M and Peek und Cloppenburg. We also drove to nearby Alzenau to visit our old neighbor, Andreas and his sweet family. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera to take pics. It was certainly great to catch up with them after 13 years! Aschebesch.... Helau!!!

Rommel Memorial

Der Blautopf.... Blaubeuren

Blaubeuren hat uns sehr gut gefallen!