Rhonda the Bavarian ;)

19th - 23rd July Donawörth with the Winkworth clan
I had the opportunity to stay with this truly amazing family for 4 nights! Time has flown by since I met Rhonda & Andrew back in their Sydney days. Since then their family has expanded & they’ve relocated to Bavaria. The Winkworth’s are inspiring as most holidays they pack up the clan & hit the road to some amazing destinations! It doesn’t matter if this requires them to rough it. Most families would never dream of living out of their car or camping for such extents but all of the family appear to recognise the lack of luxuries allows for more adventures. 

I’ve learnt & experienced so much more about Bavaria in this short stay then I ever have from my hostel.
I made it to Donawörth in time for the local Kinder performance which put my old school performances to shame! Celebrating it’s 40th year, the festival involves local school children wearing elaborate costumes while retelling the history of Donawörth. Despite the sweltering heat & the narrations in the native tongue (I did have a little translation help from Jaz), I was still able to enjoy the atmosphere & displays.  The festival continued with a parade, a meal with the Mayor & medieval themed stalls. 

The remaining days were filled with touring the local preserved landmarks Harburg Castle & Nördlingen, winning at Uno, family meals, losing at Uno, a black squirrel, a hare & a performance by the local flute playing masters! 

I should note while I was able to try some local delicacies which were delicious, would you believe Sizzlers style toast may have been the highlight ;)  Oh, I also had confirmation that the delicious mystery sausage was indeed…..weißwurst. There have been reports that it contains offal! Sometimes its best not to know what you are eating until much later.

 Lindt heaven (& so much cheaper)

I had to road test the traditional dirndl...Mine was faulty! It didn't come with a husband as promised by Andrew???

First 'Romana' sighting was in Germany of course

As I’ll be travelling for 4 months, this home stay was absolutely perfect to regain some balance. Everyday routines such as washing up, grocery errands & board games brought back some normalcy & are so much more pleasurable then when at home.

Thank you so much for making me feel welcome xox