Farmer John is a farmer at heart and home, but his day job is a 9-5. He had meetings in Germany for a week. The stars aligned and the kids & I were able to go with him. We book ended Germany with short stays in Italy and France.

EUROPEAN INSPIRED ART

Before we left I wanted the kids to learn a little about Europe. I had them create a piece of art based on each of the three countries we would be visiting.

Italy: Venetian canal craft from Crayola
Germany: German Cuckoo Clock from Cassie Stephens. I love her art ideas.
France: Rose windows in medieval cathedrals from Ms. Novak’s Organized Chaos

Since we would be visiting art museums, I also asked the kids to recreate a masterpiece.

FLYING TO EUROPE

First up on our vacation agenda: Obligatory pic with the infamous PDX carpet.

I’m pretty sure this carpet is one of the most photographed airport carpets in the world. When the original carpet was being replaced people went crazy over it and started taking pics with it. The carpet even has an instagram account.

We flew Delta. I have no complaints. I had my own monitor to see the map of where we were in our flight and to watch the movies I wanted to watch. The kids had their own screens and each watched the shows they wanted. Awesome! Once we were out of the US I got complimentary Jack with my coke. Yep, not going to complain.

We flew from Portland to Amsterdam. Then switched planes in Amsterdam for our flight to Venice.

Flying over the Alps was a pinch me moment. They were breathtaking.

Our first peek at Venice. My thoughts of the city from this view: not too impressed. Apparently Venice is a city best viewed up close.

VENICE, ITALY

I can’t say enough about how much I loved Venice. I adored the Old World charm.

You can’t stroll through Venice without noticing beautiful masks. I even spotted a chicken one.

TRAIN TO GERMANY

We traveled by way of the Deutsche Bahn trains. We boarded the train in Venice at the Santa Lucia station. We traveled to Verona, over the Brenner pass, to Munich, and finally on to Nuremberg. It was a long ride, but a lovely way to see the beauty of Europe.

When we were traveling in and out of Germany, kids under the age of 15 rode free on the Deutsche Bahn trains. This was a great way to save money on vacation.

NUREMBERG, GERMANY

We stayed in Nuremberg for a week. John spent most of his time working, while the kids and I explored. We primarily toured Nuremberg, but ventured one day to Munich.

PARIS, FRANCE

We took the train from Germany to Paris. We had only one half day + one full day in Paris, which is not nearly enough time. But, we did make the most of our time and saw some amazing pieces of history.

The details on many of the buildings and monuments absolutely amaze me.

DRINKING IN EUROPE

We had virtually no trouble traveling through Europe, even without speaking Italian, German, or French. It helped that we do speak English, as do many Europeans. Also, I did have a little cheat sheet of common words for each language. We got through transportation, accommodations, shopping, even ordering food, with very few issues. Our one snafu the entire trip was water to drink at restaurants. We drink a lot of water. We are accustomed to tap water being available most everywhere. This was the one cultural difference that through me for a loop. Water was often brought in liter bottles, with a hefty charge. Also, carbonated water is their norm. So, if we forgot to ask for it without bubbles we were thoroughly bummed. None of us cared for the sparkling stuff. I didn’t mind paying for the water, but I thought the cost was too high. I remember one place where I let the kids order soda and I got wine because those drinks were cheaper than the water.

It is obvious I take drinking water for granted.

FLYING HOME

From Paris, we flew to Amsterdam.

On our way out of Amsterdam I noticed a group of windmills in the ocean. I’m not sure how they are used, but they intrigued me.

The Rockies may not be the Alps, but Canada has a beautiful mountain range, too.

Our kids earned their wings as we were getting pretty close to Portland.

WE MADE IT HOME

I bought masks in Venice for the kids to paint once we got home.

Farm Kid2 made John & I a thank you card for the trip.

This was a fantastic trip full of so many great memories. I am incredibly thankful for the experience.

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The last city on our European vacation was Paris.

NUREMBERG TO PARIS VIA TRAIN

We woke up bright and early to catch our 5:30am train to Paris. Lucky for us our hotel in Nuremberg was right across the street from the train station.

We were able to take the Deutsche Bahn trains all the way to Paris, with only one transfer in Frankfurt. Our pocket books did a happy dance taking the German trains since the kids traveled for free. Look into it. It’s worth it.

OUR HOTEL

During our time in Paris we stayed at the Citadines Les Halles. The accommodations were good and the cost for being in the heart of Paris was reasonable.

PARISIAN STREETS

Of course I came to Paris to see some of the major sites. But even if I never entered a wordly treasure, I would still think Paris was spectacular. The streets are gorgeous.

Used book sellers along the Seine. Farm Kid1 purchased a set of playing cards.

DAY 1

Day 1 in Paris was only a half day since we traveled from Germany that morning. But, we made the most of our short day.

THE LOUVRE
This was my 2nd visit to the Louvre, and if I get the chance I’d absolutely go a 3rd time.

ARC DE TRIOMPHE
We took a beautiful walk from the Louvre to the Triumphal Arch.

The Arch is in the middle of an endless circling of cars. We took a pedestrian tunnel underneath and ended up safely in the middle of all the chaos at the arch. We climbed the spiral staircase to the top and were granted a spectacular view of the city.

To end the evening we had dinner near our hotel, then went to bed. It had been a very long day full of trains, culture, history, art, and crowds.

DAY 2

Day 2 was spent entirely within a few miles of our hotel.

There were many places I wanted to see while in Paris. Notre Dame was at the top to that list.

NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL
Walking to the top of the south tower was my favorite part of our time in Paris.

MUSÉE D’ORSAY
The Musée d’Orsay was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did.

SAINTE CHAPELLE
We took a quick tour of the chapels at Sainte Chapelle.

EIFFEL TOWER
Of all the places we visited on our trip, the Eiffel Tower is what I wanted the kids to see the most. Not because I think it’s so much better than anything else we saw. But because they were pretty young and I thought it may be the only thing they could relate to. It was probably the only thing they would recognize.

FOOD

I wasn’t in Paris for the food and none of our meals really stand out. I didn’t starve and it all tasted fine. I’m content with that.

LOVE ROCKS

When we travel we like to leave Love Rocks. Paris got a few.

One thing I realized about the city of Paris on this trip is the amount of open spaces there are. There is a lot of room for locals and visitors to hang out in many historical spaces. I love that.

On the other hand, a number of places were crowded. They were way, way too crowded for my comfort level. I don’t remember this issue the first time we visited. But, this time, especially along the Champs Élysées and near the used book vendors, there were an alarming number of people.

I would absolutely like to return to Paris… however, I will do my research to find a less crowded time of year.

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There are so many intriguing places to visit in Paris. We narrowed it down to a few must-do’s, put on our walkin’ shoes, and headed out for the day. We squeezed as much as we possibly could into our last day of vacation.

First stop… Notre Dame Cathedral.

NOTRE DAME

Before we had kids, John and I visited Notre Dame on a short European trip. Returning to Paris, I knew it was someplace I needed to see again. The first time we came on a very quiet middle of the week day in March. We didn’t tour the towers, but we had the church almost all to ourselves. It was beautiful and serene. This time we came on a Sunday, during mass. Because it was so crowded we didn’t get to oogle over the inside as much as I would have liked, but we did go to the top of the south tower. I can’t even put into words how awesome that was. Visiting this cathedral twice now, I can honestly say it is one of my most favorite places.

Construction began on this medieval wonder in 1163 and has changed a bit over the years, but was considered complete in 1345. 1345! It is hard to imagine how they created such a masterpiece without the technical advances we have now.

Last time we toured the massive cathedral we really got to look at the awe worthy French Gothic architecture. This time we didn’t get to do that as much, but we did experience the cathedral for what it was built for – a place to worship. I didn’t mean for us to show up during mass, and I almost felt rude interrupting. As we walked around, though, we got to listen to the service and hear the choir sing. Just an amazing moment.

We arrived early to get in line to go to the top of the south tower. It was boring and waiting is never fun… especially with kids. However, it was worth every second of the wait. Walking up the spiral staircases to the top… Amazing! Even the kids appreciated how awesome it was to be walking on those stone steps.

I can’t pick out my favorite part. I loved the medieval staircases. Seeing the details of the Gothic cathedral almost made me tear up. The bell. The chimera. The view. All amazing.

After seeing the top of Notre Dame, we explored the ruins underneath it in the Archaeological Crypt.

REMINDS ME OF HOME

Being on an entirely different continent we still had moments on our walks that reminded us of home.

We stumbled upon some kind of vendor market selling birds and flowers. Probably not a big deal to many people, but for us this was such a fun little surprise. We even saw black copper marans hatching eggs. Maybe I am easily entertained, but seeing those eggs in France from a bird originally from France was a weird highlight from our trip.

We also saw a group warming up for a Color Run. My slight addiction to running events made me a tad bummed I wasn’t down there warming up with them.

MUSÉE D’ORSAY

I prefer old artwork from hundreds of years ago, such as from the Renaissance and Roman time periods, so the more modern pieces at the Musée d’Orsay didn’t appeal to me much. But, I still wanted to go check out the museum. So, we did. I was pleasantly surprised. The building, as well as its collection, had a very different feel about it than the Louvre. Not better, not worse – just different.

I didn’t think Impressionism or French art were really my thing, but there were a ton of pieces I thought were fantastic.

Top Right: Oil painting from Claude Monet’s water lily series, Le bassin aux nymphéas, harmonie verte. The museum also has many Monet paintings that are not water lilies.
Bottom Left: Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night. This version is a night sky over the Rhône. Van Gogh painted another Starry Night, which is on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Bottom Right: Eugène Delaplanche’s Eve avant le péché (Eve before sin). It’s kind of hard to see from this angle, but she has an apple in her hand.

SAINTE CHAPELLE

Sainte Chapelle is part of the Palais de Justice complex, which sits on the same little island in the River Seine as the Notre Dame Cathedral.

It was completed in 1248 with the purpose of holding Christian relics.

As with many Gothic gems, the exterior is gorgeous. I loved seeing the gargoyles.

This is one of those places where a photograph just can’t capture just how mesmerizing it truly is.

There is an upper and lower chapel both with exquisite stained glass. The lighting through the glass was stunning.

The other thing that struck me was the detail of the entire walled surface. Every inch was ornately covered in gold or paint. In any other setting I probably would have thought it to be over done. But here, it was part of what made the entire experience exceptional.

WALKING ALONG THE SEINE

We were tired, but somehow walking along the Seine was still magical. It had to have been the atmosphere. It certainly wasn’t the worn out travelers finishing up their 2 weeks of adventuring.

We had places to go, things to see. So, we didn’t sit and picnic. But, strolling along and taking it all in was marvelous.

We came across fencing covered in love locks. We also came across some areas covered in plywood to deter the addition of more locks. I was surprised to see just how many locks there were.

EIFFEL TOWER

Last, but not least, on our quick stop in Paris was the Eiffel Tower.

On our previous trip, John and I went up in the Tower to gaze out at the city of light. This trip I decided to go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Dame tower so we could see the Eiffel Tower in our views of the city. I am not disappointed with that decision.

We walked around and through the Eiffel Tower, took many photos, and Farm Girl did handstands in the grass. It was a nice ending to our European vacation.

We took an RER train back to the hotel and got ready to head home crazy early the next morning.

Our time in Europe almost over.

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After arriving in Paris we had a few hours left in the day to explore. The Louvre wasn’t too far from our hotel, so we chose to go there.

I definitely wanted to get to the Louvre, but just walking the streets of Paris was lovely.

THE LOUVRE

Our day in Paris took way longer to get started than I had planned. By the time we got checked in at the hotel, and through the ticket line we only had a little over an hour to explore all that is awesome at the Musée du Louvre before closing time.

On one hand, it kind of sucked that we had to rush through the museum. On the other, I’m still extremely glad we saw what we did.

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel with the Louvre behind it.

The building itself is amazing. So beautiful and full of so many details. Originally built over 800 years ago, the former royal residence has changed over the years. It has been a fortress, a palace, and since 1793 – a museum.

We saw so much, in such a short amount of time. It’s all kind of a blur.

My favorite pieces are from the Italian Renaissance and the Greek & Roman antiquities.

Here is the tiniest sliver of what we saw:
Top: The crowd catching a glimpse of the Mona Lisa
Bottom Left: Marble female statue (circa 50BC) restored as the muse Melpomene looking over the Sphinx courtyard
Bottom Right: Ceiling artwork in the Salon Carré room of the Grand Galerie

Left: Throwback to our 2002 visit to the Louvre.
Right: I didn’t know if we would get the chance to ever make it back. I’m so grateful we did, and with three kids in tow.

TUILERIES GARDEN

The Tuileries Garden in April was stunning!

I’m not sure why I loved it so much, but it made me so happy to see such a beautiful place filled with people seeming to just relax and enjoy where they were.

CHAMPS ÉLYSÉES

We walked from the Louvre, through Tuileries Garden, down the Avenue des Champs Élysées, to the Triumphal Arch.

We didn’t do any shopping along the way… except to grab a couple crepes… of course.

ARC DE TRIOMPHE

The Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile is huge monument honoring Napolean’s victories and is located in the center of a bustling 12 avenue roundabout.

Again, I’m just in awe of the design details.

The view from the top of the Triumphal Arch? Amazing! Absolutely worth the 2.5 mile walk from the Louvre, even at the end of a very long day.

Top: Looking across the Seine at the Eiffel Tower
Middle: Looking towards the Sacré-Cœur Basilica
Bottom: Avenue de la Grande Armée

From the Arch we took the metro back to our hotel. Then had a late dinner at the Cafe Rive Droite.

It was an exhausting, wonderful day.

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Twice, the kids and I, ventured away from Old Town and explored an area in eastern Nuremberg.

Europe has so many wonderful historical buildings, monuments and museums. As much as I love exploring all those places and want my kids to have exposure to it, I also understand my kids are kids. I want them to have just plain fun and not remember our trip as an unending snoozefest of old stuff. So, our itinerary included a couple places of fun where the kids didn’t have to worry about being quiet or knocking something over.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Our hotel was located right next to a tram stop, so we took the tram to Dutzendteich Lake. This was a fun way to see parts of the city we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

We planned to take the tram to the zoo, too. But there was a problem with the line, so they sent a bus. The bus dropped us off a bit before the zoo entrance, so we walked the rest of the way. That worked out ok. It was a nice day and a good excuse to venture through a German neighborhood.

A home near the zoo that reminded me of a German fairy tale.

NUREMBERG ZOO

One day of fun was spent at the Nuremberg Zoo.

I loved seeing animals we don’t have at the Oregon Zoo.
The Maned Wolf brought up memories from when my kids were younger and watched Go, Diego, Go.
The horns on the Alpine Ibex were stunning!
I am always in awe when I see a gorilla. I could watch them for hours.
This was my first time ever seeing a manatee.

We have had these species at our zoo, but these particular ones were new to me. We have polar bears, but not baby polar bears. So cute! And, I have never seen a tiger swim. He seemed to enjoy it.

One of the highlights of our zoo day was the dolphin and seal show.

Except for the snafu with the tram, the day was great. We even got back to the hotel with enough time to wander over to Old Town for dinner.

DUTZENDTEICH LAKE & NAZI PARTY RALLY GROUNDS

Staying in Nuremberg, it was hard to resist visiting the former Nazi Rally Grounds. The rally area surrounded Dutzendteich Lake. We took a nice walk around the lake. The kids got to play and I read the signage, trying to take in the enormity of the historical things that occurred where we were standing.

CONGRESS HALL
To display their power, the Nazi’s planned many large buildings on these grounds. Congress Hall being one of them and designed to be a focal point. In 1935, work began on the Roman Colosseum inspired building. Due to the start of WWII, the building was never finished.

The building now houses the Documentation Centre, an exhibit of Nuremberg during the Nazi era.

The lake is now used for recreational purposes. Not too many people were out on the lake, but lots of paddle boats were available to rent.

I will admit to being underwhelmed at the landscaping. I guess I was expecting glorious mounds of green fields covered in spring flowers, since we were there in April. I guess I’m also used to living in western Oregon, where it is green. Really green. Surrounding the lake was primarily brownish dirt, leaves and underbrush. The zoo was the same. I did find a few patches of green and wildflowers, though.

I was thrilled to see birds and ducks at the lake.

Left: The kids running, loving the relaxing day.
Right: Congress Hall and the huge ferris wheel we rode later in the day

ZEPPELIN FIELD
This photo is what remains of the grandstands, originally built in 1935.

Zeppelin Field held many National Socialists parades, rallies and festivals, with as many as 200,000 people. The rallies continued until 1938.

Since the war ended, the field has been used for sports, motor events and concerts.

There were very few people around when we visited, though.

NUREMBERG FOLK FESTIVAL

We happened to be in Nuremberg during their Folk Festival, which was right next to Dutzendteich Lake. So, we checked it out.

We had a great time. It was similar to a carnival or fair we have around here, just with German flair, of course.

My eyes tend to spot farm animals. These are the ones I found at the Folk Festival. The pig is darling with a great smile. The rooster is quite handsome. Best of all, they don’t poop.

Of course we tried fair food. I skipped the sardine sandwich. I honestly wasn’t quite sure even how to eat it. But, I did get a schnitzel sandwich. It was delish!

We shared the biggest pretzel I have ever seen. It was priced just a tad more than a regular pretzel and the 4 of us could fit half way around it for a selfie.

It’s funny the things you remember. I’m pretty sure this pretzel is one of the things we will remember most about our trip.

The only ride we did was a humongous ferris wheel. It was simple and fun, with an amazing view of the city.

Safe & Happy Travels to You!

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During our stay in Nuremberg, we took one day trip outside the city.

We got up early, walked across the street to the train station, and headed towards Munich.

DACHAU CONCENTRATION CAMP

We got off the train in Dachau, then took a bus to the Concentration Camp.

I was a little uneasy about taking the kids here. It was going to be a harsh realization that the world isn’t always nice. It was important to me to go, though, so we went.

Dachau was one of the first Nazi concentration camps and opened in 1933. It remained open for 12 years, until the end of the war.

The concentration camp held political prisoners, Jews, and others the Nazi’s deemed unfit such as artists and handicapped.

As you can imagine, conditions here were awful. There is a lot of information at this memorial site. Since the kids were with me, I didn’t read as much of the info as I had wanted to. But, I tried to read enough to answer the questions the kids had.

We saw their bunks. We saw the gas chamber. We saw roll call square where prisoners had to come every morning and every night for roll call. They stood here for at least an hour, in any weather, until those in charge decided the number of people lined up matched the number on their list. When the numbers didn’t match up the process could go on for hours. Prisoners were known to drag their dying friend with them out to roll call just so they could be accounted for.

The concentration camp was built to hold 6,000 prisoners. As the years went on, that number greatly increased. As many as 32,000 prisoners were tortured here at a time.

Not long after a read an account of prisoners digging up dandelions by the root and eating the whole thing just for something to eat, I found one lone dandelion outside in the rocks.

Visiting Dachau was an incredibly sobering experience that I will never forget.

NYMPHENBURG PALACE

From Dachau we headed to Nymphenburg Palace. I was shocked at the enormity of the palace and its grounds. It was glorious.

I didn’t have a reason for visiting this particular palace other than that I had bought a 14 day pass to visit various Bavarian castles and palaces. This just happened to be the one we could work into our itinerary.

The palace began being built in 1664 and served as a summer home for rulers of Bavaria.

The Stone Hall is grand with its gold details and ceiling frescoes. I can just imagine the royal balls that took place here.

The palace park outside is just as grand and beautiful as the inside.

MARIENPLATZ AREA

There were a ton of things I wanted to see in Munich, but the day was going by quickly so we chose to wander the streets of the city center.

We grabbed a snack at the McDonald’s in Karlsplatz, or Stachus, depending on who your talk to. We ate our unhealthy food choices as we watched the bustling activity in the town square. Across the street was the Palace of Justice building.

Continuing our adventure, we walked down the pedestrian only street Kaufingerstraße. It is one of the Munich’s oldest streets and lined with shops and restaurants of every kind.

We love good street performers.

We made it to Marienplatz. Since we arrived so late in the day, we missed the glockenspiel show off its stuff. But, we did get pics with the human statue street performer.

We ate dinner at Hofbräuhaus. Not sure why, but it took us forever to find it. We circled and circled the area and finally found it.

We asked for a menu in English.

We ordered a cheese plate, sausage, sauerkraut and spaetzle noodles. When at the Hofbräuhaus in Germany, it seems almost mandatory to order a beer. I did. It was huge and I am not a beer fan, so I didn’t drink much of it.

After dinner it was time to head back to Nuremberg. It was a long day of train, tram and bus rides, but we experienced a range of German history.

Safe & Happy Travels to You!

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Our hotel in Nuremberg was located right outside the Altstadt, or Old Town, walls. So while the hubby was working, the kids and I spent a lot of time within those medieval walls wondering the cobblestone streets.

IMPERIAL CASTLE OF NUREMBERG

Resting on a sandstone ridge, the castle towers above Nuremberg. It was once one of the most important imperial palaces of the Holy Roman Empire.

During our stay in Nuremberg we visited the castle grounds a couple times, but only once did we tour the inside of the buildings. There was so much to explore in the towers and half timbered buildings.

Our favorite things were climbing the steps inside the Sinwell Tower to finally make it to the top to a spectacular view of Old Town and listening to a guide explain the importance of the deep well.

CASTLE GARDEN
On the day the kids and I visited this garden, it was overcast and there were very few people wandering the garden.

While we were walking through the garden we kept hearing music. It took us awhile to figure it out, but we finally realized it was coming from underneath us. The curious people that we are, we went looking for the sound. What we found was a jolly fellow playing the accordion in a tunnel.

SECRET MOAT GARDEN?
I’m not exactly sure where we were when we walked through this garden. I’m also not sure why these gardens were here.

We were near the castle. I think we were in the moat. The castle wall was lined with individual locked gardens.

Wherever we were it was lovely and quiet and not formally landscaped like the official castle gardens.

SHOPPING

The Craftsman Market (Handwerkerhof) was a quaint step back in time. Inside the half timbered buildings were handmade crafts from leather, tin, glass and more. Loved it.

Not too far from the Craftsman Market was a modern shopping district.

A few shops we visited:
Käthe Wohlfahrt  Fantastic German treasures found here
Lego Store  This was a must
Lebkuchen Schmidt  Of course we had to try this sweet treat
Nanu Nana  I adored this little store of household goodies. My favorite find was a blank canvas in the shape of a heart.

OPEN AIR MARKETS
In a few places throughout old town are these great open air markets. This particular one is Hauptmarkt and has the Frauenkirche church as its focal point. This is the same location for the Christkindlsmarkt (Christmas Market).

MUSEUMS

This area of Bavaria has so much history that the Old Town had a number of museums to visit. We visited three.

One place I wish we would have gone to, but never did was the WWII Art Bunker. There are tunnels under the castle that held art to keep it safe during war time.

ALBRECHT DÜRER HOUSE
I love paintings from the Renaissance, so I was excited to visit the Albrecht Dürer house. I was envisioning this being one of the places I had to hurry through because the kids would be bored. I was wrong. We each received our own headphones for an audio tour. The kids had their own fun going room to room listening.

The house was set up similar to that which he would have lived in at the time. It also had a collection of his paintings and a printer’s workshop.

NEUES MUSEUM
For a modern twist in this historical district, we visited the Neues Museum. It was most definitely a change of scenery. The building was sleek and crisp. The artwork was very different from the older works we’d been admiring throughout our vacation. The kids didn’t quite know what to make of some of it.

TOY MUSEUM
I was pleasantly surprised with the Toy Museum. It had quite a historical collection of toys ranging from wood, to metal, to Barbie. The kids loved it, too.

CHURCHES

Medieval churches have to be one of my all time favorite things. I love their history.

ST. SEBALDUS LUTHERAN CHURCH
Originally built in the 1200’s, St. Sebaldus sustained significant damage during World War II. Inside the church are many photos showing the damage. It is heartbreaking. The church has been beautifully restored.

ST LORENZ LUTHERAN CHURCH
The church of St. Lorenz was originally built in its gothic style during the 1400’s. It, too, was damaged during WWII and restored.

FRAUENKIRCHE CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Frauenkirche was built during the 1300’s, damaged during WWII, and restored.

The gothic building sits in a market square, known as the Hauptmarkt. At noon you can watch the Männleinlaufen (mechanical clock and glockenspiel) with a procession of electors surrounding the Holy Roman Emperor. One afternoon we bought berries at the market and watched the clock.

Old Town was the perfect home base for the kids and during our week in Nuremberg.

On my bucket list is to return to Nuremberg during Christmas to visit the Christkindlsmarkt.

Safe & Happy Travels to You!

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We booked our train travel from Italy to Germany through the Deutsche Bahn. The train we took left Venice at 1:35pm and arrived in Munich about 8:20pm. Once in Munich we switched trains and pulled into Nuremberg about 10:45 that night. The entire trip was about 9 hours, but we traveled through the Alps so it was scenic and beautiful.

John was going to Nuremberg for work. The kids and I just tagged along for fun.

John’s work picked the hotel, which was located perfectly. It was near the train station, a tram stop was right outside the hotel doors, and Old Town was literally a crosswalk away.

I had hoped to explore a bit more of Germany, but primarily we stayed right around Nuremberg.

OLD TOWN

Since it was so close, most of our time was spent in Old Town.

Our first stop on the first morning was the Imperial Castle.

The view of Old Town from the top of the Sinwell Tower. Amazing!

Even though we walked Old Town a number of times I never got tired of its charm. Much of it was destroyed during WWII and has been rebuilt with its medieval roots.

Lots of fun stuff to see.

Old Town is home to 3 breathtaking churches. I loved catching glimpses of them most everywhere we walked.

Church architecture. Stunning!

Open air market and bicyclists.

MORE THAN OLD TOWN

Three of our six days in Nuremberg we ventured outside the Old Town walls.

One day we went to the zoo.

One day we explored around Dutzendteich Lake. This was a former location of Nazi Rallies. We also attended the Folk Festival.

We also took the train and spent a day around Munich going to the Dachau Concentration Camp, Nymphenburg Palace and Munich’s city center.

THE FOOD

We ate most of our meals in Old Town.

One of our first meals was at Original Nürnberger Bratwursthaus for typical German cuisine. One reason we chose this place was to try the famous Nuremberg sausage. They reminded me of what I would call a breakfast sausage link, not big like a typical bratwurst. They were good.

Oh, for the love of crepes. We ate crepes I don’t know how many times throughout our 2 week vacation. In Old Town there was a cart set up outside the St. Lorenz church that we ate at couple times. We also ate at Creperie am Hauptmarkt.

We ate from numerous little food places near the entrance of Old Town. We tried falafel for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised to know I liked it.

Not gonna lie. We totally ate at McDonald’s a couple times, too. Of course it was similar to the McDonald’s near us, but we don’t have potato wedges or chicken wings.

The only place we ate that I didn’t like was a Mexican restaurant located near the Frauenkirche church. It claimed to be Mexican with a Californian twist. I love Mexican food. I didn’t love this – not even the chips and salsa.

Outlawed in the US, we bought Kinder Eggs a couple times. They’re a chocolate goodie with a toy inside.

LOVE ROCKS

We left Love Rocks throughout the Old Town. Each church got one, as well as random other places.

And, that’s it. The German portion of our vacation was coming to an end. It was time to catch the train and head to Paris.

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A couple times while in Venice we visited St. Mark’s Square. It was fabulous, still filled with old world charm.

BASILICA OF SAN MARCO

This Catholic cathedral is wowing. I love old cathedrals and was bummed we didn’t make it inside, but it was glorious even on the outside.

CLOCK TOWER

The clock tower was built during the 15th century, making it an early renaissance building. I am always in ah of the work artists created during the Renaissance.

ST. MARK’S CAMPANILE

The current tower was completed in 1912, after the original building from the 1500’s collapsed.

THE PROCURATIE

THE CORRER MUSEUM / MUSEO CORRER

Part of the Procuratie houses the Correr Museum.

The museum pass we bought had access to this museum, so we visited it. I don’t have a lot to say about it. It had some interesting items. It was beautiful. But… I could probably skip it, if we return to Venice.

Peeking out the windows of the museum.

ON THE OUTSIDE OF ST. MARK’S SQUARE

Technically not in St. Mark’s Square, but just on the outside, along the Venetian Lagoon, was a lovely boardwalk area.

THE BRIDGE OF SIGHS

Just up the way from this boardwalk is the Ponte della Paglia. From here we saw the romanticized Bridge of Sighs.

The bridge was made of limestone in the year 1600 and connects the new prison to the interrogation rooms at Doge’s Palace.

DOGE’S PALACE / PALAZZO DUCALE

I love, loved this palace. The Gothic architecture: gorgeous. The history: intriguing. There was so much to explore: paintings, weapons, prisons.

The portico

The courtyard

The interior

The old prison

Standing on the Bridge of Sighs

Looking out a window at the little island with the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore. I had intentions of going to that island, but we never made it.

Peeking out another window at the beautiful and bustling lagoon.

Italy was on my must-travel-to list. Visiting Venice only makes me want to explore this beautiful country even more. I will be forever plotting a way to go back.

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We spent our second full day in Venice taking a boat ride to Murano.

VAPORETTO

We boarded the waterbus at the Ferrovia “A” stop located on the Grand Canal near the train station. We took line 3 to Murano and got off at the first stop, Murano Colonna.

The Charm Suites building located at the corner of the Grand Canal and the Cannaregio Canal

Heading out to the Laguna Veneta (Venetian Lagoon).

Looking back at Venice from the lagoon.

The Isola di San Michele houses a Renaissance church and Christian burial grounds. We didn’t stop at the island, but I’m sure it’s interesting.

IN MURANO

Getting off at the Murano Colonna stop meant we got to walk a bit to our first destination, the Glass Museum. I chose this on purpose to see more of the city by foot.

CHIESA DI SANTA MARIA DEGLI ANGELI

We walked along the Fondamenta dei Vetrai, searching for the glass museum, somehow missing the museum, and ending up on Fondamenta Venier. The pedestrian street came to an end at an inviting little path and open doorway. We walked in to see what appeared to be an abandoned church. I think it is actually still used during mass, it’s just not touristy like a lot of the Catholic churches in Venice. We didn’t go inside, but the outside was lovely.

GLASS MUSEUM

After our detour, we eventually made it to the glass museum. The Museo del Vetro is a museum on the history of glass. It was founded in 1861 and is one of them most complete glass collections in the world. On display are pieces dating all the way back to Roman times. There is a plethora of information, with examples, on the history of glass in the world and how Murano made its mark in glass making. If you are highly interested in glass, this would be a great place to visit. I found it interesting, but many of the terms describing the glass I didn’t fully understand.

The bird glass description “Crystal glasses with birds,… painted with opaque refunded polychrome enamels.” 18th century
The man with the missing arm described as “Lamp worked figurine in white enamel on uncolored glass…” 18th century

The bottom photo in this grouping is a time frame with 50 glass pieces ranging from the Roman times to the 20th century showing the milestones in the history of Murano glass.

I’m a sucker for chandeliers and ornate ceilings.

Modern pieces created out of white glass. 1980

The museum is in what was once a private palace, the Palazzo Giustinian. I enjoyed seeing the glass, but I loved the building, too – especially the outside courtyard.

LUNCH

We stopped at a homey looking restaurant for lunch. I can’t recall the name, but it was good.

Between us we had calamari, typical marinara spaghetti, spaghetti with clams, and locally caught fish.

John & I also enjoyed a Venice favorite, the spritz. Well, to be honest, enjoyed may not quite be the word to describe the drink. I didn’t care for it much. But, I did certainly enjoy the experience of being in such a wonderful place with my family and having the opportunity to try a local drink.

SHOPPING FOR GLASS

There were many shops selling beautiful glass work in Murano, of course. The one that stands out most is owned by glass artist Boscolo Andrea. All 5 of us could have stared and admired the amazing work for hours. We enjoyed watching a woman craft what I believe was going to be a pen. She was very friendly and patient with my kids.

We purchased a few small items. We were traveling Europe with only carry on’s, leaving very little room for souvenirs. As far as saving money, this was a great method. But, it was horrible for bringing back treasures. Next time I will look into how to ship items back home.

MORE SHOPPING

We browsed through a number of shops. As a chicken/bird enthusiast, I loved the many chicken pieces. They don’t match my home decor at all, but I still would have liked to bring a couple home just because they are awesome. We also stumbled across a store selling mosaic tiles. On an unlimited budget, I would have loved to pick out a bunch.

HEADING BACK

After a few glorious hours, it was time to get to the vaporetto stop and cruise back to Venice.

There were a variety of watercraft in the lagoon including fishing boats and sailboats.

Approaching the stop near St. Mark’s Square.

My original plans when scheduling our European trip included only one full day in Venice, but with a visit to Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. Timing wise, I couldn’t get the castle visit to work out, so instead we spent an extra day in Venice. I’m sure we would have liked the castle, but I am so thankful for another day in Venice. Because of the extra day we were able to explore Murano. I loved the relaxed atmosphere of  the glass-themed island so much.

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