Die Kürbissusstellung

To me, nothing screams fall more than the leaves turning colors, tall boots with fuzzy sweaters and a yearly visit to the pumpkin patch.  Ever since we left the U.S. on these expat adventures of ours though finding each of those things at the same time has been tough.  In Chile - fall starts at the end of March which is not pumpkin growing season and usually not cold enough for boots/sweaters.  In Prague, the time of year was right but the pumpkin patches are limited to 1. This year. though, I hit the jackpot.  I stumbled upon the WORLD's Largest Pumpkin Festival and it is here in Germany!

Yes, Please!!!

The festival is held annually on the grounds of the Blündes Barock (Blooming Gardens) in Ludwigsburg.  The BlüBa (as it calls itself) is the oldest and, some say, most beautiful horticultural show in all of Germany.  Located on the grounds of the Ludwigsburg Residential Palace, the baroque gardens are extensive and impressive, even in late fall when other gardens have started to wither...

We wandered the grounds a bit as it was an adventure.  Around each fountain or hedge, there seemed to be another surprise.  We stumbled on small gated gardens, tables with metal canopies next to the koi pond, hedge mazes and so many still blooming flowers.  It was fun to just be outside on perhaps the last 70-degree day of the year.

We finally made our way over to the reason we were there - the pumpkin festival.

First, we stopped to snap a pic...

And then grabbed a snack of some of the best apples we have had in a long time...

We stopped and got some freshly roasted pumpkin seeds (Chilli-Sugar for us)...

And finally made our way onto the festival grounds.  This year the theme was The Circus.  Everywhere you looked you saw giant gourd covered creations that related to anything and everything you might see in the circus.  The artistry was amazing and the kids couldn't stop exclaiming on how cool the designs were...except for the clowns.  The clowns were a bit creepy they said...

We had specifically come on this day because it was the afternoon that the giant pumpkin carving contest was held.  We watched as the artists cut away flesh, slowly but steadily revealing their vision.

Yoda was the girls favorite.  Mine is this last one.

We then went in search of the super-sized giants.  They had held the European weigh off the weekend before and we were hoping to see the winners on display.  Before we could get there though we passed hundreds and hundreds of different types of pumpkins from all over the world.

Some typically American (and from the US)

And the bottom two are Stinkerbell and MadHatters favorites, respectively.

Finally, the big guys!  3rd and 2nd place were big...

But 1st Place was enormous!!!  So big, in fact, that it set a new WORLD record.  Weighing in at 1190.5 kg (2624.6 lbs).  It was massive.  And it was only the second time that a European grown pumpkin has set the World record.  The last time was in 2014.

It was very crowded this weekend at the festival so we went off in search of some space.  And some space we found.  Little did we know that the Palace grounds also houses a permanent Fairy Garden.  With small rides for the kids and life-sized dioramas of famous fairy tales set up all along its paths, this was heaven for the girls.  And allowed us to lose ourselves for an hour or so in a fairytale land.

It was getting way past lunchtime and we still needed to drive home, so we made our way back through the pumpkins in the opposite direction we entered so that we could see the last of the circus.

Stinkerbell picked a few leaves and MadHatter and Papa played a game of tag to get the last of the energy out before we got in the car to head home.  It was well worth the 2 hour drive and I can already tell you that we will be back next year if we are lucky enough to still be in Germany.  Join us next time, won't you?

A Saturday in Stuttgart

About a week ago I was searching for a pumpkin patch, somewhere close to home, that we could visit with the family.  I didn't find anything in the immediate area but I did stumble upon the World's Largest Pumpkin Festival located just outside of Stuttgart, which is about 2 hours away.  Yes, Please!  Since the weather forecast was calling for sunny skies and temps in the high 60's we decided to make a weekend of it and headed up early Saturday morning to tour the city.

We arrived about lunchtime (no sense getting up early on a Saturday) and after a proper meal we drove out to Württemberg hill to see the mausoleum built by King Willem I.  Located in a small town named Rotenburg (not to be confused with Rothenburg) the chapel is set upon a hill that overlooks the entire Neckar valley and has beautiful views from all angles of the vineyards the spring up right next to the industrial city.

In 1083, the first castle was built upon the highest point in the area by Konrad I, Count of Württemberg and founder of the Württemberg dynasty.  Used throughout the 11th and 12th centuries as the royal family seat the castle was in need of repairs.  Finally, in 1316 the castle went through an extensive restoration headed by Count Eberhard I .  But in 1330 when he decided to build what is now called the "Old Castle" and moved the royal family into the center of Stuttgart, the castle on the hill fell to ruins.  For the next 200 years, the castle sat empty high on the hill until Duke Ullrich, recently restored to the family after exile, resurrected the castle in 1534.  Sadly that would be its last hurrah.   By 1819, the castle was again abandoned and in ruins. When King Wilhelm I's wife died of complications from pneumonia at the young age of 30,  the King had the castle torn down and erected a mausoleum for his deeply loved bride.  The mausoleum would serve as a Russian Orthodox Church until the turn of the 19th century.  As it stands now it is home to the sarcophagi of the King and Queen and their oldest daughter.  Considered a masterpiece of architecture and one of the most beautiful monuments of antiquity it is a must see if you are in the area.

The domed ceiling.

This metal grate is laid directly in the center of the floor underneath the dome.  It is open to the floor beneath and becomes the only light in the crypt below.  Looking up through the grate from the crypt, you can see out through the dome and towards the heavens.

Looking out to the heavens from the crypt.

The inscription reads - Love never dies.

Having wandered around the vineyards and the chapel it was time to make our way into the city center and see the "Old Castle" and the "New Castle", wander the square and have some dinner.

The first thing I found were some gorgeous, still blooming flowers in front of the New Castle which made me smile because this fall has been all dying leaves and cloudy days filled with rain.

The "New Palace" built in the late 18th century.

We stumbled upon a protest against human trafficking while visiting here.  

His sign translates to, "Real men don't buy women".

From the "New Palace" we headed to the "Old Palace" which now houses the museum. We played around a bit in the almost empty courtyard because it was late and no one was in the mood to wander through the museum.

We saw the Stiftskirsche - the seat of the Lutheran Church back in the 1200's.  We wanted to go inside but it was closed for the day.  We were all feeling a bit tired and hungry, so we headed off to dinner at this gorgeous place.

And with our bellies full and our sights seen, we headed back to the hotel for some rest.  Though none of us got any because Stinkerbell had a cold and couldn't breathe all night which meant a lot of sniffling and coughing.  But that couldn't keep us from getting up bright and early to hit our main reason for the trip - the World's Largest Pumpkin Festival!