Zurich - a little Swiss chocolate

Post offers trips to various places within and surrounding Germany. Zurich, Switzerland was offered while Stacy and JJ were here so we drug ourselves out of bed before the 1:30am meeting time and hopped on the bus. As soon as we got there, we were offered a 2 hr walking tour of the city with a guide. It was great to have things pointed out to us and also allowed us to get our bearings for the city prior to our free time to roam.

There are 1,200 fountains in the city with drinking water. Macen found a few to play in.

The largest clock tower anywhere.

Ah, chocolate. Stacy and I had researched Zurich a little before we went and found this place (Sprungli) known for its fine chocolates and desserts. The place was huge for a chocolate store. James, picture Angelina's in Paris and times it by 5. We both got the the Top Ten box and it did not disappoint...at all. I'm not big on the variety boxes of chocolates but this is Switzerland and they are known for their chocolate. I mean, come on, they serve it on their flights instead of peanuts and it is delicious. I wish I had gotten another box even at its hefty price. Worth every penny!

 That is the Alps you see in the background. The entire area surrounding the lake was gorgeous.

 So I mentioned the expensive chocolate. Actually, everything was expensive in Zurich. (to include the $10 magnet I bought as a souvenir) There is a particular street here where all the big names reside much like in Munich. We did go into Louis Vuitton and look around. However, there was also a Tiffany & Co and I managed to stay out of there despite it kept calling my name. Had I made this trip on my own, I'm positive I would have ended up in there and probably walked out with a little blue box to join the others at home.

Zurich is very hilly and one of the places the guide took us was up a hill to get a great view of the city. It was kinda like a park where Macen got to run around and release some energy. They also had the life size chess games as well as some tables for chess players. This place was popular that afternoon since it was a gorgeous day.

Oktoberfest!!!!!

We made it to Oktoberfest and it was interesting. Masses and masses of people! Thankfully Macen slept in the stroller when we first got there and we were able to collect ourselves in the chaos.

 One of the beer tents. These places were incredibly crowded. I'm sure it is quite the experience inside but its not something I care to say I've done.

 

 Mascot from a local amusement park.

Stacy and JJ braving the loopy roller coaster.

Lots of people were posing for pics all over, all the time. So Macen decided he needed to pose as well. He wanted to get creative with his pose and amongst the thousands of people walking around us, he quickly hit the ground for his shot.

 Everything was very repetitive at the fest. The same food, games, rides and souvenirs over and over and over again (which is good considering the millions of people they accomodate each year and lines weren't too bad). Fun houses are very popular over here and this happen to be the same fun house we did at the small fest we had after the deployment ceremony. Macen was scared going through it back in May but he kept insisting on doing them here. I finally caved and he did fairly well. He was scared at times but made it through without me carrying him. At the end is a rotating tunnel you have to get through and Macen and I both got through it without falling on our butts.

Stacy and JJ on another crazy ride. This one went really high and those rockets rotated giving them an upside down view of the fest from above.

Lessons learned (because I know James will not leave Germany without going to Oktoberfest) - I (or Macen) will not go in a beer tent and we will get there when it immediately opens in the hopes of avoiding some of the crowds. And as you all have heard stories from Oktoberfest, I'm sure they are all true. We saw ALOT of totally trashed people. It is definitely something to experience!

Deutsches Museum

This museum is the Germans version of the Smithsonian. The place is huge - about 4 levels (and then sub-levels) and all the levels extend and have nooks, etc. There is no way to get through it in a day much less the 3 hrs we spent there.

In the basement is a kids area for them to learn about science. It was a pretty cool play area.

We had a great time down there while JJ got a glimpse of the museum.

We also ran into another American here who was originally from the KC area. He talked to us for a little bit and JJ loved getting to talk to another male. I think he was getting tired of spending time us girls :)

Bamberg

We went to Bamberg and took a river cruise. There is a section on the river referred to as Little Venice. And as you can see from some of the above pics, it does look like Venice. The river cruise also took us out to the industrial part of Bamberg and if I spoke German I would tell you more about that section of the river. But I don't so I can't :)

Bamberg is very similar to Venice in it has alot of bridges and those bridges can be metal, wood, etc. And the view was complete with a gondola!

There are so many beautiful buildings in Bamberg. Definitely a place James and I will have to go to when he comes home.

Hohenschwangau Castle

We toured both castles and was more impressed with Neuschwanstein. Before we toured Hohenschwangau, Stacy saw a lady wearing a Lee's Summit jacket and talked to her. The lady was with a group of other people from the Kansas City area. Stacy and JJ came all the way to Germany just to run into people from Kansas City. Ha ha! After our tours of both castles, we took a carriage ride back down the mountain.

View of Neuschwanstein from Hohenschwangau