Stockenhausen

We stopped to visit Tanja's cousin Daniel and family in Stockenhausen, near Karlsruhe. The kids met their second cousins for the first time and we were treated to a delicious BBQ dinner. It stays daylight until about 9.30pm.

Switzerland

Together with the Wises we popped into Switzerland very briefly - just for conv. Not so many photos to share from those days. But as always, the Swiss scenery was beautiful. Fantastic summer weather continues to follow us! We haven't had to get any jackets out at all so far!

Baden-Baden - 3

Beautiful European gardens, sunny weather, and a picnic with our friends the Wises. Kelvin showed Max how to attach a rose bush thorn to his nose.

Baden-Baden 2

A couple more of the beautiful Baden-Baden. The sign is for a playground and reads: "Playground for children under 14 years. Midday rest from 1pm-3pm, and no playing after 8pm." We broke the rules and played there at 2.30pm one day.

Baden-Baden

We had 4 nights in the Southern Germany spa town called Baden-Baden. We rented a small apartment that had a great location.

Berry season

Summer is berry season. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries. All sweet, juicy and delicious!

Lego Land - 3

The mini Lego cities were particularly good.

Lego Land - 2

Lego Land - 1

We had a day at the Lego Land themepark in Germany. It is similar to Dreamworld or Seaworld - but most of the rides and attractions have a Lego theme. The kids had a particularly good time and keep asking when they can go back.

Max the Knight

We came across a woodworker's shop in Füssen that had toys fashioned out of wood. After visiting Neuschwanstein castle, Max had his heart set on a shield and sword.

Lake swimming

In Füssen we had our first European lake swim. Europeans have a long way to go to the beach, so it's common to swim in natural lakes instead. The lakefront is controlled by private owners who charge a small fee for entrance. When the weather is nice it's not too bad, but the water is quite cold. The kids and I bravely swam over to the blue pontoon.

Neuschwanstein Castle

We visited Neuschwanstein Castle in Füssen that was built in the 1860s by German King Ludwig. So the story goes, in recent years the castle was used by Disney as inspiration for castles in its movies such as Sleeping Beauty. Tanja and the kids travelled up the mountain on horse and buggy, and the view from the top was spectacular. We toured some of the rooms in the castle, including King Ludwig's throne room, bedroom and private chapel. Max got quite fed up with all the walking.