Travel 'Must-Haves'

Along the wall in Dubrovonik, Croatia

I have been feeling rather nostalgic lately for travel, especially after looking at all the pictures from my friends' travels overseas. I was talking to a friend still stationed in Germany, and we got into a fun chat about all the places we have visited and the things we were sure to bring along every time. I thought it would be fun to respond to my nostalgia by putting together a list of those things we were sure to have with us on our adventures - a short list of 'must-haves', if you will.

Big R and I share a passion for travel. I am convinced it is something that drew us together. So our travels started long before we were living in Europe, but being there definitely upped the ante and solidified our must-haves list.

Arriving in Hallstat, Austria

First and foremost, we travel light. By light, I mean truly down to the minimums. We spent a week in Europe together with a small backpack each. True, it was May, but when we took a November trip to Normandy, the story was the same. Life is different when you travel - you wear less and your priorities are different on an hour to hour basis. I have to mention, too, adding kids to the mix was a huge game-changer and required us to add a few more items to that list of must-haves.  So, I added a couple items at the bottom that we make sure to bring along to keep our sanity in check while we travel with kids in tow.

1. Favorite Guidebook. Our favorite guidebook, hands down, is Rick Steves. Backdoor travel is our game, and he is the pro at every turn. There are many great guidebooks out there though, and to save money, I would always plan a visit to the library the week before our trip and grab the best guidebooks available for our destination. You can download guidebooks onto your kindle or Nook as well, but we found that it was better to have an actual book in hand to look at the maps and find resources quickly.

2. Reservations. This is a BIG one. By this, I don't mean a reservation for every meal or anything that ridiculous, but definitely have hotel reservations taken care of way before hand. We did this MONTHS in advance using our favorite online booking (e.g., booking.com, airbnb.com, tripadvisor, etc.). Not only is this the best way to ensure you don't blow your entire budget on accommodations, it relieves a ton of stress especially if you are traveling in a foreign location. We did our first backpacking trip to Europe without a single reservation and I immediately decided I was getting far too old for that kind of stress. It's not worth it. Just always be sure to know the cancellation policy, and pay a little extra for flexible fares. If you are traveling with babies, most hotels will have baby cots, and it's worth the extra cost for that as well!

Also, reservations are often needed for popular museums, political buildings, etc., so check ahead to be sure you don't miss out because you didn't know you needed a reservation months in advance. Lastly, many locations are great to see with a tour. We booked a bike tour of Rome and it was one of our favorite ways to see a city. Yep, RESERVATIONS are a must.

3. GPS / Directions. If we were renting a car or driving to our destination(s), we never left home without our GPS with addresses already pre-programmed in. We also brought maps when we could print them off because the GPS was notoriously wrong (e.g., our GPS kept wanting us to drive through the Alhambra to get to our hotel in Granada - clearly that was not going to work).

4. Small travel bag. We always made sure to bring along a bag for day trips. Whether it was a small backpack, messenger bag, or large purse, we always made sure to have one. That's where I kept our wallets, camera, snacks, guidebook, etc. I finally found the perfect bag that worked for us while we were living in Germany. I still use it all the time.

5. Two pair of shoes. Shoes are always a huge pain on vacations because they are awkward and bulky to pack. Despite that, I brought two pairs on every trip, and this is why: regardless of how comfortable your shoes are, if you wear them every day for 4 days of constant walking, you will get blisters no fail. I would plan my "outfits" to alternate with my shoes each day. This saved my feet every trip.

6. Sunglasses. NEVER leave home without them regardless of what time of year it is. We forgot them for a trip to Copenhagen because it was supposed to be cooler and it was overcast when we left Germany. That was a HUGE mistake. Nothing worse than a headache on your trip from squinting. Believe me, make sure to pack your sunglasses in that extra bag.

7. Cords for charging electronics / Adapter plugs for international travel. These are an easy thing to forget, and not having them can be a huge problem (especially if you have kids!). Be double sure to pack at least one cord and adapter plug every time you travel.

8. Water bottle. We take our camel back water bottles with us everywhere we go. My bag has a slot on the side to carry it, and it has saved us on numerous occasions. Tap water is safe to drink in most countries (although, double check that carefully before drinking it). My friends also use their Nalgene bottles to store things they don't want to have spill or break (i.e., peanut butter, granola bars, shampoos and soaps) - such a great idea!

The last few items are extensions to our list since we expanded our family. I can't encourage you enough to travel when you have kids. Do it. I agree, it's a lot of work, but it gets easier with each trip (here you can read a few pointers I have about traveling with kiddos).

9. Carseat / stroller / favorite child carrier. If we were renting a car at our destination, we always brought the carseats. We found out early on that renting a carseat through a rental car agency is painfully expensive, and you never know how safe or nice the carseats will be. It's a pain to lug them along, but there are ways you can carry them. (If you use a roller bag, here is a great device I discovered to help carry that carseat.) Also, several airlines (primarily in Europe) will let you check them for free or at least cheaper than it will cost to rent one at your destination. We were not big stroller users. It never worked well for us, so we never brought one on our trips. I can only recall one trip where I wished in hindsight we had brought it along because it was hot and the city would have been easy to navigate with a stroller. I have friends that never leave their stroller at home because their kids are well-behaved in them and they use them to visit museums. We felt the same way about our child carriers. For little r, it was my Moby. Super easy to pack in our bags, and he would sleep in that carrier instantly. We used it to carry him until he was 3! For baby c, it was always the Ergo. I still bring that everywhere we go.

The Moby was a comfy place for little r to sleep

baby c will let me take him anywhere in this carrier

10. iPad or other electronic device loaded up with your child's favorite shows and movies. I have absolutely no shame when it comes to traveling with kids and using an iPad to keep them quiet. We were able to enjoy many a meal in peace because of having it in tow. My day bag has a slot that fit our iPad perfectly, so we never left it behind. Our friends used it with headphones to keep their kids quiet in museums as well.

11. Favorite go-to snacks. There is nothing more impossible than trying to travel with a young child who is hungry. Bring a handful of their favorite snacks on every trip that won't make too huge a mess. Gummy Bears were always our go-to. Snack bars also work well. My friend brings peanut butter on her trips and a plastic knife so they could grab bread at a local store and keep the girls happy. Whatever works best, just be sure to bring it with you!

12. Blankets or lovelies for the kiddos. Both of my boys have blankees. As much as I never wanted to bring these around on the streets of Rome or walking the city wall in Dubrovnik, I refused to leave them behind. It was an instant way to keep them calm and help them feel secure in a scary place. We guarded them with our lives, but it was totally worth it to bring it along.

And finally, the most important thing to bring on every trip, adventure or vacation, is a good attitude especially if you are traveling with kids. Our best trips were always the ones where we were flexible and let things slide off our backs. We had our accommodations reserved in advance, we generally would know where we were going and what we wanted to see, but we felt out our moods, the weather, and the environment to find the best food and the greatest city walks.

Did I leave anything off? Definitely let me know if there's something you can't leave behind when you go on vacation, if it's not on our list!     

xoxoxoxo 

 
P.S. Those of you that know me, also know that I NEVER go on a trip without my travel yoga mat. Literally NEVER. 

Our adventures in the Wild West!

So, we're finally back in the U.S. and there were loads of things for us to do.  Settling into our new home aside, we had three years worth of family and friend visiting to catch up on.  Our family and friends are spread out all over the place, and there was no way we could see it all in such a short amount of time, even though that's exactly what we truly wanted to do.  Instead, because it had been literally three years since we had visited everyone out west, that was on our agenda.  It definitely helped that Big R's parents had recently relocated to the Sedona area. (That part was exciting, too, because we got to explore somewhere brand spankin new!)

One thing we had either forgotten or chose to ignore was how much it cost to travel within the U.S. Seriously, my sister and her husband visited us in Germany for Christmas last year cheaper than it was going to cost for us to fly from Nashville to Las Vegas.  I understand there are a million reasons for airline prices to be what they are, but it's just unfortunate how expensive it can be to fly now.  We somehow finagled our flights through our frequent flyer miles, but since Big R had a million more miles than the boys and I had (because of flying back to the US for work), we had a wild schedule that involved us flying separately to make the most out of our miles and our dollars.  We were proud of what we worked out, even if it made for some interesting travel stories at the end of the day.  (This is where I tell you about how traveling with a toddler and a 4-year old on a red-eye alone is not probably the greatest idea in the world - HA!).

Our fist stop was Phoenix where we were picked up by Big R's mom and whisked out to their new abode just outside of Sedona.  Wow, what a breathtaking place to live, and their new home is absolutely adorable.  We had just shy of a week full of visiting "Africa" (I got to *kiss* a giraffe!!!), exploring ghost towns and old mines, watching thunderstorms light up the sky and fireworks from the rooftop, and dodging flash floods.  It was such an awesome time.

These are a couple pictures of their cozy adobe home and its surroundings...

a view from the front entrance... just love her stone oven

the backyard... and no, i'm not kidding!

We were there to celebrate the 4th of July!  Our first one in the U.S. in three years!  It was so fun, and we enjoyed it with an awesome neighborhood parade and a breakfast with the community where even Big R's parents were meeting folks for the first time.

the little man showing his American pride

the family "float" for the parade!

We took a drive to go exploring the area around Sedona.  It's gorgeous!

Goofy picture, but it captures our family and that moment perfectly!

this is the view we were trying to stand in front of - breathtaking!

the view was so inspiring, i just couldn't help myself! lol

Then we went to "Africa" - it's a place just south of Sedona called "Out of Africa" and it is a very neat animal park.  They take you on a safari-like ride to view many of the animals, and they let you "feed" the giraffes!  If you put the celery in your mouth, the giraffe will take it with his tongue and give you a huge kiss. Being that giraffes are by far my favorite animal, this was nothing shy of AWESOME!

baby c thought the kiss was hilarious!

...and little r was beside himself excited, too!

We were visiting at the start of monsoon season, so we got to experience and witness several incredible lightning storms while we were there. Big R is crazy talented with his camera and caught many awesome photographs of the storms.

one of the best photos of the storm

 Desert sunsets are also pretty spectacular.  Big R caught many awesome moments on camera with the sun setting as well.

a sunset in the Senoran desert

Our last day there we explored an old mining town called Jerome, and a nearby "ghost town" junk shop.  Sounds weird, but it's actually a really cool place with vintage everything! 

vintage pick up truck

an old mine and gear

their political preference was pretty clear at every turn as well - look closely at the label on the "soup" can

One thing I didn't realize was how large the winery business is in Arizona, and also how incredible the wines are!  Big R's parents live a mere 5 minutes away from the heart of wine country.  You know me, we had to do our fair share of tasting.  We were even given the night off to go enjoy Page Springs Winery - an absolutely incredible place with the coolest atmosphere and employees that are really passionate about their wine - while Big R's parents stayed back to watch the kids.  It was heaven :)

enjoying date night to the fullest!

It was time to say adieu to the beautiful red rocks of Sedona, and head to the Mojave desert to visit my family and friends.  A hop from one gorgeous part of the country to another.  We were feeling crazy spoiled.

these red rocks will definitely be calling our names!

A quick Southwest flight later, and we were in Las Vegas with my mom.  We planned the visit with my sister and her husband, and we had a couple hours to kill before their flights arrived.  So, what does any sensible crew do in Vegas for a couple hours?  Buy cowboy boots, of course. Haha, you thought I was going to say something much more interesting, didn't you? We had a lot of horsing around to do on this trip and no boots to enjoy it with. It was time to load up on some proper gear!

this pictures cracks me up

After our insane first night out on the ranch (where a lightning strike started a fire just up the hill from the house), we didn't waste any time horsing around.  (The fire started up again the next afternoon, so Big R and I hiked back up to try to keep it contained until BLM showed up again.  We grabbed a couple of pictures this time!)

hiking up to the juniper tree that is ablaze from the lightening strike

burning hot, but we caught it well before it was a severe problem

it still took the BLM crew a good hour to make sure the fire was out for good

There was a lot of horseback riding, mucking stalls, tractor driving, hiking and desert exploring, yoga, reading, piano playing, wine drinking, and relaxing.  Can't forget the child wrangling, screeching and playing either, can we mom?  My kids have a way of keeping you entertained and completely exhausted! Overall we had a pretty fantastically awesome time!

little r is a natural cowboy - he just loves horses

he has a great seat and so much ease around a horse

my beautiful sister and Smoke - who we used to ride when we were in high school!

Big R and little r on Stella

panoramic view of the valley after a hike to the top of a peak

streams formed after a day of good rain

sun setting on the rocks

Ryan was proud of his climb to the top!

baby c was super curious about the big animals...

...but he's not quite the horse lover yet that his brother is

heading for the trails on Stella

quick family shot (less baby c) on Rustler and Stella

Papa Tom let little r drive the tractor - he STILL talks about it!

views from another hike - this valley is gorgeous at every turn

love these old trees

Jess and I taking it all in...

...and striking a pose on the rocks

This trip also included a weekend in Las Vegas where we were able to visit with our friends.  I was beyond excited to spend time with my closest friends that I hadn't seen in three years.  I had no idea how much I was missing home and my friends until we were there.  The feeling was incredible and I savored every last single solitary second of it.

We spent the fist day poolside with Lacey and her kiddos.  The boys were in heaven.  I even got to spend some uninterrupted time with my best friend catching up - absolutely priceless!  Little r and Lacey's oldest, Ryland, are only 4 months apart, and they were literally instant best friends. It was too much fun watching them bond as if they had grown up together.  

Lacey and my little man

his love for the water is uncanny - this kid is like a fish!

Our next day we met up with my close friend and partner in crime, Monica.  She's an assistant curator at the Shark Reef in Las Vegas, but she and I also met when we worked together at the dolphin habitat at the Mirage.  We still have connections there, even after all of these years, so we took the kiddos to see some dolphins and then she brought us all "behind the scenes" at the Shark Reef.  It was pure awesome!

best pals watching the dolphins

 

did I mention we still had connections?  yep, the boys got to feed the dolphins and do a little bit of training...

...and they snuck in a pet or two.  

baby c watching the big shark tank from up above!

its too dangerous for the boys to feed the sharks, but the sea turtles loved the attention and the snack!

Monica has the coolest pets, and this snake was little r's fave!

Another amazing adventure to log into our book.  This might not have been southern France, the Alps, or Tuscan wine country, but it was just as awesome and incredible in every way.  We've been going nonstop for quite awhile, so I'm going to do my best to contain this adventurous crew and get us settled and into a routine.  Knowing us though, it's not likely to be long before we have more to write home about.

Love you all, and I hope you had fun reading about our western adventures as much as we loved having them. 

xoxoxoxo

The Alps: From Garmish to Switzerland (Lucerne and Lake Constance)

I'm feeling a lump in my throat as I write this next sentence...we are down to our last month here in Germany, which also means we are wrapping up our European travels.  Although Switzerland has been on our list since the beginning, we just never seemed to get our plans right to make that trip work. To be honest, we were constantly shying away from the price tag, especially as we fell into our last year here and needed to look for bargains. And I'm almost embarrassed to admit that we thought all the hoopla about Switzerland was overrated.  Let me just say, NOT overrated.  Wow, is Switzerland an incredible gem.  We had the most wonderful weekend there with weather that was so perfect we seriously could not have bought it any better.  So, I'll have to apologize upfront if there are a million pictures in this post, and I'll work hard to contain myself because the beauty was absolutely insane.

Our trip started off in Garmisch where I picked Big R up from a week long training (I know, he has the toughest life, doesn't he?).  Instead of staying in Garmisch, I found a pension just 20 km south right on the border with Austria in a town called, Mittenwald.  We had absolutely no idea what to expect, and we were pleasantly surprised by its charm.  We opted to get dinner at one of the local biergartens instead of making the trek back up to Garmisch for dinner.  We stayed at Pension Karner, which was located right at the foot of several trailheads leading to hikes up into the foothills of the Alps, and a walk into town was only about 10 minutes.  The owners are Scottish, of all things, and they have been living in Germany for the past 30 years.  They were incredible hosts, and their hotel was really comfortable.  The boys had us up crazy early, of course, so we packed up and took a hike before breakfast. Such an amazing way to start off the day.  

a view down the street from our pension

downtown Mittenwald

there is always time for ice cream!

another view of the church in Mittenwald

our morning hike followed a stream and was one waterfall after another

breathtaking morning views of the Alps

another view of the Alps from the trail

I wasn't exactly dressed for a hike - haha

it was truly serene, and we had the trail all to ourselves

more beauty captured on camera

my little hobbit

After breakfast in Mittenwald, we hit the road for our drive into Switzerland.  Our destination was Lucerne (or Luzern in German), which sits in central Switzerland just south of Zurich.  The route we took dropped us into Austria and over to Liechtenstein before we crossed the border into Switzerland. So we got to add a couple more countries to our list.  The drive was amazing!

a driveby shot of the palace in Liechtenstein - no offense but it wasn't really worth the stop this time around

covered bridge in Liechtenstein

Hello Switzerland!!!

The drive was out of this world!

The view from our rest stop - yes, this is a rest stop!!!

We arrived in Lucerne just after lunch, and we decided to head straight to Mt. Pilatus because the weather was stunning and we didn't want to risk going back the next day and losing the potential views.  To experience Mount Pilatus near Lucerne, you can go about it in various ways: cable car, cog train, boat, local train... Or, you can do what we opted for and splurge (only slightly more) for what they call the "golden tour."  We parked in Kriens, so our golden tour started on a small gondola, and then switched us to a large cable car that took us to the top. Then we took a cog train down the mountain to Alpnachstad where you can catch a ferry boat over to Lucerne (and eventually a bus back to the parking area in Kriens).  Kind of a cool experience, and with the awesome weather we had, each leg of the tour was incredible.

When we switched to the larger cable car to head up to Mt. Pilatus, we timed it just right that a construction crew (I say "crew," but it was really just two men), was heading up as well.  Not only did we get the entire car to ourselves, but we got to watch in awe as the man climbed out of the cable car in mid air to one of the supporting towers.  It was NUTS!  I knew that he was going to do work on the cable line because of the equipment he was wearing, but Big R was kind of shocked when the door opened and the guy climbed out.  Before he leapt out, though, we got to talk to him a bit about Lucerne and Mt. Pilatus.  He told us that it was a perfect day and that people rarely get to experience a day like we had - he said it was special.  Nothing like a conversation from a local to put a smile on your face.  Considering the run of bad luck we've had with weather and travel, we ate up every minute of our perfect weather.

At the top, we watched all the clouds clear out and give us a grand view of Lake Lucerne.  We climbed to the top of an outcropping, which was an adventure in itself.  I'm not sure what I thought we would do that day, but somehow I decided that wearing flip flops and a long skirt was the appropriate attire for our day in Lucerne.  HA!  Between holding baby c, holding the end of my skirt, and navigating through huge piles of snow and puddles of freezing water (in flip flops!) on a steep and narrow stairway to the top was not my most shining moment.  I got compliments at the top and I couldn't figure out why anyone would think I was anything but ridiculous.  The views were spectacular, but I couldn't wait to get back down.  We took the cog train to the bottom of the mountain and had a conversation in German with an older Swiss couple that lived there.  My sweet baby c was especially fond of the old man.  It was super cute.  Our next connection was a ferry boat that made its way from Alpnachstad via a few stops onto Lucerne.  It's was a gorgeous perspective to see the coastlines of Lake Lucerne from the water.

the gondola up the first leg of Mt. Pilatus

baby c loved the ride!

some of the views we captured on our climb up

This view was even before we made it to the top!

I told you, he literally just climbed right out - crazy!

the fog cleared to reveal the endless beauty of Lake Lucerne

Taking in the view after our ridiculous climb in the wet snow to the top

little r's favorite was the cog train

a view of the other trains as we made our way down

the old cog train was really cool

relaxing on the ferry as we made our way to Lucerne

views from the ferry as we floated along the lake

just incredible, isn't it?

the sailboat added just a little to this already gorgeous shot

We arrived into Lucerne on a Friday evening just before 6 p.m.  The city was alive with locals, business men and women, and tourists.  Everyone was enjoying the perfect day, and the energy was contagious.  We did a quick walk through the old part of Lucerne to see the Old Church Bridge and to take in the city that benefited from over 200 years of no wars to damage it's beautiful buildings.  It truly felt magical.  Then we hopped on our bus back to Kriens to our car and drove to our hotel in Seelisberg.  Our hotel sat right on a point in Seelisberg with seriously amazing views of the lake.  It had a snazzy Swiss restaurant, which is where we headed after checking into our huge hotel apartment. Somehow the boys held it together and let us enjoy a nice dinner Swiss-style meal while we admired the sunset views across the lake.

After we got the boys tucked into bed, Big R disappeared to go take some more pictures of the lake at night.  When I went out to meet him, he told me that some "ladies" had come to talk to him and they wanted to say "hi."  He cracked up when my response was, "are they picking up on you or something?"  Of course, he was referring to the Swiss cows that found him very intriguing.  Yeah, I totally fell for that one!

views of Lucerne as we headed into the dock

beautiful Lucerne

there were so many swans in Switzerland

like something out of a fairy tale

the rathaus in downtown Lucerne

our view during dinner at the hotel restaurant

the cows across the street from our hotel

another view of the lake from our hotel room

this "lady" was making the moves on my man!

Lucerne has so much to offer, but we had more of Switzerland to see and a short amount of time to fit it all in.  After breakfast on an overcast and rainy morning, we packed up the car and headed to Zurich for a quick visit on our way up to Lake Constance.  It was a busy Saturday in Zurich, but we lucked out with parking at the train station.  It took Big R a little bit to warm up to this global powerhouse of a city, but I loved it right away. I guess you could say I could easily understand how it has been at the top of the list of "best quality of life"places to live.

We strolled down Hauptbahnhofstrasse to do some window shopping (and visit one of the coolest toy stores I've even seen), walked along the Lake Promenade, and visited the Grossmünster church. We climbed to the top of the bell tower (of course), and just as we crested the top, the clouds broke and the sun was greeting us. It was spectacular, and suddenly Big R was drawn in.  We grabbed some sushi for lunch (of all things), and then stopped into the famous Sprugli chocolate store to bring home some goodies (really just so we could eat them in the car!).

neatest toy store EVER

we loved how the roofs were cut away to make porches

view along the promenade

Zurich had such beautiful architecture

the view from the top of the bell tower - just spectacular!

another amazing bell tower view

little r had fun with the rope anchors along the river

stunning view of Zurich

the weather could not have been any better

The next destination was Lake Constance.  It was an easy drive of barely over an hour to get to Berligen, where we stayed for the night (it was a cute town, but Steckborn, its neighboring town, would have been a MUCH more charming choice).  We picked this place primarily for its location and its price (Switzerland is super expensive, so our money didn't go quite as far in the accommodations department).  We checked in and got back in the car to visit Konstanz, which was only another 20 minutes or so away.  Konstanz is a maritime city on Lake Constance, and what is peculiar about this city is that it's actually located in Germany.  A tiny enclave of Germany nestled into Switzerland.  I actually found it rather bizarre.  In hindsight, we never should have driven into the city.  The train would have been much faster and easier.  There is only one way in and out of Konstanz to cross the border between the two countries, and even though they aren't checking passports, a slow, single file line drives through a random customs check.  We spent a lot more time sitting in the car than we ever anticipated.  Of course, it probably didn't help that we later found out it was BMW Yacht week in Konstanz, AND it was a beautiful Saturday.  Guess you could say that a lot of other people had similar plans to visit that area the same time we were there.

The town is really old and has a completely different character to it than the towns around Lake Lucerne.  It reminded me of the port cities around Lake Michigan.  Sailboats and yachts were parked along the boardwalks, and people were enjoying the weather near the lake, shopping in the stores, and socializing at outdoor cafes and restaurants.  After we finally found a place to park the car (and Big R brilliantly fit our mini-SUV into the tightest parking space - seriously, rockstar), we strolled the streets and found a great place to eat some fantastic German food.  While we were there a wedding party crashed the seen, and it felt like we were in the middle of a fairy tale.  The rest of our visit we walked along the port, took in the atmosphere, and enjoyed the weather.  Once we got through the border check back into Switzerland, the drive was easy.  We parked the car and walked the boys to the edge of the lake and let them play while Big R got some amazing sunset shots.  After we finally got the boys into bed, we snuck downstairs to the tavern and enjoyed each others company and a glass of wine.  It was a perfect ending to a wonderful day.

little r grew attached to the bronze horse statue

many of the buildings were covered in artwork

the scene at the pier

sailboats were parked along the docks

baby c had too much fun swinging at the park on the pier

another beautiful view of the docks in Konstanz

little r taking it all in at sunset in Berlingen

one of the many amazing sunset photos Big R captured that evening

the swan thought he'd add to the picture...

It was finally time for us to make the drive home, but we had one more stop before saying "Tschus" to Switzerland.  We drove down along the lake and then up into the hills to the terminus of the Rhine River. At this location is the Rhinefall, which is seriously breathtaking.  We had never heard of this waterfall before, but apparently it's well known in this part of Europe.  Our tour book mentioned it, and we figured it was worth a look before driving home.  What an absolutely amazing discovery.  When we drove around the bend and the falls came into our view, we were seriously blown away.  So incredible!  Of course, the weather was out of this world, too, and that never hurts.

You can park really close to the falls, and we managed to get there right when it opened, so we beat the crowds.  There are several different boat tours you can take (it's cash only, but they take both swiss franks and euros).  We opted to take the 20 minute boat ride that dropped us off on a rock island quite literally in the middle of the falls.  It was super intense!  You could hear the roar of the water as we closed in on the island.  The weather was clear and the water was super calm, but on a "normal" day, the boys would not have been allowed on that particular boat tour because it would have been too dangerous.  It was a crazy ride.

After the boat dropped us off, we climbed the metal staircase up to the top of the rock island.  I know I keep saying this, but we were blown away.  It was such an incredible experience to be standing in that location, listening to the water, and feeling the mist of the powerful falls hit our faces.  As we walked down, little r actually said, "whoa, that's a little scary, mommy!"  Yep, intense.  Such an awesome ending to our trip.

Rhinefall in Switzerland

the falls were so powerful

our boat slid right up to a rock island in the middle of the falls

seriously intense!

the roar of the falls was surrounding us

A view from on top of the rock island

look at this goofy bunch - haha

little r with daddy on our climb back down to the boat

it was so steep, Big R went down backwards 

another incredible view of the Rhinefall

you can see the people at the top - that's where we were standing!!!

Our view of the Rhinefall as we drove away

We headed back into Germany on a very uneventful car trip.  The boys were so good in the car on the entire trip.  Somehow we managed to space things out to never spend more than 4 hours in the car, and I'm sure that definitely helped.  It was fun to have one of our last trips allow us to drive through Germany, Austria and Switzerland.  The Alps are definitely one of our true loves, and we are really going to miss traveling in this area of Europe.

Our last European adventure is in a couple weeks when we head up to Sweden one last time.  It's so hard to know that this chapter in our lives is coming to a close.  We have been able to see some of the most incredible parts of Europe these past three years, and this latest trip to Switzerland was a great way to close the book.

Thanks for always going on these adventures with us!

xoxoxoxo

p.s. I'll put all the details of this trip into my travel archives!