A Georgia Girl in Germany

On Monday of the Columbus Day weekend, I took the kids to Holiday Park. MacKenzie had won two tickets through AFN and the USO before we left Stuttgart, so I didn’t hesitate to buy two more tickets for all four of us to go. Since it was a U.S. holiday, the park wasn’t very crowded at all -- that’s when I prefer to visit German amusement parks. We rarely had to wait in lines for rides or food, and the kids thoroughly enjoyed the day. We needed an unstructured day after how busy our weeks have become lately!



Zachary decided that he wanted to go on a more thrilling roller coaster, so MacKenzie (reluctantly) agreed to stay with Benjamin at the bottom so I could ride with Zachary on the “Expedition Ge Force.” The first drop was a doozy (see the track just behind his right ear?), but he enjoyed it. Before we went on the ride, he said he was going to hold his hands up, but about half-way through I reached over and motioned for him to raise his hands...he didn’t. When he stepped off the ride, his hair was literally plastered back and straight up from the constant wind as we moved through the air at such high speeds!

MacKenzie wasn’t old enough to ride the Expedition Ge Force (had to be 11), so opted for the “Super-Wirbel.” It didn’t have quite the extreme initial drop, but it did have two corkscrew loops -- which she didn’t warn me about! She actually convinced me to ride it twice with her, and, yes, it was Zachary’s turn to wait with Benjamin. I think I may have two roller coaster enthusiasts on my hands here!

After our roller coaster experiences, we decided it was snack time -- and we soon found our favorite: chocolate-covered strawberries on a stick. It didn’t take us long to devour them -- they definitely hit the spot and were delicious, as always.



The last time we had this treat, I only bought three, and Zachary, MacKenzie and I each shared one strawberry with Benjamin. He clearly remembered the injustice and wasn’t going to stand for it this time and quickly reminded me that he wanted his own. Yup, he got his own.

I enjoyed seeing the display of pumpkins and gourds behind a set of benches and made the kids sit for a few photos -- which Benjamin wasn’t too thrilled with.



After our snack break, we headed to the Bounty Tower, where Zachary and MacKenzie rode the swings high into the sky. Benjamin wasn’t big enough to ride this ride, so it was my turn to wait with him. We enjoyed trying to find Zachary and MacKenzie as they went round and round way above us.

Our favorite ride of the day, though, was the Riesenweinfass raft ride. Benjamin was about an inch taller than the minimum height requirement, so enjoyed that he didn’t have to sit this one out. We went on the ride several times shortly after we arrived, and all three kiddos agreed to wear their rain jackets. MacKenzie was real good about holding Benjamin’s hand to help him keep his balance as we twirled around.

By the time we went on our last ride, Benjamin decided not to wear his rain jacket...and he got drenched. Fortunately, it had warmed up during the day, so he wasn’t too chilled from his wet clothes. He and Zachary were anticipating a big splash here.

Fortunately, it didn’t soak them much more than they already were, but we soon got caught in a small alcove and several other rafts passed us before the currents freed us. The kids got a kick out of spinning there for a while.

We were one of the last groups of people on the ride, and the kids enjoyed watching them put the rafts away for the night. Notice that Benjamin took off his wet sweatshirt and how the seat of MacKenzie’s pants is soaked!

Benjamin really wasn’t ready to leave yet, and wanted to watch until the last raft was tucked away. We stayed to watch the Halloween parade as the park closed. It was nothing like a Disney parade, but still entertaining.

Labels: Benjamin, Germany, MacKenzie, Travel, Zachary