Friesen Natur-Wildpark and Medieval Festival

Weather was looking promising on Sunday, so we decided, at the last minute,  to do a day trip to Friesen, Germany to visit the Natur-WildPark (Germany's version of a petting zoo). Upon arriving to the WildPark, we were pleasantly surprised that right next door, they were also hosting a German Medieval Festival (only done once a year...talk about perfect timing on our part!!!!). Seems that to get free entry into the festival, you had to dress from head-to-toe in a medieval attire. It was great seeing locals all dressed up....even newborns were dressed up. It was definitely a great day for both kids (got to feed and pet all sorts of animals) and parents (got to eat Medieval Grub and drink German Beer in a Medieval town with Medieval townsfolk......Manny only wished he had brought his broadsword to better fit in). And to top it all off, the weather cooperated the entire day (yipee!!!!).

Entrance to the WildPark

The llamas and deers roamed free

Petting the donkeys. You can see the Medieval tents in the background.

This one kept wanting its picture taken

Look Mom, it's Bambi!

Will you be my friend?

Yes my deer....

As you can see, more deers roamed free.

Little Manny was more obsessed with the plow than with the animals

And this little piggy went to  market.....

Enjoying some good old Medieval German Grub!

 *EVERYONE* had to be dressed up to get free entry to festival.

Some sword fighting

Can we take this owl home?

And I shall name Thee...... "Bubbles".

Whoa! Nice shot!

Little Manny was captivated by the target practice (arrows and axes)

The Medieval drums were just a bit too loud for Little Manny to bear.

The young German version of Robin Hood.

More little piggies.....

Feeding a Billy Goat.

and some sheep

and more pigs.....they seemed to follow us everywhere....

This pig was not interested in food but rather in a good body scratch...aaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!

Hen House

Deer feeding

When you see Santa, tell him to bring me a *BIG* gift!!!!!

Metz

After a girls-only shopping day in Metz with Nicole and Catherine, the family decided to do some sight seeing in Metz the following day. We had brunch in Center St. Jacques (Metz shopping mall) and then ventured towards the Quai de Regates, taking pictures along the way of the park and fountains. We rented a paddle boat for 30 minutes and rode on the Moselle Canalai.....it was very picturesque. Not 10 minutes after our paddle ride was over, we were welcomed with a downpour. We looked for shelter and found some under a bridge and then in a Cafe, where we enjoyed some Cappuccino....the caffeine was not enough for Manny though,  since he managed to pass out on one of the Cafe's comfy sofa. We did manage to visit the Metz Cathedral (again to try to avoid the rain). We ended the day back in Forbach, France for a pleasant dinner at a Chinese Restaurant (the owner was very friendly and made us feel so welcomed).

Early Brunch at Metz Cafe in Centre St. Jacques

Fountain in City Center of Metz

Enjoying the mist from the fountain

The poser

 

The Church, The Church.

Paddle boating along the Moselle Canalise in Metz France

Letting Sherry do all the paddling

Time to put the kids to work.

We got done with the paddle boat just in time before the downpour.

Along Place Jean-Paul II

Cathedrale St. Etienne. Metz, France

Enjoying some Chinese food in a delightful restaurant in Forbach, France. It was a great ending to a gloomy day

Smile Little Manny

Kids enjoying their ice cream

Austria and Bavarian Germany Part 2

What looked like a good start to a beautiful day ended up with torential showers in the Alps. We were able to take advantage of the sunny morning to take a gandola ride in Lermoos, Austria, but unfortunately we were not fast enough to beat the storm before we got to Linderhof Castle. We stopped for late lunch prior to Linderhof only to see the inevitable rain clouds approach and turn our sunny porchside lunch into a dash to the inside dining room before getting drenched. The rain would not cease after that. We were able to get some pictures along the way, but it definitely put a hamper on the kids being able to play in public playgrounds that we encountered along the way (so much for that idea). We ended the Bavarian excursion with drive along the Romantic Road....still not sure why it is called Romantic (maybe the last 10 miles into Fussen would be considered that). Still we tried to make the best of it.......but considering it was still 5 hours back to St. Ingbert from Fussen, we had to find all sorts of stuff to keep kids entertained (music, I-Spy, Count the Windmills, How Fast Can Daddy Go?, etc.....). We made it home safe,  though 2 hours later than expected due to traffic on Autobahn from highway renovations.
(Comments welcomed)

Gondola Ride in Lermoos

Doing a little hike at the end of the Gondola ride.

View from the first Gondola stop

This is relaxing

Cool views

Stopping to get some grub before visiting Linderhof Castle

Seeing rainclouds approaching while eating lunch

Staring at rain after *moving* inside

Too Late! Storm overtook us! Linderhof Castle cancelled.

Kids tried to make the best of it, considering the weather

Drive back to St. Ingbert. Had kids ready in PJs since we  would be in late but never thought we'd be in St. Ingbert at 2am.