We rented a car (that T had to pick up from the airport(!) - apparently everyone else in Munich had the same idea to go on holiday over Easter) and left on Friday morning. You hear about all the fabulous German engineering and sweet German sports cars... Well, this is what we drove. A station wagon. On the bright side, we didn't have to cram our luggage and the stroller in.
Even though Pippa has flown a five times this was her first road trip. She handled it like a pro. Of course she would - look a the road-tripping families she comes from on both sides!
T drove and Pippa and I napped.
We chose the Bodensee because we heard the start of April was a wonderful time to visit Insel Mainau (an island in the Bodensee full of flowers) because all the tulips would be in bloom. And you know tulips are my favorite! When we started booking things for the trip the weather forecast was looking great - between 55 and 60 degrees and sunny for the weekend. However the closer we got to V-day (vacation day) the colder and more dreary the forecast got. By the time we left on Friday it was supposed to rain and snow all weekend with a high of 37. But the car and hotel had already been paid for so we went anyway. Because it's adventure and that's what you do.
There are a lot of vineyards on the lake shores.
As we drove in we noticed that everything (everything!) was closed for Good Friday and that the churches (like this one) had full parking lots. That misty stuff is the lake, so you know that is some pricey real estate.
We left late on Friday then we had to stop and feed baby on the way so it took a bit longer than the three hours we expected. Friday was supposed to be the best weather wise so we headed straight to Insel Mainau. It was the best weather of the trip, but that's not saying much. It was drizzling and barely above freezing the entire time. Most of the flowers had not bloomed yet because it was so cold. Sad face.
At the entrance
The crocuses (crocusi? haha) were the only things blooming but the yellow, purple, and white did look cheerful amongst all the brown.
There were a few indoor exhibits, like this butterfly building, so we didn't spend ALL day in the cold.
Pippa really loved watching the butterflies. She was quite focused on them. (The butterfly is a bit hard to see, but is on the leaf with it's wings closed.)
The butterfly to the right of my head was only medium sized compared to some of its friends.
We saw so much potential in all the shoots and buds that we actually plan to go back next year (but not so early in the spring!) to hopefully see everything in full bloom. It's going to be gorgeous - hopefully like this!
Look at the buds on those tulips and how many there are! There were seriously huge fields of tulip shoots and we just missed seeing them in bloom! Click here to see what it will look like when everything is blooming.
Sometimes the iPhone takes exceptional photos.
Family Photo!
Just on the other side of the lake are the Alps. There were literally just a few miles away and it was so foggy our entire trip that we never saw them. (You can also see them from Munich, but I'll believe that when I see it - aka we haven't yet.)
This swan statue made me giggle because I know they are supposed to form a heart and it romantic and such, but really all I see is two swans chest bumping. And that's hilarious!
Faberge eggs in flower form in front of the orchid building.
This indoor flower arch was in a small chapel. I'm not sure if it's an all the time thing or if it was set up special for Easter, but it was extremely lovely.
Just around the corner from the chapel was a greenhouse with a huge orchid display. The orchids were quite lovely, but it was more memorable because it was the first time I nursed Pippa while she was in the carrier and we were walking around. I did use the cover but still kind of felt like a star.
Orchids hung from a palm tree - this is taken with a vertical panorama shot, kinda cool, right?
Toward the end of the day, Pippa was getting fussy. I fed her again (in a really nice wickelraum (changing room)) but it didn't seem to help so we decided to head back to the hotel. However, we were on the opposite side of the island as our car. Pippa screamed for a good chunk of the walk back and it started to rain pretty hard. That's why T didn't look so thrilled when I asked him to stop for a quick photo. How gorgeous will this be when all the flowers (not just a few daffodils) are in bloom?!
Pippa wouldn't stop crying and we didn't want to stop in the rain to get the carrier on so T carried her under his coat for the last bit.
Our hotel was actually about 45 minutes from the closest thing we wanted to visit on our trip. But that hotel was $150 cheaper a night than the hotels that were close so it was worth the extra driving.
Our hotel room had two double beds and no crib so T slept on one bed and I slept with Pippa on the other. We all slept surprisingly well this way.
The view from our hotel room. Doesn't everything just look so European?!
We visited the Altes Schloss (old castle) and the Neues Schloss (new castle) which were right next door to each other. The old castle was definitely old but the new castle was built after the American Revolution!
First, the old castle:
Old castles are dark. And cold because they aren't heated at all.
It was so much fun for Pippa and me (not) to change Pippa's very messy diaper on a cold stone floor in a basement bathroom.
The castle had been occupied for hundreds of years so some rooms had different authentic furniture. This four poster bed was surprisingly cool looking.
Just hanging out with some suits of armor.
How could a person even hold a sword out when it was as long as them?
And the Alps are where, exactly? We're starting to think they don't exist...
I could go for a couch like this. This couch was part of a display of some German poetess who lived and died in this castle in the late 1800's.
These are knights helmets. Yes, that is one with a swan on the top of it.
So the Altes Scholss is what I would think of when you say "castle" and the Neues Scholss is more what I would think of when you say "palace." It was swankier. And heated.
Who doesn't love a great staircase?
The only reason I would even consider having a huge house is so I could have an amazing staircase like this.
I nursed Pippa in the carrier again. It was easier the second time around and I realized that if I flipped the back / side part of the carrier up and adjusted Pippa a bit lower I wouldn't need the cover. Wining all around.
After the castles we went to Micky D's for dinner and P.S. the drive through is called McDrive. Just strikes me as funny. I hoped the Burger King's drive through that was across the way was called King Drive, but no such luck. On our way to dinner we noticed this carnival which is sort of strange in and of itself, but even more strange is how incredibly popular it was, even though it was miserable weather! There was a legit traffic jam of people and cars trying to get to the carnival!
We started Easter Sunday springing forward an hour - this was the notice in the elevator the day before:
On our way back to Munich we stopped to visit the Zeppelin Museum. Every time I say that I want to say "Led Zeppelin." I can't help it. There was a pretty good exhibit about the Hindenburg (including a life size replication of some of the rooms of it) but other than that I didn't really find it interesting. T got the audio guide in English so he probably liked it more than me, but I'm not really into mechanics, machinery, and aviation to begin with.
The trip to the museum was notable for a few reasons. First, when we got to the parking lot we changed Pippa's messy diaper in the car and she had leaked out of her outfit. Good thing we had a back up outfit. Second, even though it was a museum that we paid admission to we still had to pay to use the WC. We are starting to see that this is extremely common in Germany. Third, while we were in the museum, Pippa had another messy diaper and leaked through that outfit, too! We did have another back up outfit, but T had to run out to the car to get it.
This is what the drive home looked like:
Definitely still wintertime.
T drove, Pippa and I napped.
It hurts my neck to look at this picture! We had just taken out the head support the day before our trip because we thought Pippa was too big for it. The day after we returned, we put the head support back in so this wouldn't happen again!
Ta-da! Our first adventure!
*We didn't go to Austria or Switzerland this time because we would have had to buy an extra pass to use the freeway for the rental car and plus everything we wanted to see was on the German side!
Thanks for the update. Good times! Adorable well behaved child! and parents.
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