Koln, Germany

We arrived in Koln, Germany earlier than our allowed check in time.  We drove around and found our place and then took off to the city center.  We walked around for a little bit and saw the big cathedral.  This was the reason Chris wanted to come to Koln.  It’s a huge gothic-looking church.  It’s very pretty and almost creepy.  Especially with the clouds and rain coming in.

Rain.  That’s been the main consistent thing we’ve had on our trip.  In one breath it’s extremely frustrating….  It’s so hard to enjoy your time out when it’s raining all the time.  But, the next breath you’re thanking God because if temperatures were true to this time of year, it’d be snow.  We actually planned this trip at this time because we wanted to be in the snow.  I’m now glad it’s not because when we do get to get out, it’s pretty pleasant.  Sometimes it’s slightly miserable, but I packed enough thermals and hot hands to keep us happy. 

Our first night in Koln  we ate at what seemed like a little Italian bistro from looking at the sign…but when we got to the actual place we realized it was a pretty fancy restaurant.  Either way, it was fantastic.  I had a spaghetti noodle with prawns and such, Chris had a tortellini with a cream sauce that he loved, Matti had a fantastic spaghetti, and Chrissy at cheese pizza.  We walked around looking for dessert afterwards.  Chris found a bakery where he got this doughnut thing filled with a berry jelly and coated in sugar.  It didn’t have a hole it in, tho.  Chrissy got a chocolate muffin with chocolate icing.  Matti and I opted for nothing.

The next day in Koln wasn’t too much of a success.  I booked us on the hop on hop off bus to tour the city to figure out what all we wanted to do.  When we did this in Barcelona last year it was fantastic.  Even the kids enjoyed it.  This time…not so much.  The driver was horrible at starting the tape when we were actually by the interesting points.  And because of the traffic, he’d start it, we’d get stuck, he’d stop it, and then it’s like he’d forget to start it back up again.  So it we’d be looking for the “building on the right” after we already passed it.  And once we figured out we passed it, they’d be done talking about it and we had NO IDEA what they said because we were too busy trying to find the building and not paying attention to what they were saying.  So unfortunately it was a bust.  And, of course, we went by the zoo.  And they raved about how wonderful the zoo was.  We had gone to the zoo in Heidelberg and it was nice.  24-25 euro for the entire family.  This zoo was 17.50 euro per adult and another 10 euro for the kids.  So we chose to skip that which put the kids in pout mode.  When we hopped off the bus, back where we started, we decided it wasn’t worth really doing much more.  We walked around and found some pretzels for lunch (imagine that) and went through a big sports store.  We were basically killing time because an English tour of the cathedral was coming up around 2:30pm and we wanted to go.  BUT, that was vetoed by the kids and we ended up skipping that as well. 

At this point I think we were all kind of frustrated.  Kids wanted the zoo, parents didn’t, but what else is there to do??  So, I made the command decision to go to the Lindt chocolate museum.  Another 25 euros later we were walking around learning about how to make chocolate.  Let me tell you, when you have a 6 year old who can’t read and has a tiny attention span, this museum isn’t fun.  They have pictures and old equipment, but it walks you through the ENTIRE PROCESS of chocolate.  Starting at the seed, growing into a plant, picking beans, selling beans, smashing beans, cooking beans…coco beans, coco beans, coco beans… UGH.  Even I was having a hard time really getting into it.  I did learn that most of the coco bean farmers in Ghana, and by most I mean over 95% of them, have never even tasted chocolate.  They grow the beans and sell them but can’t afford the final chocolate product.  That makes me sad.  At the beginning of the museum it talks about how some guy said chocolate was the answer to everything.  When I told that to Chrissy she didn’t believe me.  So I asked her if she was in a bad mood earlier.  She said YES!  Then she was given a piece of chocolate when we walked in.  I asked her if she felt better after eating the chocolate.  To which she replied with a huge YES!  SO see…chocolate is the answer.  And these poor farmers have no idea what joy they are bringing to us stressed out moms and overly bored children. 

The second floor of the museum was much more interesting than the first.  You actually got to watch the chocolate making process.  The machines were huge and it smelled soooo good.  It was making milk chocolate and pumping it into a massive chocolate fountain.  And the best part was the nice lady holding all the wafer sticks, dipping them in the fountain and handing them out.  And what’s even better than that is there wasn’t a lot of people so she kept handing us more samples!  After we were finished watching the chocolate fountain the next destination was pretty eat.  You could actually custom make your own chocolate bar!  Of course we had to do that.  Chrissy picked milk chocolate with chocolate chips (chocolate sprinkles). Matti chose milk chocolate with strawberries, gummy bears, chocolate chips, and mini smarties (M&M’s but different).  Chris and I shared one and it was white chocolate with pistachios.  35 minutes and 16 euro later, we can say we had custom made chocolate bars.  And they were yummy. 

After the chocolate museums Chris was pretty tired.  I told him I needed to get pictures of the church so if we could kill an hour so I can take pictures, we could grab something quick and take it home for dinner.  The apartment we stayed in wasn’t all that great.  It wasn’t bad, but it was small.  And the internet sucked.  Going home didn’t sound like too much fun.  We drove across the river and spent an hour taking pictures.  When we left, Chris had his second wind and we decided to go to the brauhaus that was mentioned in the hop on hop off tour.  So I guess it wasn’t a complete waste!

We went to this place called .  They seated us in the back away from everyone and we were OK with that.  Our waiter was AMAZING.  He was the first guy we tipped on our trip.  Here in Germany, you don’t have to tip unless it’s just exceptional service.  I think the US is the only place in the world that doesn’t pay their waiters decent money and make them live off of tips.  This guy teased the kids and was extremely helpful for us.  He immediately asked us if we wanted their house beer, to which I replied, NO because I can’t drink it.  Their beer is actually poured straight from the barrel so it didn’t have any carbonation added to it!  It had a little, but not like a normal draft beer.  And let me tell you, that beer was heavenly!  It’s served in a .2L glass.   And they just keep bringing them too you until you tell them to stop.  Which we didn’t know ahead of time.  But that’s ok.  We spent a lot of time in that place talking and enjoying the night.  We asked the waiter what to get and he suggested a hand full of items.  One of the suggestions is called Himmer und elr, which means “Heaven and Earth.”  It’s a specialty to Koln.  So I ordered it.  It was fried black pudding with sautéed onions on top, mashed potatoes, and stewed apples.  AKA:  Pigs blood cooked down and cool then mixed with ham, sautéed onions, the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever eaten, and homemade apple sauce.  WOAH.  Pigs blood??  Yup.  Pigs blood.  I took a couple of bites before I asked what it was.  The waiter asked me if I liked it.  When I said yes, he said he’d tell me when I was done.  I think he was prepared to take it away.  I ate almost the entire thing.  It was 4 little cakes.  Just a little bigger than the top of a cupcake.  It tasted kind of like breakfast sausage.  But not as bad.  I’m not a breakfast sausage person…  When he told me, I think he was afraid of what my reaction was going to be.  Especially because not only did I eat it, but Chris and Matti both tried it.  Matti actually took 2 to 3 bites of it trying to figure out what it might be.  When he told me he wouldn’t tell me until after I was done eating I pondered on what it could be.  I was in the mindset of cow’s stomach, calf fries (bull balls), ya know… something like that.  I was not prepared for pigs blood.  Do I regret eating it?  No.  It’s a check in the box for me.  Will I ever order it again?  Probably not.  I never felt bad after learning about it.  I did have to “mind over matter it” for about 30 minutes afterwards…but the shot of schnapps and more beer might have contributed to that some.   Not all of it was crazy.  Chris got a steak with a garlic butter sauce and fries.  He says this was the best meal we’ve had on the trip.  And I must agree with him.  The mashed potatoes were spot on.  The applesauce was sooooo good.  And the waiter topped it off.  He pestered the kids so much, but in a cute fun way.  It was adorable.  And they loved it.  Love it so much the found him when we left to tell him bye.

So Koln was interesting.  It wasn’t really exciting but it was a pretty place and another check in the box.

Heidelberg, Germany! Sehr Gut!!!

Heidelberg, Germany was AMAZING.  It’s what I expected Baden-Baden to be. 

We arrived a little early for our check-in.  We actually stayed in a little town in the mountains outside of Heidelberg called Gaiberg.  Our place was nice.  I saved almost $300 by booking this place outside of Heidelberg.  It was a small apartment underneath the house of the people who owned it.  It had heated tiles.  Have you ever walked barefoot on heated tiles?  It’s amazing.  I loved it.  I can’t wait to tile our house and have the heated tiles put it.  I, of course, put those babies on full blast.  In the winter I love my house all warm and toasty so I can walk around barefoot and minimal clothes.  Chris, on the other hand, prefers everything to be slightly cool.  And he definitely didn’t appreciate coming back after a day of exploring to a extremely warm apartment. 

Our first night in Heidelberg, we walked around the city and took in everything.  Chrissy, being the little ham she is, danced around the town center with an umbrella drawing plenty of attention to herself.  We were able to grab some souviners and a couple of necklaces for the girls.  And the necklaces had nothing to do with Germany.  In fact, I’m about 99.9% sure Matti’s is a boy’s necklace.  I tried talking them into something different but then decided, it’s their choice…who am I to push my wants and opinions on them?  Why make them get something they may not like and not take care of?  I can easily let them get those necklaces and hope they cherish them for a long time and remember that they came from a really cool place in Germany!

We ate “street” food for dinner our first night.  Right outside of the outdoor skating rink was a handful of venders selling anything from alcohol to crepes.  I opted for mushrooms & onions covered in garlic sauce with chocolate covered strawberries for dessert.  Chrissy had a Nutella crepe with a chocolate covered apple for dessert.  Matti & Chris both had brautwursts for dinner.  Matti opted for a cinnamon & sugar crepe for dessert where Chris chose cinnamon & sugar peanuts.   My mushroom thing was amazing.  Have you ever been to Silver Dollar City??  If you haven’t, it’s a old time, country theme park.  I absolutely LOVE SDC.  It’s like walking into the past.  Cowboys and Southern Belles line the sidewalks prepared to take pictures with you.  It’s one of my favorite places to visit around home.  And the food they have there…amazing.  They have these huge cast iron skillets where they cook up scrumpish foods.  The mushrooms & onions I had reminded me of that.  This guy had this humungous skillet/wok thing where he mixed everything up and cooked it.  Then, for 5 euros, he filled a bowl with it and topped it with garlic sauce and gave you a piece of bread.  It was good.  I could eat that every night.  Except Chris said later on that he felt like he was laying next to an onion in bed.  So then I felt bad and self conscious. 

We went ice skating as a family that night.  It was pretty nerve wracking.  Ha!  Matti is either all IN or all OUT.  She has no middle ground.  I call her my black and white kid.  Unlike Chrissy who is BRIGHT PINK.  Matti expected to get out thre and immediately get to the middle and start pro figure skaing.  I tried to explain to her that she’s not only never been iceskating, but she’s only been roller skating twice.  So there’s no way she could get out there and know what she’s doing.  I tried to give her the basics on how to put her feet and what not, but I don’t think she enjoyed it that much.  And we didn’t have those cool little seal things like Chrissy and I had in Baden-Baden.  Whomever invented those are my hero.  I was able to have a good time and not be terrified of falling. 

Chris and I switched off with the girls quite a bit.  I wasn’t about to get away from the wall to skate.  It had rained off and on all day so the rink had big water puddles everywhere.  And it was close to freezing while we were there.  I didn’t want to fall and get soaked and have to walk back to the car.  Chris was strong enough to take the girls away from the wall and keep them from eating it.  I’m sure I proabably could have, but I wasn’t taking chances.

After skating we took pictures of the castle.  It’s one of those things where you could take a million pictures and still not get enough.  And then 80% of them look the same but you can’t find your favorite one. 

The next day, Chris and I discussed taking the kids to the zoo.  I don’t think this trip has been particuarlly exciting for them.  So taking them to the zoo was a great idea.  It was pretty cheap.  I think it was 24 euro for the entire family.  We saw bears, monkey’s, mini horses, pigs, chickens, sheep & goats, watched a seal & walrus show, and this and that and this and that.  I think the coolest, yet slightly terrifying, thing we saw was the tigers.  If I haven’t told you already, people take their dogs with them everywhere they go in Europe.  Including the zoo.  Well, this family was walking with their little black dog past the fence of the tigers while I was looking through the glass for the tiger.  And boy did I get an eye full.  The tiger was in hunting mode and locked in on that dog.  And the scariest thing to me was there was a chain-linked fence and a wooden fence separating us from the tiger.  I’m sure it was safe, but I’m used to not being able to get that close to a large cat.  I’m talking, put your arm through the fence and touching a tiger.  Maybe not that close, but even talking to Chris, he’s saying 3 maybe 4 feet.  That is way too close to comfort for when a very large, ready to hunt, wild animal has found something it wants to eat.  It was exciting to see, but it gave me chills to my core.  That tiger followed that little dog, watching it, ready to pounce on it.  He was crouched down and everything.  So, I snapped a few pictures and high-tailed it outta there with my girls.  I just knew that thing was going to attack the window trying to get anything and I didn’t want me or my family to be lunch. 

We finished up the zoo in the little play ground and headed off for lunch.  We found Mandy’s Railroad Diner.  They had a big restaurant and then a smaller one that was inside an old railroad car.  Of course, we opted for inside the railroad car!  It took us almost an hour to get seated.  But, we were able to look at all the memorabilia they had on the walls and ceilings.  They played 40’s and 50’s music and had Elvis, The Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, and Audrey Hepburn, along with cadallic pictues everywhere.  The girls ordered pancakes with chocolate milk and a rootbeer float.  Chris and I both had burgers and fries with shakes.  It was the most expensive burger & fries I’ll probably ever eat, but it was a good taste of home in a country so far away.  Chrissy had a hard time at first, crying because she just wanted to go back to Oklahoma, but then we started discussing opening a bed & breakfast with a restaurant when we got back home.  How we would run it, what we’d cook…  And by the end,  we had two girls dedicated to waiting tables and cooking meals so mom and dad could rest.

After we had full bellies, we headed towards the castle.  The Heidelberg Castle is just amazing.  We opted for the audiotour and walked around learning about where people stayed and why things happened.  I think my favorite part of the castle was the powder tower.  It was attacked and part of the wall fell off.  It looks like it was just cut off and placed right below where it was supposed to go.  You can see how thick the walls were made!  It was very cool.  That and the worlds largest wine barrel…. People tithed to the king in this wine barrel.  He didn’t want money, he wanted wine.  I mean, yeaaah. 

We left the castle and went back to old town where we ate at Coyote Grill.  It was very very good.  I had mentioned arlier that I was craving Mexican and TADAH! It was Mexican night there!  I had a margarita and chicken nachos!  The girls shared nachos and chris had fajatis.  We found out Matti liked guacamole that night too.  She ate a small bowl by herself and would have kept going if we wouldn’t have ran out!  After that, we played “freeze-out” on the way home.  Super fun day, super fun night.

Heidelberg has been my favorite so far.  All our expectations have been dropped and we just went.  And it was great.  We saw some cool animals, amazing places, strolled along the Neckar river, and made future plans with our girls.  All in all, Heidelberg is a MUST SEE if you’re ever going to Germany.