Wiesbaden

Well it has been a little crazy of a week which is why it has taken me a little bit of time to post.  On Sunday the boys and I headed down to Wiesbaden to visit one of our very good friends and her two boys!!  It is about an hour drive from here and full of history!!  David wasn't feeling good so he stayed home and missed all the fun.  We went down on Sunday afternoon and really just played and caught up that day.  There were four boys ages 7, 6, 5 and 10 months old.  I have to tell you her 10 month old was wondering what was going on in his house.  It was loud and lots of activity and laughing!!  It was so good to hear!!!  Then, the next morning, we took off to visit a few places.  We went and checked out a farm that makes all their own stuff.  It is a place where German's who don't have a trade can go and learn one.  It is a really neat place.  They have rabbits, chickens, donkey's, cows, horses and much more.  The boys loved it!!!  Then after that, we went to a very cool park so the boys could get some energy out. They loved it!  After that we searched for Burg Sonnenberg and found it!  It was cool in the fact that part of the castle walls that were built hundreds of years ago were part of people's houses today.  It was their backyard, their back wall and one of them had a room inside one of the towers.  How cool would that be!!!  To have part of a castle as your house!!  I think really cool, but that is just me.  Then off to another park which I was scared we were going to have to visit the ER, but luckily all three boys survived!!  It is called the green park to my friend because it is all green.  There was also a wall and a bridge there that the Romans built.  It has survived so many years.  We visited the down town area just a little bit and drank out of a natural hot spring that comes out of a spout.  It is warm and a little salty and I am told has tons of nutrients in it.  I can't wait to go back and see more!  There are tons of historic landmarks down there that I want to check out.  I also had conferences with both boys' teachers this week and they went AWESOME!!  Both boys are doing fantastic in school and exceeding!  It is great to get good feedback on your children!  I took the boys bowling this afternoon and they had a great time!!  Mikey got a 118 with bumpers, but he didn't use the ramp!  After that it was dance party in the bowling alley!  We had almost the whole bowling alley to ourselves!!  It was really cool!!!  Now a little history on Burg Sonnenburg:

The castle Sonnenberg was one of nine castles, where the banner of the Nassauer blew.  In 1255 there was the first Nassau owned division between Walram II and Otto I. Between 1358 to 1557, the castle fell into disrepair until it fell under Count Philip of Nassau-Idstein 1558 to 1566, who took the castle as a residence, where it once again was able to experience glorious days. He also died childless and at the end of the 16th Century, the castle was uninhabited. During the Thirty Years War, war bands lived in the castle. After the war, the castle was used as a quarry for the reconstruction of the houses in the valley. Burg Sonnenberg was a ruin. 

My pictures aren't quite in order, but enjoy them anyway! 

 

A few from the green park to downtown Wiesbaden. That is the middle of downtown where the big building is located.  We didn't get there, but want to. 

 

This is the Roman wall

 

 

The green park - if you look really close on the far side you will see the kids and the holes are big enough to fall through

Part of the green park

 

Asher's first time making it all around, they are celebrating.

The Roman bridge

 

The boys on the Roman bridge!!!

 

I wouldn't want to try and climb over these or fall on them

All Roman statues, etc.

 

Aren't they precious!

 

Looks like he is going to drop the book on you :-)

 

This is the natural spring that you can drink out of

 

 

A closer view

 

checking out the animals

 

trying to teeter the log

 

Michael didn't want in the picture, then he did  :-)

 

petting the horses, they also scared them and made them run when they moved too fast

 

When you step on this it makes music

 

AJ trying it out.  Also behind him is Michael when you turn that it also makes music!

 

Michael so proud that he climbed to the top!

 

Those things go around and around and make you really dizzy.

 

The start of the castle - see how it is just part of the other buildings

 

Looking up at the castle

 

This is their backyards, see the fence that separates them?

 

Look inside the window and you can see the staircase because it is somebodies house!  How cool!!

 

A view from up top

 

Boys will be boys (luckily they were just posing for a picture)