Teltschik Tower

After a few cold and rainy days it finally turned sunny and warmer again. So we went to a farm again to get some fresh apple juice and Federweisser again and then did a short drive into the Odenwald. A colleague had mentioned a viewing tower that is worth a visit.
It was only a short walk from the parking lot and on the way there we saw quite a big number of mushrooms.

Unfortunately we didn't know which ones to pick  - but all the people that passed us with full baskets obviously did know.
The Teltschik tower was 39 m high and it the viewing plattform was 192 steps up.

 The view was of course great

A special birthday greeting with a handwritten message for Mama Sylvia

More mushrooms and an anthill on the way back

 Mia took the anthill picture and one of an antique car on the parking lot

Chestnunt Picking

Like last year we went into the woods to pick some of the eatable chestnuts that can be found a a few spots. We found the first ones a bit down the Königsstuhl

Later we found more a bigger ones on our way down at the south side of the Gaisberg - a smaller mountain next to the Königsstuhl

Bonn

25 years after leaving Bonn it was time to go back and show the city to Mia and Ji.
The main building of the university - a former castle - and the Hofgarten - the park behind it - looked as it did 30 years ago and as back then students were playing soccer and people were enjoying the sun.

Mia checked out the playground

Then we took the subway to the museum  of German history. Next to the entrance from the subway station stood the official car of Adenauer who was the first chancellor of West Germany

The main exhibition was closed for an update but there was an interesting smaller one the role cars played in West Germany

Mia tried the driving simulation with race cars but drove kind of slow. At least she didn't fly over the fence like other more aggressive drivers

 There was another small exhibition on clubs - like one for Bach

On the main square was a little fall festival

It also offered free climbing

One famous attraction in Bonn is the birth house of Beethoven

Another attraction - and much more appealing for children - is the Haribo factory sale. Even tour buses stop there

All the Haribo you can think of - prepacked or you can choose what you want and pay by the pound

The name Haribo is a combination or the first two letters of the founders first name, the first two letters of his family name of the place of his business: HAns RIegel BOnn

Mia picked two pounds of  different Haribos

A swim in the hotel in the evening

The hotel was right by the river

Before we left the next morning Mia and Ji were feeding the seagulls

Shopping at the farm

a few farms in the nearby villages have little stores where they sell farm products. We checked out one of these places that even had a little restaurant and bakery.

The playground there was really only for smaller children

Of course we tried some cake

We took home some fresh apple juice and young wine - Federweisser
There was a nice big dog that looked for someone to throw an apple for him which he then would bring back

Felsenmeer in Lautertal

About 40 km north of Heidelberg at the western edge of the Odenwald is a formation of big granite boulders that called Felsenmeer - literally a sea of rocks. A colleague had mentioned it and since Mia likes to climb on rocks - who doesn't - we thought we should check it out on a Sunday which finally had a bit of sunshine after a week of clouds and rain
From the visitors center one could see a fairly big  number of boulders but it did not really look spectacular

But somehow the stream of big granite boulders went on and one - higher and higher up the mountain. Mia didn't get discouraged and went on climbing

On the maps we could see just how long the way up was. While Mia was climbing we walked the trail along side the rock formation and would meet Mia at the different intersection that were numbered as rescue points

After a few hundred meters of climbing we stopped for a little break

 The Romans already used the area as quarry and many rocks are left were they had started to work on. The most famous is a huge column on top

For the way back down we just walked the trails

Once we were dwn we stooped at the beer garden by the visitors center for some ice cream and young wine

Wurstmarkt Bad Dürkheim

Like last year we made a trip to the Wurstmarkt in Bad Dürkheim - one of the largest fairs in the region and a bit like s small Oktoberfest with lots of beer tent that also serve big glasses of the local wine. Like last year the weather was not so great
Of course Mia didn't try scary rides with a lot of spinning or up and down

But we did the Ferris wheel again

Then there was cotton candy

A marching band from the Netherlands

 Flying frogs

They were launched from the yellow catapult with a rubber hammer and had to hit a cup in the center. Unfortunately Mia's swing with the hammer was not so great and the frogs didn't fly far

The streetcar on the way back had a little table