We have officially been in Germany for six months, half of a year! Khalil was only home for about two months before he deployed so some days seemed to drag on, although now that I’m reflecting I can’t believe it’s already September! The past six months have been filled with me trying to stay sane while keeping both myself and Laelah busy by exploring,mingling,being involved in soccer,wine and binge watching several different series on Hulu and Netflix.

-Yes we have traveled outside of Germany but I’ll mention those trips in another post!

Our Prague trip is actually up already! Check it out here > https://livealittle.home.blog/2018/07/27/first-trip-out-of-germany-pragueczech-republic/

All of that sounds like so much fun,I know but today I would like to mention a few cool activities we have done within Germany!

Städtisches Freiba:

-urban swimming pool

This may seem strange but the swimming pool Laelah and I visited in off post Vilseck was unlike any public swimming area I had seen. Like all of Germany the schwimbad is beautifully landscaped. Vast open area once beyond the gated entrance,gorgeous green grass and colorful flowers in every direction. Several large underground pools,complete with a slide,a foot rinsing station,lockers,showers and a shop to buy food,drinks,liquor and even water toys! The best thing in my opinion has to be the cute toddler/infant area,equipped with a small playground and wade pool. All of this for only 3€.(kids 3 and under get free admission)

-crystal clear water!😍

Tiergarten Nuremberg & Hellabrunn Zoo

So far we have gone to both the Nuremberg and Munich zoo,both lovely.

•*Germany’s animal parks generally run with the motto “let nature be nature.”

• Tiergarten Nuremberg is considered to be a landscape zoo.

•The Munich Zoo Hellabrunn was founded in 1911 as the first Geo-zoo worldwide. The animals live according to their geographic distribution in complex communities.

Nuremberg is a little over an hour away from our location (Vilseck) and Munich is a little over 2 and a half hours away. Both zoos are large in size,so large we didn’t even venture half of either zoo although we were at each for over five hours! Khalil and I were really stunned by the construction of both zoos,it’s as if you are walking through each individual animals habitat. They are not caged or held behind thick glass walls. We were actually able to pet,feed and interact with goats!(at both locations)

Hellabrunn zoo!

Tiergarten Nuremberg flamingo habitat

Both locations also had great restaurants and several vendors to purchase snacks,drink as well as souvenirs! The Nuremberg location has a pretty amazing “kinder zoo”! Filled with tons of outside toys,sitting areas and a small water area!

Both zoos are more expensive than the typical zoos we are use to back state side, but more than worth it for the experience we received. Listed below are links if you would like more information regarding each zoo!

https://www.hellabrunn.de/en/

https://tiergarten.nuernberg.de/startseite.html

Both locations are a must visit!

The Black Forest

Triberg im Schwarzwald

In our most recent adventure we traveled to the Black Forest.

The Black Forest is a mountainous region in southwest Germany, bordering France. Known for its dense, evergreen forests and picturesque villages, it is often associated with the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. It’s renowned for its spas and the cuckoo clocks produced in the region since the 1700s. The region’s largest town, Freiburg, is filled with Gothic buildings and surrounded by vineyards.

http://01frdtrv.wixsite.com/travelcreepster/brothers-grimm-black-forest-stories

The trip was planned through the MWR so we paid a small fee (82$) this covered transportation to and from the Black Forest. Due to mandatory break stops it took roughly 5 and a half hours to arrive. (Without stops a little over 4 hours)

Our first stop was at The House of 1000 Clocks the Black Forest region is said to be where The cuckoo clock was popularized in the 1850’s so it was only right that we purchased one there! I never knew how many different variations cuckoo clocks could come in until it was time for me to buy one! Each and every one unique in different ways luckily there were several employees who continuously walked around to answer questions. After purchasing our cuckoo clock we got the chance to go to the Schwarzwaldmuseum. At this museum we explored the history and culture of the Black Forest,with exhibits on clocks,mining,music and more!

Don’t worry if you can’t travel you can order one online!

http://www.hausder1000uhren.de/

We ended our day in the Black Forest by climbing incredibly steep and wet walkways to take a picture in front of Germany’s largest waterfall!

This waterfall has an overall drop of 163 metres over 7 cascades. More than half a million people visit this spectacle of nature every year. So grateful Laelah and I are now included in that half a million.

German American Volksfest

The festival fosters German and American friendship and culture – living, working and celebrating together.

This festival took place in Grafenwohr and boy was it lively! Volksfest I would say is the Germans equivalent to a state fair in a large city stateside.Tons of food,people,rides and games. I will say that the rides were pretty expensive even though we went on family day to get 1/2 off. Laelah and I rode the ferris wheel and it cost 9€(almost 11usd). Aside from that I thought it was great! There was a huge tent set up by the locals,inside was live music,German food,beer and people dancing on the tables! It was a great Place to people watch,eat and laugh.

https://grafenwoehr.armymwr.com/calendar/event/60th-annual-grafenwoehr-german-american-volksfest/2451831/29528