April 19th 2016 (Day 1)
We arrived today (April 19th 2016) in Stuttgart and were greeted at the airport by Ruth's mother and father and sister and her 3 kids. They had grown so much since the last time we saw them a year and a half ago.. Wow how time flies. After the hour trek back to Ruth's parents place we settled in and had some shnitzle and fries for dinner and visited with the rest of the family.
April 20th 2016 (Day 2)
Yesterday we promised our nephews that we would pick them up from school and they could hardly wait for us to get to their school because we also promised them that they would get their presents from Canada as well! The way to school is such a dream. Every house and street just makes you want to photograph it. So I did.
After we dropped the kids off at home we went to one of my favourite cities in Germany. Balingen will always hold a special part in my life. This city is not really known by many travellers but it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We stopped for lunch at my favourite donair place and then walked around for a bit talking about how much we loved this place!
Afternoon cake and coffee (cafe und kuchen) are a must here and I can clearly see why. My mother-in-law's baking is absolutely amazing. I really have to ration my meals here because I will easily eat myself into a coma. It's also a great time to catch up with our family and loved ones.
April 21st 2016 (Day 3)
One thing that I absolutely love about Germany is that there are bakeries around every corner. One of my favourite things to do is to walk to the corner bakery in the morning and pick up some freshly baked bread. There is nothing better than that in the morning!
Ruth has come to this bakery for over 20 years and this lady has been her favourite ever since she started coming. I love how these small towns have these ma and pa type places. So nice to see how these relationships are kept over all these years.
The table is set, and so are we! Let the breakfestivus begin!
After breakfast we decided to go for a walk to the graveyard where Ruth's Grandpa and brother were buried. It was such a beautiful and peaceful day. The weather was just amazing. This is probably one of the nicest graveyards I have ever been to. So small and perfect.
For dinner we were spoiled with a beautiful BBQ - German style! These Germans know how to grill.. Benni grilled up a storm for us and we dined like kings.