We had such a great vacation! And we ended up coming home a day early! We headed north (driving) and spent a night in Parma (what a beautiful and friendly place!) then we went on to our friends in Austria - after stopping at the most amazing castle in Bellinzona , Switerland. It was just what I'd imagine a story book castle would be (not the princess type). It had the towers and the grassy areas and walkways and we even found a hidden elevator! lol Austria was great! It was the first time our friends met my DH and my kids so that was really exciting. Then we went on to friends in Germany that my dh and I knew when we lived in Ukraine. Their son is 3 years older than ours but they got along great. We celebrated DS's bday there - well actually at Playmobil Land! What a fantastic place for young kids! I've never experienced anything like it! There aren't rides so there aren't the long queues! It's more like a gigantic playground done in themed sections - Noah's arc (with river ways for the kids to play in), the medieval castle, pirate ships (with barges - and the kids are "encouraged" to fall into the water!) , Western Town where they can dig for gold - and much more! There are tonnes of sand pits and "rivers" for the kids to play in (and they have "family drying rooms!") as well there is an indoor area with THE BIGGEST indoor play structure I have ever seen! They also have an area with a life size playmobil castle and doll house and a few other things that are surrounded by all the playmobil that is made - all for the kids to play with at their leisure! DS got in free on his bday and the next day my dh took him and our friend's son back for more fun! And it only costs about $13 each! Oh - did I mention the store they have!! Yikes! I'm sure they'll remember us for a while! We did all of DS's bday shopping there! As well as some Christmas shopping. And for you playmobil fans - they were advertising their new Egyptian line that will be released soon! After a few days of a very laid back visit in Germany we decided to head home. Our plan was to find a place to spend the night in northern Italy on the way home. However, we hit heavy rain and decided that stopping, finding a hotel (on the biggest holiday weekend in Italy) unloading the kids, baggage and all that Playmobil, finding something to eat then having to do it in reverse in the morning wasn't worth it. We ended up pushing through and we spent 13 hours traveling and got home around midnight. It's been kind of nice having the extra day to "recover" (and play with Playmobil! lol)
Now I have to find some time to catch up on the board!
