My Parents' First Visit

How to write about my parents' October visit? Where to begin? What to include about 2 weeks of jam-packed wonderful visiting and exploring time? I think I'll let the following photos (and our facial expressions) speak for themselves. Here are only a few of the many highlights:

The day of their arrival was celebrated with a cold beer, Maultaschen for lunch,
and then a quick nap. Then we found our way up to this castle overlooking
the Bottwar valley before heading to meet my host family from high school.

Our next adventure was a trip to Eschbach, the town from which my father's
ancestors came. The town's mascot is the donkey, and my goofy father and
husband couldn't resist posing for this picure. I love it.

Next, Fabian and I celebrated our wedding (again!) with all our German
friends and family. In between dinner and dessert I snapped a photo with
my "three moms."

A more relaxing day on our itinerary included brunch with Margit and a
walk around her town and the surrounding hills. We discovered the fruit
"Quitte" and saw people working in the vineyards up close.

And then we had our day with Hansi, which began at the Museum of Technology in Sinsheim, where Dad got to fulfill his lifelong dream of being inside the Concorde!

And another dream was fulfilled for his 60th birthday present:
30 minutes driving a Mercedes SLS. He apparently drove so well
and so fast that he made the driving instructor nervous multiple times.
VVRRROOOOOM!

Of course you cannot visit Germany in October without taking part in a
traditional Oktoberfest celebration. We went to the Wasen in Stuttgart and
drank more of these giant beers than you probably want to hear about.

Making friends with the statues in Luzerne, Switzerland & catching glimpses of the
snow-capped peaks on Mom & Dad's first hike in the Alps.

I couldn't have asked for a better October. Knock on wood, 2014 has been a wonderful, wonderful year for our family. We gained a niece/granddaughter, celebrated a wedding (twice), and I was visited in Germany by two of the most important guests I could host!

... Emily, Lisa - it's YOUR TURN! :)