“Mad” King Ludwig!

Well he can’t have been all that mad, because his over-the-top fanciful castles have made Bavaria one of the richest regions in Germany! More on that in a sec. It’s amazing how much you jam into one day on holiday. The days seems to stretch out to fit everything in. Granted, we’ve been slashing plans…

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Rothenburg Highlights

It’s going to be a big day of driving today. First to the “fairytale castle” of Neuschwanstein, then through Oberammergau and to our next stop, Munich. Thought I’d remind myself of some of the things we’ve enjoyed so far. * Our cute apartment. It doesn’t have the trendiest or the most “German” decor, but it’s…

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Playmobil FunPark

Avalon and Milana love Playmobil. The obsession started when I bought a couple of figurines from a little French girl at a garage sale years ago. They’ve slowly built up their collection, and now have an enormous crate filled with fairies, mermaids, school-kids, and furniture. It’s pretty expensive, and not all that popular, back home,…

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Supermarkets, Sausages und Schneeballen

One of my favourite things to do overseas is to go supermarket shopping. Deciphering the dish powder from the laundry powder; checking out the unusual fruit and veg; trying to suss out what is important to the locals depending on where and how much of it is in the store. Today’s Mission Impossible : working…

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Germany Day 1

We decided to lease a car for our trip via a scheme put together by the French government to get their back-log of new cars on the road. On paper, we’ve actually bought the car, and after 7 weeks, they buy it back from us. It all looked very professional and well put together, but…

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In Transit

People-watching at airports is so much fun. You can feel the excitement in some, stress in others. There are tears from people missing their families, and kids filled with adrenaline and over-priced airport snacks. Our flights to Frankfurt were changed when Emirates and Qantas made a code-share hand-shake earlier this year. Instead of flying via…

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Squinchy Pillow? Check!

Airport? We’re here! Bags are hopefully making their way onto our plane. Kids are hopefully aware they’ll be stuck in one spot for 14 hours (and that’s just the first leg), and other passengers are hopefully aware that I’ve just had oral (and not botched plastic) surgery. I’m still semi-puffed and am sure everyone is…

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When I said “al dente”…

I didn’t mean a root canal two days before we fly out. Right about now I’m supposed to be basking in the glow of excitement. Getting my leg tan on, doing a last-minute packing check and whipping the girls into a pre-travel frenzy. Instead, my face has ballooned out, Jocelyn Wildenstein-style, because of an infected…

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Practical Packing

My Mother (or was it Dolly magazine?) warned me not to follow fashion too closely. To instead “wear what suits you”, “what makes you look and feel great” and “girls just wanna have fun in gnarly styles that suit”. (OK, It MUST have been Dolly!) As I stare into my wardrobe, and its numerous black…

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Travellers vs. Tourists

At a kids’ birthday party recently, I met a man that kept my attention for two hours (a feat for someone as easily distracted as me!). He kept my husband’s attention too. It was the sparkle in his eye as he told a story. It was his mental flicking-through moments filed lovingly in his memory….

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