Lichtenstein and Hohenzollner Castles Day Trip 8/4/2011

We took a day trip to the North West of us to two different castles that we heard were pretty cool looking. They were about an hour and an hour and a half from us.
The first one was Lichtenstein Castle.

We never could get a full on good view of the castle. I think the only place that had a really good view of this castle was from the valley below.

But we did enjoy our hike through the trees anyway. We thought we could go around where you could see the castle from the front but we finally decided it was the trail if you wanted to hike up from the valley below and the view, supposedly, was when you got to the top (where we came from).

We think this was probably a restaurant and/or hotel next to the castle but I loved how the vines were growing up the sides. Combined with the architecture it gave it a very pretty look.

The castle gates.

Valley view below.

Behind bars and it is yet to be determined if these two are innocent or not. :)

View of the castle from the valley.

The second castle we visited was the Hohenzollner Castle. We had a really good view of it from a lot farther away. We really liked where this one was located and how it looked.

The walk up to the castle.

The castle gates.

Our cute girl helping to take pictures again. This time with her camera.

So our pictures from driving this time were interesting too. This one we came to a road block on our way to the castles and the gps kept trying to send us back around to that main intersection. Not knowing the area we weren't sure how to get around. Then a few cars that were ahead of us turned around at the intersection and of course we followed but then they turned off on what we thought looked more like the turn off into a farmer's field but they acted like they knew where they were going so we followed them. It was a road through a field but it was supposedly a public road (we think).

A milk factory but we liked their yard decorations.

This was a road similar to the first one that the gps sent us on and apparently it is a road and a two lane road. It would barely qualify as a one lane road at home. :)

Day Trip to Voralberg 8/2/2011

We took a day trip to Austria and Vaduz.
Vaduz- Liechtenstein

Elise loved taking pictures too.

Everything was so exciting for Elise, especially water.

Elise had to stand on this large postage stamp just because it as different than the ground around it.

Elise petting the horses.

LiechtensteinCastle

A model of the castle.

Bludenz- Bludenz is a very beautiful mountain town but what I loved the most was that as soon as you get out of the car the air smells like chocolate.
The Milka chocolate factory .

Feldkirch- Just south of Dornbirn (one of Spencer's mission areas).

Feldkirch Castle

Dornbirn-Gondola Ride- The ride up the gondola was beautiful and so was the view from the top. It reminded me of hiking to Oxford Peak only not quite as high and riding instead of hiking.

Spencer and Elise have fun as usual. I think they were pretending to do their exercises.

View from the very top down the Gondola tracks.

View partway down looking back up at the top.

 Driving

I love how artistic some of the planters, flower beds, round abouts, etc. are here.

What a place to build a house. At least that is what it looked like. It opens a whole new meaning to letting your kids play in the yard. :)

Bad Waldsee City Celebration July 30-31, 2011

Bad Waldsee did their city celebration July 30-31. On Saturday we wandered around but it was very crowded. The Reute and Gaisbeuren bands served supper and a hired band played. We did eat supper there too. Sunday they did a firework show. We walked over in time for the firework show. They did the firework show over the city lake. It was hard to get a place to see the show but we did see most of it. After people released floating candles onto the lake. They were in different colored cups and it looked really cool. Even the late night walk home was nice. It would have been a little better had we remembered a flashlight but the foot path ran along the main road and there was a moon so it wasn't pitch black.

 Where we ate supper.

 The floating candles.

Bad Waldsee Concert 7/27/2011

The bands in the area take turns playing in the town square of Bad Waldsee during the summer. We went when the Rebmann sons (Martin, Claus and Thomas) played. It tried to rain at one point but never did more than sprinkle for a few minutes. Luckily because we walked to the concert.

  Elise, Max and Pascal had a lot of fun running around and playing.

 You didn't know picking up little rocks, and in Pascal's case, trying to eat them could be so fun, did you?

 Umbrellas are a very interesting invention too as long as you don't try and get to close to each other.

 Elise and Pascal off on their evening stroll:)

 The ramp to the bank was of course a perfect slide. The taking turns was the hard part.