Pumpkin Festival in Ludwigsburg

The 23rd of October we used our free Saturday afternoon to head down and explore the Pumpkin Festival in Ludwigsburg’s Palace Children Gardens.  The drive was exactly one hour.  We parked and walked across the street, through the massive palace gates and found the pathway to the Festival. 

On the way we found leaf covered hills perfect to play on.  Chris videoed the kids running down and falling into a heap at the bottom, and then getting up to do it again. They wanted to roll and yell “As you wish” …but it really was much too steep.

{Chris wasn’t feeling good this day which is why he is totally bundled up and no one else is… This time HE was the one saying, “Kids, are you sure you are warm enough… it’s freezing!”  That’s usually my job, but on this 55 degree afternoon we were all just fine—and he was sick.}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Ludwigsburg Palace… I hear there is a fun tour inside but we’ll have to do it without the kids someday.

First place winner: biggest pumpkin in Europe.  From GERMANY!  We’re so proud.

I guess people take the Ludwigsburg pumpkin festival seriously because there were TONS of entries from all over the WORLD here to be judged.  Each pumpkin or gourd had a name and then what city and country it was from!

This was the runner up and 4th largest pumpkin in Europe.

There was a large area of hay for the kids to run around in.  They threw hay at each other so it got all over their clothes and hair.  Katie stuck it in her arms and boots to pretend she was a scarecrow.  We also went on a small boat ride, played in the playground, fed leaves to the little goats, and went into some strange little houses with pretend German people talking.  The kids said we didn’t do anything long enough.   We did NOT try any of the pumpkin soup, or pumpkin spaghetti, or tons of other pumpkin food they had.  {Trying to save our Euros…}  but maybe next time!

 

This year’s festival theme was ‘Under the Sea’.  Gourds and pumpkins of all sizes arranged into ‘works of pumpkin art’.  It was so fun to wander around and see everything.