Auf Wiedersehen Germany

Today it was time to head back home.  My trip was at an end.  I was up early packing away my final items.  Said my goodbyes to Gulçin.  The family was getting ready to go on their own vacation with Bo's parents the following week.  Bo drove me to the airport where I got scolded for having a small liquid container in a gallon bag but rules must be followed - ha!  At the airport, I grabbed a few magnets for my collection and at my last butterbretzel (so yummy!).

It was a smooth flight back with a stop first in Frankfort then to San Juan, Puerto Rico before a flight back to Orlando.  I met a lovely Swiss girl on the plane who was going to Puerto Rico to stay with her boyfriend for a few months (she was able to work remotely).  This was before all the hurricanes ended up hitting!!

This is old San Juan from the plane!

Ritter Sport Trip followed by Güneş Walking

Another rainy day but it was the last one in Germany so we made the most of it.  Gulçin drove the girls and I to Ritter Sport in Waldenbuch, which is a famous German chocolate factory (this was where the company started).  When we arrived, there was a mini BMW that we could take pictures with.  We walked through the ChocoExhibition.  Then, we had lunch in the Café followed by purchasing too many chocolates in their store.  Güneş seemed to be warming up to me more on my last day there!

The weather had cleared so during the afternoon, I started packing and then took the last day to do one more walk around the city.  I went to the store to purchase a few last minute gifts such as wine and German treats.  For dinner, we had Turkish food to celebrate the Turkish holiday Sacrifice Feast.

Ayşe and I had our last tea party with her in her Elsa dress.  During my time there, I read a set of books that they had in English to Ayşe each night and we finished up the series.  To highlight the evening, Güneş walked for the first time (see video of her walking soon after)!!!

Picking out my new car!

In the town of Sindelfingen, there is a Mercedes Benz factory.  It is actually a very large part of the town.  As an engineering nerd, I signed up for a tour.  Gulçin had got a babysitter for the morning so she could run some errands.  She kindly drove me to the welcome center.  I only have one picture of the plant, which was really in the welcome center and my new car (kidding!).  The tour was really cool.  We got to drive around the campus and walk through a few of the buildings with the production line live.   The tour included going through the press shop, where the body parts are given their shape, continued with the ballet performance of the robots in the body shop and ends in the assembly shop, where the bodyshell and powertrain are married together.  These cars are all unique with different considerations such as left or right driver sides, country conditions (such as emissions, rules, etc), and customer specifications.

After the tour, I jumped on a bus to Böblingen to check out their mall.  I got pizza for lunch and then walked around shopping (I don't believe I bought anything though!).  From this town, I walked to Ikea (it was lightly misting but I enjoyed the walk).  Ikea consistency was impressive... it was almost like I was in the states at an Ikea.  After the rain passed, I walk back home.

For dinner, Gulçin impressed again with pumpkin soup and pasta.  Ayşe and I had a tea party in her room before starting our dance party.

Enjoying the Black Forest (Cake)

Bo took off the day and joined us as we went to explore the Black Forest (yes, where Black Forest Cake is from).  The drive was about an hour to Bad Wildbad and very beautiful.  The town had a nice little waterway that we walked along and of course picked up some butter bretzels!  Then, we took a funicular train up into the forest.

We went to a place that was called Baumwipfelpfad Schwarzwald Tree Top Walk.  They have this really cool wooden walkway up in the tree tops that you walk along with different stations that you can climb on or learn about the forest.  Ayşe and I tried all the stations.  After the walk, you approach this really cool spiral walk that gives you an amazing view of the forest and trees from above.  We walked up the view and took some pictures.  Then the spiral walk way has a slide that you can take down.  I was excited to take it down but Gulçin was a little nervous.  I went first and she almost backed out but then became brave and slide down.  It was really fun and Ayşe was calling her on from the bottom.  

We had some pork schnitzel for lunch followed by some Black Forest Cake.  It was very delicious and the cherries well soaked in spirits!  After stuffing ourselves with cake, we headed back to Sindelfingen.  We took a walk down to the city center to listen to some music.  Ayşe was quite the dancer and Güneş was getting in on the action.

We walked over to a Turkish restaurant for dinner and got a variety of items to share.  It was a Turkish holiday this day called Victory Day - from the outcome of a battle in 1922.  We enjoyed the meal and walked back to the apartment after a very full day!

A Day around Sindelfingen followed by a Beach Bar!

The day started with a great breakfast - Gulçin was still spoiling me.  We had hard boiled eggs, toast, and fruit.  Next, we went to the market in Sindelfingen to pick up some fruits, veggies, eggs, and bread.  The market had beautiful flowers and there was couple that did fancy coffees (see the picture of the horse in the foam!).  Then, we walked to the grocery store for some groceries.  Of course, we had to get a bretzel and almond paste dessert.   On our walk, Ayşe wanted to play on the playground... she is part monkey I believe with how well she climbs all over it!

Then, we headed back the apartment where I spent some time writing postcards from Stuttgart and Heidelberg to send to family and friends.  We had a wonderful homemade lunch that was tomato soup, mushrooms and rice.  The weather was really nice that day so I took a walk around the city and looked at some of the other old wooden houses.  These houses are very unique looking.  One year after Gulçin and Bo had moved to Sindelfingen, they sent me a figurine of one of these houses.  It sits in my living room where I see it every day!

After exploring, I meet up with Gulçin and kids for walk in the park.  She brought their bathing suits so they could play at this little water park.  Again, a really cool playground... the Germans know how to have fun for kids!  The kids had a grand time playing in the water and sand.  On our walk back to the apartment, we took a chance to stop and smell the flowers!  There were beautiful gardens along the park.  There was also a pop-up bar in the park that people were enjoying on this beautiful day.  

This night, the ladies got a night out.  Gulçin, Claudia, and I went for dinner at what they call a beach bar.  This is a popular thing for parking lots to be converted to a beach bar.  They put sand all over and have music and drinks along with food options.  We enjoyed some tropical drinks along with German pizzas.  It was fun girls night out and we had a great time sharing the meal.

A visit to Stuttgart with Claudia and Ofelia

The breakfast were always great!  Today, we had eggs, cheese, toast, jellies, tomatoes, and fruits.  The girls loved getting to pick their topping for the bread! Today, we are going to Stuttgart with their neighbor Claudia and her daughter Ofelia.  We meet the neighbor them downstairs and walked to the train.  We had to take two trains to get to Stuttgart.

First, we split up.  Claudia needed to run some errands and Gulçin, the girls and I went to explore the town.  First, we got warm butter pretzels (I was addicted from the start - warm pretzel with butter slathered on it!).  We walked through the Plaza Square (Schlossplatz Stuttgart).  Next, we went to a very old toy store and bought some gifts.  We stopped for a drink and snack (so much eating!) - this time I believe we had a plum cake.  During our exploration, they were setting for a festival.  It was really impressive to see the hardcore construction they were doing to set-up.

Following our walk around town, we meet back up with Claudia and Ofelia for lunch.  Today, we had currywurst and french fries.  The meal was delicious!  We then went into this building that gave us a great view of the city center.  After this, we walked through a mall, where we got these interesting tube doughnuts - Ungarisher Baumkuchen.  They were each covered with different toppings such as nuts, coconut, and sugar.

After the day in Stuttgart, we relaxed in the apartment.  When Bo came home, we drove to have dinner at Brewery.  I had some wine, while Bo and Gulçin enjoyed a beer.  We had very German dinners that included schnitzel, lentils and wieners.

That evening, I put together these really cool wooden puzzles that were from Bo's childhood.  Ayşe now plays with them, but they were quite tough puzzles to put together.  I thought they were both adorable!

Autobahn, Heidelberg, and Explorations

On this Sunday, Bo kindly made us all crepes.  They were delicious!  We spread jams and other sweet treats on them.  After a filling up on breakfast, we loaded in the car to head towards Heidelberg.  We drove along the Autobahn to get there with moments of extreme speed!

We walked through the city and got a chance to check out shops, churches, and plazas.  Gulçin and Bo were fans of a local falafel shop so we stopped for lunch and had an great meal.  We kept traveling along the brick terrain towards the castle.  There is an option to walk up to the castle; however, we had a stroller and took the funicular railway up to the castle.  We walked around the remains of the castle and into some of the buildings.  There was one building with a huge wine barrel (built in 1751, stands 23 feet high, 28 feet wide, holds 58,124 gallons of wine, and has a dance floor built on top of it).

Once we explored enough of the castle, we walked down to the old bridge for a stroll over it.  After walking on the bridge, we were in search of a treat and coffee.  We purchased some Schneballen, which are balls of dough with different flavors.  We got chocolate Schneeballen and headed to cafe for some coffee.  Since I don't drink coffee, I tried a Bionade (Elderberry flavor).  We had walked quite a bit and it was nice to relax for a bit.  After, we drove back.  For dinner that night, we enjoyed the leftover lasagna (continued to be delicious!)

Zbogom (goodbye) Slovenia; Hallo (hello) Germany

Today, we were all leaving Slovenia.  Sammy and his crew headed out early because they had an earlier flight.  Frank was staying behind with the car to spend a few more days with Albin and Majda.  We made sure to show him what the car looked like and how to start it – Ha!  After our last wonderful Slovenian breakfast, we headed to the Venice airport.  

While most of us had plenty of time (actually Elaine and Barbara were staying in Venice with Elaine’s husband Jorge joining them there), Kathy and Hannah were more in a time crunch with an earlier flight.  I had to come up with silly games to keep them distracted from freaking out about the traffic.  We worked on identifying the different license plates within the European Union – let’s just say we weren’t that impressive with our responses! 

Luckily, we made it to the airport with no problems and Kathy and Hannah made their flight back.  I had a bit of time to explore the airport and grab a meal before heading out.  They actually won’t let you get to your gate before a certain time.  Now it was time to head to Stuttgart to see my friend, Gulçin, who I met in Las Vegas in 2008 and then she was a visiting student at Purdue soon after.  Gulçin is married to Bo and they have two girls, Ayşe (4) and Güneş (18 months).  Bo and the girls met me at the airport and left Gulçin at home cooking dinner J

It was so great seeing Gulçin and Bo (he had been in Las Vegas and visited Purdue many times while Gulçin was there) and finally getting a chance to meet the girls.  I had packed some gifts for the girls after finding out that they were Frozen fans.  I brought a couple Elsa gowns and immediately had a best friend in Ayşe.  If we would have let her, she would have spent the whole week in them.  We took a nice walk after dinner to explore the town of Sindelfingen. 

We had a wonderful dinner prepared by Gulçin of lasagna followed by Tiramisu on the patio (the Tiramisu was made by her sweet neighbor).  It was all delicious and a wonderful introduction to Germany and the Hoge family!

Time to slow down in Slovenia

Susan and Sierra were heading out this early early morning… super early!  Kathy and I drew the short straws (okay fine we volunteered) to drive them to the airport.  They were flying out of Ljubljana and continuing their travels to Amsterdam for the day then Berlin for a few more days before returning to the States.  Kathy and I drove a different way back so we could drive along the Soca River and see the blue waters.  It was somewhat spooky as this day had a lot of fog in the morning.  This was my laziest day – I napped and then had lunch at the hotel.  Savannah was finally feeling better after having a not so good day the day before.  The innkeepers kindly let me do some laundry before I packed to head to Germany. 

I walked over to Smartno again to check out some jams that were being sold.  I got a variety for gifts.  That evening, we had dinner with Albin and Majda on the terrace.  Barbara brought her iPad and we were able to FaceTime with Ruth and Connie.  While Albin speaks no English, the love that he projected onto all of us was felt and embraced.  His and Majda’s joy in life was infectious and I was sorry that we had to say our goodbyes.  Can’t wait to visit them all again!

Every dinner should be under a canopy of wine grapes!

The breakfast in Slovenia continued to impress.  Since we had been doing a bit of car riding, today, we decided to stay close by.  A group of us walked around Smartno.  We checked out the local stores (there weren’t many).  I got some gifts from a natural lotions and soaps shop.  Then, the group did an olive oil tasting.  We were told how to properly taste olive oil and got to try it with bread and apples.  I purchased some lemon olive oil to bring back for the family Christmas party.  After our tasting, we headed to the old house that is located in Smartno.  We watched a quick video on the town and then did some jewelry shopping in the lower part of the house.  Finally, it was time for lunch.  We got a variety of dishes to share (and proceeded to eat way too much!). 

Sierra and I wanted to explore more so we asked how to get to a local tower.  Last time, Albin drove us up there and then when we tried to walk up there were wasps up in the tower.  Sierra and I asked the innkeepers how to get up there and off we went.  Well it sounds easier than it was.  We traveled mainly uphill and stopped to check out the wine grapes.  We made friends with some goats that were roaming.  Then got to a section where we didn’t know what to do so we navigated under a fence and arrived to the tower.  We climbed up to the top and snapped some photos.  It was a great view – we were able to see the hotel and the city of Smartno along with most of Brda.  It was a really beautiful view!

Sierra and I made our way back down the hill (or mountain according to our legs).  We had to get ready for a trip over to Albin and Majda's.  It was wonderful being back at their place.  The other family arrived - Sidonija and her daughters and their husbands - and I also met a new cousin named Vladimir.  Vlad brought us wine from the Benedetic Winery (we ended up enjoying it at the Benedict Christmas Party).  Majda prepared wonderful appetizers.  We got to explore the house and listened to some of Albin’s music (not live but on the computer).  We were running out of time to get to our reservation for dinner so we loaded up and headed to have dinner in Gonjače. 

The restaurant was located right next to the tower we climbed up to earlier that day.  At the hotel, Masa (and her boyfriend Matic) and Alja were waiting for us.  These were two cousins I had not met before.  Masa is the older sister of Mija who served as our translator on the 2011 trip.  Alja is a world-class athlete in kayaking in Slovenia and even competes internationally.  The dinner could not have been more special.  We started out the dinner with everyone taking a shot with a soaked cherry in the shot (woah!).  We had this wonderful family style meal and right when you thought you were full, you got another dish to share.  They had asked about food allergies and about 90% of the meal was perfect for Susan (Savannah wasn’t feeling good so wasn’t able to join). 

The young family members sat together and talked about life in Slovenia and life in the United States.  They had a great time getting to know one another and everyone made sure to find each other on Facebook and Instagram after.  I got to spend time getting to know Masa and Matic.  They lived in Nova Gorica.  I am probably going to get this wrong but I believe Matic worked in the Slovenia tourism arena and Masa served as a translator for a company (she was tri-lingual maybe more!).  Oh I forgot to mention, not only was this an amazing dinner but the view was incredible.  We saw most of the Brda wine region from this dinner spot.  We had dinner under a canopy of grapes on trellises overhead.  It felt like a dream.  We ended the evening was a sweet treat of strudel!!!  Strudeling across Slovenia continues.