M's Adventures in Austria

Friday: J, P and I drove into Ravensburg for the day. The weather was a little showery, so we took our rain gear. A nice, low-key day – we visited a couple of toy stores (P got TOTALLY SPOILED!!!) and kept our eyes peeled for interesting Ravensburger puzzles. Ravensburger is a major company that produces children’s toys and other products, but they are especially famous for their puzzles. Years ago, J sent us a beautiful one of the fairytale castle, Neuschwanstein, and I thought it was pretty cool to actually be in the famous puzzle-town…:-P

We also went into a pen shop and I got new cartridges!!! (What a dangerous idea. ;-) I also found this amazing contraption. There’s a kind of cartridge that will suck ink up from a bottle when it’s attached to a fountain pen/calligraphy nib. This means that I can pick any colour I want from a bottle, and use it with any of the Lamy pens I have!!! (Cartridges often don’t come in colours like gold, so now I can have metallic-coloured writing, too…:D :D) And if I ever have trouble finding a supplier of Lamy cartridges, I can just buy ink bottles! How ingenious. :D

"The Strong Men" moving company!

J & P in front of the place where J
used to teach English (blue building)

New toy. :-)

Artisan bread...literally? ;-)

Saturday: We visited the Basilica of St. Martin in Weingarten, which has the most beautiful organ, and carried on to Sigmaringen to walk around the town and tour the castle. This castle was the seat of the Prussian princes, and though the first castle was built in 1061, most of it burned down in 1893 and was rebuilt. Only the towers of the medieval fortress remain. Inside, the castle is furnished, and visitors can learn about the lifestyle of the royals of the 19^th century. During WWII, the castle was briefly the seat of the Vichy French Government after France was liberated by the Allies.

Interesting children's art on a fence
just outside the basilica.

The basilica from the outside (they're doing work on it).

In the town of Sigmaringen. Superman made a guest appearance.
(We were hoping he'd do a dance, since he had a radio, but he just stood there before walking off. Disappointing! ;-)

Getting coffee. :-)

Me & P. :-)

Walking up to Sigmaringen Castle.

P was an incredibly good sport for the whole day, even though we kept her out a little past her bedtime! For dinner, J and I did burrito wraps, and K came home from a seminar in time to eat with us. A very successful and satisfying day. :-D

We got lamp oil for this little dragon. :-)

J & K.

My turn for a photo!

We couldn't resist...the photo AND the food! ;-)

It was time for Auntie M to go visit the Bavarian branch of the family, so she packed her bags and was off to Bregenz! About 9 hours later, I arrived at the train station, and was SO excited to see my brother J waiting on the platform for me. :D :D :D We then found K and P outside, my sister-in-law and my niece. P is walking now! We wandered around the town for a bit and went down to Lake Constance, or the Bodensee. This is the location for a very famous opera festival, and they do big-budget productions on a stage that’s built right on the water! Right now, they’re doing André Chénier, an opera set at the time of the French Revolution (I had never heard of it before, and am now curious to look it up!).

We had sushi for dinner before crossing the border to Deutschland! It’s so great to be back. I visited at Christmas, and I had a really wonderful time. I’m not sure exactly what the next few days will hold, but that’s the fun of it! Will keep you posted. J

Remember...click the pics!