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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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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There was a blank space on our Travel Gallery Wall that fit a 20″ x 16″ canvas perfectly. Since Germany was only represented once on the wall, I was hoping the canvas could be German themed. I absolutely loved this view of the river when we were in Nuremberg, so it seemed an easy choice.

SUPPLIES

• 20″ x 16″ canvas
• 18″ x 12″  photo (I had this one printed at Costco)
• Acrylic paint
• Wood letters and wood shape
• Distress ink
• Mod podge
• Craft glue

PAINTING THE CANVAS

I rarely paint a canvas color straight outta the bottle. I prefer the not-so-perfect look of color blending. However, one color would work just fine.

The main background color is a mix of 7 different paints (left photo). I was going for a barn reddish gray.

After the background color dried, I went over the top of it dry brush style. I chose an orange color to bring out the roof on the building and a light yellow green to highlight the tree.

WOOD LETTERS

I picked these wood letters up at a craft store and love them. They were priced reasonably and I’ve used them for many projects already.

They are easy to paint. This time, though, I wanted the wood to show through to match the wood bird I was planning to add. So, instead, I rubbed the edges with a brown distress ink.

GLUING ON THE PHOTO

Sometimes when I glue a photo onto canvas I do it decoupage style – putting mod podge on the back of the photo to act as glue and also putting mod podge on the front to protect the photo.

For this project I opted not to put mod podge on the front of the photo. I did use it as glue, though, to adhere the photo to the canvas. I used a foam brush to spread glue on the back of the photo and also spread a little on the canvas itself.

I eye-balled where I wanted the photo and carefully set the photo in place. Then I gave the photo a little push rubbing it onto the canvas. There wasn’t anything supporting the canvas, making it a tad irritating to rub on the photo. So I flipped the canvas over and rubbed the photo on that way. It’s much nicer to press against a hard surface.

GLUING ON WOOD DECORATIONS

I used craft glue to attach the wood pieces to the canvas.

Again, I just eye-balled where I wanted to place the wood pieces. But, I did line up the top edge of the photo with a red line on a ruler to make sure the letters were parallel with the photo.

FINISHED CANVAS

Another home decor item of a memorable family vacation complete. Woop, woop! A feeling of accomplishment for the day.

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