The Call of the Wild

Yee-ha! Hold on tight.

We're riding into Thuringia's deepest forests!

Uncle Christian and Auntie Susann invited us to explore with them the wild, wild East. The two of them are passionate hikers and very close to nature, and so we spent three days as outdoorsmen, feeding off berries and mushrooms. Apart from riding wooden horses we also used modern vehicles to get places. Cycling on rails, how crazy is that?    

This rail cycle is called Draisine and was invented by the German Baron Karl Drais in 1817. It's the forerunner of the modern bicycle. The Draisine is certainly the most ideal way of strengthening your butt muscles, all the while enjoying the most stunning view. Best spinning class I ever attended. Especially when sitting on the bench in the back and letting others do the sweating.

See what I mean?


The beautiful landscape of Thuringia.
(Right behind our bulky heads.)

Ah, Lia. And what's that in the back? The woods. More precise? Trees. But we're not simply planning on walking among those. Our walk will be taking place ABOVE the trees. The "Treetop Trail" is waiting.
More adventure for nature freaks.


Ben isn't quite convinced he wants to be dragged up into the trees. But he doesn't have a choice here. Or so we thought.


First we made him enjoy this stunning view from Daddy's back, then we let Ben explore the treetops on his own. Apparantly he felt free like a bird and pooped. Not in the size of birds' droppings though, so Daddy carried him down again to properly change a diaper on 'safe ground'. 

The rest of us stayed to marvel at this:

Lia was certainly hanging on. To a rope bridge.
This is for the fearless.


Why not climb higher than high?


Monkey in upper right corner.


Life as an ape is awesome, but we had to climb down again at some point. Thuringia has more to offer than the tops of trees. Enough with the nature. How about some culture? How about a knight's castle? How about the Wartburg? Yes said Lia, who fearfully peeked in every corner in search of a knight. Back in preschool she raised her hand during circle time and impressed all the boys with stories about a knight in shining armor. That never showed! Bastard.  


All in all, a fun, exciting, and out of the ordinary weekend. Applause and sitting ovations for
Uncle Chrischie and Auntie Su!

Im Thüringerwald, da essen sie noch Hunde

Nach altem Rezept, zur winterkalten Stunde.

Goethe ist extra aus dem Westen hergezogen.

Thüüüüringen,

David Bowie ist auch schon einmal drübergeflogen.

Doch warum reduziert man unsere Größe,

Auf Würste und Klöße?

(Thuringia's unofficial anthem)