After a difficult 4 weeks of packing up and moving out of Cincinnati, and then another crazy 1st week in Germany spending a whole lot of time on documents, contracts, utilities, meetings, etc, all while living in a hotel and running back and forth to a very empty frame of a German house, the Newman family was ready for some FUN!!

We decided to head to Nuremburg, a city in Bavaria (read: land of delicious beer, sausages, and pretzels) that is just two hours from our home in Frankfurt. I’d heard great things about it, but could honestly only recall some of the city’s dark times – this is the place where the Nazi movement gained momentum and where the war trials where held at the conclusion of WWII. I was a little nervous about this being our first trip within Germany – would the weight of the history of this place overwhelm?

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I was so happily surprised, though, with Nuremberg – it turned out to be one of the most beautiful and romantic cities I’ve ever visited. The Danube river winds through the center of the pedestrian zone, which, on that Friday night, was alive with people. People strolling along the riverfront on both sides, criss-crossing the bridges from isles to banks, enjoying each others’ company. People eating at the numerous outdoor cafes, or enjoying an Eis (ice cream) after their meal. People checking out modern storefronts next to half-timbered houses with wood beams tinted with oxblood, a wood preservative and termite repellant of earlier times. We ate delicious Nuremberger sausages and pretzels at the Bratwursthausle near St. Sebald in the Altstadt (old town):

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In short, a wonderful city that feels small enough to wander but large enough to get lost in. Rowan will get to return here in the spring for his big 5th grade field trip – a 3-day, 2-night visit with just teachers, classmates, and a few chaperones. Lucky kid!

The next day, we visited an old favorite of Rowan & Cara’s – Playmobil FunPark – just a half hour from Nuremberg. I had wondered whether it would feel a little ‘young’ for them – the last time we were here, the kids were only 5 and 2! But to be honest, is anyone too old to enjoy a giant park made up of life-sized Playmobil – especially when there’s no liability to worry about here in Germany? They had a blast, and so did we. I won’t embarrass them too much with pictures, but it was a great trip down memory lane and they’d talked about this place for the past four years, so we couldn’t pass it up!

This short break was just what we needed – family time and a place to explore, and time off from ‘the move’. We’d definitely put Nuremberg on our list of places to return to, and would recommend to anyone traveling in the area!