Doppelverabredung

We have met some cool people here, and tonight we were able to go to dinner at an Italian restaurant called Oliveto with a couple of them.

The husband is from Utah, but served a mission here and did a 1.5 year internship for law in Germany before accepting a position with a firm here in Munich.  He speaks English, German and Chinese!  His wife is a native of Munich and was equally fun to chat with.  They have only been married for a few months and are living the life of newlyweds in such an amazing place.

Dinner was tasty, pizza and pasta so close to Italy are so much better than you can imagine.

The night got away from us and we didn't send our babysitter packing until 11:30, we haven't stayed out that late since Ben joined the family.  Thank goodness for the chocolates they gave us as a gift, they made the train ride home bearable at such an unruly hour.

Eingepackt

Watching the game till the end left Kyle and Jack struggling to escape the stadium and board the trains headed homeward along with the other 70,000 fans.  I wasn't there, but judging from this picture and the fact that Kyle was shielding Jack with his body, leads me to believe it was a tight, intense situation.  Being the hottest day of the year didn't help with the discomfort and Kyle spent the train ride reassuring Jack that everything would, indeed, be ok!

Allianz Arena

The 70,000 person capacity stadium, was sold out and even though it isn't much bigger than ASU's Sun Devil Stadium, the intensity of the fans it unmatched.  The clapping and cheers were coordinated and LOUD, what an experience!

FC Bayern Schiess Ein Tor!

Bayern Munchen scored a goal at the beginning of the first half and when the game went into stoppage time they scored another one, leaving VFB Stuttgart in the dust.  From the look on Jack's face, you could say he had a good time!

Besonderer Ausflug

This week, the Munich soccer team won the champions league semi-final, something super amazing for the team.  The last bundesliga league home game Munich plays before the final is today and yesterday Kyle worked his magic and found 2 of the only tickets left!

Jack had no idea what he was about to do, but was super pumped to be able to do it alone with daddy.  Kyle told me that when they got to the stadium after a train ride and a long walk, he saw the game on a tv behind the concessions stand and it took him a minute to realize where he was, it was funny to watch his brain figure everything out.

Essen Gehen

We got another Au pair tonight and Kyle met me downtown where I was shopping for some Euro-duds to take home.

On Tuesday, my English speaking hairstylist from Peru suggested a store called COS for someone who dresses like me.  I went there tonight and found two sweet t-shirts as well as a tiny purse that only holds my phone.  It is badical, and so practical to help me keep the phone ever handy!

After the shopping, we headed over to a restaurant famous for their dumplings, my favorite German side dish.  I was not disappointed, but I was stuffed!  The bauernschmausch we shared included things like schweinebraten, duck, schweinshaxen, bauernwurst and two different kinds of dumplings-potato and bread.  So delicious, and not easy to duplicate or find back home.

Kino Abend

After an intense day at Legoland that landed us home about 10 minutes before the Au pair arrived, we rushed the kids to bed and ran off to catch a movie date night.  We have been keeping up with all the Marvel movies and not seeing the Avengers on a big screen in English was a big priority. 

We ended up being able to land some great seats for opening night and loved all the action while scarfing down some crazy concession stand food.  The paprika-powder covered tortilla chips doused in nacho cheese was at the top of the list, but the decadent ice cream bars weren't too shabby either.

Allianz Arena Mit Legos

There was a LEGO version of this soccer stadium that included a LEGO person sitting in every seat of the stadium.  This picture doesn't do it justice, of course, but it was pretty amazing.

After our last look at the LEGO villages, we caught our shuttle back to the train station and caught our ride back to Munich and bought our tickets to the Avengers movie before racing home to meet up with the Au pair.  It was a whirlwind day/evening, and one we all won't soon forget.

Katapultieren

Kyle took this picture of Jack while the girls were in the WC and I am so glad, what a cute kid.  The cutout of a kid in the fence was pretty cool too!

Neuschwanstein

Another bad picture of me standing next to a LEGO version of Neuschwanstein.  This thing was so intricate it even had an opening in the wall displaying the ballroom (where Norah was upset about not having a dress to dance in) with an animatronic prince and princess dancing to music.

Norah was so enthralled with this exhibit, she actually chose to stay here and watch the dancing while Kyle took the older kids on another ride!

Stern Kriege

The kids love Star Wars, who doesn't, and seeing these life size LEGO renditions of some of their favorite characters and scenes in the LEGO village was so fun.  The kids were racing around talking about each scene they remembered from the movies that had been recreated with LEGOS.

Kanufahren

One of the first rides we happened upon was this one for kids only.  It was so cute to see them rowing around this stream all by themselves without any propulsion.  It was the beginning of the eye-opening experience that a European theme park en tales.

Lego-Shaq Postet Auf

This is what it would like if Kyle was guarding the post against Shaq.  A lifesize Lakers player made of LEGOS, what country is this anyway?

LEGOLAND

We had been considering a trip to this theme park for awhile now, but the weather either wasn't cooperating or we just didn't feel like it, until today.

After accidentally reserving our rental car for another day and almost missing the train to Gunzburg, we enjoyed the low-key, 45 minute train ride, followed by the tram service to the front gate of LEGOLAND!  In retrospect, driving a car would have been much more stressful between getting lost and having the kids strapped into car seats (especially Ben), making the forced train ride a blessing in disguise.

Das Rathaus Aufsteigen

Kyle has been promising the older kids a climb up the stairs to the top of the church tower in the city centre.  Today seemed to be the day, until the tower was closed for repairs. 

When we discovered this flaw in our plan, Kyle decided to take them up to the top of the glockenspiel instead. 

I took Norah and Ben for some window shopping and ice cream while the kids rode the elevator to the top and got to look at this spectacular view of Munich.

Auf Wiedersehen Fruehlingsfest

Fruehlings Fest wasn't the best thing about our trip, but to the kids it was one of the most memorable and at 3-4 Euros per ride, it was one of the more affordable things.

The festival doesn't end for another week, so we might just have to go again...

Ein Pony Fuer Eine Prinzessin

Since Norah didn't want to go on the Ferris wheel and had gotten the raw end of the deal in the ride department, we figured a pony ride and a treat would do her good.  We couldn't have been more right.

The pony ride had just opened and since it was a Monday, Norah was the only person on the ride.  She was directed to the biggest pony available and rode it like a champ! 

After it ended, she ate her very own cotton candy while Kyle took Ava and Jack on the Ferris wheel.

Weniger Spass

While the big kids got go on the giant swing ride, Norah spent her time on a horse that didn't move, it was one of the only stationary things on the carousel-esque ride.  She is so full of energy and it seems her size is holding her back from all the fun!

So Eine Mischung

It's not everyday you can take a picture of your family with a super historic church in the backyard and a giant red haired clown head in the foreground.  Europe is so OLD!

This is us standing around at Fruehlings Fest before getting some giant licorice strings and hitting our last few rides before it was time to walk home.

Sehnsucht

Norah rode the ride, but spent most of her time woefully looking towards the log ride where she seemed to want to be a little bit more than on a plane ride that didn't go up or down with Aladdin and the genie.

Wildwasserbahn

We told the kids they each got to ride on 4 rides at the fair and from the moment we arrived everyone was shouting out which ones they wanted to go on first, Jack was the loudest of course.  Getting through lunch was comedic, but once we put down our forks, the kids were ready to ride.

The log ride was closed when made our first circle around the park, but after the bumper cars they opened it up and we were among the first to enjoy the subtle splashing.

Norah was to small to ride this one, so I whisked her over to a small kid ride before any tears escaped!

Boxautos

Our first stop on our visit to Fruehlings, after a delicious lunch of crepes, currywurst, langos (Indian fry bread topped with garlic sauce and cheese) was at the bumper cars. 

 

The ones that Jack and Ava could drive themselves were too big for Norah, so she rode with Kyle on the big kids ones.  Little did they know, of all the bumper cars they picked the American car.  Hurray for the USA!

Hagel+Regen+Sonnenuntergang=

What a sight, Ava was still awake to catch a glimpse of this rainbow seen outside our window after a little hail/rain storm right before sunset.

Fruehlingsfest

A 15 minute walk from our apartment will land you at this ferris wheel deep inside the spring carnival know as Fruehlingsfest.  Once a year an Oktoberfest is held in a 105 acre open area and in Spring and Winter a smaller version of this beer drinking festival is held.

We will be taking the kids next week on a sunny day, but thought it appropriate and fun to visit it ourselves first.  Our Saturday night date was spent on this very ferris wheel alone, eating German fry bread, nuts and fruit dipped in white chocolate-good times!

Chinesischer Turm

At one end of the garden was this beer garden and children's park surrounding this 5 story structure rebuilt after it's bombing in WWII.  On the third story of the Chinese Tower a band was playing some German polka music.  It was fun to play and eat ice cream in such different surroundings. 

So fun in fact, that we stayed out way late and barely made it back to the apartment before meltdowns began while eating some pizza and pastries.

Englischer Garten

The largest park in Munich called the Englischer Garten is larger than Central Park and totally awesome.  It has a lake and walking trails that wind all around crazy old buildings and beautiful greenery.

We rented boats twice so Kyle and I both had a chance at a 30 minute cardio workout as we paddled the three oldest kids around the lake.  My hamstrings are still barking, thanks to the P90X legs and back workout the day before all the paddling.

Sicht Bei Nacht

This picture of the Rathaus and glockenspiel in the city centre taken after our dinner and dessert turned out unexpectedly brilliant thanks to all the lights shining on it from other buildings.

Milagro's

Upon getting a referral from a friend in the states about his client's client's Mexican restaurant in downtown Munich, we made a trip the first chance we got.

The reviews online said it was the most authentic Mexican food in Munich, with the high price tag due to imports to prove it.

We were sold and despite having to pay for chips and salsa, we enjoyed our HUGE meal.  When we placed our order, the waiter commented on the amount of food we asked for, but concurred that the meals would give us the best taste of ALL their dishes.

None of the virgin strawberry frozen, salsa, tamales, carnitas tacos, duck tacos, chicken with green mole tacos, carne asada tacos, beans, guacamole or tortillas were off the charts, but it was such a familiar flavor, we were grateful for the chance to devour any of it.

Verabredungsfest

Once we experienced a date in Munich, we were hooked and worked a deal with our Au pair babysitter to come any night(s) of the week she was available and we would make it our mission to find something to do out of the house.

This week's dating fest started on Thursday night with a visit to the ONLY showing of Titanic 3D in OV (original version-English).

The movie was so great, better than I remembered it, and watching it with Kyle for the first time wasn't too shabby either.  Having a pause (an intermission) at a movie theater was a new experience, as well as assigned seats, salty, butter-free popcorn from the concession stand and sneaking in amazing German chocolate.

All in all, the night was great, even running to the street car in the rain was fun, dates in Munich are at the top of my to do list!

Eis-Gesicht

This might have been the only smile that escaped Norah all day, and having it covered with ice cream made it all the cuter.

Zoo Spielplatz

Playing at the zoo park, was Norah and Ben's favorite stop.  We hit this place up twice and were glad each time as the kids were able to run totally a muck and Ben crawled until his heart was content.

Eisbaer

Forget about how horrible I look in all pictures taken in Germany and focus on the fact that Jack is so amazingly handsome and that there is this giant polar bear snoozing in the background.  If it weren't for these two things, this picture would have gotten deleted very quickly. 

Note to self, don't do your hair in a high bun like this again, ever.

Ich Wuensche...

As we were exiting the tortoise house, we walked past an enclosure that housed a single peacock.  Ava commented that she wished she could see it's beautiful tail opened and we got into a discussion about how neat that would be, because I too hadn't ever seen one open up close.

 

Suddenly there was this blood curling screech escaping the peacock's beak and then as a family we witnessed the splendor of a peacock fanning out its feathers, it must be quite the undertaking for the bird.  

It was a special moment, a tender mercy that left us all feeling tingly inside and amazed at how glorious nature can be!

Hautnah

One of the craziest, and most memorable, parts of the zoo was how incredibly close all the exhibits were to where the people were milling about.  Even the animals you'd think would benefit greatly from walking over to the super short fence and jumping over it, didn't.  We were never approached by any animals no matter how carnivorous they were and how little there was standing in between them and a possible lunch.

In this picture, you can see that Kyle could simply walk over the fence that was as tall as his calves, step over the tiny brook, and pet the giraffes.  It would be that simple, I can't believe no one has done it yet.  Europe is so different.

Bessere Aussicht

Ben was so happy to be up on Kyle's shoulders, look at that sweet baby face!

Wie Die Affen

After the tiger, we walked over to the monkey part of the zoo to see them eat their lunch.  The orangutangs were super cute to watch play with each other, while the gorillas were much slower to watch. 

On our way out of the gorilla house we stopped for a photo.  In the top one, you can see Norah throwing her weight around and not looking at the camera despite my please, while in the bottom photo, she is all smiles once she has gotten my full attention.  Typical three year old behavior, right?

Erster Halt

We knew we wanted to do the Munich Zoo while we were here and why not do it the day after a huge, tiring trip to the mountains?  Our thoughts exactly!

With the weatherman saying the rest of the week will be rainy, we felt like today would be the best day for the zoo, even with everyone still recovering from Neuschwenstein.

Once Ben woke from his nap, we took our trains and a little walk up to a very simple facade, one we didn't even think to take a picture of it was so low-key.

After recovering from the lack-luster entrance and the first few empty-looking exhibits upon entering, we made our way over to the tiger's cage where feeding time was about to begin.

Having never witnessed anything weighing in between the range of 400-700 lbs eat anything, watching this ginormous cat rip up a hunk of meat and a skinned rabbit mere feet from my family, was an eye opening experience.

We all just stood there and stared at this animal dumbfound for at least 15 minutes.

Hat Sich Gelohnt

From the snow capped mountains, to making the trip on a non-6,000 visitor day, to being overwhelmed by the immensity of the mountains and the structures, to the walk through nature up a mountain, to the beautifully crafted interiors, to the quaint town and townsfolk below-this place is incredible and worth seeing, even under the worst of circumstances.

Was Fuer Eine Geschichte

The worst part about missing the tour and having to man handle our own princess, was missing out on hearing things about this incredible castle.  The king who built it, Ludwig II was a romanticist who built the castle after being inspired by the composer Wagner and his operas about the German fairy tales Ludwig grew up reading.

The story behind the castle and it's king is super fascinating (we even bought a little book about it at the 2nd gift shop) with tales of recluse, betrayal, debt, insanity and eventually death under "mysterious circumstances" of the king.

Building your dream castle for no one to live in but yourself because you never plan on marrying and also don't want any of the people you serve to ever set foot inside doesn't sound like my cup of tea, but apparently to the Bavarian King Ludwig II that's just what the doctor ordered.

Reading the story of Mad King Ludwig and his castle building on the ride home didn't make up for missing out on the real thing, but it did help Kyle and I to drown out Ben's solid hour of crying on the way back to Munich.  Despite Ben's cries, however, an apparently exhausted Norah fell asleep within minutes of sitting down with a chicken nugget sticking out of her mouth.

Huch!

The tour started out bad with Ben waking up hungry right as we went inside and Norah yelling about wanting to leave, and continued to get worse as we made our way through the 35 minutes of interior viewing enjoyment.

No one could have guessed that Norah would have been the most vocal about her displeasure at being on a tour of a castle, but when we got to the ballroom and she was devastated she didn't have a dress on to dance in, things went from bad to worse.

I don't remember much about the tour, except for something about the steps in the throne room being made of marble carrara from Italy and that the king had a flushing toilet fashioned after an upholstered throne only with a hole in the middle.

Making it through the tour without getting kicked out of the castle quickly became our top priority, forget about sightseeing and enjoyment-it was survival time.  When I started lagging so far behind the tour in hopes of saving others from the displeasure I was experiencing and the next tour started catching up to us, I knew we were in trouble and that we only had a few minutes left in our "princess Norah."

Our tour ended in the Hall of Singers in a flurry of claps by the onlookers, and cries by our two youngest.  The trip through the gift shop to the exit was less eventful with Norah yelling at a little German girl about not touching her princess figurines.  And the day culminated in a full blown tantrum as we walked down what seemed like ten flights of stairs while Norah yelled at the top of her lungs about nothing.

I wish I could say this trip to Neuschwanstein was better than the first, but there's a reason children under 18 have free admission-because they don't come!

I snapped this picture right when we walked outside and got another glimpse of the awesomeness that is Neuschwanstein!

Drei Minute

With only three minutes before our tour, I was able to get this photo of Ava and Jack while Norah flipped out about something and refused to be in the picture.  We were only in the courtyard a minute before our tour was called, squandering us out of any pictures within the castle walls. 

Verruecktheit!

After waiting for our carriage and realizing we wouldn't make our tour time if we continued to wait, we were forced to make the crazy decision to walk up the mountain to Neuschwanstein.  Norah was on Kyle's shoulders, Ben was asleep in the carrier and Ava and Jack were hiking up next to us for nearly 50 minutes. 

Jack's legs started hurting about 5 minutes in, causing us to take multiple energizing breaks, including one stop at a restaurant for some Bavarian Snowballs (deep fried quark balls).  I was skeptical at times whether or not we would ever see the top, but despite being the only family walking up the mountain with children in tow, we made it just in time to take this picture before our tour.

Ein Laetztes Blick

Jack was the first one down, mostly because he could be seen running part of the way and was extremely motivated by the horse drawn carriage ride up to the other castle we had promised him.

Schloss Hohenschwangau was the first stop on our tour, and originally I was disappointed we weren't going to see Schloss Neuschwanstein first, but we definitely saved the best for last.

Considering the king who built Neuschwanstein grew up in this castle, only a stone's throw away, it's no wonder he the background to build such an amazing residence.

See Maedchen

As we walked back to the town from the castle, we were alongside the Lake Alpsee, Ava loved the view and she could be seen stopped ahead of us staring at how beautiful the water was today.  She enjoyed the castle and apparently the walk back for her wasn't so bad either.

Der Weg Zuruck

Norah's tantrum nearly the entire way back down the mountain isn't visible from this photo I turned around to take, but the trees and sky are.  You'd never know Kyle was asking Norah for an apology in this photo, all you can see is how beautiful this place is!

Keine Faelschung

This castle was built in the mountains, no joke!  It seems like this feat would be difficult for engineers today, imagine what the folks back in 1833 were thinking when their king said he wanted his built on this steep rock.

The sight is simply beautiful, I can't say enough about how breathtaking this place was.  It was mesmerizing and despite all the kids' attempts to get my attention with their shenanigans, I just couldn't take my eyes of this view!

Geburtstag Ausflug

We have been promising Norah a trip to a castle for her birthday, but weather and sickness had prevented us from doing anything until today.  When we were looking at the weather this week the only day it wasn't raining in Hohenschwangau, was today, and not only was it not raining, it was beautiful!

The sky was blue with some fluffy clouds, making our outdoor birthday adventure even more enjoyable.