Germany: Part Vier

I am wrapping this trip up with my final Germany post!

Thursday October 15

We woke up in Prague and returned to Bake Shop. This time we both got that delicious brie and apple croissant and a double latte. We had a super annoying time getting out of the parking garage, but finally got on our way. We drove to Leipzig and returned the rental car. From there is was a short drive to Weissenfels. We believe Seth's grandfather was shot in WWII nearby. 

A plaque is hung in his infantry's honor. We were able to locate the plaque. We wondered around the area, searching for the spot he was shot based on his Papa's stories but so much has changed it's hard to know for sure if we we found it. 

This is the facility that housed the plaque. 

 After that we drive to Bamberg, which was about 2 hours away. It was late afternoon/early evening when we got there and I so wish it was earlier. Bamberg is yet another city I wish to spend more time in. Seth's teammate's grandparents live there. They were kind enough to meet us for dinner and show us around a little. We ate at Schlenkerrla, a restaurant that specialized in brewing a smoke beer. We all enjoyed it, and Seth even bought some to take home. I had a goulash soup and everyone else had a brat. 

Regnitz River in Bamberg

From here, we drove to Nuremberg. It was about an hour away. We checked into our hotel and called it a night!

Friday October 16th

We woke up, showered, and went to McDonalds for breakfast. There were really no other options (our Hilton hotel had a pricey buffet that we didn't want). I must say, this McDonalds rocked. It had a separate specialty coffee area (similar to a Starbucks) and was nicely decorated.

From here, we went to Documentation Centre. This is a museum that shares the history of the Nazis. We walked around with the handheld audio and absorbed this terrible part of history. This museum offered a wealth of history- pictures, video clips, and tons of written information in addition to the audio. It breaks my heart to learn more about Hitler and the number of people he had killed.

The Rally Grounds are here as well. It blows my mind to think that thousands of people followed and celebrated Hitler. 

After this, we visited the Nuremberg Castle. We just walked around the grounds (did not pay to enter or take a tour). The castle was, of course, beautiful!

We grabbed a snack at a gas station (They are SO much nicer in Germany! You will almost always see people DINING at a gas station because the food is decent!) and drove to our final destination- Stuttgart. We fly home tomorrow. We drove back to Porsche and bid farewell to the car. Next time we see it will be in the US! They will send it on a ship sometime in December. We took a cab to our hotel. 

We walked to a great restaurant near our hotel and enjoyed one last German dinner. Seth had pork cheeks and sweet and sour lentils. I need to find this recipe! I had salmon, champagne sauerkraut, and  roasted potatoes. 

We went back to the hotel and called the kids. Seth jokingly told them that we extended our trip and wouldn't be returning tomorrow as planned. They both said that was fine. I guess they have had fun with our parents! We are so appreciative of our parents for keeping the kids while we were gone. Adelyn and James were in great hands and clearly had a great time. We missed them tremendously and it was a joyous reunion when we got home around 5 the next day!

This was the trip of a lifetime!