~McLean Family Adventures In Germany~: January 2008

~Please check out our pictures in the slideshow above~

We had the best time with Steve's parents in Deutschland. We had them for 2 weeks - and we had so many things to do that we had to get started right away. These memories will last a lifetime!

You should have seen Cole's face when he got off the big tourist bus a.k.a. his school bus and saw Nana & Papa standing there. He jumped off the big last step and came running and screaming! The boys were out of their minds with excitement to be able to show their Nana & Papa around Germany. We stopped in at the local bread store for some delicious & fresh rolls, one of many stops during the days to come. It was so nice to be able to show them our home and catch up on all of the events of the past 6 months.

On Wednesday, Steve introduced Mark to the Mineral Baths in our town. I think I have officially lost my husband. If he had it his way he would stop by the spa baths and relax on his way home from work everyday. Steve loves a good steam room and sauna - and the only other person that I know who loves them just as much him is his dad. Don't worry, everyone was covered - no naked eucalyptus leg wraps for this trip!

On Thursday, we started with a trip to town. We hopped in the car and headed to downtown Stuttgart. We saw the old and new castle and some very beautiful churches. One of the churches dated back to the 12th Century - This is one of my most favorite things about being in Germany - I love all of the history and beautiful architecture that comes from our past. For lunch I decided it was time to share with them my new German favorite which is a Doner Kebap - or a Turkish Gyro - yum! We had fun being tourists and it was great for my parents to be able to see the joy that comes from not being able to speak the language. Even little things like Entrance "Einfarht" & Exit "Ausfahrt" - you have to know some essentials in order to make it in this country. I loved having someone to run my mouth with - and I loved all of the people who would freeze and stare at us, not sure what to do with the Americans in town. That night Cole was out of his head to show his Nana & Papa his great Basketball talents at his practice. Steve is the coach for the 4-5 year old Tiny Tot Wildcats Team - and Cole has some wild skillz.

On Friday, we decided to take another try at Strasbourg, France. I think Steve wanted to have another look at the guy he told off the trip before. We had a very positive experience in this magical little french village. We were trying to put the ol' passports to some good use. We ate at a delicious French restaurant where we were serenaded by two men, one with a violin and one with a guitar. It was beautiful music, and the moment stood still for all of us. It felt like I was in a dream. We headed out in the cold wind and toured the gorgeous Gothic church. Steve and his parents made their way up the church tower with Cole all 330 steps - to be able to get some spectacular views. We took a boat tour in the canal around the village and got lots of good information and history of the town. We sure do love this place. Something about this town makes Kade sick. We got the opportunity to clean up barf in the car on the way home. Do you think it was the half a can of diet coke that could have done it this time? Sorry all you moms out there, I have already won the award for mom of the year for 2006, 2007, & now I believe I am in first place for 2008! I would like to thank all of those who....

On Saturday, we hopped in the car to do some more of the Burgstrasse (Castle Road) that we started when Laura was here visiting. I believe that Mark & Barb can say now that the Autobahn gets it's reputation for a reason. I was going 100 mph the whole time and I was getting passed like I was standing still. I couldn't keep up with Steve in the BMW - who I believe told me he topped out at 135 mph. Yikes - watch out Earnhardt, there's a new rad racer in town! We were surprised when we came upon some fabulous new sites and beautiful views. We even made it over to Rothenberg again, which is a Christmas town year round. We loved our journey and enjoyed some delicious Bratwursts for dinner - you gotta love German cuisine. Brats every day any time of day. 24/7!

On Sunday, we had a down day and took some time to relax. That night we were invited to the Nagels (our neighbors) for a delicious and authentic German meal. Oh, she is such a great cook. We decided that we would share an American treat with them - Root Beer Floats. They don't have Root Beer here in Germany and they were very nervous. They thought it smelled/tasted like chewing gum. But when they had the Root Beer with the ice cream.... they were in hog heaven. I think the fact that they each had 4 cups - is a sign that they love American treats - Yum! Yum! It wouldn't be a successful dinner without some good ol' fashioned entertainment. The music started and Cole & Kade enjoyed "Tanze" (Dance) Party German Style 2008. They have some really rad moves! Watch out Back Street Boys!

On Monday, our neighbors set us up for a tour of the Mercedes factory which is only a few miles from our house. Most all of the people who live around us work for Mercedes. We have a Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart, but what we got to take part in was the real thing - we actually got to walk around and see this huge facility and see all of the robots at work. What a beautiful car they make, and what an amazing opportunity to see the way these cars are made. I had no idea. Now I know why these are such a luxury - there is so much detail into every single car. I have a new appreciation. Maybe I'll be coming home with one of these cars after all? Steve's next thing on his agenda is to be able to drive a Mercedes on the test track - he wants the 200 miles per hour and the ability to drive up on the wall. I wouldn't be surprised if he swings this one!

On Tuesday, we decided to show mom & dad what IKEA is like in Germany. We had a great time shopping and we had to hurry home because we had been invited to have tea with my little angel neighbor, Inge. She is the one who puts things on my doorstep everyday. I do truly believe that she is an angel. We drank tea, and ate cakes, and pretzels, and delicious chocolate tortes. What an amazing cook she is and it was so nice of her to invite us, and I was so happy that mom and dad got to meet her. People are so incredibly kind here. Simple, yet kind. I wanted to share with my parents the new family that I was making here in Germany.

Wednesday was the start of our grand finale! We were heading to Garmisch where we would be staying 2 nights at a ski lodge ran by the Army. On our way there we stopped and had the pleasure to experience two of the most beautiful castles in Germany. The Neuschwasnstein Castle (Cinderella Castle) and the Hohenschwangau Castle. These were full of history and absolutely beautiful inside. Cole & Kade's favorite part of the day was getting a horse carriage ride to the top of the hill to the castle. We all loved every second of it. I truly felt like a fairytale princess on my way to the castle. Cole being the competitive one made sure that he was the very first person in line during the entire tour inside the castle. That's my boy!

We loved the lodge and it felt good to be able to stay in a hotel ran by Americans. We just do things differently than Europeans. The food was delicious, the large fireplace was great to sit around, the staff was friendly, the pool and hot tub were fun and the steam room and sauna were in the locker room and I didn't have to see naked men - wooohooooo! On Wednesday night we found a great German restaurant. The food was tasty, but the best part was the music and the boys that came out in their Lederhosen to do German/Austrian traditional dancing for us. We loved it! I was shocked when dad & Steve got up and started dancing with them - (OK that's not true, but can't you picture it?). We really had a great experience here.

On Thursday, Steve and Mark made it out for a men's ski day at the Zugspitze which is the tallest peak in the German Alps. The weather here has been great and the blue skies made for a breathtaking view for them once they reached the top. Me, Nana and the boys went and had a good day playing in the snow and making our own memories. I loved sitting on my room deck and taking in the sun, and reading my magazines and staring at the snow covered alps. Wait, am I dreaming? Nope, it really is this good here.

On Friday, we checked out of the lodge and headed over to the area where they had the ski jumps back in the 1936 Winter Olympics. Right around the corner from there, were ice caves. We enjoyed the beautiful walk and the gorge filled with frozen icicles was breathtaking. We just saw more and more beauty around every corner. What an absolutely incredible way to end this trip with our parents. We had to head home to get them packed so that they could be on the plane on Saturday morning. I loved the opportunity we had to make these memories. Dad walked away from this trip adding "Das" before every word. It's a German thing - you'll get it when you come and visit!