Magic Garden

Katja, Bella & Soren

Magic Garden that's truly one of the first things that comes in my mind when I am thinking of Katja, right after old friend. An old friend I treasure and believe I DO know what it means to have friends.

Katja

With the way my life happened to chose to be or I did I met lots of people from all over the world and did not stay in this small village all my life long. I come back once a while for visiting, but I always go back to the place we call home in that moment. Our home is right now where our heart is and my little family. We move almost every two years. It can be from one continent to the other, from the west to east coast, just sorth to north or seriously just out of town, but every move brings changes and leaves people behind no matter how much you try, how much effort comes from your side. So I truly treasure the friends I have here and can come knocking at their door after being gone for three years and still get a hug and a happy welcome because there are glad to see us again and do take the time for us.

Kai

Katja is one of them. She knows me from the time I still was in diapers. So over 30 years. She doesn't even call me Nicole. Leland just learnt this this time. lol. Neither does my mom all the time. - old times - .

In the last years her and her husband transformed a 100 year old house and barn in a beautiful home. Some parts are still work in progress because they are all doing themselves as both learned carpentry from scratch and it amazing. The garden is a little bit 'wild', not really anymore, but she has such a green hand and also decorated the house and garden with all kinds of items she found in the old house. It has a little stream, I can't forget the turtles and and awesome treehouse over the stream which already is a real vacation cottage with ofen, fridge, porch, and even matrazes to sleep on the second floor. WOW.

Leland & Kai up at the porch of the tree house

Katja, Bella & Chiara up in the sleeping quarters in the tree house

I am enchanted by the garden and we are just waiting for a sunny day to go back visiting for sitting outside - it will be easier to let the kids roam and play with the dog. Don't forget she lives in a tiny village that has a water castle in walking distance from her not even five minutes. One of the spots I do have to go back, too, as on every visit, still, if it doesn't rain.

the little stream underneath the tree house

all the kids, Katja & Homer, the dog

Sorry, Tick Tack Oma

In the first week of our stay we made a trip to Wuerzburg to visit my grandmother. She never had the chance yet to meet Soren in person before or see Leland again since we left Germany in 2000. We usually jsut call her "Uri" short for Urgrossmutter or Uroma. Because Ur sounds just like Uhr which means clock in German we also call her "Tick Tack Oma".

Two true Wuerzburger - Bella is born here in town, but we had to leave Dezember 2000.

Every time the girls met my grandmother before she had the habit to pinch the cheeks as greeting. You know that type of cheek pinching you realling realling don't like, but especialling people her generation just seemed to have to do. So already ahead of time Bella started, But I don't want her to pinch my cheeks. Of course Chiara chimed in, too. And you know what, hard to believe, she did not even try, not at even one of the three kids cheeks - for the first time. LOL

No cheek pinching on the second visit neither. LOL

Sine I can remember my grandparents played "Mensch aergere dich nicht" (Sorry). And that with passion. My mom played it. I did. We played with them when we visited them, when they came visiting, without them visiting and they did by themselves probably everyday with and without friends but usually for money. Even the game is called "Do not get angry"if you translate it word by word I do remember times when my grabndfatgher got do mad about getting kicked out so often that he smashed the dice and his little people in the corner. lol. - my grandfather was not the angry type and usually fun, but as I said they played with passion!




By the way my mom made the play boards for our family after everybody was tired of the dice rolling on the play board and kicking everything over. Isn't it neat and used a lot. My grandmother has her little people in MEGA size. lol.

Now it was the girls turn to play Sorry and especially Bella is hooked. She loves to play all the time. Chiara. Mmmmmmm. That is a different story. She can't loose. Even if she is better as everybody else and has two people home she will cry and throw a fit if you kick another one out. There were lots of tears, but sorry we do not let you win, just because you thow a fit. We support and help you, but a game is a game.

And we don't mind giving you another round for a revenge if you loose.

Fuerstliche Gartenlust - Rokoko Festspiele II

Rococo is a style of the 18th century. In the music it was the reaction against the Baroque style. Less formal and grandiose in structure, it was a graceful rather than a profound style. The word "Rococo" from the French rocaille, "a shell". The goal of all artists was to charm, delight and entertain.

And on the that Sunday afternoon as last event of the Rokoko Festspiele weekend everybody was having fun in the gardens like they used to have. The horses and riders showed all the guests formal or modern what they were able to do with a a "Quadrille".

Afterwards they performed a hunt in a small version. Everybody was going "aaaaaaaaa" and "oooooo" when the hunting dogs cute as buttons were speeding past us trying to catch the "fox". It was no real fox.

They were performing dances like the "Allemande", "Polonaise", .... .It was interesting to watch, but got way more amusing when theeach performer paired with a visitor to dance. Then the giggles and laughes started from all sides even they all did a good job.

Just a few more of the extraordinary costumes you were able to on this afternoon.

Finally, somebody who was up all day fell asleep the last hour and did neither hear anymore music, people or gunshots. He was definetely out.

Ansbacher Rokoko - Festspiele Part I

Ansbach is famous for the Rokoko festival every year. It is taking place since years. Even I went to school in this town since fifth grade I never went before. But this year we did on one of the days and stated on Sundy morning with the 'Grosse Feldmusik' in the courtyard of the residence of the margraf. I do seriously hope my translation is correct - ... im Innenhof der Markgraeflichen Residenz'. In simple words inside the town castle which is unfortunately on the outside all undercover and under construction.





We came early trying to get seat in the shade, but still ran out of luck and ended up in the very sunny part of the coutyyard. In teh beginning Bella was still smiling. And no, this was not an event where you came and brought your own chairs as in the States even I did have a blanket with me addintionly and luckily, because we needed it for more as one occasion on that day.




The margraf and his wife waiting for the music troops to march in and play from the balconies of the castle.

I learnt quickly that my seat was pretty useless for taking pictures - lol - so I switch it for a another spot in the sun to get some pictures as long asthe kids were happy.

These are just soldiers, no musicians.

Take a close look. To the second person on either side. The on right in the middle. She won't like the extra picture the extra attention. Bad luck. It's my mom. That's why we are there. To see and hear her.

So these were the official event picture of the blog. Now here are the audience picture of the blog.

#1. My kids. trying to catch the tiniest bit of shade possible after being in the sun for almost an our and believe me we are used to heat, but it was getting hot it that courtyard and the paramedic was getting busy.

#2. Just for your amusement. Other ways trying to find shade if your are not tiny anymore. Lots of people tried using the program. LOL. I guess I got used to Texas heat. So this here is nothing at all.

There is more to the Rokoko Festspiele. But it is late today.

Wuerzburg's Festung Marienberg

I know Wuerzburg since I can remember. That doesn't mean I remember where everything is, where all the roads lead and how the heck I do get where I what to go, but that is no wonder in Germany anyway even we have signs everywhere in all colors and shapes and forms, but Wuerzburg as beautiful as this town is is truly crazy to drive through. Trying to find parking there is an adventure, too, if you don't know where. LOL. I could already tell you stories there. So in the past I usually took the "Strassenbahn", a little train riding on top of the street and pretty much stopping almost everywhere where I intending on going anywhere. After having Isabell I lived outside of Wuerzburg and took the bus in towmn or actually walked if not taking the car. That worked, too. But last week I actually needed my car, because I had no intention of dragging 35 pounds plus all the way up the hill from downtown Wurzburg to the castle , so I had to figure out my way around town. It was a little crazy and we took a wrong turn, because there is no logic in that town streetwise and I remembered that, just too late and swoop we already were over the bridge and on the other side of the river stopped at a alredy filled parking lot but had a beautiful view up to the fortress - our intended goal to visit.




Don't worry, we did find our way up there with lots of twisted turns. LOL. The walkway would have been nice, too, with a stop at the beergarden on the way back down. Perhabs next time. Leland used to run from post on the other side of the town down the hill to downtown and up to castle and all the way back for PT almost every morning - 5 km. He still remembers that.

The castle is called 'Festung Marienberg' and the girls love it, last time already the couldn't quit talking after our visit there and it is beautiful up there. You can see the Kaeppele and also find a trail through hills over or from downtown up. I counted the steps on the stairs when I was a kid there are more as 300.

I am always taking these pictures from the view over the city, but I can resists, neither can Isabell. There is a big wall there, you are not supposed to climb on because of you fall you do land deep down on the vines and smash the grapes and yourself of course, but it is a beautiful spot to soak in the sun and the sight.

For the kids and their snack I had to find a safer spot to sit down because they just can't be trusted but the sight was just as good and you can sit safely in the gras over here pretty much - NO FIRE ANTS, no dangerous spiders, no ...... I could keep going.

Here are some of Bella's and Chiara's pictures. They are really crazy about taking pictures, too, and Soren and let chiara take pictures of him. Stinker!

This old fortress is always worth a stop. Believe us. We already did that many times if you have the chance do it as late as possible. It is even more impressive in the night with the lights.