Welcome to Stuttgart

 Arnie and I got to go on the "Host Nation Orientation" today.  The younger three girls stayed with our friends and Bethany hung out at the house.  I didn't get to do this the first time we moved to Stuttgart.  The day included a morning of learning basic German (Guten Morgen!), and a train trip (S-bahn) down town where we then walked all around Konigstrasse and then a brief stop at the Ritter Sport Chocolate Factory, where we loaded up on chocolate!
Most of the material Arnie and I knew so it was a nice refresher course.  We enjoyed some bratwurst at the train station and people-watched.  Yesterday was the first day of the Germans' summer break.  There were a lot of people with sleeping bags and full bags heading out on holiday at the train station.  We are still pinching ourselves that we are here in this amazing place again.  It's like riding a bike though.  It is all coming back to us.  Especially my love of chocolate.  That, at least, I can still have some of while still being Paleo.  (That's what I'm telling myself, anyway :)  Tchuss!

The old church in downtown Stuttgart that was once Catholic and was changed to Lutheran. (note: see the cross and the rooster)

Arnie in front of one of the old palaces that is now home to the Dept of Education (I'm not making this up)

In the courtyard of another palace, I lost track of which it was.  Maybe this is why this place is called Konigstrasse (Kings street)

Me next to a pillar depicting my favorite German chocolates, Ritter Sport, found at the Stuttgart Welcome Center near the Haupbahnhof (main train station)

Best stop of the day, the Ritter Sport Chocolate Factory!  We got all that chocolate for 20 euros!

this will serve as our "before" pictures

"Before" we eat all that chocolate, I mean :)