Long Weekend in the Alps

After landing in Munich after a business trip to Nova Scotia, Eva and the kids picked me up at the airport. We headed south to the Alps for a long weekend of family time.
The weather was absolutely perfect, and it was clear that spring had arrived. The locals had mentioned that is was very rare that there was no snow on the ground - even at the higher elevations.

The mountains bring out a certain feeling, which is hard to explain...but is very peaceful and refreshing. My friends from Colorado know what I mean.

The Alps are definitely different than the Rockies, but beautiful in their own way (above the small wooden houses that the farmers use to store their hay for the winter).

The kids had lots of time to stretch their legs and RUN!

We found a few great hikes, that had lots of stuff to climb on...

And things to push...

...and to jump from...

At the end of each day, Eva and I were pooped ... and the kids were filthy from all the playing outside. They were tired to, but with the days getting much longer, they didn't even come close going to bed at their normal time. Around 9 when it finally got dark, the kiddoes finally succumbed to sleeping.

Another trail had different 'things' for the kids to experiment with, which made the hikes much more interesting for Quinn.

...and Emily took catnaps...

We even did a bit of geocaching. Quinn found this cache near the base of a tree.

...a small chapel along one of the trails...

No hike (or trip in the Alps for that matter) is complete with out the obligatory stop for a snack at a Biergarten. Quinn knows that there is usually Apfelsaftschorle and Pommes (Apple juice with sparkling water with fries) in store for him: things he almost never gets at home ... so he is usally the first one to spot the darn Biergartens.

Eva and I love them two. Especially with kids, Biergartens are especially convenient because they are outdoors (for the food that gets dropped), are casual (no fancy napkins here), and usually have a playground.

The food is usually hearty, inexpensive ... and the cake (for Eva) and beer (for me) are usually fresh and local.

There tends to be lots of stop at ice cream parlors (also something that Quinn can usually spot quickly). Emily doesn't want to share ice cream with Quinn anymore. She wants her own scoop...and Quinn has upgraded to two scoops.

Thankfully, we can eat outside as well. Ice cream creates such a mess ;-) ...

Emily is looking for the cookies. She knows that Eva always packs goodies.

At the end of our last hike, before we went home, we went into the 1936 Winter Olympic stadium in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

We even got to ride a few gondolas to save us a few vertical meters of climbing.

We stayed at a youth hostel (below) for the weekend, which was nestled at the foot of the Alps.

Emily making sure she gets every bit of her scoop of ice cream.

All in all, it was an awesome weekend (except for my speeding ticket in Garmisch): we had great weather, good hikes, and lots of fun together as a family.

Big Döner

Eva is a very, very brave mother. I would have NEVER let the kids paint with watercolors in the house - newspaper and cheap 8 EUR Ikea table or not. But, the kids are lucky that they do have a great mother that has faith in her children (and the wash detergent).
They have a blast paining...and we end up with a ton of paintings to take in to work.
For those of you that know me, my favorite fast food in Germany is Döner - basically the Turkish version of the Greek gyros. One of my co-workers (not pictured) shares the same passion for Döner Kebap ... and he kept talking about this place in Fürth that is known for their huge Döner Kebap. Fitting enough, the name of the place is Big Döner.

You can order a Little Döner (which is normal sized), the Big Döner (pictured above), or the Big Döner Teller (Plate)...which is what I ordered (pictured below...what you don't see his the foundation of french fries that is below the Döner meat).

I finished everything... and didn't eat anything for dinner or breakfast the next day. For 5 EUR...it is a super deal. Yum.
Quinn and Emily before heading off to kindergarten and day care.
Note the Lego car in Emily's hand. Emily has been in a phase where she wants to carry her bedtime stuffed animal to day care in the morning. Eva was smart (and fast enough) to start putting a doll in her hand...which pacified Emily.

Not wanting to push Emily into dolls (unless of course she wants to), the next day, I offered Emily a Lego car or her doll. My girl picked the car. Good girl.

Sticking up for her Big Brother

A few weeks ago, Eva and the kids were over at a friend's place in the afternoon. There were a few mothers and their kids. While the mothers were chatting, the kids were playing (nicely, as I was told) well together. They know each other pretty well, and since they are a bit older now, the parent's don't have to pay too much attention to what's going on.

Well, Quinn, Emily, and a few other kids were in the sandbox. Apparently, one of the older kids (6 years old) didn't like what Quinn was doing in the sandbox and sort of pushed him (or maybe took a sandtoy away). Quinn wasn't doing anything wrong, and didn't really react to the 6 year old. No big deal...just the normal sand box stuff.

Well, apparently Emily (still a rather small 18 month old) didn't like how this kid pushed Quinn...so she got up, went over to the 6 year old, and pushed him back, as if to say 'Don't you mess with my big brother'.

Thankfully, the 6 year old didn't do anthing. On one hand, Eva was not happy that Emily pushed this kid, but on the other hand she had to be smiling inside knowing that Emily was taking care of her brother - in her own 18 month year old way...

A fan is born...

Any sports fan remembers the first professional game that they went to see in a huge stadium. While I was probably only 5 years old, I went to my first pro baseball game: with my dad, a friend of mine, and his father in the old Veteran's stadium (back in the day when stadiums had real names instead of oversized advertisements) to see the Phillies.

The vet was this 1970's style multipurpose stadium designed for football and baseball - not really being suited well for either. Needless to say, we were way on the top, but I didn't care. As far as I could tell (and remember), I was super excited. That started a passion for baseball ... and to this day I still have a soft spot in my heart for the Phillies.
When Eva and I discussed what we would like to get Quinn for his 4th birthday, we thought about taking him to see a pro soccer game, but we thought he'd be a bit too young. Then we asked around a bit - to the soccer fans that we knew - and they all reminisced about their first games. And we did it...we got tix and timed the weekend so that Eva's parents were in town to watch over Emily.

Quinn had his own official 1. FC Nürnberg jersey (Danke Oma & Opa!) for the event. He was super excited...tho we tried, he didn't want to take a nap during the game...

...but he found some time to catch a catnap on the train ride to the stadium.

We were hungry...and I thought a hotdog was appropriate. No veggies are allowed at stadiums.

Nürnberg had been on quite a run lately, so the fans were pretty wild. Below a pic of the 'rowdy' home section...

Unlike the US, there is no national (German) anthem played at sporting events - only at international events. But at one point the stadium got rather quiet and a song started playing. I didn't know any better and kept on rambling. I got an elbow in my ribs from Eva: I was yammering during the 1. FC Nürnberg Anthem. Don't talk during this song. It is VERBOTEN.

We had perfect weather for the event...

When it was all said and done, Quinn said he had a blast...and asked if he could go tomorrow with Oma and Opa...

In Germany, soccer is the national sport and the national passion for sportsfans. We had a ball, and I'm sure Quinn will remember the event for a while. Unfortunately, Nürnberg didn't win...but Quinn thought they did (he assumed that the 'good guys in red' scored all the goals), and we certainly didn't spoil this minor detail.

While that was probably not the goal of the whole event, I'm sure Quinn will always have a soft spot in his heart for 1. FC Nürnberg. And, that's not a bad thing.

...and my mother in law is happy that we didn't go to see FC Bayern München (sorry Kocka ;-)

Karneval ... and Routines

As with most families, getting the kids teeth brushed is a part of the morning ritual. Quinn and Emily have taken it to the next level by sitting together on a two step stool while they brush their teeth.
You may notice a bit (ok ... perhaps a rather long) of a scab on his left cheek. In what is turning out to be another weekend ritual, both kids - in their super active rough and tumble way - seem to always get some sort of bump, bruise, or scrape. We end up taking the kids to Kindergarten / Day Care on Monday with some sort of accident they acquired during their hard play on the weekend.

In Quinn's case, he was 'helping' me fix my mountain bike. My bike was upside down on the ground (wheels up) and he thought it was cool to spin the wheels. I accidentally bumped the bike a bit, it fell off balance, and Quinn's face was the braking force for the spinning wheel. Super Ouch.

Normally, getting ready for Quinn has its routine as well: dinner, PJ's, brushing teeth, game / puzzle, read a book, bedtime. For one reason or another, he decided he wanted to play alone (a rarity, so Eva and I let him be despite the hour in the evening). He came out of his room, with a fully packed backpack, suitcase, and handbag. He was flying to Brazil. I had to stop him and take a picture.

Karneval (like Carnival in Rio or Mardi Gras in New Orleans) is very popular in Germany, especially in the more northern parts of the country. The kids get dressed up in their Karneval costumes (usually on Monday or Tuesday before Ash Wednesday - depending on the part of Germany you are in).

This year, Quinn wanted to be a cop, like his Tante Nina.

I'm exaggerating a bit, but I don't think he took off this T-Shirt for 3 days.

Our Little Boy Turns 4

As much as a cliche as it may be, neither Eva nor I can believe that our little baby boy is now four years old. He's passed being a baby a long time ago...and he's not a toddler anymore. He's a kid...a full fledged boy.
Looking at Emily and her excitement, she probably thought that it was her birthday, and at least Quinn tolerated her trying to open his gifts. She did get a few things to open up as well - some nice (and much needed) long sleeved shirts.

The theme of Quinn's big day was soccer...

Some soccer PJ's (extra ball sports included in the PJ's) from Grandmom and Grandpop! Thanks!

Quinn concentrating on his card...

The big winner was the leather soccer ball! He wanted to play immediately (in the house). Eva and I told him that with this ball, he could neither play in the house nor in our backyard (Papa is fearing for the lives of his tulips and hedges). So we'll have to go to the park a few meters from our house to play...

Apparently, I was not specific enough with the rules, and he thought that I said something like 'no soccer in the house'...so he tried playing basketball in the house...

After seeing my first faulty communication of the rules, I quickly realized that Emily didn't think that the rules applied to her.

...then I had to exclude bowling from the list of things 'not to do with the super cool soccer ball'...

...with me being the party pooper (Spielverderber), I had no chance when Quinn looked at me and asked: Papa, can we then go outside and play in the park?

It wasn't even 8am yet, but I was already in my suit, good dress shoes, and it was bloody cold outside.

...so we went outside and played soccer for about 20 minutes (don't ask me what Quinn was doing on the ground...it was cold, man!).

Quinn had a blast, and he can really whack that ball...It never ceases to amaze me how the simplest things can bring such joy!

Part II of the birthday - the children's birthday party will follow. Nothing defines insanity like inviting 5 4-year olds to your house, pump them full of sugar, and try to make sure that no one gets an eye poked out.