With the Waggerla in Lebberi in Oberlaitsch - a little adventure in Upper Franconia

'What? Are you going on vacation again?'

Caught. We are vacation fanatics. And if everyday life doesn't allow us to spend enough quality time together as a family, then we have to escape.

After traveling by plane, cruise ship, and tent in recent years, this time we decided on a classic: vacation on a farm.

Our escape takes us to the idyllic Oberlaitsch in Upper Franconia to the Laitscher-Hof, a hands-on farm with active agriculture.

Even though we are the only guests of the family, we are by no means alone. The farm is inhabited by cows, calves, cats, three spotted piglets, ducks, geese, chickens, and the dog Ronja. There are no horses, so we were a bit concerned about our horse-crazy daughter's overall satisfaction. Completely unfounded! Ida quickly warmed up and explored her temporary home with great enthusiasm. The calves are particularly popular, but massaging pig backs with a dish brush or collecting chicken feathers also makes the children's eyes light up.

When we arrived in Oberlaitsch, we felt like the long-awaited and missed distinguished guests: the whole village (about 15 people) was actually standing behind the garden fence waving at us. Nice, but somewhat strange for us, who have come to appreciate the anonymity of the big city.

Katrin, our host, approached us and quickly explained. We are expected, but the neighbors were lured out of the house by the cattle drive. The new black cattle are supposed to change pastures. Always fun in the countryside. And we were also delighted to see the "Welsh Black" jumping over the main road while the brown spotted ones could only be persuaded with shotguns and ropes.

Previously, 100 dairy cows had to be taken care of, so maize for silage, grass, cereals, and various other things are now grown on 101 hectares of land. Luckily for us, on the day of arrival, the silage maize is being brought in and Ida and I get to ride along on the big John Deere tractor. It rattles and bumps like crazy, but it's worth every bump on the head in the warm September sun.

Unlike here, hunters are present during the harvest, keeping an eye out for wild boar at all four corners of the field. Due to the swine fever, they are allowed to be shot. Fortunately, we were spared this spectacle.

Today, only about 40 dairy cows are fed by silage. Due to the drought, this farm has also not harvested enough feed for the many animals (despite four hay cuts), and now they have the choice of buying expensive feed or reducing the number of animals. With the price pressure in the market, the high investments (barn renovation, veterinarian, feed, etc.), and the advanced age of the dairy farmer, the logical consequence was to switch to raising beef cattle. The dairy cows are therefore gradually taken to the butcher (fortunately, a local butcher only 4km away - so as little stress as possible), and replaced with Welsh Black beef cows for breeding.

When we asked if the transition was difficult, there was a long pause. 'Sort of. It's difficult to slaughter calves and see the diminished value of a living being. But after 42 years, it's also good to let go!'

It's exciting to talk to the hosts, even though we don't understand everything (especially when the tractor chugs and the milking machine is running). The Upper Franconian dialect is quite unique:

Wischkästla (smartphone), Waggerla (little child), and Aamerla (bucket) are just a few examples.

We spend our first real day of vacation outside: the fleet of go-karts must be tested. We explore the village with them before heading to the first big surprise in Sanspareil. You don't know it? Odd, because it seems like half the world knows it... Several tour buses are parked at the entrance to the town, and the entire roadside is crowded. We didn't expect such large numbers of retired people. We just wanted to go pony riding. But even there, we had to wait in line. About 40 horses and two donkeys are ready to take a walk with children of all ages. Ida was assigned Opi Billy, a one-eyed Shetland pony with a slight tendency to the left, who even broke into a trot.

A truly successful start to our vacation, topped off with a night walk. Along the way, the still small Ida became a bit scared. What if we encounter wild boar? Of course, we don't want to risk that, so we quickly put the little frog into her safe bed. Good night, everyone.