The Hedgehog Whisperer

Eve: These cute hedgehogs know that I love them which is why they love me to pet them and give them more attention than they could ever hope to have from a human being.

Eve: Where are you going little buddy? Hasn't the last hour I've been following you around been the best time of your cute, adorable life?

 Hedgehog: Run for your life Mr. Pinecone! The hedgehog whisperer won't leave you alone with that possum routine!

Bebenhausen

About 20 minutes from our home is a beautiful old walled village called Bebenhausen. We fell in love with the place the first time we paid a visit. We decided that this year, we were going to have our family pictures taken here so that we would never forget it.

 

The Black Forest Open Air Museum

13 APR 2013 - Just outside the Black Forest town of Gutach, Germany lies the Black Forest Open Air Museum. It contains homes built in the old Swabish style that are more than 400 years old. Each home comes complete with a barn on the first floor with living quarters on the second and third floors. These buildings (as seen behind the kids) are impressive not only in terms of their age, but also their functionality.

Part of the museum includes a playground with a giant rock pile and a fun slide. The kids liked to pose atop the rock pile for these "epic" looking pictures. ;)

Eve had a great time running around at the playground. She even let her mom hold her for a few seconds...

 

But most of all, she loved being close to the goats, cows and especially the horses.

She had a great time leading her dad through the old German home.



Siglin Family Roots

8 APR 2013 - Cheryl Siglin's ancestors were from the area around Steinach, Germany. This town is located a little over an hour northeast of Stuttgart. This is the church located there. While it has been built and re-built over the years, it's very likely this is the location of many of her ancestors baptisms, marriages and funerals. Her earliest know relative on the Siglin side is Hans Siglin who was born around 1600. Five generations of Siglin's lived in this area. The last was her fourth great grandfather Johann Jacob Hinrich Siglin who was born near Steinach on 26 October, 1747. He immigrated to the American Continent and fought in the Revolutionary War in 1776 in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. He served in the 4th Battalion of Captain John Gregory's Northampton, County Company. In 1778, he served with the Northampton Militia and Rangers on the Frontier. His contributions helped lead to the establishment of the United States of America. He was fortunate to enjoy his new found freedom before passing away on 13 May, 1810 in Gilbert, Pennsylvania.

 

 

Gary and Cheryl standing in front of the church in Steinach, Germany.

Cody, Cheryl and Gary drove to a hilltop overlooking the town to gain a better appreciation of the area.

Later that day we drove into Stuttgart. As long as Cody can remember, Cheryl has dreamed of owning a yellow Porsche. Even though the price tag for this car was shocking, the dream didn't seem so distant that day at the Porsche headquarters dealership in downtown Stuttgart.  

A classic Wallyworld experience. We had intended to visit the Porsche museum in Stuttgart, but when we arrived, we found out it was closed. Fortunately, Cheryl didn't pull a Clark Griswald. No  BB guns were purchased and no guards were taken hostage and forced to give us a tour at gunpoint. We simply took a picture and walked away. A great memory.

Gurtnellen, Switzerland

6 APR 2013 - On our way home from Milan, we stayed the night in the Swiss Alps at a little mom and pop hotel in Gurtnellen, Switzerland. A very warm and friendly older woman ran the hotel and restaurant and made one of the best meals we had on our trip. The vegetable soup and orange glazed chicken even received high praise from our kids (the toughest critics of all). The hotel was quaint, but definitely old school. The rooms didn't even have TVs. That's part of what made it so memorable. The weather wasn't great while we were there, so we didn't have much of a view of the valley or the mountains we stayed in, but that's ok. We'll never forget the food and the hospitality.

Milan, Italy

6 APR 2013 - Milan is Italy's second largest city and the center of Italian fashion. Built between 1386-1577, the Milan Cathedral, seen here, is the fifth largest in the world. It's an amazing structure to view the intricacies of the workmanship. Quite a site to behold. One of the other interesting/strange things about it is to actually see the 20-year-old dead priest's lying in clear tombs inside the main hall. 

Nearby the cathedral lies the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the oldest mall in the world. Completed in 1877, the structure and grandeur of the exterior of the building is simply remarkable. Every high end Italian shop you can imagine is located inside.

 The inside of the building is pretty impressive too! So to is the awesome family posing inside. ;)

The entire mall open area of the mall is covered with a glass roof and the floor is a series of giant mosaics.

Giuseppe Mengoni, the architect of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II plummeted to his death from the scaffolding of the building just weeks before the 14-year project was completed. To avoid similar bad luck, tourists and Milanese alike head for the mosaic of the dancing bull (said to mark the spot where he fell) to grind their heels firmly into its testicles. The proper way to do it is to place your heel firmly in the bull’s groin and turn backwards three times. Many people get it wrong, twirling forwards instead, but Big Time got it right and managed to ward off the bad spirits. If you've ever wondered what the embodiment of grace, power, and skill look like, look no further than this picture.

 After walking through the shopping district (we actually made it through without losing Cheryl), we arrived at the Sforza Castle. This impressive structure was built in the 15th century, but remains a vibrant and dominant part of the city.

Directly in front of the castle is a massive fountain with a sweet grandma and two cute kids!

Genoa, Italy



5 APR 2013 - Genoa's claim to fame is that it was the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. While an interesting fact, there's not much to look at in that regards. There is however, a fairly impressive aquarium downtown which is one of the largest in Europe. The kids had a great time wandering around tapping the glass, and trying to get the fish to become their new best friends (ok, the last part might be a stretch... but not for Eve). 

 

 



Eli and Eve pondering the wonder and danger of the shark tank.
ELI: Wouldn't it be so cool if they fed the sharks live bait right now?
EVE: I'm pretty sure I could ride that shark like a horse if I was given the chance.