Maulbronn Monastery

Many people have told me about the Maulbronn Monastery,

I read a few post on Expat in Germany. So, this weekend we decided to offer our friend Larry to come along with us. A fellow photographer: Ági's blog told me to get there in the middle of spring time so that I could get the Magnolia tree in bloom. So we headed there and… Here is what we saw!!

We didn't see the Magnolia tree in full bloom, so I am heading back next spring for sure as it is a beautiful little village and the monastery is just amazing! Also the fact that I am hoping that the construction that was going on in the Chapel will be done by then (hoping) :-)

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Schwetzingen Blossom

The cherry trees are in bloom. It is as usual beautiful. We went several time, had too, it is just so pretty…So here are a few pictures of those times. You can see that the flowers give joy to the people who are admiring! It is so cool!! We came upon a group of girls that were dress up in “Manga” characters and that were taking pictures of themselves! Morgane was so excited!! She loves Manga and that was like heaven for her!!
Love is in the air you can see lover’s enjoying the beauty of spring. Family watching little ducklings!
I just love spring!! Isn’t it beautiful??On our way out we cruised in Schwetzingen and everyone were enjoying the nice weather. Eating out is starting and it is so neat!!

Dinkelsbuhl

I am part of the “Heidelberg Community and Spouses' Club” and there is a group that meet to discover the surrounding area towns. I have been asked to organize one outing to Dinkelsbuhl, and since I didn’t have a clue what I was getting myself into, I took the family there for a little outing on a weekend. But here are a few information of what I gather before going there!
This town look a lot like Rothenburg ob der Tauber, but without the tourist hordesIt is a very similar town, except that we can’t walk on the surrounding city wall.
Dinkelsbühl has old churches, half-timbered houses, fountains,
massive city gates and annual pageantry. Four major gates, the Rothenburger Tor, the Segringer Tor, the Nördlinger Tor,
and the oldest, the Wörnitzer Tor.On the other side of town there are two massive half-timbered granaries. One of them is still used as the town’s youth hostel. Also worth seeing are the Capuchin monastery and the Dreikönigskapelle (Three Kings Chapel).And after wandering through Dinkelsbühl, and enjoying its medieval charm, stop at one of the many restaurants serving hearty German fare and a well-brewed beer.Spring is coming up soon, we can see blooms coming out of the ground,
and it is such a pretty sign of mother Nature waking up! Love it!!

We had fun walking around town and the kids were just being silly all over town!
But we did had enough informations for the purpose that made me come here.
So we headed home for a much needed cup of HOT soup!OH and when we came home we discovered that the full moon was one of the largest moon in the year!! Way cool!!!

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Strasbourg and Colmar Shopping for Tripps

This post is going to be short and sweet. Damien was wanted some new Tripps Pants, SO we went to Strasbourg, because we found a store that sell tones of cool looking clothes like the kids love! When we arrived in Strasbourg, we didn’t find the thing that he was wanted, so we had to go to their other store in Colmar. I know you are going to be surprise to see the “Statue of Liberty” in Colmar, but the city of Bartholdi’s birth, was dedicated on July 4, 2004 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death. For more information about Bartholdi you can access more here: Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi Damien bought this huge "bracelet" just because he think it is cool!

After we went to the second store, we walked around the town, and since we were starving, we had to stop at a local “Crêperie” Yummy!!!! Gotta love Crêpes for dinner!!

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Schoenenburg Fort Maginot Line France

Matt was put in charge of a visit of the Maginot line. And the Schoenenburg Fort was going to be one of the stop. So we decided to go and check it out. We went with Larry and Mike (and his sons). It was interesting, but a little weird! Miles of underground tunnels with rooms for divers use. Dormitories, dining room, mechanical rooms, air system purification room… First when you arrive you get to see a huge sign that say “Nobody goes through” (the humor is that, nobody came through from the East, but…. From the North yep!! They came alright!!) Anyway, here is a little history about the Maginot Line: "it was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defenses, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I, and in the run-up to World War II. Generally the term describes only the defenses facing Germany, while the term Alpine Line is used for the Franco-Italian defenses.

The French established the fortification to provide time for their army to mobilize in the event of attack, allowing French forces to move into Belgium for a decisive confrontation with German forces. The success of static, defensive combat in World War I was a key influence on French thinking. The fortification system successfully dissuaded a direct attack. However, it was strategically ineffective, as the Germans did indeed invade Belgium, defeated the French army, flanked the Maginot Line, and proceeded relatively unobstructed.

Military experts extolled the Maginot Line as a work of genius, believing it would prevent any further invasions from the east (notably, from Germany). However, the German army in World War II largely bypassed the Maginot Line by invading through the Ardennes forest and via the Low Countries, completely sweeping by the Line and conquering France in days. As such, the Maginot Line has come to mean a strategy or object that people put hope into but fails miserably. It is also the best known symbol of the adage that
"generals always fight the last war, especially if they have won it"."

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