The Hills Are Alive: Part 1

I have an insane amount of blogging to do.  I know this.  Since my last post, we actually started to have a little fun in Germany, (the kids and I) went home to Colorado for 3 months, we lost our sweet Bobbert, road tripped our faces off, had a No Bummer Summer, flew back to Germany, had HUGE fun in the first month here, and road tripped in Austria (with Daddy)!  That is a lot to catch you all up on.  I'm going to...I promise.  We're going to start with the newest first.

We just got back last night from an amazing road trip through southern Germany and Austria.  We.  All four of us.  I'm pretty sure that's our first multi-day trip with James too and it was....well, it was awesome.  We pretty much LOVE Austria and would have stayed forever if it weren't for grown up responsibilities.  (being a grown up is stupid sometimes.)

The drive down went smoothly enough.  It wasn't too hard to follow the signs and, Darcy (our very proper, British GPS), was very helpful.  Our hotel was in the lovely little ski town of Berwang, Austria.  Off season it was very reasonably priced and quiet.  The inside was a little dated, but still very comfortable.  (Except for the mattresses!  Not comfortable.)

Ours is the right side on the ground floor.

Our first glimpse of the view (in the rain).

We arrived in the evening (and in the rain) on Friday.  The kids played in the rain for a bit while we unpacked and got groceries.  Then we woke up the next morning (my birthday!) ready for our big adventure.  Let's not forget the view.

The sight we woke up to on Saturday.  My birthday!

Are you kidding me Austria?  I can't even count how many times I said that over the course of the trip.  It is so beautiful.  Like, can't wrap your mind around the fact that you're really here, beautiful.  

View of Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany.
It is 2,962 meters tall.  (so that's 9,718 feet)
I took this picture from Innsbruck, Austria

This was the day that we drove to Biberwier for a trip up the mountain.  We took a ski lift up to the top of the Sommerrodelbahn (that's the luge track).

Okay!  It IS cool.  (I'd be lying if I said he wasn't a little
ornery that day.)

I love this picture so much!

This one too.  We're in THE ALPS for crying out
 loud!

Instead of taking the luge down right away, much to Fisher's disappointment, we took another lift even further up.  

Only two per chair this time.

Not only can you ride the luge down (part way anyways), you can also take these beefy scooters down.  There were actually scooters and tricycles.  James really wanted to do this.  Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.  This trip.

We're in the freaking ALPS y'all!

Alpine cows are the absolute coolest.  You'll see why soon.  I'm going to post a video.  I'll give you a hint though, it involves jingly bells.

The restaurant where I had my 36th birthday lunch!

They also had an amazing playground and sun deck.  Inside the restaurant they even had a cool slide for the kids to get down to the bathroom!  

People here take their dogs everywhere...

We took the lift back down to the start of the luge track.  I wasn't talented enough to luge AND take pictures/videos at the same time, but I did snap a quick one of James and Piper getting ready for the green light.

I'm a terrible luger.  Ha ha ha.  The poor teenage kid behind me was bummed.  I'm just not that interested in going super fast down a hill on a concrete track.  They should have a 'senior lane'.  That's where I'd be.  It was fun anyway, even if I was slower than everyone else.  And now I can say I've done THAT.

After the Sommerrodelbahn our day was still not over yet.  What?  Yes.  I said it.  We took a beautiful mountain drive on wonderfully curvy roads.  Mom, the kids kept saying, "Bella would love that curve!"  They were right.  You would have loved it!

Even in the summer, adventuring in Austria, they are still learning.  I love that!  They'd found a lizard.

We got to this church right as the bells started ringing.  Are all church bells rung by hand?  (I have no clue about that, but these definitely were.)  It was pretty cool.  Oh!  There were also cow bells ringing close by too. 

We seriously love these alpine cows.  They are so friendly.  You'll see soon enough.

Cows grazing by the ski lift. 

Are you kidding me Austria??

JKFP

Stay tuned for part 2.  And 3.  And maybe 4.

This Moment: Mommy come find me.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

With SouleMama.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 



Playing along with Soulemama.

Family Fun Day

This post is mostly for those of you not on Facebook as I posted all the pictures there too. 

We went to a little Family Fun Day today with our friends Summer and Braelynn.  It's technically called Abenteuerspielplatz Riederwald.  There were bouncy houses, games, a kid powered train and lots of other fun things to do.  It was inside which was nice but, it was kind of a madhouse.  The best part....they had face painting.  The pictures are too cute not to share.

Yes, it was really hard to clean off.  (It's actually not all the way off yet.)  You're welcome.

JKFP

 

Spring Dippemess

Last night we went to the Spring Dippemess.  It's a fun fair/carnival with rides, games, market stalls, and food.  From the Frankfurt tourism website:

Dippemess is a tradition which dates back to the 14th century. At that time, the Maamess, as it was then called, was a medieval market for domestic articles. Potters from the Westerwald, Kannebäckerland and Urberach came here to sell their wares, especially their ceramic bowls and pots. These were known in the Frankfurt dialect as "Dippe", from which the event soon took its name.

It was crazy fun.   Ready for photographic evidence?  Of course you are.

First up was the Ferris Wheel.  It was massive.  Each of those cars could hold (probably) eight people comfortably.  And lucky for us, the cars were enclosed.  I'm here to tell you, spring or not, it was COLD.  I think the high for the day was in the upper 30's.  It wasn't that bad until the breeze rolled in.  

Frankfurt skyline from the top.

What should we do next?

It's a little chilly.

From the Ferris Wheel we noticed this insane thing.  James got that crazy adrenaline twinkle in his eye and decided since there was no line....

Personally, I think there is a REASON there was no line!

Fisher assumed the "worry face" as soon as the ride started.

James survived (thank goodness) and then we stuck with the mellow rides for a while.  

Fisher perfecting his "Mario" bounce.

Fisher and James with Piper on his lap.

Then I got a turn with Piper.

Then we got a little crazy.  Fisher had declared earlier in the day that he wanted to ride a roller coaster.  Well they had one and there was no line (a benefit of the cold I think).  James went up to pay and asked if Piper was allowed to ride it.  As long as someone was riding with her.  Damn.  That meant I would have to go too.  They both had to have a parent with them.  (I'll add here that I used to love roller coasters but after having children even a fast elevator can make me a little queasy.  Seriously.  Childbirth must have knocked the thrill seeker right out of me.)  All four of us rode it....

It's probably a good thing none of us really looked at it too closely before getting on.  After we had paid and were walking up the ramp I looked at James and said something about this being a "really bad idea".  They. Loved. It.  Heck, we all loved it.  I was really proud of them.

The "BIG hill" on the right.

We went back to mellow after that.

Now for the food.  Fair food is WAY different here.  I think the last big fair I went to was in NC and it's been quite a few years now but, they mostly had fried everything.  Fried pickles, oreos, fries, elephant ears, snickers bars.  Everything was fried.  Here everything is dipped in chocolate.  And it's almost all fruit.  

Bananas, grapes, strawberries, cherries, kiwi, pineapple,
apple, and even a mix of all those.

Heck, that on the far left is a chili pepper!
Dipped in chocolate!

Candied strawberries.

And sometimes just plain fruit.

Even American Ice Cream.  They didn't have very much
business with it being so cold.

With all that food we hardly ate anything.  Once the wind picked up we were done.  We ended up just getting takeout on the way home.  I know!

There were also lots of games.  Most of them were set up to win at least something so the kids really loved it.  The apartment is now covered with tiny stuffed animals and plastic guns.  

Fisher was particularly good at the shooting games.

He must get that from his dad.

Okay, it's time to go now.  Our noses were red and our hand were numb but boy did we have fun!

Our last look before heading down to the train.

Yeah....we're going to have to do that again. 

JKFP

What I Need

Here's something I already knew about myself....I am not a city girl.  Being here, in this city, has only made me more sure of that fact.  I'm a fish out of water. 

I found this German word the other day.  Waldeinsamkeit.  It's my new favorite word.  It means 'forest loneliness' or 'solitude'.  (I'm probably using it incorrectly aaaaand that's okay.  But I know that's what it means.  Thanks Charlie!)

Waldeinsamkeit is what I need.  I have really needed trees.  And not the evenly spaced ones at the playground either.  Real, forest-y trees.  A path you follow and you can't see the end.  Well, last Friday we found it. 

Our friends Summer and Braelynn went adventuring with us and we had a fantastic time!

There was a huge playground by the entrance too.

We had so. much. fun.  Waldeinsamkeit AND a playground.  Heck yeah!

JKFP