Stuttgart, Germany

Arrived happily in Germany on Friday evening and on Saturday morning headed out to a children's museum with my hosts who I had met in Congo (with me buckled between the children and happily in child world being regaled with stories of their family safari in South Africa!) We toured two floor before departing with hunger - it was incredible and had crazy amounts of interactive exhibits about all kinds of things, musical instruments, energy, engineering (power circuits and bridge structures) and it was tough to leave! But on the promise of return another time we sat down to lamb and spinach ravioli: Maultasche (traditional German dish) and headed back to yummy potato soup for dinner.

On Sunday my host Kristen and I got in a nice run in the preserved forest near her home and went to church in the city. On our return, the kids and I played Life and Star Wars Monopoly (both with rules we invented) in between the kids taking turns to have time with their German tutor and eating dinner. 

Monday dawned and Kristen and I headed to Crossfit for the most intense workout of my vacation thus far (and it was only to get more intense the next day!) and then to tour downtown Stuttgart. As the smog alert was on, it was cheaper to take the train and we rode around happily (very hilly city, Stuttgart! Which keeps the pollution in and causes smog issues...), shopping and almost finding the Sound of Music gazebo (not!)

As Stuttgart was an important manufacturing center during the war, it was bombed frequently so the churches are a fascinating mix of old and rebuilt. The city administrative building:



And my favorite billboards of my trip... I want Nutella with my name on it!



We ate lunch at a department store in the city center, shopped and drank coffee and took the "tooth/teeth" train back up the mountain to get the kids from school (via the coffee store selling "long arm shirts"?!? and a glorious smelling bakery!) and play more Monopoly!

Tuesday brought more Crossfit and house projects. We made Valentines after school and sat in front of the fireplace in their beautiful home. Wednesday Kristen participates in a hiking group so we got to hike from a beautiful German town into the gorgeous cold woods with her friends and their dogs! The monastery in the village was so pretty and we had a nice time! After school we got to ice skate, which was so fun! This morning we got in another run before my departure. Germany was the coldest place thus far (Kazakhstan is coming up! So it was nice to use the winter clothes that I packed and sleep cozily under the duvet in the lovely guest room!

Thank you thank you to the Toths for hosting me. I enjoyed playing and laughing with all of you and being able to participate in your lives for a short while. I really appreciate it!