Crazy King Ludwig

Bavaria has some strange history. King Ludwig II was eventually declared insane (and the next day was found drowned in the Starnberger See, the lake by our house). His rule was controversial - he squandered a huge amount of money, he was highly eccentric, reclusive and some say paranoid. It is unclear whether he was in fact insane, or just declared so by those who wanted him off the throne. The many castles that he was so criticized at the time for building have long since paid for themselves in tourist fees - they are now considered treasures of Bavaria. Last week, we visited one of the most famous, the Neuschwanstein.

Ludwig was a huge fan of the composer Richard Wagner, and many of his castles recreate scenes from Wagner operas. Inside (pictures not allowed) we found opulent furnishings, a gold mosaic "throne room," and a recreated grotto complete with stalactites (!).

Just down the hill there was yet another collosal Ludwig castle: the Hohenschwangau.

And a beautiful white church in the field leading up to the castles.

Gwendolyn spent much of the day like this - bundled against the cold in her new blue hat.

David also tried on a new hat. We often see older Bavarian men wearing wool hats like this, usually with a feather or two on the side. It's a new look for David - but suits him well, don't you think?

Happy Valentine Feet

Gwendolyn celebrated Valentine's Day with some new red shoes from her Grandma Theo and Grandpa Toby's spring in China. From the markets of Beijing, to the living rooms of Bavaria!

Mittenwald

In the midst of the snow, we've had some beautifully sunny days. One day, I came home early from the Institute and we drove into the Alps for the afternoon, to the little town of Mittenwald.

We enjoyed the mountain air.

The painted church steeple.

And found this museum off the main square - we were surprised to discover that Mittenwald has a history of violin making.

Gwen Wren finds someone her own size

With the exception of her cousin Maddie, Gwendolyn has had very little exposure to kids her own size so far. This has now changed. We found that we live just across the street from Zoey, born just weeks after Gwendolyn. Kim brought Zoey and her sister Sarah over for a visit.

The Wren was beside herself with delight.

It was hard to tell if Gwendolyn thought of Zoey as a person, or just a large interactive toy (but maybe that's how she sees us too?).

They seemed to be particularly interested in each others' eyes.

After a little intervention, we put them back on the mat together.

They seemed to really enjoy the interaction. It seems like it was a lot to process - this playtime was followed by a long (very welcomed) nap.

Gwen Wren celebrates a birthday

Her dad's!

More and more snow!

It keeps snowing and snowing...

People are saying this is one of the snowiest winters they've had in Bavaria in years. We're really enjoying it.

Footprints

Gwendolyn Wren's footprints - 6 months

Birdsong and Snow

We got back to Germany late Saturday night, and Sunday morning woke up to snow! It was wonderful weather for curling up at home, warm and cozy.

And taking a winter walk in the forest.

The Wren seemed to stay insulated from the cold by her still quite large cheeks.

And strangely - the birds chose this day to begin to sing. We heard an owl calling at the institute when we arrived late Saturday night, and this great tit (similar to our chickadee) singing from just outside our window Sunday morning. Followed by many many more. Perhaps they know something we don't.

Winterthur

On the drive back to Germany, we stopped in the town of Winterthur (just outside of Zurich) to meet Kami's family. Gwendolyn was immediately entranced by Kami's boys' stash of great toys.

A favorite was the praying mantis.

But a close second was this flying bat.

We enjoyed plum and apricot torts with Karin, Kami and their two sons (the younger already asleep in this photo), and then together with Stefan drove back under, around and through the Alps to Germany.

Zurich's Other Side

Like many tourists, we came to Switzerland with a few stereotypes.

The clocks...

...banks...

...and chocolate did not disappoint.

But we got a few surprises. Old back to back with new, for instance in this shop for imported foods: half-graffiti, half-traditional.

And our favorite, Freitags. A store with a handful of outlets, the first here in Zurich, selling all kinds of totes, wallets, and other bags made entirely from recycled truck tarps and bicycle innertubes. The store itself is made from old transport containers. As we have spent a lot of time watching such containers transported along the Panama Canal, we felt a certain affinity for this store.

The Wren was game to check out a few of the hip recycled bags...

...and enjoyed a suitably industrial view of Zurich from the top.

Zurich Sightseeing

After a refreshing night's sleep (for some), Gwendolyn was ready to hit the Zurich sights.

Her father held out for a few more minutes of precious sleep.

We visited the Fraumünster, a church originally built in 853, rebuilt in 1250.

The highlight of this church was 5 stained-glass windows painted by Marc Chagall in 1970. Cool to see his work in glass!

We found these enormous chess sets throughout the city. Usually surrounded by older men, deep in chess tactics contemplation.

We also visited the Grossmünster. According to legend, the site for this church was selected by Charlemagne, when his horse bowed down on the spot.

In addition to great sites, we also ate some great food while in Zurich. Okay - this is a hamburger and french fries (really good ones). But not pictured here: a conference-sponsored fondue dinner - delicious! The Wren particularly liked the long spiky fondue forks.

Gwen Wren goes to Switzerland

This past weekend, the Wren made her first foray into Switzerland. There was a workshop at the University of Zurich on copying and social learning, so together with Stefan, we piled into the bat bus and drove the 3.5 hours into Switzerland. The Wren began her background reading as soon as we checked into our hotel.

The meeting was at the university, which picturesquely, but not so conveniently, was located at the top of a large hill. A hill that seemed to get larger and larger the more times we climbed it.

It was quite a bit warmer than Bavaria, but note the seagulls walking on top of the ice!

The university had a modern campus...

...with lots of interesting spots for nursing in between talks.

As much as possible, we tried to squeeze in a bit of sightseeing.

We took what seemed like innumerable trams during our three day visit. We were impressed both at how well the public transportation system worked, and that no one ever got run over (at least, in our presence). The Wren was very favorably impressed by the Swiss people. She spent most of our tram rides making eyes at strangers, and getting a lot of smiles and attention in response.

Solid Foods - Take Two

Our struggle with solid foods continues. David decided we needed a high chair before we could proceed any further (very good idea!). Lots of driving around Munich later, we came home with this:

The Wren actually seems to really like sitting in it. And she enjoys moving the food around with her fingers.

She even likes chewing on the spoon (note the proximity of her still-favorite-toy, her ricotta cheese container).

But if you zoom in on this photo, you can see she's extremely resistant to the food actually going into her mouth. Patience? Persistence? David keeps trying this lunchtime routine. We'll keep you informed of the progress.

The Wren Likes Simple Things

Reaching into the toy basket...

...we could tell she found something good.

Her new favorite toy - a ricotta cheese container!