BMW Delivery, Playmobil Park, Nuremberg, Regensberg oh my!

Wednesday June 22 – We began our day at the BMW Welt where DH went through the process of collecting his new car. We checked into the premium lounge for customers and were astounded by the service. Tons of food choices for breakfast! There was also an area for the kids to play. I was ready to move into this lounge. The staff was incredibly nice and did nice things for the kids. It was good timing because DD#2 had had another rough night and I’d about had it with her! She seems to finally be on German time now.

DH had a few meetings to learn more about the car. We all went down to the level where they display the cars being delivered. Each car spins on its own turn-table. Neat! They took pictures of us by the car and explained the features to DH. After this, we drove the car on a victory lap and out the building. DH then took a tour of the factory where his car was built. I continued my quest to move into the lounge upstairs. They brought out the lunch items and we ate yet again. We were all entertained so we stayed for a couple more hours.

We then drove about an hour to a small town outside Regensberg. We were excited to drive up to a beautiful and historic brewery complex. There is a church, some ruins, several old buildings, all surrounded by a rock wall. Our room is pretty simple but comfortable. The best feature is the beer vending machine at the bottom of the stairs. No kidding! For 1 Euro out pops a bottle of the beer brewed on premises. We ate a typical German dinner at the restaurant located here (Prosslbrau Adlersberg). It’s nice to see prices have dropped now that we’re out of the big city.

Thursday June 23 – I began my day with a nice run up the hill to the next village. It’s fun to get a closer look at homes decorated with flowers, garden gnomes, and solar panels (lots of solar going on around here). We then went downstairs for a typical German breakfast. It’s so nice that it is included with the room rate. More food than we could possibly eat!

Our big goal today was the Playmobil Theme Park near Nuremburg. It was an hour or so away on the autobahn. It’s fun driving an average or 80-90mph! I think 110 was the high. DH is still breaking in the car. The kids LOVED the Playmobil park. I was also pretty amazed at how many options there were for climbing, sliding, and creative play. It was busy but there were still no lines. This is an unusual theme park in that there are no rides. The philosophy is all about physical activity and creativity.

After many hours at the park, including a lunch break, we headed into downtown Nuremburg. What an amazing city! There is an ancient wall surrounding the old city. We walked around the old town, peeked inside a couple churches, ordered traditional Nuremburg sausages on the street, and munched on ice cream. The kids hung in there really well despite being a long and physically demanding day.

We made our way back to Adlersberg, used the vending machine, and called it a night!
Random thought – why doesn’t anyone drink milk here? My kids haven’t had a glass of milk since we left. They have been asking for it! We’re definitely making a run to the store tomorrow. Stores and many restaurants were closed today due to a religious holiday.

Friday June 24 - Another day exploring the area near Regensberg.

After another filling breakfast, we drove around 30 k to the village of Kelheim. First we visited an amazing architectural wonder called the Befreiunghalle. It was part of our palace pass that we purchased in Munich so entry was free. The structure was amazing and we were able to climb to the top - I enjoy climbing to the top of just about anything!

After this climb, we boarded a boat on the Danube that took us through some massive cliffs to the Weltenburg Abbey. This is the home of Weltenburg beer - and our lunch. We enjoyed the boat ride and meandering around the abbey

We made a pit-stop at a grocery store for some snacks and some much needed milk for the girls. They downed A LOT of milk!

The last portion of our day was to finally explore the town of Regensberg. We found parking in the old center and began our walk through a maze of narrow streets. I wondered how we'd ever find our car again! There was a huge festival going on in the town. Apparently it only happens every other year for a weekend. There were food booths everywhere, arts, crafts, live music, beer, etc... It was quite the happening place! We stumbled upon a bouncy structure just below the largest church in town. It seemed kind of funny to have the kids jumping around right below such a monstrosity of a church! They burned off some energy and we came across a live jazz band. We bought a couple sandwiches and ate dinner on the tables outside. I pondered the bathroom situation as I watched the volume of beer being consumed. Hmmmm. Where were the portable toilets that you often see at US festivals? All and all, we liked Regensberg a lot. Although the festival was great, I'd like to return when it's a normal day.

We ended our day at the beer garden at our zimmer. We enjoyed our stay but were ready and eager to move on to Berchtesgaden tomorrow!