I had a busy day and a half in Germany, but it was a great bookend to my summer and a lovely time with my children in a land that I deeply love.
36 Busy But Beautiful Hours In Southern Germany
Recall that my wife Heidi had to return to work, but left the kids with her parents and tasked me with going to pick them up at the end of their summer holiday.
After a long journey from Los Angeles to Basel via Chicago and London, I arrived in time for dinner…we ate at an Italian restaurant my father-in-law likes, since it was too late to go to my favorite steakhouse (details here from my spring trip).
When we got home, my daughter Claire Marie went to bed and my son Augustine and I took a walk up to the top of the Tüllingen Mountain. From the church at the top, you can look out over the valley and see France to your right, Switzerland straight ahead, and Germany to your left. It’s a beautiful part of Europe and a place I hope to spend a lot more time one day.
That neighborhood has a central area with a well-stocked “Zum Verschenken” area, a German phrase meaning “to give away for free” or “to be given away.” It refers to a common practice in Germany where people place unwanted, but still useful, items on their doorstep or in a box for others to take for free. Heidi and I quite enjoy rummaging through things and Augustine did as well this time.
For someone who lives in Los Angeles, it’s such a cool thing to see. Here, even in nicer neighborhoods, something like that would be vandalized and destroyed very quickly.
Next morning, Claire Marie had swimming lessons in the morning, so Augustine and I went into town for coffee and groceries. As always, I enjoyed a delicious coffee at Cafe Pavilion, though it was so hot outside (above 90ºF) I had an iced cappuccino.
We stopped at the grocery store to squeeze some orange juice and I was somewhat amused to see California raspberries in Germany for cheaper than I pay in California…or so I thought. Apparently, Dricoll’s is now a worldwide brand and these raspberries turned out to be from Portugal.
I’m so proud of Claire Marie for (finally) learning how to swim on her own… something we have not prioritized at home, but a very necessary skill.
In celebration of Claire Marie’s achievement, we went out for ice cream…Spaghettieis of course!
Next, we traveled to Switzerland to visit the Tierpark Lange Erlen, an animal park in Basel that dates back to 1871. This is a place we’ve been taking the kids to since they were born. There’s a large playground outside where we started and ended the adventure:
Inside the park, we saw many animals, including lynx, deer, boars, bison, and guinea pigs.
We returned home and the kids rode their little cars down the (rather steep) hill. A tad dangerous…but all in good fun.
For the second night in a row, I slept poorly. German summers are hot, and most houses have no air conditioning. It did not cool down, and I struggled to sleep.
Early the next morning, we departed for Zurich, where we would fly home on SAS.
CONCLUSION
While it wasn’t a vacation, the 36 hours in Germany was nevertheless relaxing and a very special time with my kids. But the summer heat in Germany seems to get worse each year, and without air conditioning, I struggled to sleep both nights. It’s a sad change from even when I lived in Germany 10+ years ago…the summers are warming up. We can debate over the source of such climate change, but the only practical solution to these warmer summers is air conditioning.
In the meantime, I packed a lot into the 36 hours and as always, cannot wait to return.
Spending time with there German Oma and Opa must have been so good for your kid’s German. Great decision.
Why don’t you move to Germany and get your kids out of the LA hellhole? Serious question, not trying to be snarky, if that is really where your heart is.
I enjoy crossing the Atlantic for just a day or two. I enjoy the feeling of jetlag, and I feel like I’m in a surreal state the whole time.
Just FYI on Driscoll’s, the company itself doesn’t produce any berries. Driscoll’s are focused on R&D of different berries varieties which are mostly proprietary and they then license those varieties to independent growers across the globe that will produce the berries. Driscoll’s then handles sales, marketing, and distribution to retailers globally. Thus, you will see their brand all over the place but most of their products are not at all produced in California. Also, prices will vary almost daily based on climate conditions and where those berries were produced following supply and demand. For example, I have seen many times their organic berries priced cheaper than the conventional as they probably over produced them and since they are perishable they have to get rid of them quickly.
The kids packed a lot into 36 hours and as usual the photos are great. If Heidi’s parents are interested in a cooling step for their home, a whole house fan draws a nice breeze throughout while exhausting a lot of humidity. Not terribly expensive and made in Germany.