We are nearing the end of the first four day weekend Will has gotten since arriving here and it's been great. We finally made it to Nuernberg! With the little tyke in tow, who is very opinionated about when and exactly where he will take naps, we decided to get a hotel room for a couple nights and just take it slow. That way we'd be able to do what we wanted to on our own time and when Liam started getting cranky we could head back to the hotel for his nap. Definitely a more expensive way to travel but I think it makes for a happier baby, which makes for a happier Mommy and Daddy.
We stayed at a very nice 4-star hotel near the Old Town. Just across the street was the main Deutsche Bahnhof (train station). We just had to walk underneath the train tracks, cross another street and we were there. It still very much feels like winter here. Unfortunately it wasn't too warm to be walking around, it stayed in the high 30s/ low 40s. But being so close worked to our advantage, we didn't need to stay out for very long, especially with Liam still trying to get over his latest cold.
On Friday we waited for Liam to take his nap before we left for Nuernberg. Once we got there and checked in it was already late afternoon so we just went out walking for a bit. Not wanting to lug the big stroller around we only brought the cheap Wal-Mart umbrella stroller with us. We weren't sure how it would hold up to the cobblestone streets so we tried out the back feature of the Infantino carrier. It was the first time we tried sticking Liam in it that way. Needless to say, with coat and all he did look a bit smashed but seemed to tolerate it pretty well.
I'm sure he probably got some strange looks. I'm not sure the Germans use those with their kids. And I have to admit, it was pretty funny seeing him smashed up against Will, legs dangling and flopping around. He kept hanging his head backwards looking up at the sky like all of his neck muscles had just gotten tired. People would kind of smile at him as they walked past and I just felt like, "Yep, that's half my DNA everybody."
He did pretty well like that considering I don't think he felt very well.
This tower is connected to the old city wall that encircles the original Old Town. Just on the other side of this tower is the Craftsmen's Courtyard which is like a miniature village where small Mom & Pop shops sell everything from homemade steins and glasswork to dolls. It was really adorable. It was like suddenly walking into a quaint medieval village. All of the charm, just none of the Black Death.
This is the main feature of the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in the main square. It is a mechanical clock installed in the 1500s and features the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV at the center. At noon seven prince-electors parade around the Emperor, paying him homage. It was constructed as an Imperial court church and was the location of baptisms for heirs to the throne and first held the Imperial Crown Jewels in 1361. It was given to the Nuernberg Catholic congregation in the 1800s.
Off in the distance was the Kaiserburg, which we didn't make it to. A lot of the rooms are closed for renovations right now so I figured we'd better get our money's worth by visiting sometime this summer. I'm sure there will be plenty more visits in the future. The Kaiserburg, or Imperial Castle, is the symbol of Nuernberg. Between 1050 and 1571 all Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire lived here at some point. It's considered by many to be one of the most important Imperial castles of the Middle Ages.
That evening we ate at the hotel's restaurant. Oh, the restaurant... Have you ever tried taking a very young toddler to a nice restaurant? Yeah. It pretty much turned out about how you'd expect.
Thankfully we ate early so we were the only ones there until the end of our meal. I was fairly embarrassed by Liam flipping drink cups around, chirping in a high-pitched zoo animal voice and at myself for being dressed like a bum who'd come straight from Wal-Mart. I'm pretty sure most people wouldn't have even attempted to take a toddler Liam's age into a place like that but you know what? I think I'm finding it's o-KAY to look like a stupid American with no etiquette sometimes. If it was just Will and I, I would never have gone there in my Old Navy t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. But somewhere between learning that, as a mom, sometimes you just gotta take what you can get, go with the flow and truly deciding that it's fine if things don't turn out how you'd prefer... I'm starting to see that I'm being taught a lesson here. Did the waitress think we were a bunch of hooligans? Probably. Did Liam make a mess on the nice tablecloth? Yes. Did I eventually just have to take him out of the restaurant when he finally flipped his lid and had a meltdown? Yes. But was it one of the best meals I've had in I can't remember when? Absolutely. In retrospect, I tend to get pretty anxious in those situations. We didn't really know where else to eat. It was further complicated by the fact that this was Good Friday, when almost everything is closed in Germany. In retrospect, I wish I would have stopped worrying about how we looked to other people. Yes, I dress like a hobo sometimes (for German standards) and yes I have a child whose nickname is "Piggy" for obvious reasons. I see variations of that supper happening over and over again in the future, here at home and throughout our travels around Europe. But it's only through letting go I'll be able to truly enjoy all the potential this opportunity of living in Europe holds for us.
For the record it was an AMAZING meal!
The Pig-Monster was racked out in his Pack 'n' Play in no time.
What an adorable monkey we have. :) Saturday we pretty much walked around Old Town again. The Osternmarkt (Easter Market) was open Saturday so we looked around at the stalls. We bought some tasty gingerbread cookies, some fresh strawberries and went in a store or two. (One of them being H&M Megan!)
Not sure what this guy was all about but I have to say I was a little creeped out.
Yummy, fresh produce! I wish THIS was where the commissary got their produce from. Daddy and Liam also got to fit in some play time back at the hotel before heading off to Ikea.
I L-O-V-E this photo. Classic. This sums up their relationship so much more than words ever could. Lol!
We let Liam blow off a little steam in the hotel room before we set off for Ikea late afternoon in search of our highly researched and sought after Billy bookcase and desk. Our bookcase from El Paso was a piece of crap which didn't survive the intercontinental move and neither did our desk.
Silly me. Will and I are Ikea virgins and no one warned me about this supposed modernly efficient home decor store hiding behind the facade of the giant blue and yellow box that is it's exterior.
When I look at the outside I see sleek, Swedish order. I imagine aisles of modern furniture and reasonably-priced accessories. I see Liam sitting in a cart well-mannered and patient while we make our selections and glide seamlessly through the check-out and out the swishing electric doors. I see ourselves driving home later with our new Swedish furniture, proud of ourselves for mastering a store run by people whose language we know the barest of basics of. Ha!
If you've ever been to one hopefully you have some semblance of what I'm alluding to. This all went out the window seconds after walking in. To the right appeared to be a giant cage that held small people of the "6 & up" variety... running rampart, throwing themselves around on slides and toys and generally being extremely chaotic. Everyone who wished to continue shopping immediately ascended onto an escalator that took everyone up to a second or third floor. Having Liam in a stroller we had to find an elevator. Once we got to the top floor we had no idea where to find office furniture so we just sort of threw ourselves into the maze. Walkways wound throughout the floor in a one-way street kind of fashion winding around model rooms set up throughout. Probably the worst day ever to go since it was a Saturday but it was our only option. Somewhere around the third model room we stopped at Liam decided to have his meltdown and I thought we were gonna have to leave the store immediately. Thankfully he managed to hold on. I didn't realize at the time but it turns out you have to walk through the entire store to get out. Had I known at the time I think I would have freaked out with all the people and feeling like a cow led to the slaughter. It took us the better part of a half-hour and watching what other people were doing to realize that you were supposed to pick up sheets near the products you wanted and then write down the pertinent information onto a separate piece of paper. Eventually you enter a "self-serve warehouse" where you pick up your own items and then wait in line to check out. Aha!
We realized shortly that this really wasn't something we should have left for late afternoon. It appears Ikea requires the dedication of an entire day to get through all the steps if you're going in starting from scratch. No wonder they have a restaurant there. Which, btw, was especially touting their meatballs on a big poster outside the restaurant. (Didn't they just get in trouble for serving horse meat in their meatballs in the Czech Republic. Just a half hour east of here mind you.) In retrospect, I don't feel so bad as I think it would have initially been almost as confusing had everything been in my own language. Throwing that barrier in, it just wasn't something we were able to accomplish in that short a period of time with a little Pig Monster that detests shopping to his male core. Realizing we had been bested for the moment we retreated as quickly as possible for more reconnaissance. We shall return with full reinforcements and you shan't conquer us o, Swedish-German store. We will have the last laugh!
The craziness of Ikea did get the best of Liam, however.
The little guy that fights sleeping anywhere but his crib and Pack 'n' Play finally lost the battle with the sleep monster on the way back to the hotel. Poor little man. He did really well though and it had been a long day. We all needed to relax.
The next morning we headed back home and made it just in time for Mass. Pretty good considering we had to drive an hour and we lost another one in the night as Europe finally jumped on board with the U.S. with daylight savings time. More on Easter in another post!
We all had a great time. It was great to get away for a few days and just have a change of scenery and for Will to get away from work for awhile. All and all I would call our first trip in Europe a success! Next up, maybe at the end of April.... Regensburg?
