We crashed the honeymoon

How lucky were we? We got to crash my sister's European honeymoon, and boy, did we all have a crazy good time.  After spending a week relaxing at a Villa in Tuscany (I know, paradise, right?), my sister and her beau joined us for some fun debauchery Deutschland-style.  The weather was quite literally perfect while they were here, raining at all the opportune times and leaving sunshine forever allowing us to give them the best we could offer of this corner of Bavaria while they were here.  It's a lot of fun to have people visit you when you love where you live.

They took a night train from Venice, and the poor tired saps wondered out of the train station looking a tad bit dazed and confused.  Little did they know we had a huge day planned ahead, so I tried to encourage some sleep. Night trains are convenient, but they are by no means the best way to get shut eye - especially when you have a runaway train, right Jess?

Somehow over the past several years we acquired four bicycles, which meant we were able to show Bamberg to Jess and Ryan in true German fashion - on the bike trail. We stopped off at the market to pick up some fresh fruits, cheeses, and sausage and introduced them to how the Germans are able to eat so well with all the fabulous food available to them at the market.

Awesome fresh veggies

And the flowers smell so pretty!

It didn't take long for us to find a Keller, so that Big R could give Ryan a true taste of Bavaria. We went to Fassla and he claims this was his favorite on the trip (and we were not shy about making sure he tried several different brews!).

Mmmmm, BEER! Now this is what he was waiting for!

Prost!

We then showed them the Old Dom - nothing quite like seeing a church built in the 10th Century.

The cathedral was originally built in 1002 and finally completed in the 1300's. Pope Clement II is buried there making it the only location outside of Italy and France.

The adjacent rose garden isn't too shabby either and it provides some great views of Bamberg. My personal favorite was the pictures we took of the newly weds. Aren't they precious?!

We were certain to get some pictures in front of the famous Rathaus that sits in Altstadt Bamberg. It's a beautiful building and the day made for some amazing pictures. We happened to cross the bridge by the Rathaus just as a wedding was taking place. Balloons were released when the groom kissed the bride...

Facade of the Rathaus. Do you see the Cherib leg hanging out of the building?

Balloons from the wedding

We finally  have a picture of us together in Bamberg!

Big R, our fearless leader, guided us through the streets of Bamberg until we landed at Spezial Keller, which is hands down the best Rauchbier in Bamberg, and it sits at the top of a hill providing incredible views of the city below. Here they both not only got a taste of the regional beer, but they also got a very traditional German meal to boot. Boiled pig knuckle with a side of kraut and potatoes is quite a sight, but according to Ryan, it was tasty and kind to his belly.

We finally led the honeymooners home for an evening on our fabulous porch. The goal was to be sure they got some much needed rest to prepare them for tackling the adventures for the following day. I think we succeeded. We set up our new bar/couch combo and enjoyed our fresh meats and cheeses from the market with a nice bottle of Proseco (ok, that's Italian, but it's just as wonderful enjoyed here in Germany).

Pure awesome. Can we say, "relax"? 

The sky was incredible that night and even blessed us with a few thundershowers to cool things off

The following day entailed a trip to Wurzburg to tour a palace, and then some good 'ol German fun at a Volksfest in the nearby town, Schweinfurt. It was a crazy fun day. As a side note, I started off the day trying to be a peach and help my sister with her laundry. The forecast called for clear skies and hot temps, so I thought I'd give her a taste of drying her clothes in the Bavarian air. As soon as I got them all hung out, the skies unleashed a furry of rain. Lesson learned - if it looks like rain, it's going to rain, despite what the forecast might tell you.

Here are some photos from Wurzburg, which is a pretty Bavarian city only an hour or so away. Hard to believe looking at the city that it was virtually destroyed in WWII. The beauty of the city was revived by those Germans that have so much pride in their history and where they live that they did a masterful job bringing the city back to life.

The honeymooners

Little r and me

Such a beautiful and romantic city.

Yum!

The Prince's rose garden.

Aunt Jessie is hilarious

And the Volksfest was ridiculous fun, of course. We went on many crazy rides, including one where Ryan seriously feared for his life (and Jess and I probably should have as well). It was pure madness. The little bear got to ride on a train, on a bus, and on a pony! The best part is nearly always the beer gardens though, and those awesome 1 Liter beer glasses.

Love the train rides. He's so attentive!

Practicing to ride Grandma's pony

We were quite frankly nuts.  Crazy ride I have EVER been on in my life!

Sharing ice cream with Daddy

The honeymooners enjoy a crazy ride together

PROST!

The trip continued with a quick visit to Prague (which was so insanely awesome I'm saving it for a separate blog post), and a leisurely bike ride and afternoon spent at a local beer garden. Putting them on the train to head home was tough. I wanted them to stay for another month! Alas, all the good times must come to an end, and besides, I'm not sure they would last another night on our sofa bed!

Thanks for including us in your honeymoon - it was fantastic fun! Love you guys!

PS I can't wait to see all of your pictures.