I'm 46, vegetarian for about 15 of those. One kid who is turning six this month.
Actually, it was quite fun taking our daughter to beer gardens. The Hirschgarten had a petting zoo, multiple playgrounds, plenty of space to run around and be free, and plenty of German kids to play with.
We also went to Legoland for a day, did some light hiking (five miles and less), drove through the Black Forest, roamed the streets of Munich, Freiburg, Bruges, Ghent and Amsterdam (wife inhaled, I didn't), drank good beer in Germany and Holland, great beer in Belgium. We did go to the Van Gogh museum, though my daughter seems to prefer modern art over than post-Impressionism. The weather was perfect, just one rainstorm in two weeks, and that was in the midst of a drive.
All in all, best family vacation ever. Both wife and daughter agree. We'll leave the castle tours to the tourists, hike the Alps when she's a little older, and thankfully never have to waste time in a European vacation visiting any of our boring relatives.
Go on vacation in Germany and Belgium with a four year old, and fuck yeah it's going to be about the beer. It aint gonna be about museums or long hikes in the Alps, because that shit doesn't happen with a four year old in tow. (And it aint gonna be about the food when you're vegetarian.)
And the sad thing is you probably visited Germany for the beer. Which I am clearly not doing.
YOu are a vegetarian? Isn't 55 too old to have a 4 year old? Sounds like fun though taking a 4 year old to the beer gardens. I will be visiting the art museums, hiking in the alps, visiting relatives, touring castles. Sucks to be you.