Stuttgart with the Sanborns and our Autobahn Adventure

On Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early and took a flight to Stuttgart, Germany where John’s Uncle Russell, Aunt Linda and cousins live.  They live on the Army base there–Uncle Russell is a Marine and is currently posted in Germany.  It was so nice to have family so close to visit!

Aunt Linda and me at the Palace

Aunt Linda and Olivia picked us up from the airport–we were ready to go go go!  We dropped our bags at their home, then took the train with the rest of the family to Ludwigsburg Palace where we saw over 70 rooms including 3 throne rooms, two beautiful chapels, and tons of baroque and classical architecture and decorating schemes.  Our tour was mostly in German, but that just added to the authenticity of the experience.  Obviously, the palace was massive–it was so cool!

Vineyards and Villages

We then wandered around the palace grounds, saw Rapunzel’s Tower (where during summer months, you can call to her and she’ll let down her hair), and downtown Stuttgart.  Stuttgart is a very new and progressive city.  Many of the buildings were destroyed during the second world war, but were rebuilt to maintain their historic character.  Others are very modern.  After having some noodles and ice cream, we headed back to the Sanborn’s where we chatted into the wee hours of the morning.

One excited guy.

The next day, we went to church at the International Baptist Church of Stuttgart.  Amazingly, the minister there was formerly the minister of International Baptist Church of Singapore, where John and I attended while living in Asia.  He left the church before we got there, but we knew many of the same people.  Very cool.  🙂

After church, we were off to the Wurttemberg Mausoleum, a beautiful mountaintop burial place that a husband built for his wife.  It offered stunning views of the vineyards that surround Stuttgart and of the city itself.  Then, we headed to the Mercedes Benz Museum where we spent most of our afternoon.  John is a real car enthusiast and, actually, the museum had lots of interesting exhibits for the girls as well.  It followed Mercedes Benz’s development and how the company reacted to social, political, and cultural events.  Of course it was full of cars which made John very happy.

Kaitlin and Aunt Linda exploring the museum

After exploring the museum, we enjoyed a wonderful German dinner in a house turned restaurant.  I had a delicious salad (regular salad and potato salad together), snitzel (fried pork), and spaetzle (a German version of mac and cheese).  Honestly, this was one of the best meals we’ve had in Europe.  The flavors were spectacular and the meal was very filling.

After a DELICIOUS Dinner

We even got to try some German beer and a Riesling wine from Germany.  It was an excellent survey of delicious German cuisine.  With our bellies nice and full, we were off to bed to rest for our Autobahn Adventure!

Early Monday morning, Aunt Linda and I set out with John to enjoy his Christmas present:  renting a nice car and driving on the Autobahn.  We ended up with an Audi A4 (just like Audrey, Rev!) and off we went towards Munich.  Contrary to popular belief (at least, what I believed) the Autobahn isn’t a complete free-for-all speed wise.  There are places of unlimited speed, but most of the highway is regulated.  Needless to say, John found these areas and took off.  He was very safe though.  😉  The picture is in kilometres per hour–not miles per hour.  Don’t worry Mom!

Autobahn Driving

While driving around, we visited the Andechs Monastery where we saw a beautiful church and tried the beer the monks make on site!  I’m not a beer drinker and actually it was pretty decent.  Complete with beautiful views of Bavaria, the monastery was a hit!  We got back in the car, drove a few kilometers to a pretty lake that was frozen over, had some tea and cake and then sped back to the airport to try to make our flight.  (We arrived only half an hour before scheduled take off time…but we made it!!!)

Monastery Beer--very nice!

A big thank you to the Sanborns for making our time in Germany so amazing!  Uncle Russell, Aunt Linda, Kaitlin, Emily, Olivia, and Rachel–we really appreciate it!!!  And–we missed you Jake.  🙂

Thanks for reading, everyone!!