The Rest of the Story!

Here in the Craft Chick household there are lots of changes underway that I will hopefully share with you in the next post or so.  We've been very busy, and will continue to be at least for the next 6 weeks or so...but I can't keep you waiting for the rest of the Germany trip story until then!  So, here are the highlights of how we spent the rest of our trip!

Monday, June 6th

We slept in late, had breakfast, and then headed into Warstein to walk around and show Little Man the town.  

After some shopping, Little Man was happy to get back so he could play on the playground.

While out shopping, Little Man saw this little fishing gnome and decided he wanted to get it for the Kuckelhauser.  (He loved the gnome was fishing, because he likes to fish and thought it would remind them of him).

Tuesday, June 7th

We went to an indoor/outdoor pool.  It was a beautiful day, and Little Man thoroughly enjoyed swimming inside and outside, on the slide and back and forth between the water features that would come on.  Fountains, jets, etc., provided a couple of fun hours of entertainment.  We didn't even get to the lap swimming pool or the outdoor saunas!

After getting dressed we took Little Man for a lunch that was a departure from the German food he had been eating...McDonald's!  I was surprised to see one in Warstein, there hadn't been one there before...and it's still not IN the city.

Wednesday, June 8th

We headed out in the morning for Muenster where Anne and Eva, my host sisters, live, about 75 minutes away.  First, I took a photo from the front of the house...the little silver SUV to the right of the photo was our rental car (it handled REALLY nice on the Autobahn).  

Below is my host parents' house.

Anne, Little Man and I at the university in Muenster.

Little Man and Hubby outside the palace that now holds the university administrative offices.

Little Man at the Market trying the waffles with powdered sugar (Germany's version of funnel cake). Let's just say Little Man was a fan!

We walked and walked throughout Muenster, stopped for a yummy lunch at a restaurant with potted herbs on the table you can use for you food, and enjoyed the churches and sights.  We also stopped at a toy store to get a souvenir for Little Man and my niece and nephew.

Then we headed to Eva's house for dinner.  Little Man enjoyed playing with her daughter Enna, and with the other neighborhood kids.  It was fascinating to watch him play with these kids despite the language difference.  They were all very sweet to him, and he had a great time!

Thursday, June 9th

Our last day in Suttrop and we headed out for a long hike through the forest to get to the observation tower.

Little Man was engrossed in the puddle where tadpoles swam around with salamanders.

Little Man made it up as high as the tree tops before he wouldn't go any further (about 20 steps from the top).  I admit  was pretty petrified too.  The sides are open and the wind, without the trees, was whipping around and you could feel the tower swaying. Ugh.  I sat with him while he cried a bit and we waited for Hubby to take some amazing photos from the top.

Markers are placed around the tower and explain what far-off borough you can see in the distance.  The photo below is Suttrop!

It was a little short of 3 miles back to the car, and on the way, Little Man checked on his tadpoles again.

After coming out of the forest, we drove by the Gymnasium where I attended 11th grade.

And after getting back we went on a short 10 minute walk right out of the back door.  Less than 5 minutes away, Little Man got up close to this horse that made his day.

And when we got back, he was happy to have a treat he became quite fond of during our visit...an Uberaschung egg...a surprise egg.  It's chocolate with a toy surprise inside.

That night, we sat around the table near the fireplace, and talked about our fun, but very short, time together.  Then we packed, and said our good-nights.

The next morning at 4:30 we woke up, ate, and got into the car for the 2.5 hour drive to the airport in Frankfurt.  I loved seeing the many windmills as the sun rose.

Because of a truck breaking down on a bridge on the Autobahn, we cut it really close for boarding.  We made it though, and settled in for the 9 hour flight.  Again, Little Man enjoyed sitting with his headphones on...and the flight went well.  We made it home an hour earlier than expected.

And that, as Paul Harvey would say, is the rest of the story!

As soon as we were back home, we had all kinds of exciting things waiting for us...and, I'll be sure to share!