A visit from the Robertsons!

My mom and dad traveled to Germany recently to visit Dan and I and to experience Europe for the very first time. They were a little nervous about Euros and the language barrier and what to pack but they survived the long flight and the jet lag, and we had a great time!

No trip to Germany would be complete without an introduction to German cuisine so we stuffed them full of schnitzel, bratwurst, and beer and did a wine tasting or two (or four…). We took day trips to Heidelberg, Frankfurt, and Burg Eltz, and even spent two days in the Alsace region of France. The towns we visited there were so quaint and peaceful – with medieval castles, half-timbered houses, and vineyards all around.

One day while Dan and I were at work, my mom and dad took a river cruise on the Rhine. They braved the bus and the train all by themselves and even stopped in St. Goar to visit a castle. I was so proud of them!

The highlight of the trip was probably the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart. It’s the second largest beer festival in the world, second only to Munich’s Oktoberfest. My dad fit right in with the wild and crazy beer-loving Germans, finishing off (almost) 2 maße and making friends left and right. One twenty-something German guy repeatedly told my mom that my dad “is VERY cool”.

We are pretty sure Mom and Dad learned a lot about Europe while they were here. They discovered that sometimes you have to pay to use the bathroom, showers don’t always come equipped with shower curtains, and Germans really like to party! It also came as a surprise that quite a few people “speaka d’ English” over here ;o). We had so much fun giving Mom and Dad a little taste of Germany (and France!), and we hope they enjoyed themselves as much as we did!

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