Two years ago July, TJ and I took the biggest and longest vacation together EVER to Germany! For those that don’t know I was born in Germany and all of my mom’s family still lives there! We usually visit every three years to see family and catch-up. The last trip in 2012 right after TJ proposed and as much as I wanted him to come, we just couldn’t make it work. So I had to go without him. However in 2018, he came and met my family for the first time EVER. We knew this trip was going to be epic because of the places we would visit and the experiences TJ and I would have. But it was also in celebration of our 5 year wedding anniversary, me graduating college with my Master’s and me turning 30. 2018 was a big year for us!
There was a lot of pressure going into this trip since TJ had never left the country. It was a 3-week long vacation which exceeded his work’s vacation allowance and the only vacation he could take that year. Not to mention, the cost of the trip. Flying to Europe and traveling all over isn’t cheap but so worth it! We left on July 13th, the day of our actual 5 year wedding anniversary! We landed in Munich, Germany, where we rented a car and drove to the tiny town of Zell where a majority of my family lives. I navigated and drove while TJ took in all of the views. Germany is so different from the United States especially the countryside.
My family instantly greeted us and served a delicious meal before we fell asleep from jet lag and the time difference of 6 hours. We enjoyed conversation, game nights, going on walks, and TJ went on bike rides!
Regensburg is the biggest city nearby and most well known. We traveled into the city for grocery shopping and to show TJ what a city looks like. We parked the car and simply walked around, went to a mall, and saw different sites.
Then we toured The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis which was a key player in the postal services in Europe during the 16th century, until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. It then became well known as the owner of breweries and builder of castles. The day we toured they were actually preparing for a party so it was fun to see everything set up! All of the details were so beautiful and detailed.
On our journey back to the car, we stumbled upon a church and church’s in Europe are unlike anything I have seen elsewhere. They have accents, drawings and colors that are so beautiful! The church’s are more than pews and an alter but rather different areas and sections. My favorite part is always the ceiling and the grandeur. 
After the church, we decided to head home and prepare for the adventure of the upcoming day. The next day we traveled to a Sommerrodelbahn, which is a summer toboggan or an amusement/recreational park. TJ couldn’t help himself but crawl all over all of the rocks, swings, and ropes before we even got to the main event. I enjoyed watching TJ be a kid, his excitement and smile!
Even mom got in on the action and laughed so hard. These smiles and laughter are what vacations are for. All of my big kids being big kids!
It took us a while but we made it to the main event, the coaster! It is like a roller coaster but we aren’t on a track but rather a half-tube where you can swish side to side. You are also able to control going full speed or slowing down with the brakes. It was a fun tim eand smiles were had by all!
Then my adventurous hubby who was having the time of his life, decided he wanted to do the high ropes course, “Kletterwalk Barenfalle.” This was interesting because he couldn’t take his phone, the instruction was in German and he went solo without a translator. We knew it was either going to go really well or really bad. Of course, he did very well, smiles the whole time and crushed the huge course! It was fun watching him fly through the air!
After the coaster and the high ropes, we decided to slow the pace down a bit and do put-put golf. Of course, TJ was the best at this becuase he has golf experience but the rest of us didn’t do too bad!
Although the Sommerrodelbahn was an adventure on its own for a day, we didn’t stop there. Then we visited Joska Gasparadies, where they do glass blowing, glassware, and garden decorations. First we walked the grounds to see the glass sculptures throughout. It’s just amazing that so many things can be made out of glass. It’s such a unique spin on garden decorations. Then we traveled inside the store to see all of the items available for purchase. This is where I actually purchased our wine glasses in the trip previous to this for our wedding. They not only made them here but also etched the customization in front of me. All of that adventure was enough for one day so we headed back to our home-away-from-home.
On another day we ventured to Drachenstich which is a theater festival in Furth im Wald which is the oldest popular theater in Germany dating back to 1590. For those that don’t know, my mom LOVES dragons! The cute adorable kind so we had to visit this for her! Every year in August the Drachenstich offers a dragon stabbing performance, large historical parade, a mass in the arena, and a Bavarian beer festival with amusement park. Although we didn’t get to witness all of the festivities we did get to tour the museum to show the history of the festivals. We even got to see the dragon they use in the parades and mom was on cloud 9.
TJ was shocked when he saw a phone booth, because you just don’t see those over here anymore!
After the museum we ventured through the town and saw all of the touches and signs of dragons like a scavenger hunt which was fun for mom! It was fun seeing the whole town so dedicated to their festival and the storyline of the dragon.
One night, TJ and I decided to venture out on our own which was scary because up until that point, my mom had been by my side when we drove anywhere. But we traveled to the Walhalla Temple for amazing views, sunset and some time alone. We sat, chatted, walked, and took photos of one another! The architecture was beautiful but the views were spectacular! It was also nice seeing so many families and couples enjoying time outside, with a picnic, just soaking up the evening during the week.
Then we traveled to Nuremberg, the city I was born in! My mom showed us around town. She showed us the apartment that her and my dad lived in when she had me and the oldest of my brothers. She showed us parks, restaurants and even the hospital that I was born in! It was so fun to hear stories of friends and gatherings. We even visited the church that my parents were married in. City living is much different than the countryside so it was nice to get the perspective from both angles.
The Schoner Brunnen, the Golden Fountain at Hauptmart is one of the famous attractions in the old city. The fountain stands 19 meters high and has the shape of a gothic spire. The two brass rings embedded in the fence surrounding the fountain on opposite sides are said to bring good luck to those who spin them. The downtown market area was the perfect place to soak in the European vibe. We got the famous pretzels from a pretzel stand, and found a Starbucks for coffee to be basic Americans. The architecture and history in Nuremburg is insane but everything is so beautiful!
The hospital where I was born 30 years before!
After Nuremberg we ventured back tot he country side and adventured through local towns to enjoy the street markets and weather. Walking and adventuring from dawn to dusk made for the perfect trip to Germany to show TJ around. Next week I am sharing our adventures and photos from Italy!
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