A park for those on holiday...

Monday we went to Holiday Park, an amusement park about 30 minutes from our apartment. The forecast wasn't great so we were hoping it wouldn't be rediculously crowded. Overall, I'd say Holiday Park definitely feels like a regional amusement park but is extremely well-maintained and organized. Our 3 kids, 7, 6 and 3 loved it although B's sister Marina, who's 16, found it boring when she went with friends a few weeks earlier. It cost us about 20 Euros each to enter (Sophia didn't have to pay) and lunch was about 50 Euros, and really good.

The biggest surprise of the day was what an addrenalin junky Sophia is. She raised her hands like a roller coaster veteran on all the "big" rides she went on.

A few highlights:

• Waterskiing pirates show


• Flume ride (Devil's Barrels)


• Swinging ship ride

I'll stop blabbing now and let the pictures do the talking...
After a day at the park, we were starving and in no mood to cook so we headed to Sardegna. Even though the lights were set on "intimate", I got a few clandestine shots off.

Our second home...

or Thermalschwimmbad as most people in Heidelberg know it. The forcast for Sunday looked good so we decided to spend the day at the pool. I ventured into the water with my camera to give you an eye-level perspective of the kids at play, but none of the shots turned out so great. My freaking out trying to keep the camera dry probably had something to do with it.
That evening I went back to the Wasserturm (water tower) in Mannheim to take some long exposures. It was a very popular idea as there was no shortage of SLRs and tripods. Although not unique (apparently), I did get some nice shots.

Let's go near the zoo...

On Saturday we decided to go to the zoo in Heidelberg (Emily's idea). We'd already been a couple of times but, what can I say? It's a great place to kill a few hours. We, being our usual selves, didn't get the whole clan moving in the same direction until around lunchtime. B remembered seeing a Biergarten near the zoo so we decided we'd have lunch there.

Before we left, we decided to pack the present we were going to send to Alan and onna (who had sent us a big box of presents earlier in the week). We found an appropriate container but Sophia was cranky so we decided to ship her next week. Get plenty of sleep Alan and Donna, you're going to need it!

It's easy to miss Rosete as you turn onto "zoo" street (I don't know the name). However, we were pleasantly surprised. It sits next to a large soccer field and we thought the inside was quite nice. A very charming Italian man kept the kids entertained with jokes and even a soccer ball, which they test drove on the soccer field. I had a salad and B split a steak with Emily. Robert and Sophia split a pizza.
While we were there, we also met a Brazilian woman who told us we should check out the zoo in Karlsruhe. That's now on the to-do list for this week.

After lunch, we drove toward the zoo and saw that it was overflowing with folks. We decided to skip it and head back to the ranch. I took the kids to the park while B put a bigger dent in the mess that is Robert's room.

The kids' newest thrillride involves "winding up" the chains on the swings and then laying down while they spin at a few hundred RPM. Sophia may be young but she's got great form and huge potential if this ever becomes a sport. I deducted a couple of points from the "spin" below because her feet clearly came apart prior to a flawless dismount. That night we ate at Chiang Mai's again (new Thai restaurant in Schwetzingen). I had spicey beef, which I I give a hearty thumb's up. If you're in Schwetzingen and want a quick bite to eat at a reasonable price, give this place a shot.

Heidelberg vacation: Day 7

The weather still wasn't cooperating so we decided to go to an indoor pool complex in Schwetzingen. We spent the better part of the morning trying to whip the apartment into shape, with only limited success. The rain was really coming down so we decided to have lunch at the Goldene Rose, an Italian place near our apartment (we had dinner there with the kids on Sunday night). This place is really charming indoors and the food is great. B had a steak with some kind of pepper sauce. I had a baked lasagna/pasta combination dish. The kids had pizza and spaghetti as usual.

We had been to the outdoor part of Bellamar earlier in the week, but with rain coming down, we headed inside. We only stayed a few hours but he kids had a blast. I found a lounge chair and slept off the Hefes I'd had with lunch.

That evening, B and I decided to go to Da Mario, an Italian restaurant in Heidelberg owned by the same folks as Da Vinci. Whereas Da Vinci has very modern decor, Da Mario is all old school: wood and mirrors everywhere. The place is really big. The atmosphere was good as was the food, although our waiter was a little clueless. He forgot to bring our appetizer and B's dish (eggplant Parmesan) could have been hotter. All in all, I recommend the place. We had a decent dinner for less than 30 Euros (I almost never get off that light). It's on the second floor across the street from Café Rossi (a nice segue, as you'll see).

B and I started to stroll down the Hauptstrasse (main pedestrian street in Heidelberg) when it began raining a bit. We decided to head back to Café Rossi. We'd had dinner on their beautiful terrace before but had never gone in. At night the place is really charming indoors. They have a good size bar and plenty of candle-lit tables. B was still a little hungry so she ordered a plate of assorted cheeses. The ones I tried were excellent.

For once, we decided to get home early, leaving Café Rossi at 10 or so. Now the big question: how much more vacation do we take in Heidelberg?

Heidelberg Vacation: Day 6

More bad weather. We left the kids with their babysitter during the morning and headed to the mall in Viernheim again as I was in desperate need of some clothes. Being the manly man that I am, the clothes shopping took about 10 minutes (I bought some dress shirts for work). We then had lunch at Al Forno, the place we had eaten with the kids a couple of days earlier. B had carpaccio again, which was excellent. Before we went in, we bought some marinated shrimp at the place next door as an appetizer. This place (next door) has tons of "she-she-poo-poo" appetizers etc. for those rare festive occasions when you feel like impressing your friends.

On the way back from the mall, we decided to buy some DVDs to distract the kids while B headed out for some "me time". I watched "My Girl" with the kids who, as opposed to being scared by the little boy's death, seemed fascinated by it, replaying the funeral scene several times. I'll chalk this unexpected response up to healthy curiosity. I had forgotten how bad this movie is on all levels. If anyone in Hollywood is reading, bad script + past-their-prime actors (however young) + catchy theme song (that has nothing to do with the story) = PURE CRAP (now and forever). The kids, especially Emily, liked it though.

Unfortunately, B spent most of her time stuck in traffic. She did manage to run by Ikea to buy some shoe wracks that ended up not fitting well into my "closet" (it's really an armoire as the closet doesn't seem to have caught on in Germany). They worked perfectly for the kids though.

That night we all went to a Thai restaurant in Schwetzingen, Chiang Mai, owned by the couple that lives in the apartment above ours. It's co-located with a grocery store, Rewe. As we expected, the food was incredible! I had Pad Thai that was off the charts. The kids had simple noodles and B, a slave to her diet, had beef and vegetables. We barely had enough cash on us to pay the bill (they don't take credit cards), but, even if we'd been a bit short, as our neighbor said, he "knows where we live". At the end of the meal he surprised us with deep fried bananas with honey. B and I used to eat these with ice cream at a great sushi restaurant next door to our apartment in Rio. At this point, I'm just hoping my clothes fit when it's time to go back to work.

By the way, this Rewe is a "Super" Rewe. It's much bigger than most grocery stores near us and it stays open until 10. There's a Plus (another super market) across the street so we may start shopping there regularly. We have 4 super markets in walking distance of our apartment but they are all small, with very limited selection.

All in all, I'm convinced we made the right decision to stay here for vacation. It's been relaxing and surprisingly fun.

Heidelberg Vacation: Day 5

On day 5, the bad weather continued. I'm not complaining as a bad weather day on vacation is much better than one spent working. We didn't do much during the morning, finally heading out to have lunch at Mandy's around 14:00. I've written about Mandy's before -- it's an old railroad car that's been converted into an American-style diner. It's usually packed with Americans chowing down on great hamburgers. Our kids usually pound down a few pancakes. I highly recommend the "Downunder", an enormous hamburger that leaves your blood feeling like jello. Not sure how many folks have had myocardial infarctions while consuming one of these, but I imagine it happens at least once a week.

Later that night, my blood thinning to unacceptable levels, we headed to Mannheim to Brasil Tropical for churrasco. B is on a low carb diet (and has been since birth!) so the quantity of meat consumed was astounding and not a little embarrassing. This time, there were a few other couples (all German) enjoying this all-you-eat meat-athon.

Sensing that B was inebriated with saturated fat, I asked her if we could stop by Mannheim's famous water tower so I could take some long exposures. Unfortunately, I got there right as the fountains were turned off. I still got some impressive images (if I do say so myself). I'll go back a bit earlier in the next few days to catch the splendor of the fountains (although I'm almost glad they were turned off, the lights reflecting off the still water is beautiful).
Although you can't see them in these low-res images, stars actually appear through the clouds during long exposures. Most cool.

Heidelberg vacation: Day 4

The fourth day of our "in-town" vacation saw the weather change radically. The rain started in the morning and it stayed drizzly (word?) all day. In the morning, I went to downtown Walldorf for my German lesson while B tried to see if we can get our nanny a visa to come back this year. The kids went to an indoor play park called JumpInn with super babysitter Johanna (who keeps them in line speaking German).

After my lesson, I headed solo to Ikea to buy a chair for our desk. My butt is comfortably parked in it as I write this.

After we picked the kids up, we went to the Rhine-Neckar Zentrum, a big mall in Viernheim. The girls stocked up on shoes while Robert and I tried to kill time. We decided to have lunch at a little Italian place called Al Forno. This place has incredible pizza and carpaccio! Definitely worth a try if you find yourself in the neighborhood.

That night, the Mrs. and I went to a really great restaurant a friend had recommended: Cabaña. This Latin-themed fish and steak place is one of the most attractive restaurants I've seen in Germany. It has great atmosphere with a wide variety of food and drink. We had tapas followed by mediocre dishes (my impression is we ordered poorly). At the suggestion of B, I ordered paella, which was a bit fishier than I like. She had grilled Dourade, only one side of which as really good (it's served whole, head and all). Although the food didn't live up to the rest of the experience, I'll go back so that we can a.) sit on the patio (it was raining) b.) order other dishes that looked great as they were whisked by to other tables c.) smoke a nice stogie in the cigar bar.

Christmas in August...

I mentioned in the previous post that my uncle and his wife had sent a box full of stuff for the kids and us from the States. A complete inventory of this package might take weeks to tabulate, so I'll let a few pictures say a few (thousand) words...

Thanks Alan and Donna for a great Christmas surprise in August!

Heidelberg vacation: Day 3

Day three of our "hometown" vacation got off to a lazy start. At about 11:00, we decided we would go pick up a package and then head to a pool in Schwetzingen, a wonderful city about 10 minutes from our apartment. We decided to have lunch at a brewery/restaurant that I love, Zum Ritter. This Monday was pretty hot by Heidelberg standards, around 34 C.

As usual, Schwetzingen was beautiful. Last time I was there the main bell tower was shrowded in scaffolding; as you can see below, it has since been removed.
The food at Zum Ritter is top notch. However, it is their perfect Hefeweitzen (brewed on the premises) that keeps me going back.
The kids chowed down on noodles and pizza, driving us crazy while we tried to finish our lunch. They were ancy to get to the pool.
After lunch, we went to Bellamar, a pool complex I had only been to in the winter. In summer, the place is crawling with folks, most of them with kids in tow. Our kids had a great time as did I. Going down the big tubular slide with Sophia was a highlight. All was going well until we decided to leave and Emily disappeared. For whatever reason, she felt compelled to snag a few extra ray tones before heading out. As she is wont to do, B freaked out. We had them make an announcement over the intercom and just as we began to get really worried, Emily showed up out of nowhere.

That night, we decided to take the whole brood to one of our favorite restaurants, Da Vinci. All things considered, the kids behaved themselves well. If you're in the Heidelberg area, I highly recommend this place.After we left Da Vinci, I had B drop me off at a Strassenbahn stop so I could go to downtown Heidelberg and take some pictures. By the time I got there, it was pretty windy so I quickly lost all motivation to take long exposures and just had a beer and smoked a cigar (my first cigar in months). I did take one shot of a small lighted fountain that is mildly interesting.
Finally, earlier in this post I mentioned picking up a package. My Uncle Alan and his wife Donna send a huge box of stuff for the kids a couple of times a year. They essentially stuff a huge cardboard box with a load of toys, books and other stuff that kids absolutely go nuts for. I'll post pictures of the booty in the next few days.

Heidelberg Vacation: Day 2

We had such a good time on day 1, that we headed back to Thermalschwimmbad on Sunday. This time we made a day of it. We arrived there shortly before lunch and stayed there until after 19:00. I've never seen the joint so crowded, but we were still comfortable. I took along my mp3 player and for the first time in years was able to listen to a couple of albums coast to coast without (much) interruption.
The kids spent most of their time in the shallow "big" pool, shooting down the slide at least 100 times each. I entertained myself every once in a while by shot putting Emily as far as I could.

We decided to have lunch there, which was pretty good. They have an outside café with a waiter and food that was better than we expected. I had a Capri salad and B had Wurst. The kids had pizza and spaghetti (of course). That night, we decided to have dinner at the Biergarten of a well-known restaurant in our neighborhood, the Goldene Rose. They had live music so the place was pretty packed. We found a table and settled in to a really good meal (even though the beer was warm). Sophia and Emily wondered around a bit, dancing to the music. They were most cute.

Vacation Heidelberg: Day 1

On our first day of vacation in Heidelberg, we spent the day at Thermalschwimmbad. If you read this blog you know how much I love this place. We had a very relaxing day capped by a trip to the local McDoogles.

I don't know if they're remodeling these places in the States, but a couple of McDonalds I've been to here feel are remarkably upscale.

As you can see below, you can order cake or pie along with a selection of coffee that rivals Starbuck$.

On vacation finally (in Heidelberg)...

After an incredibly stressful 8 months (move from the States to Germany, finding renters for our house {twice}, starting a new job in a new country developing a new product), I'm finally on vacation (Eurodisney doesn't count as vacation for me). Since most of Europe (seemingly) takes vacation in August and we seem absolutely incapable of planning ahead, the only travel option left us when we started looking for travel packages last week was a mule tour of Soviet-era rendering plants in the Altai mountains of Siberia. We decided to take our vacation in Heidelberg.

"Buy you live in Heidelberg!" you say (with a perceptible undertone of mockery in your voice). After thinking about it deeply, I realized that with three kids seven and under, it's tough to find a vacation spot that would occupy them during downtown better than the Prickril compound in Kirchheim.

B, whose penchant for all-inclusive beach getaways is well-documented, required a few ground rules before she signed on for this radical vacation "approach".

• No meals cooked at home
• We will get a baby sitter (almost) every night so we can go out
• We will go to restaurants we love and a few we've really wanted to try every night
• We'll take a few day trips

I'll do my best to update you day by day.