Schloß Lichtenstein

Schloß Lichtenstein is Brian's FAVORITE castle - and for some reason we missed it the last time around! So last Wednesday we asked Mama to drive us (it's about an hour drive) so I could marvel at it just as Brian does.

Our first glimpse of the Castle, perched on a rocky cliff, as we take the twisty road upwards.

On the drawbridge, entering the inner courtyard. Notice the gargoyle behind us.

This is the actual "castle" - the rest are outlying buildings.

It's absolutely amazing that they were able to build this on the edge of this rocky cliff, and it has still survived to this time.

The view, looking down at the village many meters below.

See the door? This was the emergency exit. Most of the steps have worn away, but if the castle were to be attacked, this is how they would have escaped back then.

An older section of the castle.

Waiting for our tour to begin!

The newer building to the right of the castle. I think this was constructed in the 1700s and it has been renovated.

All around the castle was a trench that would have been the moat. Wish it was filled with water!

We had the most amazing tour. We were told it would be given in German, which was fine with us. But lo and behold, the tour guide (who looked so much like my Uncle Steve it was scary...talk about a doppelganger) gave it in English...and we were the only two people! We got to ask whatever questions we wanted, and take our time looking at everything. It was really special -- too bad you aren't allowed to take pictures inside the Castle. There actually isn't that much to see inside anyway, since the Castle is still owned by the Duke's family there are a lot of private rooms off limits. We saw the "drinking room" and the armory, and a couple of formal living areas but that was about it.

I think the most amazing part of the Castle is outside anyway. I'm so glad Brian decided to take me!

Wordless Wednesday

We Love Museums!

So we went in search of another one. Actually, we happened on the Natural History Museum of Stuttgart completely by accident. We had gone down to see if we could take a boat tour on the Neckar, but it was closed that day. We saw a sign for the museum, but not knowing anything about it we decided to look it up at home.

We were surprised to find that it was only 5 euro entry, relatively cheap for a museum in Europe, and it included two separate buildings (a 15 minute walk from each other in 35 degree Celsius heat in which I nearly died and had to rest numerous times). So we went back the following day! Who can turn down dinosaur bones?

I can totally understand why people thought the platypus was fake. I mean, look at it.

I'd never seen the inside of a turtle before. Pretty amazing how the spine is fused to the shell.

I specifically asked Brian not to take a picture of this. Gross.

MAMMOTH.

The inside of a big whale. It even had an eyeball.

I'm convinced this was the inspiration for that horrible 80's TV show Alfie, or whatever it was called.

On the 15 minute death walk we passed by this. Why didn't we have this growing up!?

Brian likes dinosaurs.

I would not want to run into this guy. Though he looks like he might be ride-able?

MAMMOTH.

Is it just me or does his jaw have fangs? Seems like it would be really obstructive in certain situations. Like drinking.

So that was the Natural History Museum of Stuttgart. Once again, museums are your friend when it's deliriously hot outside.

Landesmuseum

Obviously I made it home alive from Stuttgart (barely - the turbulence was so bad on the two legs back I actually crossed myself when we landed in Los Angeles), leaving my husband in Germany for another 32 days!!! Being married to a graduate student isn't easy. But I enjoyed myself immensely and it was a wonderful getaway.

One of our favorite museums in Stuttgart happened to be free during the time they were there since they were doing extensive renovations and a lot of the exhibits were closed. That was fine with us! In fact, we were super happy to discover that the crown jewels exhibit was OPEN (it had been closed when we visited in 2009) so we were very excited. And did I mention it was free?

The King's crown - decorative only - the things was huge and would not have fit on even Brian's big head.

The Queen's crown, which she did wear. It was actually made of 3 pieces, so it could be worn as a headband, smaller crown, or as shown above. I want one.

The Queen's necklace - this was her wedding gift. DANG.

Here are some pictures from the other exhibits we saw, some we had seen before and some that were new!

Beautiful chessboard and pieces

I believe these were candle holders carved from ivory.

More carved ivory - I thought these were bizarrely beautiful.

Can you believe this is how people used to calculate astronomy and astrology!?

Close up view - not sure if these are constellations or the moon phases or what.

Then it was off to the clock room in the basement, one of our favorite exhibits. I love the square box clocks.

Amazingly detailed.

We had a very nice time walking in downtown Stuttgart and enjoying the day. It was a bit hot and humid so a museum was a must for visiting, and the air conditioning in the basement was delightful. Talk about an added bonus!

Flo and Ann's Wedding

I'm finally getting around to posting about the original inspiration for our trip to Europe. Florian and Ann were married on June 18, 2011! We were so fortunate to be able to attend this joyous occasion.

The night before at dinner.

Mama and Papa looking snazzy.

Husband and I.

After the ceremony. Flo and Ann with their parents.

Hilarious game they played. Sven would ask a question like "Who's the better driver?" and they would raise the shoe of the person they thought was it. It was very funny...especially when they didn't raise the same shoe!

Achim, Brian and Jan.

Brian and the newlyweds.

The only real difference I saw between German weddings and American weddings was that they played games, and that it went very late. I had Phil take me back to the hotel room at midnight because I was exhausted. At that point they hadn't even had the first dance yet. Brian didn't get back until almost 4am!! I'm glad that he had a good time though, and I enjoyed it as well.

Congratulations Flo and Ann!

Other Adventures Abroad

My first kebab! Can't believe I missed out on these last time we were here! It's sliced beef, lettuce, onions, tzatiki sauce with chili powder, tomatoes, and other yummy things.

Nom nom nom.

Beautiful pictures of the German countryside as we walked up a hill to visit this tomb of some King and his family members...forgot his name.

Looking out towards the inner city of Stuttgart

Enjoying a beer at our favorite restaurant in Plieningen...the Garbe!

Detour to Rosenstein park after we realized that the Neckar Boat Tours were closed on Mondays...

Shopping on Konigstasse is always an adventure. Here's some live entertainment!