Adventure Seven: Esslingen, Germany

Going to Esslingen was like going home.

God was so good in providing us with a wonderful place to stay in Esslingen. Stephanie's brother-in-law, Scott, spent a year in Esslingen, Germany and had a good friend who still lived there with his wife and five year old son. Graciously, they opened their home to us for three nights. They were AMAZING. We had our own room to stay in, they provided dinner and lunch each day, washed our clothes, drove us everywhere, and made us feel right at home. I spent a grand total of 15 euros in Esslingen. 15. That is unreal. They were such sweet people.

When we arrived in Esslingen, Arndt (Scott's friend) was waiting for us right outside the train station with a sign reading "Welcome Stephanie, Lindsey, and Melanie." While listening to ACDC, we enjoyed a 20 minute car ride from Stuttgart to Esslingen. When we got to their house, we were greeted with German breads and cheese for a late night dinner. Here, we were able to talk with Arndt and his wife and get to know all about their family. They have such a sense of humor, and they made us laugh the whole time.

The next morning we met Jonas, their five year old son, who is such a cutie. We grew an attachment to Jonas and it was hard to leave him several days later! Anyways, we started out at at the castle in Esslingen where we were able to look out over the whole little village. Then we headed down into the City Center where we went a local market to pick up the ingredients for lunch, saw the first candy store built in the city, the oldest house in Esslingen, and the oldest restaurant in Esslingen which is a few hundred years old. It is a beautiful town filled with such great people. Everyone we met was as nice as can be. Then we headed back home where ate a German type of ravioli filled with spinach, meat, and cheese in a delicious soup. Then we took a short nap then headed out to Stuttgart. However, it started to rain so we only stayed for a little while, listened to some street musicians, visited a bookstore, went through an amazing local international food market (it was so great), then went home for the night. That night we had German sausage as well as more bread and cheese for dinner (while listening to Phil Collins over the sound system with a fire going too) as well as homemade marble cake for dessert. Don't worry, I got the recipe!

The next morning, we went to their local church ... which was spoken in German. Despite not understanding anything the pastor said, I still recognized several of the songs they sang as well as the Lord's Prayer! It was really cool to experience a very traditional church service in another country and in another language. Quite an experience! Then we had lunch at Arndt's parents house which was delicious!! We also got to watch his mother make the homemade pasta which was really neat. After a break, we headed back into Stuttgart with Arndt's father, who is quite the character. For example, we were driving behind this car that was moving pretty slowly so Ardnt's father rushes around him, honks, and yells, "GO HOME SLEEPY TOTS!" We laughed .... and feared for our lives. First, we walked up this hill that over looks the city which is beautiful. Then we headed to the Mercedes museum .... we were there for forever! We picked out every car we wanted and dreamed that maybe one day we might get it. After many pictures at the museum, we headed into downtown Stuttgart where we walked around, visited a castle, and had drinks at Starbucks .... I know, I know .... but it was the only thing open on Sunday! That night we had MORE cheese and bread for dinner, then we spent a while on the computer booking several hostels and catching up on emails.

The next morning we were up early and heading out to Switzerland to see the Alps! I had such a great time in Esslingen. I would however love to go back to Germany and visit the bigger cities, especially the cities that overflow with World War II history. Maybe next summer?? However, Esslingen was such a great break from the big cities. Big cities can get stressful after awhile. It also made me excited to be back with my family soon! I miss you all!!