A very cold night last night, was freezing even cuddled up. Both girls were burrowed down in their bags, and poor felix woke up so many times I lost count. Will wrap him in the big blanket tonight. We were all so tired that we kept napping on and off till about 9:30 when it was warm enough to get up! Once outside, it turned out to be another beautifully warm and sunny day. After 'brunch' the kids played in the playground for ages. Is a lovely campsite, nestled in a valley amongst towering pines and with a little stream bubbling through. There are wooden bridges over the stream and the main buildings are authentically Germanic. The reception is adjoined to a small store and lovely homely restaurant. The facilities are very modern and there is unlimited hot water. We had fresh bread rolls for breakfast which was lovely.
Early afternoon we went into Freudenstadt, a large county town with large squares and plazas. We found the recommended camping shop and got a new coolbox which is much smaller. Should make a difference to have some more space in the boot. I went to the post office to send some mail and another package to Melbourne of travel paraphernalia. Is always quite a job, trying to pack everything, organise the parcels and communicate with the staff. Still, we can't carry it around with us and I still feel a bit slack when it comes to postcards, etc.
Our destination for the afternoon was a local place called Barfuss Park, where we all took our shoes off to walk in bare feet. You followed foot signposts along a pathway that led through an open grassy area and then through lovely forest. The path itself was interspersed with various textures and activities to excite the feet! Trampolines, streams, pools of water, mud, gravel, sand, broken glass (obviously not sharp!), dirt, tiles, brick, pebbles, stones, clay, etc. There were also logs to balance on, steps and rocks to climb, and various bridges made of netting, ropes and wood to clamber over. Such a great idea. The long circuit was about 3 km and not a single complaint! There was convenient woodland playground which the girls enjoyed towards the end. My favorite part was the clay mudpit which was so deliciously slimy underfoot.
We stopped at the supermarket on the way back to restock the new fridge and get dinner. Meals are very day to day travelling around. Another country, another supermarket to try and negotiate. If I didn't have four people waiting for me in the car I would enjoy it more! Interesting seeing all the different foodstuffs. Jason wanted stew tonight so stew it was. Managed to find some dumplings to throw in and loads of vegies, which have been lacking somewhat. I feel like we I've been living off bread, meat and cheese lately. Not good. When darkness falls the chill quickly sets in so it was off to bed for everyone. Felix settled much better in his blanket and the girls and I enjoyed another three chapters of Charlie and the chocolate factory. SUCH a good story. Now to read about the Black Forest and decide our itinerary over the next few days...