Hofen: Die Lillie, 2 nights
Hofen/Ruette is very nice, although a little sleepy. It's a nice break after crowds of Munich. Drove up to Neuschwanstein, my wife has been wanting to see it for years. Tegelberg luge run is great. There's also more there for the kids to do too. A zip line, bumpercars, wading pool, and a small beergarden. The microbrewery in Swangau also had putt-putt golf.
Drove to Lorrach (near Basel) for friend's wedding
Lorrach: 4 nights
We stayed with our friends for their wedding (which was the original purpose of this trip). Day trips to Frieburg and Colmar were very nice. I'd like to spend more time in each city.
Train to Dijon
Dijon: Odalys City Dijon, 2 nights
Dijon is wonderful (I liked it more than Paris). Very walkable. Nice architecture. Good food. Took train to Beaune one day. It was ok, I'd probably just stay in Dijon next time.
Train to Paris
Paris: Hotel Vacances Bleues Villa Modigiliani (SW on Luxembourg Gardens), 4 nights
I was underwhelmed by Paris. BIG city, crowded, guys selling the same Eiffel Tower trinkets every 5 feet. Oh well, c'est la vie... Seine boat cruise (which kids liked) and museums. My son (11) was very interested in the Louvre. LOTS of walking, 7-8 miles per day without even trying. We all tried escargot, and my son asked for more afterwards.
Took train to Brussels, essentially for lunch. My son had to have mussels in Brussels. Fries, beer and waffles too.
Train to Amsterdam to fly to Keflavik
Rented car and stayed in Reykjavik: Arctic Comfort Hotel, 1 night
Iceland is BEAUTIFUL. I wish we had more than one day. Made obligatory stop at Blue Lagoon. It was actually nice at the end of 23 days to just soak and relax.
Overall I think our trip was a resounding success. My kids were absolute troopers. We had some moments of complaining, but I would be surprised if there wasn't. They are normally good eaters, so that helped. We do "no thank you" bites at home, so they were used to being expected to try things. I think the food was worse on my wife (she's the pickiest eater).
As I planned, I only picked 2, maybe 3 things to do each day so as to not overwhelm our kids and make them rush. This worked out well. Some days we did extra, some days not. Also mixing in smaller towns was good for the kids. They got a little overwhelmed with Munich and Paris. Mixing in the fun activities for them also helped, it gave them something to look forward to.
Would we have seen more if it were just my wife and I? Of course. But this trip was everything we hoped for. On the plane ride home, Wonder Woman was one of the movies. As my kids watched the opening scene where she's walking through the courtyard of the Louvre, they both pointed and beamed "We've been there!!!"
I can't get inside their little heads, but hearing that and them tell stories since then, I know it stuck. I hope this gives them a love of travel and fosters that sense of adventure throughout their lives.