Ahoy

Alright, so today Bailey, Camden, Mia and I ventured out to one of their German friends Birthday Party. It wasn’t really clear what was going to happen since our translation was bad and even Mia shrugged her shoulders (that’s when I knew we were going in blind). I did know that it involved woods, adventure, and water from the little that we could understand. This morning it was pouring rain, but knowing how that doesn’t stop a German we prepared as I was sure the mission was “a go”. We brought lots of water and the life jackets for the kids and headed out as Allison enjoyed some much needed “quiet time”. It turned out to be a rafting trip with a guide starting in the outskirts of Bamberg and headed right into the downtown via the river. I must say this was the best birthday party that I have ever attended and the kids certainly agreed. We paddled down miles of the river shouting “AHOY” to all other boaters (mostly rowers) that we passed and enjoyed the wild life as well as the peace and quiet. Once close to town we had to use two “lock and dams” to get through to the downtown portion of the river. This was done manually (on your own I might add) by climbing up a ladder to open a gate, then by moving the boat through. Once into the second lock you had to get out and drain the water down (probably about 10-13 foot) to pass out the other side. This absolutely was an awesome experience. We stopped by a waterfall to eat lunch and then we each rode down the falls a few times in a smaller raft which the kids loved (even Mia went). We then headed right through downtown via the river which took us by the Rat House and Little Venice. This includes some of the most beautiful photo op’s a person could ask for. This city is certainly the most amazing place I have ever been to or lived in terms of the quality of life and the abundance of things to do with families. All in all it was a great party. I think Allison and I need to step it up a few notches for the kids. This one will be a hard one to top.