Finally, after years of fostering and adoption finalization, we are able to travel out of the country! This July the toddler and I will be jumping onto a 7 1/2 hour flight from Canada to Germany, where my cousin has invited us to stay with her family. They have been living there for almost a year, and will return to the States in August. Staying for free in Europe was just too good of an opportunity to pass up!
So what are our plans?
We will be staying in Stuttgart, and as my cousin is providing free lodging and transportation, and I have a restless toddler to contend with, I’m not going to be traipsing around the whole country, let alone continent. So we’ll be sticking to Southwest Germany.
Stuttgart
Ride the Zahnradbahn to the Degerloch Forest Cemetery. Visit Killesberg Hill Park with its historical carousel, train ride, and splash fountains for kids. The Wilhelma Zoo and Botanical Garden is another outdoor option. For rainy days, there is JOLOs Kinderwelt, a huge indoor play area for little ones, and Aqua Toll, which has indoor and outdoor water playgrounds for young children. To get my history fix, there is a new castle, an old castle, and a monastery in Stuttgart.
Old castle in Stuttgart
Small towns
Small towns outside of Stuttgart, like Triberg or Tubingen, might be nice for the day. Tubingen has waterfalls, cuckoo clocks, and we could even take a scenic gondola ride!
Tubingen gondolas
The Black Forest
The Black Forest Open Air Museum (Schwarzwälder Freilichtmuseum Vogstbauernhoff) is top on my list if we make it to the Black Forest. It looks like it will be an hour or a little longer on the train if that’s the way we need to go, a “do-able” time for a toddler (and her mom). The open air museum is a living representation of farming life 400 years ago in the Black Forest area. Looks like there are great play areas and lots of animals for my daughter to play with!
Open Air Museum in the Black Forest
Eating
Dönner kebap: Ok I may be in Germany, but I hear the Germans enjoy Turkish food as much as I do, so I’m determined to get a good kebap!
Bakeries: I’m always up for some streusel. Or bread. Or any type of cake. Sounds like this country is the place for that!
Schnizel: Because I’ve never tried it, and it sounds so German.
Beer: This is obvious!
Schnitzel
Across the Never Sky 
[…] linking up to my travel blog post about Stuttgart to get myself (and everyone else) excited for our upcoming trip to […]
Hey, tried to email a couple times (but one was failed to deliver, must be an old email). Pw is family