A glimpse of two National Parks

October 17, 2013 by Ann

Why, hello! It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’m currently in the process of redesigning my site, so please excuse the dust.

I had a few minutes today to check-in on my favorite link-up, Instagram Travel Thursday. My plan was just to read posts like I normally do, but then I had to comment, and then I had to participate. So here I am.

I found out this morning that the government shut down has ended. That means that people will once again have access to the US National Parks. I was in the US before the shut down and was able to see a few of these National Parks while they were still open. I’ll be sharing some of these images today.

Two National Parks via Instagram

We were in San Francisco during the America’s Cup. If you ever get a chance to visit a city hosting this competition, I recommend it. While I’m sure the views of the bay are beautiful throughout the year, they are fantastic with the big boats and colorful sails. Here’s one of those boats in front of Alcatraz.

After San Francisco, we drove to Yosemite National Park. This will get it’s own post soon. In the meantime check out this no-filtered photo. If I wasn’t there I wouldn’t think this type of place was real.

So please remember:

This post is part of the Instagram Travel Thursday linky hosted by Skimbaco Lifestyle, Destination Unknown, Child Mode, Hines Sight Blog, Live.Do.Grow., House of Anaïs, Luxury Travel Mom. Click on any of those links to access all Instagram travel posts.www.xc.com houses for rent in kendall fl

Filed Under: Explore, Family Travel, Thoughts, United States Tagged With: familytravel

Sattel Hochstuckli: a mountain of fun

August 20, 2013 by Ann

The best views were towards the right. The GPS wanted us to go left. I turned to my husband, “it better be worth it.”

Now, I know, that wasn’t really fair. We were in Zürich and decided to skip the city and head to the mountains. Only, we had no idea where to go. I pulled out the GPS and searched for the closest destination under the “Winter Sports” heading and hoped for the best. I wanted a ski lift that operated in the summer. He wanted to be able to get out of the car and get a good view. Forty-five minutes, and many left turns later, we arrived in Sattel.

There it was, a lift to the top of the mountain. This lift was called Stuckli Rondo, and is the world’s first rotating gondola. I was already happy that we found some form of transportation to the top that I didn’t care how much it cost or what we would do once up there, we were going to go.

Fortunately the price was reasonable. Fortunately there was a ton of things to do for our whole family once we got there. Unfortunately we couldn’t spend all day there, when we easily would have, because we had plans for the afternoon.

A fun day for the kids in the Alps. Settel, Switzerland - via Travel Turtle

The rotating gondola. There are four different colors, the red one represents fall. I think I should go back in the fall to see the changing colors. (Settel, Switzerland)

Sattel Hochstuckli – For the family

This is what we saw once we got up to the top:

To the left, toboggan run and suspension bridge. (Settel, Switzerland)

To the right, bouncy castles, trampolines, and cafes.

The Toboggan Run – For those who like speed

Since I’m originally from Orlando, I’m often surprised at how few safety measures were in place on some rides. The only “rule” was that kids under a certain age had to share the toboggan with their parent. My husband and toddler went. You can control the speed, so my husband was able to slow down when our son got nervous. Once they finished my son wanted to go again. We distracted him with all the other choices.

For those who like speed, the toboggan run is a good choice.

A small portion of the run. (Yes, that little red blur is my family.)

The “Raiffeisen Skywalk” Suspension Bridge – For those who like heights

This is the longest foot suspension bridge in Europe. The accompanying sign says it’s the length of 5 airplanes. I tried to walk across it. I couldn’t. I got dizzy. I imagined every “what if” scenario. I froze before we reached the halfway point, the carefully turned around to safety.

My husband and daughter continued on. They were fine.

This looks like fun, but I’ll never know.

Bouncy houses and trampolines – For those that need to burn off energy

While the rest of the family crossed the suspension bridge, I got my son ready for the nap he was going to take on the drive back to Zürich. It was time to jump.

There were between 8-10 bouncy houses and a few trampolines. Not all were toddler friendly, but I was lucky because he was only interested in the ones that were. He jumped, ran, and slid. I took in the views. That is, until the cloud came in and I started thinking about my husband and daughter in the middle of the suspension bridge.

Trampolines and bouncy houses… and why yes, that is a cloud that has rolled in while my husband and daughter were on the suspension bridge.

Tips and Practical Information – For those that want to go

Sattel Hochstuckli is open year-round, with different activities depending on the season.
Aside from the activities we did, there are also various trails. They seemed suitable for all ages.
Even in the summer, bring a light jacket. It can get cold up there!
The gondola ride was 19 CHF round trip per adult, free for kids under 6.
The toboggan ride was 4 CHF for each run.
The bouncy castles and trampoline were 7 CHF for an all-day pass for kids under 7.
The skywalk and trails were free.
There are combo packages available, and pricing for different scenarios (teens, groups, etc.) For that and the most up-to-date information, check out their website.
We were able to bring our small umbrella stroller across the bridge. We didn’t see a sign telling us different. However, once we crossed, my husband noticed a sign that said he couldn’t bring the stroller back. They had to take one of the trails back. Since we thought it was a one-way bridge, we weren’t too worried, however it is not a one-way bridge. Ours wasn’t the only stroller. If a stroller came from the other direction it would have been impossible to cross the bridge. If you bring a stroller and want to cross the bridge, make sure it’s a small enough stroller to allow people to pass you in the other direction.

For a completely different way to spend a summer day, check out my guest post at Walking on Travels. There, I talk about visiting Düsseldorf, Germany’s Altstadt and Rhein Promenade.

This post is part of Travel Tip Tuesday hosted by Suitcases and Sippy Cups and Walking on Travels and Travel Tuesday Linkup with A Compass Rose & Found Love. Now What?. Click on the links for more great travel posts.

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Filed Under: Explore, Family Travel, Switzerland Tagged With: familytravel, sattel, switzerland

Weekend trip to Zurich and Vaduz

August 8, 2013 by Ann

Over the weekend we discovered one of our new favorite places: Zürich, Switzerland.

Here’s a glimpse of some of the things we saw, via Instagram photos. More photos and details to come.

*Note: The prices below are listed in Swiss Francs. The exchange rate between that and the USD is roughly the same. If something is say, 10 Swiss Francs, it’s about $11.

Rheinfalls, Switzerland

Who doesn’t like waterfalls? I love them.

Rheinfalls are Europe’s largest. The area is extremely family friendly, and isn’t a touristy or cheesy place like Niagara Falls is often accused of being. The huge playground was a welcomed site for my son after our long road trip. He also loved the falls. I don’t know if it was because of the clear water (my son does love bath time) or that he’s only two (and a bit of a daredevil), but the little guy just wanted to climb over the railing and jump into the water.

Travel Tip: Switzerland is expensive. Germany is right across the border (10 minutes in traffic), eat there. Oh, we paid 5 Swiss francs to park for 2 hours.

Short Boat Trip on Lake Zürich

The Zürich channel at the hotel told us that Lake Zürich is clean enough to drink from. I believe it. Our trip took us around the lake where we got to see Zürich at its best. It’s tough sitting on a boat watching people having fun in the water. There were other boaters, kids on the lake-side beaches, and people playing water sports. Again, my son wanted to jump into the water. This time, though, I probably would have been happy to jump in after him. It was hot.

Travel Tip: It’s only 8.50 Swiss Francs to take the 1.5 hour trip around the lake. Once on the boat, you can order a meal, snack, and a drink.

Vaduz, Liechtenstein

One of the world’s 25 least visited countries is only 1.5 hours away from Zürich by car. We had to go. As we drove to Liechtenstein, my husband shared some of the things he learned about L-stein: it’s in a valley, there are 5000 residents, there is no official army and the police force is less than 80 people. We talked about how, with such a small police force, did this country keep its sovereignty? Oh, the huge, beautiful mountains surrounding it. My kids weren’t so interested in dad’s facts so they slept.

We arrived in Vaduz with over-tired kids and over-hungry parents. My son whined his way past every shop. I’m sure he was disappointed that there wasn’t a river or lake to try to jump into. Ironically, this was the only time on the trip that he got wet. It rained. A nice heavy rain. We ended up dining at the fine, reliable establishment that is extremely whiny-toddler friendly: McDonald’s. Afterwards, we made our way back to Zürich.

Travel Tip: Liechtenstein might be more expensive than Switzerland, plan accordingly.

The drive between Zürich and Vaduz

If you have no interest in checking Liechtenstein off of your list, it’s still worth a visit. The drive between Zürich and Vaduz is beautiful. As I mentioned earlier, Liechtenstein is in the valley. That means that it’s surrounded by mountains and those are the mountains you’ll drive through to get there. The Alps, Caribbean-like water, and typical Swiss villages made every turn picture worthy. There are many tunnels on the way to Liechtenstein. As we exited each one it was like a little surprise to see how Switzerland could top its previous view. The best happened on the way back, after the rain: a double rainbow.

Travel Tip: The drive is only 1.5 hours, but could easily take all day because you’ll want to either drive slow to take in the view, or stop frequently.

Sattel-Hochstucki, Switzerland

I really enjoyed the city of Zürich, but I wanted more mountains. I mean, seriously, the Alps? How could we resist? We searched for ski-lifts/winter sports on our GPS. Sattel-Hochstucki, 45 minutes away, popped up and we crossed our fingers that the end destination would be worth it. We were happy to see the panoramic gondola cable-car when we arrived and bought ticket to the top just expecting to have nice views. We were wrong. The top was filled with fun activities for the family. There was a place with bouncy castles and trampolines, a very steep and twisty sledge run, and Europe’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge. There were also paths and trails for hikes. I’m sad to admit that my fear of heights won out and I did not cross the bridge. My husband took our daughter while I watched my son jump and bounce on the trampolines. I wish we could have spent all day there, but we had to leave after a few hours.

Travel Tip: The gondola ride is only 19 Swiss Francs round trip for adults, the bouncy castle and trampolines are 7 Swiss Francs for kids, the sledge run is 4 Euros per run, and the suspension bridge is free.

Overall travel tip: Switzerland is expensive. Coming from Germany, I was shocked at how much we spent on food and drinks. For example, a small bottle of coke could easily be around 4 Swiss Francs, and a medium cold drink at Starbucks was more than 7 Swiss Francs. Keep this in mind when budgeting and consider packing small picnics instead.

Have you been to the area? What should I see on my next visit?

This post is part of the new Instagram Travel Thursday linky hosted by Skimbaco Lifestyle, Destination Unknown, Child Mode, Hines Sight Blog, Live.Do.Grow., House of Anaïs, Luxury Travel Mom. Click on any of those links to access all Instagram travel posts.commander les stimulateurs de clitorisapple smart case pour ipad air penguin seo update GERDA CR-Z W2411 binary option investment

Filed Under: Encourage, Family Travel, Switzerland, The Journey, Thoughts Tagged With: familytravel

Düsseldorf and Gehry: Views from above

July 25, 2013 by Ann

I recently went up Düsseldorf’s Rhein Tower. It’s a bargain at only 4 EUR per person. My son loved it. The elevator ride was long, but fast. Once the doors opened he ran right to the angled floor to ceiling windows and stared at the city below. Then he ate a bunch of cake. It was definitely a nice break in our day. I recommend travelers cap off trips to cities by finding out a way to view it from above. It’s the best way to see everything you did while you were there, and start pointing out locations you might want to do next time.

My favorite view from the Rhein Tower

Pictured above is the Medien Hafen. It is Düsseldorf’s media and design hub. It is also home to the city’s trendiest restaurants and bars. When this area was developed, seven different designers were given free reign to do what they want with their section without knowing what the other designers had planned. This led to seven very distinct sections. The most popular: the three buildings designed by Frank Gehry. They are known as the Neuer Zollhof. You can find it right away in the photo – it starts with the big white structure (plaster) at the middle on the bottom. Behind that is the mirrored building (stainless steel), and the last of the three is the brown building (brick).

Gehry’s buildings can be found in many cities around the world. Their unique shapes have made them tourist destinations in themselves. To get a sampling of other traveler’s experiences with Gehry’s architecture, go to Instagram and use the hashtag #Gehry.

Have you been to any of Gehry’s buildings? Do you have pictures in your Instagram account? Let me know!

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Filed Under: Family Travel, Germany, Thoughts Tagged With: familytravel, Germany, instagram

All we need is love… locks

June 14, 2013 by Ann

If you want to declare your love to the world, or at least the people of Cologne, Germany, go to the Hohenzollern Bridge. It’s easy enough to find, it’s right next to the main train station. You can’t miss it. Locks line the railing, from the very beginning to the very end.

The Hohenzollern Bridge in Cologne

What’s a love lock?

It’s just a lock that a couple will attach, usually, to a bridge. Sometimes the locks are inscribed with the couples names and an important date; sometimes it’s just the lock. Once locked, the couple throw the key away. In Cologne they throw it right into the Rhein River. Without the key, the locks stayed love forever and the couple’s love is guaranteed forever.

I first heard of this tradition when I went to the Great Wall in China. So, I thought the tradition started there. I was wrong. This tradition started in Italy, but has spread throughout the world. I’ve noticed them on major bridges in popular cities. I’ve also seen them in lesser known places, like my local park. (Which, by the way, might have the record for fewest number of love locks at three.) Once you know about them, you’ll start seeing them everywhere.

Innovative love lockers.

Cologne’s Love Locks

But, the love locks in Cologne are quite a site. The bridge is over 1300 feet long. Coming from the train station side, the locks are very dense, no space uncovered. I liked crossing opposite the train station first. On that side of the river the locks are more sparse. As you walk, there are more and more locks until you are left wondering how people were able to fit all the locks in that small of an area at all.

This tradition is fairly new to Cologne. The city started to take notice less than 5 years ago. Now there are so many locks that they are estimated to weigh over 4,000 pounds. They aren’t without controversy, though. Several years ago Deutsche Bahn, the bridge’s operator, threatened to saw off the locks. The public stood by their locks (and their love) and they remain today.

He’s too busy looking at the trains and boats to want to pose for a picture.

Hey, what about the kids?

The pedestrian pathway is wide enough for everyone who want to look at the locks, photographers to set up their camera to take pictures of the locks, and families with big strollers to enjoy without getting in each others way. As most bridges in big cities, it’s a nice stroll. I also saw many bike riders crossing the bridge. As you know, my son loves all forms of transportation. This makes the Hohenzollern Bridge even more fun. There are plenty of trains going into and out of Cologne’s main train station (around 1200 a day), so my son was in awe. Look down and a variety of boats pass under the bridge. Not to mention that big cathedral in the distance.

You’ll want to leave plenty of time for your visit because lock-spotting is truly mesmerizing.

I think I’m going to add love lock sightings to my traveling scavenger hunt. Do you know of any other places (big or small) with love locks? tenue sexy erotiquehow to find your google ranking doorbell buy useful site

Filed Under: Family Travel, Germany, Local Fun Tagged With: familytravel