Vacation in the Bavarian Forest

Last week we headed to the Bavarian Forest with Eva's parents. We had a small apartment in the country with lots of peace and quiet. We've stayed at this place a few times before and the owners have taken great care of us. If you are in the area, you can't go wrong staying here. http://www.postwirt-lam.de/

Even though the weather didn't provide the Spring weather we were hoping for, we made the best out of it. After all, there is no such thing as bad weather...just the wrong clothes.

Hiking
We hiked together every day but one. Some tours were longer than others, but it is always refreshing just to get outside in the fresh air. This was our big test for Quinn's hiking backpack. Thankfully, he loved being schlepped around by his dad.
On one of the many, many well-marked trails in the Bavarian forest.
One of the great bonuses of most German hiking trails, especially those closer to the Alps, is that the trails tend to have small Biergartens, restaurants, or mountain huts to offer food and refreshment to tired hikers. Some even have playgrounds. Below is a pic on the Kötztinger Hütte . We were there pre-season, so we practically had the place to ourselves (we met the local priest there). In full season, this place is packed, as it offers a great view of the valleys...not to mention their split pea soup and fresh beer. Eva and her dad overlooking the valley near Lam.
It is also common to have crosses at the peaks of the mountains or hills, as shown below. When you consider that this cross is almost 100' tall, that the wood has to be pulled by horses on narrow hiking trails, and that many of these crosses are very, very old, they are even more impressive and beautiful.
During our hikes, we had only one hairy stretch, that we weren't too sure if I could make it through safely. With some help of Eva's dad, I made it through fine. Quinn slept through the whole section. Amazing how he can sleep in his backpack.
We did have a few hours of blue skies during the vacation...and when the sun peeked out, we tried to take tons of pics ;-)

Sledding
The family of the apartments where we were staying offered us to borrow their sled for a day so that Quinn could go sledding (and so that I could pull him up and down the hill). With those good intentions, we headed to the ski mountain, the Großer Arber. Unfortunately, their sledding hill was closed, but we found something that worked.
I had issues steering the sled.
Eva's Dad is a speed freak
Apparently, Quinn can fall asleep while sledding as well.

A pic with Quinn's Grandparents after sledding.
We also visited the local zoo. Quinn had some troubles finding the birds to look at, but he was fascinated at the larger animals. The goats were especially cool since the females were super pregnant, and they looked like they would pop at any moment.
The vacation was also filled with lots of firsts for Quinn. Being on vacation, it is a bit more difficult to cook and prepare his normal veggies, so we let him eat mostly from our plates. He finally tried french fries, potato dumplings (Kloß), cranberry jelly, and the like. While he still prefers mostly veggies, he really liked the dumplings. He was indifferent to fries...which we are sure will change. Basically, he'll eat anything...except cucumbers. Don't know why he doesn't like cucumbers.

While he took his first steps a few weeks ago, he really started to walk independently while we were on vacation. Now, he is fully mobile...and getting faster.

Quinn and I looking over a menu and blowing bubbles together. He looks so cute when he blows bubbles!

The pic below is so Eva's parents. They are such sun birds. It wasn't really that warm out (hence their long pants and jackets), but the sun was shining. So, they head out on our balcony and sit facing the sun...loading up on the energy and to save it for the next rainy day.

Finally, a picture of the 'typical' Easter decorations of the area. With luck, we'll get to take a hike this weekend to look at all of the Easter Fountains in our area, so we'll post more later. These decorations, coupled with a nice hike and sunny weather, is the invitation for Spring to finally start.

Barcelona and Birthdays

Packed in between coming back from the US and Quinn's first birthday, was a quick two day conference in Barcelona. It would have been nice to tack on a few days of sightseeing before or after the conference (with Eva and Quinn of course!), but trying to pull this off before Quinn's birthday would have been a bit stressful.

So, I did the quick out and back trip in less than two days. Normally, these sorts of events are packed full of presentations and networking (eating and and socializing at the bar ;-) in a hotel conference hall that looks the same regardless of whether you are in Vegas, Barcelona, or Shanghai.

Thankfully, before heading to the airport, a sightseeing trip of the city was planned by the organizers...which finished at the airport. Convenience! Above is a pic of the original city walls - originally a Roman outpost to protect shipping channels into the Mediterranean.

Below is a pic of the Gaudi Cathedral, Templo expiatorio de la Sagrada Família designed by the famous Spanish artist and architecht, Antoni Gaudi, which is still under construction. My pictures do not do justice to the magnificance of the cathedral, so check out the links for more.

Of course, on the weekend following the trip to Barcelona, we celebrated Quinn's first birthday. We had a great weekend planned with lots of hiking and relaxation, but unfortunately Quinn was sick with a stomach virus, and the weather was really bad. We tried to make the best of the situation, but Quinn couldn't keep down food and wasn't his normal, happy self.

Having to stay in the house all day didn't help much either.
We started out the day by going to the doctor (which requires a trip to the emergency doctor on Saturday). But, when we came home, somewhat relieved, we started the festivities. Quinn's grandparents and Nina were in town to celebrate the occasion. Quinn still hasn't figured out the whole 'unwrapping gifts' thing, but we think this will soon come.
Of course, Quinn's favorite present was the red balloon, which he tries to stick in his mouth and bit. I'm petrified that he'll really bite down on the thing and pop it.
Happy 1st Birthday!
A small police car from Tick Tack Oma and Opa. Eva's parents brought this for them to give to Quinn, and they had some issues getting through airport security - who thought it might be a bomb.

Quinn and Eva reading one of his new books.
Quinn really likes his new giraffe. He shows his affection by putting it in his mouth.
We had to help him blow out his candles. I hoped that he could dig into his first birthday cake, which Eva made just for him, but with his stomach issues, we decided not to let him have this luxury. Made the cleaning up a bit easier.
Despite the weather, we tried to go out a bit. Here we are...dressed somewhat alike. Like father, like son.
Quinn looks super cute in baseball hats, but he just doesn't like them on his head. After putting the caps on, he promptly takes them off. Maybe he thinks it is some sort of game.

All in all, despite the health issues and weather, it was a great weekend. It could have gone a bit more as planned, but the most important part was that we were together, as a family.