Copy Mouse

It's no secret that I love Disneyland (and all things Disney really). Being away from Disneyland this past year has definitely been a bummer. It's the first year I haven't had an annual pass since I was 12 years old. Crazy right? Definitely having Disneyland withdrawals (like quoting the Indiana Jones ride for fun). Being the loyal Disneyland guest that I am; I am very critical of other theme parks. I love other parks, I mean come on, Six Flags roller coasters? The bomb. But it's still no Disneyland. Same goes for other places. I just have utterly high standards when in comes to my overall theme park experience thanks to Disney. So when I first heard of Europa-Park, I knew it didn't stand a chance, no matter how awesome it was.

About a week ago some friends of mine (other au pairs) decided to plan a day trip to Europa-Park and asked if I wanted to join in. I had heard about Europa-Park quite a few times over the months, so I decided it would be worth a visit. I told Nacha and Ivanka about it, and they (and others) wanted to join in on the fun as well. Things were discussed, and plans were planned, and soon we had decided that July 1st would be our adventure day. Like I always say: "There's nothing like a theme park to start the month off right." Yeah. You're right. I don't really say that.

Sunday rolled around and we embarked on our adventure in the early morning hour of 7 a.m., which of course caused much eye rubbing and demands for coffee. Once properly fueled on coffee and baked goods, Nacha, Bernie, Albert, Ivanka, and I hopped on a train headed towards Rust, Germany (which is quite near the French/German border). We were to meet up with my au pair friends (who had left earlier than us) at the theme park.

As we jumped off the train and joined a queue to get on a bus that would take us to the park, the weather decided to show off by raining. But not a sudden down pour or thunderstorm, and not even a nice light mist. No. It was a steady "light rain" all day. ALL DAY. Needless to say we were drenched the whole time (water rides didn't help haha). It finally let up less than an hour before we left. Ridiculous, but typical. This German "Summer" weather is all lies. This is not Summer. Wearing pants and closed toed shoes is not Summer. I- Urgh. Okay. Deep breaths. No need to rant about how much I miss California Summer weather. Sorry. Now, back to my story.

After a very, very squished bus ride, we arrived. Europa-Park stood before us in all it's glory. And man, is it big. It's largest theme park in Europe actually. I still eyed it skeptically though. Because as we all know, size doesn't always dictate how awesome something is.

The entrance gate.

We waltzed through the gates, grabbed some maps, put our stuff in lockers (best idea ever), and started to figure out a game plan for the day. Albert was the one that suggest we try to put off the best rides till later, and do all the less exciting rides first. That way we end the day off on a high note.

So we set off into the park. Like Disneyland, Europa-Park is divided into themed lands. Europa-Park's are, quite appropriately, different European countries (such as Germany, Spain, Iceland... you get the idea). Then there are three other sections that house the rides and attractions that didn't quite fit into the other countries themes. Those lands are: Children's World, Enchanted Forest, and Adventure Land. While the country themed lands tended to remind me more of a strange mix between Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland, the odd ball lands reminded me solely of Disney. Which was a cause of much giggling for me because I kept thinking what a big copy cat Europa-Park is. But then again, many theme/amusement parks copy each other, so I'm being slightly biased. Probably more than slightly. Tragically sorry about that.

Here's a map of the park.

The first stop on our "world tour" was Germany, where we met Euromaus. Euromaus (Euro Mouse), the park's mascot, is a grey mouse. Can't help but think of another famous mouse mascot.... Mickey Mouse, anyone? Nacha and I couldn't get over the fact that they deliberately chose a mouse as a mascot, even when they knew that Mickey Mouse was a mascot for another, very famous, theme park. What were they thinking? Who knows. Well, all criticism aside, Euromaus is a friendly guy and we got a picture with him and his dolphin friend.

Me, Nacha, and Ivanka with Euromaus and his dolphin friend.

Next we headed into Italy. Here we road Ghost Castle... an ever so "frightening" ride through a haunted house. Again, sound familiar? (Haunted Mansion). Then we frolicked over to France and rode on the Dinosaur Ride. It was another dark ride, which Ivanka and I enjoyed thoroughly. Especially the sign at the end that says "Please, get off",  ever so politely. All around the park the translated English was quite the giggle. I even caught a few spelling errors here and there. But you have to hand it to them for having the signs in German, English, and French. That's awesome.

After visiting the dinosaurs, we made our way to Switzerland to ride the Matterhorn Blitz. I really wanted to ride this one, because I miss the Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland quite badly, but sadly my dreams were crushed. The ride broke down due to technical problems while we were in line. Sad, sad day.

We left the Matterhorn Blitz and walked through Greece to get to Russia (surprisingly not as long of a walk as you'd think). Russia is where I first caught a glimpse of the park's monorail. Another typical Disneyland ride. And though the Europa-Park monorail was similar, it definitely had a European train flair. I especially liked how the different trains had different routes written on the side. Of course they all went to the same places around the park, but you could pretend you were going from Zurich to Frankfurt (or other locations in Europe) if you ever so desired. After ogling at the monorail, we rode the Euro-Mir, which is a roller coaster that simulates astronaut space training. I've never been on anything like it, definitely really cool. You are basically in a pod with four people sitting back to back, and throughout the ride the whole pod spins and it goes down the tracks. And along with the traditional roller coaster picture taking Europa-Park has added a twist: video taping. In certain seats there are cameras that tape all your screams and looks of pure terror. I found this to be quite entertaining. Though, just like the photos, I would never actually buy it.

Finally we were able to meet up with my au pair friends in Iceland. "Hallos" and names were exchanged. From there we went to Portugal and rode our first wet ride: Atlantica Super Splash. We amazingly spared getting drenched. Which didn't really matter at this point considering how wet we were from the rain.

Then we went back to Iceland and went on a super amazing roller coaster called Blue Fire. Well, not all of us. Bernie and Ivanka aren't big fans of the dizzying effects of roller coasters, so they avoided them the whole day. So anytime the rest of the group went on one, they went off on an adventure and did something else. But back to Blue Fire... ah man. It's just your typical roller coaster, sitting with shoulder restraints, but geez is it fast. And there are the wonderful moments were your adrenaline goes haywire from all the twists and flips. Roller coasters are just too much fun.

Blue Fire from a distance.

Sadly after Blue Fire we lost my au pair friends and didn't end up reconnecting with them the rest of the day. But the five of us had fun anyways.

The next ride we decided to hop on was Wodan: Timburcoaster. The theme of this ride is about Norse legends. Which is legit. But they failed when it came to setting the mood in line just because of a few details in decor, like the really, really fake looking wood (which Albert and I rolled our eyes at). The coaster itself totally threw me off. Not literally, haha. It's a wooden coaster, and with most wooden roller coasters one gets used to the idea that all wooden coasters are a bumpy, "hold onto your head" adventure. This one was actually really smooth, a total shocker.

Letting out my inner viking. (Albert being a prankster in the background).

Famished, we dug into our stash of sandwiches. Being the ever savvy people we are, we decided to bring food with us. Nacha, the magically amazing cook, made some legit sandwiches, which were devoured over the course of the day. We also had some snacky food, yummy, though not as awesome as the sandwiches.

While Albert and I ate our sandwiches, the other three decided to go on a quick ride nearby. While Nacha, Bernie, and Ivanka road Whale Adventures Splash Tours, Albert and I tried to find some shelter from the rain. We found a nice awning to sit underneath super close to the ride the others were on. One minute we were eating our sandwiches, and the next minute we were getting soaked from behind. Turns out the Whale Adventure ride is interactive... you can spray water at passersby from a tugboat and they can spray water at you from the docks. We jumped out of the way, grumbling about the bratty teenagers that had succeeded in getting us more wet, and then proceeded to sit in the same spot. Yeah, we are that stupid. The next boat came and what do ya know, it was our friends, and they were feeling pretty mischievous. The trio declared war on the two of us in a series of water canon blasts, and we both ran for it. I, to get a better view for pictures, and Albert to claim watery revenge. After much spraying and yelling, Albert came out the clear winner of the water fight; and the Bernie, Nacha, and Ivanka were whisked away in their tugboat to the end of the ride in shame.

Nacha and Ivanka getting thoroughly defeated in the water battle.

Next stop on our world tour: Scandinavia. Here we rode the Vindjammer, a big swinging viking boat, which was hilariously entertaining due to collaborative efforts of all the riders to make sound effects. Then we decided to try our luck on another water ride, the Fjord-Rafting. Which is like a less tame version of California Adventure's Grizzly Bear Rapids. At one point, to all the girls horror, we bumped into another raft and none of us could quite figure out if that was supposed the happen or not. When all was said and done, I was the only one that escaped getting drenched. Nacha, the wettest of us all, demanded that we go back to Portugal to a warming station (a people sized Barbie box with walls lined with heat vents blowing out hot air) we had seen earlier.

Ivanka making friends with a shark in Scandinavia...

Albert and I on the Vindjammer.

 For our next destination I made a request. I wanted to go on the Vienna Wave Swinger (aka swings) in Austria. So went made our way to Austria by going through Spain. While in Spain, we took a little detour and rode the very county fair like Feria Swing (which isn't really a swing at all). Once we got to Austria I was very excited. I love your typical run of the mill playground swings, so the ones at theme parks are always extra thrilling to me (swings on steroids). California Adventure has swings that were recently updated from being inside a giant orange to being Silly Symphony themed. So when I rounded the bend from Spain to Austria, I wasn't sure what to expect with the Europa-Park swings. Much to my giggles, I saw that they swings were mushroom themed. Yes, that's a theme. The main base was this huuuge mushroom and from the under part of the mushroom hung the colorful plastic and metal swings. Albert and I got in line, which really wasn't a line, since we were the only ones in it. Ivanka, Nacha, and Bernie decided to go on a nearby water ride and not join in on the fun. We got to go on the swings twice in a row because there were only a handful of people on the ride. So lovely. I love feeling like I'm flying.

Albert looking so stylish in his rain poncho.

Footloose and fancy free.

The swings!

After the mushroom swings, we all met up again and traveled through the Enchanted Forest. Which was quite magical. We even saw the witch's house from Hansel and Gretel. Fancy stuff. Once we made it through the forest, we found ourselves in England. There we played soccer in bumper cars shaped like cleats. Truly something everyone should do at least once in their lifetime.

Ivanka in her cleat shaped bumper car.

Once we were done perfecting our soccer skills, we headed back to France. This visit, we rode the Silver Star, a very hilly roller coaster. No flips or twists, but still very thrilling. Once off the ride, we filled up on some hotdogs and sandwiches, and were ready to hit the pavement again.

We failed in our attempts to ride the Volo da Vinci (Da Vinci flying machines) in Italy because of an extremely long line. But while in line we got to witness the most ridiculous on stage performance by Euromaus and his girlfriend. They were singing about the rain twirling their umbrellas while wearing a seriously lacking costume: raincoats, rainboots, jeans, and mouse heads. They looked so cheap! I couldn't believe it. You could totally tell it was two girls. I felt offended for the children, where was the magic?! Ahhhh. Disney would never do that.

Our time at Europa-Park was nearing it's end. Six o'clock was coming quickly, and we knew we had to be choosey about our last one or two rides. I made another request... I begged everyone to go on one of the most boring rides in the park: the Dschungel-Fahrt (Jungle Ride). Why? Well, I am a nerd of epic proportions of course! My favorite ride in Disneyland is the Jungle Cruise (cheesy jokes and all) and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to go on a similar ride. So I dragged everyone back across the park to go to Adventure Land. Well, the ride did not disappoint. Of course, it's no Jungle Cruise, but it was close enough. Since there were no guides to give cheesy jokes, I had to resist the urge to not give the tour myself. I know all those jokes by heart, it wouldn't be too difficult haha. Probably the best part of the ride was the fact that it would be oh so easy to just jump off the raft. Safety at it's finest.

Me in front of my look-a-like Jungle Cruise. Life is good.

Bernie being a silly goose.

Floating through an African village.

Silly nonsense.

We decided that we had enough time for one more ride, so we rushed back over to Iceland to ride Blue Fire again. It once again was awesome. But, when we got off the ride we started to panic. We had about fifteen minutes to get across the park, get our stuff out of the lockers, and jump on the bus that would take us back to the train station. If we missed that bus we would have to wait another hour for the next one. So we had to book it across the park as fast as we could, tensions running high. The five of us hopped on that bus with a minute to spare. Now that's what I call perfect timing.

In the warmth of the train home we finally started to dry. Which was quite nice after a day of looking and feeling like we had taken a swim in a lake. Once we got home I was extremely glad to take a hot shower and jump into some warm pajamas.

All in all, I had a lovely day. Rain and a theme park always makes for an adventure. Add on top of that that I was with a great group of friends in a foreign country and you have a winning combination. Europa-Park will definitely be seeing more of me, there's still so many rides to ride! But, in all seriousness.... Disneyland still holds my heart. And that's not going to change anytime soon.

Einundzwanigster Geburtstag

21 years old. That used to sound so old, so mature, so grown. Now, not so much. Being 21 really puts 21 in perspective. It's so young. Maybe I just feel young. But I feel really old and ancient at the same time, which is ridiculous. Oh goodness. One thing I do know for certain is that 21 brings me into a whole new ball game, I'm officially an "adult" these days. Shit gets real from this point on folks. What a scary and thrilling thought.

I love birthdays. Especially mine. I always get super excited for them (like counting down from January to May and such) and I am always let down. Not that all my birthdays have sucked, most of them have been freaking amazing, it's just that I place way too high of expectations on them that can't be fulfilled. Which is ridiculous, I know. Well, this year was a little different than usual. To be honest, I was actually dreading my birthday. Why? 1. Being 21 didn't have the same significance that it should have, considering I have been able to drink the moment I stepped into Germany 2. I wouldn't be able to celebrate it with my friends and family back home 3. I figured nothing special would happen. I decided because of these reasons to not get excited for my birthday like I do every year. In fact, I planned on not thinking about it all.

My strategy worked (sort of) all the way up until the end of April/beginning of May. Around this time Nacha, Ivanka, and Daniel started bugging me about what I wanted to do for my birthday. Especially Daniel. I kept shrugging it off saying we would figure something out, I just wanted to go on an adventure somewhere. But Dan kept at it. And eventually we had all these jokes about what I would do for my birthday, like going sky diving or driving a Porsche. Just jokes. Sky diving is a no go because I'm quite scared of heights... that adventure shall be left for another day. And I couldn't actually drive a Porsche for two reasons: my California license isn't valid here after 6 months and don't know how to drive a stick shift. Eventually the Porsche jokes turned into Mercedes jokes. Mainly because I could actually drive a Mercedes because they are automatic, and because there is space for more people. I didn't think much of all this talk though. Dan was just messing with me.

About a week before my birthday my friends were able to squeeze a birthday schedule out of me. Dan and I would have breakfast, go get Starbucks, then meet up with Ivanka and Nacha, take a train to Baden-Baden, explore the city for the afternoon, come back to Karlsruhe, and have a little dinner at Nacha and Bernie's house. I got my adventure and it sounded like a pretty fun day.

So May 30th rolled around and there I was, 21. It was a strange feeling. I'd finally reached "the age". I was a ball full of energy; my attempts to not be excited about my birthday thrown out the window. Dan came over to my apartment and we made breakfast. Well, I made breakfast. And I failed miserably at my pancake making because I put too much salt in them on accident. They weren't horrible though, especially with the strawberries and whipped cream on top (Dan would disagree I'm sure haha).

Then it was off to the city to get Starbucks. Which I know doesn't seem like a big deal, but for me it was a total treat. Starbucks is ungodly expensive in Europe. Worse than at home. Thus, I've only had it here maybe three times. So I'm sure you can imagine my total excitement. I got a Coffee Frappachino (without whipped cream) and it was heavenly.

Walking from the center of the city back to my house, Daniel started joking about the Mercedes again. (And Hummers. He knows how I loathe those things). He said that he really did get me a Mercedes for the day. I told him I wouldn't believe him until my ass was in the seat. Well, when we got to my street, he pulled a set of car keys of his pocket. Foot in mouth. I certainly did believe him once my ass was in the seat. I was stunned, and pretty darn stoked. Such a great surprise.

Daniel, Starbucks, and a Mercedes. Life is good.

Daniel drove us to go pick up Ivanka. Once we got Ivy, we hopped on the Autobahn and headed to Baden-Baden (Nacha was to meet us there). I stuck my head and arm out of the window in pure giddy glee the whole ride. We picked up Nacha at the Baden-Baden train station and drove towards the center of the city while deciding what to do. Well, adventure found us in the form of a castle. One of us saw a sign for the Altes Schloss. We all decided it was worth a look and drove up a winding road to where the castle sat atop a hill.

Driving on the Autobahn.

The Altes Schloss (also known as Schloss Hodenbaden), has been around since 1102 A.D. That's pretty intense, if you ask me. You can definitely see the wear and tear that time has created on the brown stones that make up the walls. Yet the castle manages to still to give off a feeling of solid power and beauty. The four of us spent a good hour or so exploring the various areas of the castle, climbing lots of narrow stairs, and catching breath taking views of the valley that Baden-Baden sits in. The girls and I spent a majority of our time there pretending we were royalty.

Altes Schloss entrance.

Exploring the ground floor.

Stairs aplenty!

The view was amazing.

We left the castle to go into town. After a short drive, we parked, and then the weather decided to give me a nice birthday present: rain, thunder, and lightening. And it was humid on top of all that. Ever so delightful. But, in true German fashion we just ignored the weather as best we could and continued on with our day. As a group we decided that we were hungry, so we got some Leberkäse (similar to the idea of meatloaf) and Coke. Delicious.

We arrive in the city just in time for a thunderstorm. Here we are hiding under a tree canopy.

The four of us spent the next hour or two walking around the city. We saw the casino, lots of fancy stores, old people dressed ever so fabulously (Baden-Baden is a place where a lot of rich people retire), the Trinkhalle, the Oos River, the baths that the city is famous for, and the Roman bath ruins. The Roman bath ruins were probably my favorite. It's crazy to think this city was founded by Romans almost 2,000 years ago.

Some of the places we saw in Baden-Baden.

The Oos River.

Tree hugging and chillin' by a pretty fountain.

The Roman bath ruins.

After a nice afternoon, we jumped back in the car and headed back to Karlsruhe. We needed to be back by 6 p.m., that way Nacha and Ivanka had time to cook dinner. We dropped the girls off at Nacha's, and then Dan and I headed back to my house to hang out and wait for dinner to be ready.

Much sooner than I expected, the girls called and told us to come on over. As we walked to Nacha's, I couldn't get over how excited Daniel was. Totally cracking me up. In a easy breezy five minutes we made it to the apartment and rode the elevator up to the fourth floor. I knocked on the door. I slightly confused why Nacha hadn't opened it already, but figured they must be doing last minute details for dinner.

Then the door opened and all of my friends yelled "SURPRISE!" Oh man, was I totally surprised. I just about died. Before I could get over my shock, everyone started hugging me and telling me happy birthday. I felt so special and loved. I couldn't believe they threw me a surprise party. I've always wanted one. It's more than I could have asked for for this birthday. So much love.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Happy birthday!

Then Nacha, Bernie, and Ivy presented me with my birthday gift: paints, brushes, canvases, candies, a headband, and sunglasses. Such a great present! (Later in the party Albert gave me a present as well... a soccer ball. Oh my, was I excited).

My birthday gifts.

Then Dan's mom appeared with snacks and a cheesecake. All this was added to the snack table, which everyone totally devoured throughout the course of the night. Nacha also made me a cake: my favorite.... ice cream cake! Two cakes for one birthday girl?! Muahaha. So spoiled.

Nacha put three candles in my ice cream cake and lit them, and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me (once in German, English, Spanish and Portuguese). I made three wishes and blew out the candles. After that we obviously ate both cakes. Yummmers!

Cake, cake, cake!

Hanging out at eating cake and snacks.

Then everyone just hung out and talked for quite some time while music played in the background. Bernie put on The Beach Boys for awhile, just for me haha. I had my "1st drink"... which was silly of course considering I've been able to drink since October. All the same it meant a lot to me. Now when I go home I will be legal to drink too!

My very "1st" beer.

 While everyone was eating and talking, I made them take part in a ridiculous game. There's no official name for it, but I usually just call it the "Animal Game." The rules are simple. One person has a camera, and the other person is in front of the camera. The person with the camera will call out an animal and then the other person must act like that animal. While they do this the camera person will take a picture. The result is really hilarious pictures. We had a lot of laughs doing this.

The animal game.

 After playing the Animal Game, Daniel brought out another surprise for me: Rootbeer. He knows how much I love it, so he somehow managed to get me some even though it's pretty rare in Germany.  I made a rootbeer float, and ah goodness, it was ah-mazing. Everyone teased me about it though. Rootbeer and rootbeer floats are very, very American. All my friends think rootbeer is too sweet and really gross. I don't care though, I still think it's awesome.

Me and my rootbeer float.

Later we all played Celebrity. For those of you not familiar with this game, I'll give you a little break down of the rules. You have your group sit in a circle. Then everyone gets a post-it note and has to write the name of a celebrity on it. As long as it's someone everyone will be familiar with, it can be anyone who is dead, alive, or fictional. Then you take your post-it note and stick it on the person to your left's forehead. Then you pick one person to start. That person will ask a yes or no question such as, "Am I male or female?" and the group will respond. If the answer is "yes", then that person gets to ask another question. If the answer is "no", then you go to the next person on the left and they get to ask a question. And so on and so forth. Basically you use the questions to figure out who you are. Towards the end of the game people start guessing who they think they are. But caution, once you guess a name, that's your last question! If you get it right you win, if not, you lose. It's a great party game! It was a pretty long round since there were so many of us, be we all had a great time.

Our game of Celebrity.

Ivanka was Edward Cullen.

Not long after our game of Celebrity, hugs were given and goodbyes were said. It was well past midnight at this point and it was time for everyone to be getting home. We took some group pictures before everyone left that totally crack me up, we were quite the hyper bunch.

Theses guys are a crack up.

Feeling the love.

Ahhhhmygawsh. This day was almost perfect. I am so amazed by my friends. And so thankful. They took what I thought was going to be a mediocre birthday and made it amazing. Definitely my best birthday ever! What a great way to start off a year. I feel so blessed and loved. Especially by Nacha, Ivy, Bernie, and Dan. That bunch. They made my day absolutely magical. All my friends did. And for that I am forever grateful. May 30, 2012... a day for the history books. Well. At least my history books.

Cuckoo Clocks & Waterfalls

I have seen the world's largest cuckoo clock. (Yes, go ahead and be jealous).

Now you must be asking yourself, "Umm, why??" Well, you see, I went on a day trip to see a waterfall and cuckoo clocks with some friends, and bam, I got to see the world's largest cuckoo clock. It's not like I woke up one day with an intense desire to see a cuckoo clock as big as a house. I'm not that weird, give me some credit, sheez.

The world's largest cuckoo clock! Kidding... you'll have to read on to see a picture of that. You really think I would give away the goods so early silly?

Now this cuckoo clock that I've been going on about is located deep in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald), which is where many Grimm brother's fairy tales originate from. Of course the only way that I could properly tell my cuckoo clock story is to tell it like a fairy tale. So kiddos, get your blankies and sippy cups and snuggle up while mama tells you a story. Don't forget your popcorn.

Once upon a time, there lived a young woman who hated waking up early. Nothing irked her more than the dreadful beeping noise that her alarm clock blasted every morning. But one particular Sunday, she hated the alarm a little less than usual because she knew that a wonderful adventure awaited her once she got up. So she dragged herself out of bed, and slowly got ready. Of course she took too long, thus making her late to meet at her friends Nacha and Bernie's apartment.

But, in a twist of fate she was early, because the rest of the group wasn't going to be there for a good half hour. While the three friends waited, the young woman enjoyed some toast and an apple graciously provided by her hosts.

When the toast was finished, the trio gathered their belongings and left the apartment. Once they were on the street, they were joined by two more of their friends, Balin and Dora. From this street it was a quick hop, skip, and jump to the nearest Straßenbahn (street car) station; where together they bought a Wochenende ticket for an ever so cheap price.

The Straßenbahn carried them to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) as all four of them chatted happily away in a mix of German and English. At the station, the group found the train they needed with ease, and soon they were settled in seats on the 2nd floor; filled with excitement as they sped towards their destination.

The girl sat quietly next to Nacha as she tried to officially wake up. Her thoughts turned to the day ahead; what was Triberg going to be like? All she knew was what her friends had told her: it was deep in the Schwarzwald, it had cuckoo clocks, and they were going to go see it's huge waterfall. Her anticipation grew as the city began to be replaced by small towns and forest outside her window.

It didn't take very long for the girls to get talking amongst themselves (while the boys poured over a map). The conversation was a mix of German and English due to necessity... but not even a language barrier can keep girls from communicating. Soon giggles and bubbles filled the train. Yes, bubbles. Nacha had brought along a bubble wand much to the laughter and enjoyment of her cohorts.

Dora blowing bubbles while the girl laughs like a giddy seven-year-old.

Balin chowing on some bread while Bernie looks on.

Though the train ride was over an hour, it passed quickly due to the high spirits within the group. The morale of course was kept up with chips and dip. Because everyone knows any good train ride isn't complete without chips and dip. It's fact. Look it up. No, not now. I'm not done with my bedtime story. And anyways, you've already brushed your teeth.

As the girl and her friends stepped off the train, rain misted their faces and a chill in the air made them burrow deeper into their coats. They all stood still for a minute as they took in their surroundings. After all, suddenly being surrounded by forest can be overwhelming. A large sheet of rock stood directly across from them, and behind them the tiny Triberg Banhof (train station). Once they had their bearings, they left the train station behind and started walking uphill towards the town.

The friends walked and talked, commenting on all the stores they passed. Because it was Sunday, none of them were open (which of course everyone knows that stores are closed on Sunday in Germany... duuuh). But thankfully (to the girls bladder and the rest of the group's need for caffeine) a small coffee shop was open, so they dropped in.

The girl striking one of her most cheesiest poses in front of some very stereotypical German architecture on their way up the hill.

Finally they made it to the highest point in the town, where the buildings stop and the forest begins. Balin and Bernie located a ticket booth which was the entrance to the Wald (forest) and the Wasserfall (waterfall). Each member of the group had to cough up about 2 Euros before they were allowed to enter. There was a lot of digging through wallets, but soon everyone had a informational brochure with a map in hand as they headed up the trail.

As they trekked up the the trail, the girl began the regret her choice of shoes. She hadn't realized they would be "hiking", and had wore shoes more suited to city walking than for a dirt path. Her worries soon abated when she and the rest of the group found out that due to snow that all the higher trails were closed, and only the lowest one at the base of the waterfall was open. Which wasn't a long epic journey at all, in fact, they made it there in a few minutes. So she and her shoes were safe once more.

Dora, Nacha, and the girl striking a pose as they "hiked" to the base of the waterfall.

When the waterfall came into view, the girl picked up her pace, and the others followed in suit. Soon all five of them were standing on a bridge at the very base of it. The roar of the water wasn't substantial, but the view was. The girl couldn't even see the top of the waterfall, which she figured made sense considering, after all, it was the highest one in Germany.

The Triberg Wasserfall: the highest waterfall in Germany. (Of course this is all that could be seen from the base, it's much taller than this).

Nacha, the girl, Bernie, and Dora in front of the waterfall.

Dora and Balin being ridiculously adorable.

Nacha and Bernie looking like the cutest couple in Germany.

After soaking in the beauty of the waterfall, the group decided lunch was a fabulous idea. On their way to find a picnic spot, the girl spotted an interesting plaque. It commemorated that Ernest Hemmingway had visited this waterfall back in 1922, thus making the girl have a major nerd-out moment which everyone laughed at.

The Ernest Hemmingway plague.

The whole group being super silly on the trail.

Bernie, Nacha, and the girl being ridiculous.

Dora apparently didn't get the memo this was a silly picture haha ;)

 Bernie declared the base of one of the closed off trails a suitable place for a picnic. Nacha prepared a nice place to sit by putting two table cloths on the ground. Then everyone settled in on the table cloths and started pulling out potluck picnic items out of their bags.

The lunch was a delicious mix of sandwiches, quiche, wine, beer, fruit, and cake. And of course no meal is complete without several glasses of spilled wine, talk of frozen animals in trees, and laughter.

Balin, Dora, and the girl just before wine spill #2.

The half eaten quiche.

After they had full bellies and happy hearts, the group decided to go for a walk through the forest. Which was quite eventful, due to the renewed energy on the girl's part. Laughter, giggles, and the singing of random songs abound as the five of them picked their way carefully along the snowy and icy path. At one point the girl started a snowball fight (which she of course won), much to Nacha's horror.

The ever so famous Schwarzwald.

Navigating the icy and snowy trail.

The girl having fun with bubble gum.

Balin and Dora fitting right in with the scenery.

Nacha and the girl.

Nacha and Bernie having a "couple moment."

Soon their wanderings had led them out of the forest and into a residential area with a lake and a playground. The girl, being a six-year-old at heart, immediately tromped through ankle deep snow in order to go swing on the swing set while everyone else checked out the mini lake.

After consulting the map the men realized that the group was near the world's largest cuckoo clock, and thought it was worth a look. So the girls followed as the guys led the way up a deserted residential street.

Setting off to find the cuckoo clock.

Walking along side the ever so forbidden looking forest.

Yes, places like this really do exist outside of movies.

When it felt like they had been walking for hours on end, the girls began to doubt if they were even going in the right direction since it seemed they had walked into the outskirts of a neighboring town. As the boys pulled out the map once more, the girl sat down on the side of the road dreaming of a nice nap in the train on the way home.

Epic map consulting.

Social networking and snacking.

Nice try Balin, your bubble won't beat the girl's awesome bubble blowing skills haha.

Dora having snack time.

After much map consulting, the two men realized that the cuckoo clock was no more than a two minutes walk away. Thus, everyone finished their day dreaming and snacking to continue on the quest to find the world's largest cuckoo clock.

A few minutes later their persistence was rewarded when they found the object of their desire, the clock, hidden amongst a small neighborhood. The clock wasn't so much a cuckoo clock but was more of a small one room, one story house built in the traditional German way. But it actually functioned as a cuckoo clock. In fact, while the group was there, they got to hear and see it in action.

"World's biggest original cuckoo clock to visit"

Traditional woman's hat in the Schwarzwald (albeit a huge version of it haha)

The girl near the world's largest cuckoo clock.

Once the five friends had seen enough of the world's largest cuckoo clock, they decided it was time to head back into town. But how to get there was the question. The map was brought out once again, and soon the group was on their way.

The friends took a different route back, so they got to see some pretty amazing views of Triberg nestled amongst the hills and the forest. Of course, the walk back took longer than the original walk did (going back is never as easy as starting it seems) and by the time they got into town, all the girl wanted to do was lay down on the concrete and take a nap. Taking in so much beauty and doing so much awesome things had taken it's toll on the little au pair. But she didn't get her wish, since once they entered town her four friends wanted to check out a couple of the touristy shops that were amazingly open.

Cute and cozy little Triberg.

They wandered through a couple shops, under the watchful and hopeful eyes of the shop owners, mostly giggling at all the ridiculous things one could buy. The girl's favorites were the dust collecting figurines. The last shop the group entered was the biggest, and by far the most interesting. While it had the typical tourist trap items, it also had a large supply of actual factual cuckoo clocks. After perusing the whole store, both Nacha and the girl decided to buy cuckoo clock magnets. A cute and cheap (well, "cheap") way to remember such a fun day.

Cuckoo!

And so the guys and girls headed out of the store and down the hill towards the Bahnhof. In an effort to use up time, they made a leisurely stop in the gas station convenience store for a caffeine pick me up, and then mosied their way down to the Bahnhof because the train wasn't coming for a while.

The Hogwart's Express?! No? Oh. How dreadfully disappointing.

But the group's effort to use up time still left them with a good half hour to just sit and wait in the station. As they sat discussing the mysterious red stain on the floor, time ticked away quickly, and soon the train had a arrived.

As friends settled into a group of seats in the lower level off train, the girl realized that the zipper on her jacket was stuck. After fiddling with it for a good five minutes, the rest of the group took notice, laughed, and offered to help. And so the zipper saga began. First Balin tried, then Dora, then Nacha, and then Bernie. Then the girl tried again. Then Balin had a go once more. Then, Bernie, utterly determined to fix the zipper, fiddled with it until he won. With her jacket once again in working order, the girl settled down into her seat and popped her iPod earbuds in.

Next thing she knew, the girl and her friends were pulling into Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof. She groggily got off the train, waited with her friends for the Straßenbahn, and rode to her station. Final goodbyes and hugs were said as she hopped off the train and headed home.

Once she was home, the girl threw on her pajamas and dove into bed. She fell asleep the instant her head hit the pillow, and you know what the only worry on her mind was? Her alarm going off the next morning.

And they all lived happily ever after. The End.

And that my kiddos is the story of the day my friends and I went to Triberg. Yes, it was long (you are brave soul for sticking through to the end), but like any good fairytale it included pictures to keep your interest from waning. So snuggle up in your blankies, close your eyes, and think of sweet things. It's time to go to bed little ones. It's time to dream.