Ritter Sport

We spent most of our last day in Germany packing…trying to fit all that chocolate into our bags... but we had one more activity before we left. Auntie really wanted to do something fun with the kids. She arranged for them to be in a chocolate making workshop at the Ritter Sport Factory. Unfortunately she wasn’t able to take them so we drove them over in the afternoon. 

 

Ritter's factory is located in Waldenbuch, outside Stuttgart.

 

There was a clever display that delivered a mini-chocolate bar. I wanted to visit that display multiple times…but I thought pushing children out of the way for free chocolate was poor form…instead we visited the store downstairs while the children were in their class. It was like a chocolate wonderland…I needed a whole suitcase (and a personal trainer) to bring back as much as I wanted. Instead we opted for a few bars of flavors that aren’t available in the US.

Push the button and the mini factory would start to shake and rumble before a tiny truck drove out and delivered your chocolate.

 

 

That's right...only 69 cents a bar.

Apparently German parents are known to stifle creativity so they aren’t allowed in the classes. We couldn’t even watch.  So we shopped for chocolate and sat in the cafe...My soda was served with a wine glass...very fancy... although I'm more of a paper-cup sorta gal.

 

The kids really loved making their own chocolate. I was so proud of them for going into a classroom knowing that the class might be held only in German. They weren’t even fazed. Fortunately the teacher knew enough English to give them some English instructions too. According to the kids they stirred up the chocolate, added things (jelly beans, sprinkles, marshmallows etc.) and filled the molds. While the chocolate was setting they designed their own boxes. They were so proud of the finished product. What a great way to end our trip to Germany. Thanks Auntie!

Pumpkin Festival cont.

 

Here are a few of the displays.  They were intersting to say the least.

 

 

Just half of the pumpkin varieties on display.

 

Another highlight of this year’s pumpkin festival was the European championship for the heaviest pumpkin. First place was a 1,680 lb. (762 kg) pumpkin.  After judging, which took place October 9th, 2012, visitors can admire the three heaviest pumpkins until the last day of the festival, which is November 4th this year, when they will be smashed in an annual tradition.
 

 

Playing in the hay.

 

 

 

 

 

Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival

On Thursday we visited the Pumpkin Festival held of the grounds of the Residential Palace at Ludwigsburg.

 

The foundation stone was laid on May 17, 1704 under Duke Eberhard Ludwig of Württemberg (reigning monarch from 1693 to 1733). One year later, the site was named "Ludwigsburg" (in English: "Ludwig's castle"). Begun as a hunting lodge, the project became much more complex and gained momentum over the years.

On August 17, 1709, the duke established the city of Ludwigsburg directly next to his palace, copying the proximity of Versailles to Paris. Previously, the royal palace was the cramped and outdated Old Castle (Altes Schloss) in the heart of Stuttgart. In 1718, Ludwigsburg temporarily became capital and sole residence of the dukes of Württemberg.

Although the palace is lovely we came primarily for the Pumpkin Festival.

 

 

 

With over 400,000 pumpkins on display, including over 450 different varieties of pumpkins from all over the globe, Ludwigsburg's Annual Pumpkin Fest is considered one of the largest pumpkin festivals in the world. Each year, the Ludwigsburg Castle gardens are transformed into a themed park featuring hundreds of varieties of pumpkin. 2012's festival is all about Switzerland ... from alphorns to Swiss flags, The Matterhorn, and mountain goats, all meticulously created with pumpkins of all colors, shapes and sizes.

The Hunting Lodge in the distance.

I personally found the "Swiss" theme a bit lacking. 

Last year's theme was dinosaurs which sounds a lot more fun.

I thought this was an old castle ruin...but it is Rapunzel's tower (part of the Fairytale Garden)

I want to live here....

"J" wants to live here....nope just kidding.  She thinks this would be a great club house.  She WANTS to live in the Palace.  I said "the palace is so big...you could never find your brother if you wanted to play"  She assured me she would have a cell phone and would just call whom ever she wanted to play with.

In the Children's fairy tale garden we found this "game".  If you step on the wrong stone you get squirted by the frogs.  The kids thought it was great fun to get squirted...then complain that they were wet.

This strange character asked for "trash" to be fed to him.  He asked over and over and over...

Another strange water..."thing".  Once you sit on the seat the fountains turn on and trap you as the seat rises up into the air.

Europa Park

One of our last activities was visiting Europa Park.  Europa Park is like a German Disney.  It is an amazing theme park.  It is like Disney in two ways…first they pay great attention to theming and detail.  Second…well they copy all of Disney’s rides….I mean they COPY  (as in copyright infringement).  You could easily spend two or three days here.  We managed to stay all day and not see even half of the place.

 

Halloween isn't traditionally celebrated in Germany but the amusement parks and stores are trying to change that.  Europa Park was really pushing the Halloween Concept. 

You enter into a main street are just like Disney.  They even have a huge spherical ball like Epcot.

Not sure why...but the kids wanted to pose like statues.

We are the proud new owners of Europa Park ponchos...But honestly I prefer the southern philosophy on rain...which is to stay inside until it's sunny again.

It was a great looking, family oriented, clean park.

They had thousands of pumpkins on display...way more than at the "Pumpkin Festival" that we would visit tomorrow.

The park is divided into countries...European Countries...so you can visit Spain, France, Portugal, Russia, etc. each with different rides, regional foods and displays.

Normally you wouldn't want to ride a "water roller coaster" on a 50 degree day...but if you are already wet...and the park is about to close...you might as well go for it.

They don't "look" happy...but they were having a blast.