I love fall. It is my favorite time of year. The colors, the cool crisp air, the pumpkins….I love it all! We kicked off the month of October at the Stuttgart’s Oktoberfest and Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Fest. Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Fest is on the grounds of Ludwig Palace, about half an hour from Stuttgart. The grounds are gorgeous, and there are pumpkins EVERYWHERE.
We then headed over to Oktoberfest in Stuttgart. Last year we went to opening day of Oktoberfest in Munich, but it was so crowded that we didn’t get into any of the beer tents. This year we did get in, and it was SO worth it. They are so much fun! We were there at 11:00, so I can only imagine what they are like in the evening with all the childless adults (not at all jealous…). The band played a Beach Boys medley that I was rockin’ out to. People were standing on the benches raising their glasses and singing along. It was awesome. The boys were kind of bored, but the hubs and I were having fun in our hour of carefree fun.
Here’s the thing about German culture and beer: they go together. Beer is not this forbidden mystery that kids binge on the minute they come of age. Beer is infused in the German way. It is as normal as water (and sometimes cheaper!). You can bring beer/wine to amusement parks, community swimming pools, etc. I’m sure to Americans that may seem like the absolute worst idea, but it is no different than bringing a bottle of water. It’s not abused like it is in the states. I mean, it is in some cases, I’m sure, but it is not taboo. So exposing my kids to huge liters of beer was not even a concern for us. In fact, when we asked Thing 1 about what he thought about the beer tents he replied, “There were too many people smoking.” It really wasn’t many people at all, but to him, that is what mattered. The beer was just….beer.
Overall, we are just thankful to God that dad was here to enjoy this time of year with us. The family was whole, and that is all that matters.
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