Landstuhl Spring Festival

When we found out Landstuhl was having a small festival we jumped on the train to spend the evening eating candy and currywurst. 

I think we just use any excuse for train travel these days.

Rand got to try his first cotton candy and go on a bumper car. He loved the "roller coaster" rides too. 

The top right pic of Rand cracks me up... 

"Go on the ride, they said. It will be fun, they said."

 Rand was so funny. That night he prayed and thanked Jesus for bumper cars, roller coaster, cotton candy and train ride. He is too cute!

Bärenloch (Kindsbach Park)

The village nearby ours has an adorable park called Bärenloch (or Bears Hole). This park has a lot to offer and has quickly become one of our favorite parks. 

Rand's favorite is the slide built into a hill with old tires- nice way to integrate play elements into the environment!

If you get hungry, nearby is the Kahnhaus next to the lake. It serves German snacks and hefeweizen. 

You will find a Fußball (soccer) field and many hiking trails. Also, a great swimming lake for the summer time.

Address:

Talstrasse 18, 66862 Kindsbach

Metz Fleamarket

Our time in Germany is quickly coming to an end and I am taking every opportunity to get out and explore more Europe has to offer... especially flea markets, lol. I love antiques and when I heard a friend of mine was hitting up the flea market in Metz, France, I had to join her!

About an hour and 30 min  (took us 2 hours because of construction) from the KMC area. We planned to leave at 6:15 but left just before 7 (not my fault) but got there around 9 and had a couple hours to shop. It opens at 7 and closes around 12 but vendors will start packing up early. 

 When we first arrived, I was not impressed. Lots of random junk that I had no interest in but after walking around a bit, I came across a lot of interesting and unique pieces. 


The Metz flea market is indoors and makes for a fun outing with friends while getting your  "flea" fix in the winter months! Plus it has bathrooms! Metz hosts the second largest flea market in France.

I apologize for the junky quality of photos. I took all these pictures with my iPhone.... but you can get the idea. The halls were pretty empty but my friend said it is usually packed.

Address:

Metz Expo Evénements

Parc des Expositions de Metz Métropole, 

rue de la Grange aux bois, 

BP 45059

57072 Metz

After shopping and packing up the car, we headed into the city center to have some lunch and see some of the sites before heading back home. We grabbed a bite at the Boogie Burger and it was amazing! We took our burgers across the street and ate at the park overlooking the river. 

We found a lot of amazing things. Here are some pictures of my finds! The chair, round side table, bottle drying rack, Amber spritzer bottle, 3 large vintage French prints that were used in schools (featuring trains but they are double sided with other cool pictures) and an old toy train.

Erlebnispark Teufelstisch "Devil's Table"

I have been wanting to check out Erlebnispark Teufelstisch and go hiking through the Palatine Forest. It is only 40 minutes from the KMC area and makes a great day with the kids. The park is surrounded by dozens of hiking trails and but the main attraction is the Teufekstisch "Devil's Table" that looks over the children's park. 

The Teufekstisch is a 14 meter high red sandstone rock formation, reminiscent of a legged table. The name - quite obviously - has its roots in a legend. It tells the story how the devil, looking for a place to rest and eat in a stormy night, cannot find anything nearby. So he picks up a few rocks to pile up his table. After refreshing himself he leaves the site and the storm passes. The next day everybody is frightened except for one: he claims to sit and eat at the same table the following night. Does so but at midnight a horrible cry is heard and the next day our daredevil is found dead.

 Teufelsfels has only a few routes, all of which are short but demanding. When we arrived we took the trail towards the back of the parking lot, near the map. We hiked up to the Teufelsfels and then took the slide down. 

We spent an hour or two chasing Rand around the large playground. They have a smaller slide, water playground, zipline, sandpit area, swings, miniture golf and much more! A restaurant is right next door which also has a play area so you can eat outside and look over your kids playing. Use of the park is free (except for miniature golfing) but parking is 1euro for 2 hours.

Address:

Im Handschuhteich 31

D-66999 Hinterweidenthal

Idar Oberstein

Many years ago when Rob and I first moved to Germany, we ventured out to Idar Oberstein to find a castle I saw on Pinterest. After driving around for an hour or so we gave up and headed back home. This time I came prepared with addresses and numerous locations of interesting sites.

Idar Oberstein is about 45 minutes away from the KMC area and is a great place to spend a day and hunt for some gems. Idar Oberstein is known for its gemstones and you can tour and go mining at Eedelstein Minen or visit the Mineralien Museum. The town also has two castles; Burg Bosselstein and Schloss Oberstein. Another main attraction is the Felsenkirche (church in the rocks), a church that was built into the side of a mountain. You can access the path up to the church by following the signs from the wallplatz area. You will walk up a flight of stairs, turn the corner past the locked gate in front on the church and walk into a tunnel with more stairs. To enter the church, it is 2€ adults for adults and ,50 for kids. Be sure to walk up to the bell tower and look out over the city.

After hiking up to the church, we got a bite to eat around the wallplatz and walked the streets to look into the many shops selling gems and polished rocks.

Next we visited Hangeseilbrucke Geierlay.

Hängeseilbrücke Geierlay "Hanging Bridge"

Today we took a day trip to visit Idar Oberstein and Hängeseilbrücke Geierlay.

Hängeseilbrücke Geierlay is only about an hour and 30 minutes away from the KMC area. We parked at the visitor center, Besucherzentrum. As soon as you enter Mörsdorf, you will see signs for parking on your right. Parking is 2euro for the day. Be sure to go into the visitor center to use the bathroom ahead of time. It is about a 20-25 min walk (1.8km) to the bridge. Leaving the visitor’s center you go to the right and follow the sign for "Geierlay." You will quickly cross the street and take the road on your left and continue on down to walk on the pathway through some farmland. Turn right and continue on that path till you come to a fork in the path and make a left. You will see the bridge up ahead. There is an easier (not as steep) path to get onto the bridge on the left side on the clearing and benches. 

 Hängeseilbrücke Geierlay was built in 2015 and is the longest suspension bridge in Germany at 360 meters (1,181 feet) long. This pedestrian rope bridge links the villages of Mörsdorf and Sosberg.

The area is full of hiking trails and I wish we had more day light to explore some of the paths. You can even walk down into the valley and look up at the bridge. 

Address:

Lahrer Strasse 10, Wörsdorf 56290

Tips for your trip to Hängeseilbrücke Geierlay:

-The Visitor center has a restaurant and a "to-go" window. The village of Mörsdorf does have a few restaurants so you might want to check those out too.

-If you decide to bring a stroller (I highly suggest using a carrier though), please leave it at the clearing and do not take it on the bridge.

-It is breezy on the bridge so just be prepared the bridge does sway and maybe bring a light jacket

-Don't look down ;)

Hiking in Potzberg

We woke up to a gorgeous sunny day in Germany and I knew we just had to take advantage of the weather and the fact that Rob had the day off. I have a list of small day trips I want to do before we move back to the USA this summer and I thought we would head out to Potzberg and hike around the Potzberg Wildpark. 

We parked in the parking lot of the wild park and could easily spot the hiking trails and maps. 

We came across a WWI memorial on the trail.

I sure am going to miss views like this.

Be prepared and bring some snacks... not only for yourself but for the animals. We had some carrots and the reindeer couldn't have enough. 

A couple bucks even had at it over a carrot and I caught it on camera!

During our hike we came up to a little playground in a nearby village. We let Rand out and go down the slide a few times and run around the playground before we headed back on the trail.

Address:

Am, Potzbergstraße 1, 66887 Föckelberg

More drones

Whenever it is decent weather, we all go out for a bit to fly the drone. Well Rob flies the done and I chase Rand around a field taking pictures. 

We were low on milk so I talked Rob into taking the drone out near the milk farm. It was a pretty windy day so we didn't stay out too long. The video didn't come out very well because he had to point the nose down on the drone. I am hoping we get to try again soon because I just love that area. It is so beautiful. 

  Rand was excited to get some more milk. I know he doesn't look it in this photo but I promise he is. 

Shopping & World of Fun

Yesterday, Rob had the day off so I wanted to be out of the house. I have had my eye on this indoor play area not far from our home so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to go. Also, nearby is an outlet mall I wanted to explore. 

We first stopped out the Zweibrücken Outlets. I have been eyeing some Le Creuset cookware and was so excited to get some pieces. They have tons of stores so be sure to grab a map so you know where to go... also bring some VAT forms. On our way back to the car we noticed the first row is for family parking so be sure to check for open spots there first.

After a quick shopping trip, we headed to World of Fun. I was not sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised with all they had to offer. As soon as you walk in, you see a bowling alley and a huge bar area. They have an adult section up some stairs but we never got to take a peek to see what that offered. They also have a mini golf course and an indoor ice rink. While we were there we got to see a hockey practice. Through some doors to your right is the kids area. Everyone must take off your shoes in this section and they have plenty of cubby spaces to put your things, along with lots of tables and chairs. They have everything from bouncy houses to huge slides, trampolines and a ball bit. They also have a section gated off for smaller children. Rand had such a great time and Rob and I had quite a workout from chasing him all around this place. World of Fun has a restaurant that serves lots of different drinks, pizza, burgers and salads. They also have a separate room to hold parties and they offer serval packaged deals to hold events. 

SUNday

Winter in Germany is very depressing. You rarely see the sun and its just very foggy, gloomy and rainy. Today was different. The sun was shining so we decided to take a walk to feed the goats down the street and take Rob's drone out for a spin.

Last month for Rob's birthday I got him a Hubsan X4 H107C drone on Amazon. The reviews were pretty good and the price was excellent. I think Rob was a little surprised I got him this because it was completely out of right field. He was not at all interested in a drone but I knew he would enjoy it... Rand too. 

 The only down side is the battery runs out quickly so be sure to stock up so you can swap them out. We are still waiting on the extra batteries so we were not out very long. The boys had a great time in the fields and Rand was not happy about heading back. We had to bribe him with hot cocoa.

Here is a clip from the drone today.