Sunday Stroll: Kallmünz, Germany

This week found us in Kallmünz, Germany, a charming, typical Bavarian town situated on the river Naab. We didn't get to spend much time there due to needing a toilet (public toilets are few in Germany and when you do find one, it's not free). Still, we enjoyed it while we were there, and we might return to explore some more. There's a castle ruins in Kallmünz I'd like to see. 

Look at these formations on the underside of the bridge above. Stalactites! I thought stalactites only formed in caves, but they were all over this bridge over the Naab River. So cool!

Committing ourselves to weekly Sunday Strolls makes sure we see lots of Germany in the little time we have left. This short stroll was worth the 30 minute drive from home, proving you don't have to go far to see much. Where are you strolling this week?

Sunday Stroll: Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival

This week's Sunday Stroll took us to Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival, boasted to be the largest in the world. It's about two hours from home, which is quite a drive for a Sunday stroll, but it was reported to be quite special, so we made the trip. 

(Anyway, two hours doesn't seem like a big deal anymore. Living in Europe has changed how we view travel.)

The festival was held in the garden of the palace above. Such a gorgeous setting for a festival!

There were pumpkin carvings and sculptures all over the place. This year's theme was the Olympics. 

The best part was the food. Oh my, the food. We decided to get one of (almost) everything and sample and share. There was pumpkin soup, drizzled with pumpkin seed oil and pumpkin seeds...

...and pumpkin frites with a delicious sauce...

...and pumpkin strudel with fresh cream and chopped pumpkin seeds...

...and pumpkin popcorn, and cinnamon-sugar pumpkin seeds, and chili-sugar pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin chutney, and pumpkin jam, and pumpkin pie, and sparkling pumpkin wine. It was so much fun to try it all. 

Above is the third place winner for largest pumpkin: Over five hundred pounds of pumpkin. 

There was an area where kids could play in the hay. Kids were making hay stacks and jumping off and having hay fights. I was thankful for the Benedryl when we got home, but Tuna and Bay had a blast playing in the hay. 

There was a pumpkin carving station where parents could purchase jack-o-lantern pumpkins for the kids to carve. 

Believe it or not, this was the very first time both girls have single-handedly carved a jack-o-lantern. I was so tempted to help. I even offered a few times. But neither of them would have any of it. 

They worked diligently on their carving for about half an hour. 

I was so proud of their pumpkins. They both did a great job. 

It was a great way to spend the day. We all ate pumpkin seeds on the way home (yep, we still had room!) and stopped at a burger joint in Neumarkt just before home. 

Next Sunday, if the weather is good, I'm planning to take the kids to a treetop boardwalk in the Bavarian National Forest. 

this post linked to Hip Homeschool Mom's Field Trip Ideas Around the World

Sunday Strolls

New habit: Go somewhere every Sunday and take pictures. Fresh air, nature, and family. Can't beat it. 

Today's Sunday Stroll: Wildpark Hollöhe in Schwandorf, Germany. For no admission fee, you can stroll the nature paths, picnic, play at the playground and the barefoot park, use the toilets (Free, clean, toilets are scarce in Europe!) and see all the animals. For a meager €0,50 you can feed the animals, too. 

It was today that it occurred to me that weekends can be schoolish days, too. Walking around the nature trails, discussing sap, pine cones, acorns, water levels, leaves changing, animal calls, and poop identification: That's nature study! 

It's also excellent bonding time. 

I look forward to our next Sunday Stroll. I wonder where it'll find us.