Family trip to Germany

Right after we moved all of our things into our new swiss apartment we took off to Germany to take advantage of the one week of summer we had left before Jaxon started school. I am wanting to spend as much time as possible with my parents while they are in Europe. It is so much fun having them so close, and from Geneva they are even closer. It is an easy 6 hours on the road the see them from here. What a treat for me!Daniel ready to taste some of the German snails

To celebrate Daniel's birthday we visited the underground torture chambers of Nuremberg. My mom is trying to make her most sympathetic face here.

Jaxon liked being able to try out some of the torture tools.

We spent one day at the zoo. I absolutely love th Nuremberg zoo. It is so green and natural. If I we an animal in captivity I would want to be in this zoo.

Jaxon experienced his first bee sting. He ran up to us full of smiles saying "I just got stung by a bee!" I didn't believe him at first, until his ear swelled up.

We bought some feed for the goats this time. The kids thought it was fun, even though there were few takers. The goats were apparently completely stuffed by the time we got there.

Playing at the zoo playground

We spent one day in Bamberg, a UNESCO world heritage site

This is a very real smile. Daniel loved eating bratwurst whenever he had the chance. These particular brats are called Coburger, and they are cooked over pine needles.

Visiting the castle near Bamberg

We visited Marloffstein, the little town where I lived for two years when I was younger. This used to be our home. There is a pond that is nearby that I often visited. I've told Jaxon about it because in the spring time millions of little frogs acsend out of the pond and end up crossing the nearby street, often to their peril. The street becomes somewhat perilous due to the slimy frog guts and leads to car wrecks, so during this time they have a frog-crossing traffic sign up, much like a deer-crossing sign. Jaxon was insistant that we visit the frog pond while in Germany, so we did; however I think he was disappointed by our lack of frog sightings.

It was a very fun trip, though not long enough. It was very fun to be with my mom and dad. I was also able to reconnect with some old friends, which was very fun, and it was especially great to have Daniel their to experience a place that means so much to me.