Kid's Science Fair

A big science fair in the Louisenpark in Mannheim was sponsored by a local foundation. It is only a 10 minute drive away and free with a coupon we got from a colleague so we went there yo have a look.
Mia liked a show in the circus tent  about energy

Lively Neckar

Every year in early June many towns along the river Neckar close the streets along the river and have them open for biking and festivals. Of course we went again to the Neckarwiese the park just a few minutes away from our place to check things out.

Mia tried the drums from a marching band

A fishing game from a church group

Mia could sit in a glider and all the controls were explained to her

A stand set up from the geology department:  Painting with colors hand made with ground rock, glue and water

Passau

the farm was less than a 30 minute drive away from Passau - and old city at the border to Austria where three rivers meet; The Danube, the Inn and the Inn. It has an nice old town and a huge baroque cathedral.
 We started off with a short river cruise that started from the town hall

 It was interesting to see how the very dark water of the Ilz mixed with brownish one of the Danube and then the water of the Danube with the bright a bit greenish one of the Inn which actually carries more water than the Danube

View of the cathedral from the Inn

Artwork on the cobble stones of an old street

Stephan's Cathedral

The biggest Organ in the world

 T
he largest baroque church noth of the Apls

Mia of course was more interested in playgrounds. We found a good one right bu the river Inn

Vacation on a Farm

Since Mia really liked our stay on a farm by the Chimess last year we thought we stay at a similar place in the Bavarian Forrest this year. We got a scare while in Regenburg when our original reservation was canceled with only a two day notice because they had overlooked another booking and gave our room away. Luckily we found another which turned out to be really nice.

There were lots of other children and many young animals
The pony foal was only five days old

There was also a litter of young kittens that was not much older

The farm was only a five minute walk away from the river Ilz. While the parents went for a walk the children were jumping on a trampoling or playing in the old barn that was turned into a play area with hay bales and ping pong tables

One afternoon we checked out a farm museum

The next day we drove to the Bavarian Forrest National Park and stopped at plaground in the woods

It was nice and cool in the woods but pretty hot outside, So we went to a small lake with a free public beach we had spotted next to the farm museum  and cooled off.

The water was really nice

After our swim  we got the a table at an restaurant nearby

On the last day Mia didn't want to leave. Before we did she said good bye to the animals

Regensburg

Before starting a four day vacation on a farm in the Bavarian Forrest we spent two days in Regensburg - an old city at the northernmost point of the Danube.
Our hotel was right at the channel bypassing the old town and on the 20 minute walk there we past some side arm of the Danube were people were cooling off on a hot day. Of course Mia wanted to join

Mia's goal was to make it to some rocks in the river - she had to come back the next day with a bathing suit to make it there

The next stop was a beer garden just across the river from the old town

Two ducks also liked the place

Over the oldest bridge in Germany that is still in use - the Steinerne Brücke from 1135 - we got into the old town that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A tower from 1240 that was the residence of a rich merchant family: Baumburger Turm

Mia was mostly interested in finding an ice cream place

The next day we took a short boat tour

30 minutes away is the Walhalla - a temple to the German spirit build by the Bavarian king Ludwig I  in the first half of the eighteen hundreds.

It was a bit of a climb to get up

Back in town n a department store where we were looking for a charging cable Mia found the section for fancy hats - they looked very nice on here but were a bit too expensive

Time for a nice late lunch at another beer garden with good food, beer and a great view

On the walk back to the hotel we found a nice playground in a park by the river