On the way to Bonn, we stopped at Drachenfels and went on a little hike. We started the hike at Schloss Drachenburg and made our way up the hill to an older castle. German legend says that Siegfried slayed a dragon on that hill, which is why it's called Dragon Rock. Because it was really hazy, it made the view from the hill really cool, and the fog made the area seem like the perfect home for a dragon.
Schloss Drachenburg
Dragon-tastic :)
When we made it to the top, we couldn't see a ton, but it was cool to watch the haze roll over the hills.
We hiked around the castle on top of the hill. The ruins were pretty cool!
After our hike, we visited the Drachenfels memorial hall and reptile zoo. The hall was kind of pathetic, but the zoo was interesting.
We walked through a cave and came upon this dragon. Luckily my dragon slayer protected me!
Then we came to the zoo. It smelled pretty bad and was really warm and humid. And I don't think I've ever been around that many snakes! There were all kinds - even anacondas that were about a foot in diameter and could easily swallow a person. ICK! There were also crocodiles, alligators, and turtles. One "cage" (glass case) that was holding a pretty big python was actually open, and the snake was starting to come out!! I bolted to get the zoo attendant while Brian and John tried to get the snake back in its cage. Definitely not something you see everyday!
After the snakes, there was a menagerie of birds outside. We could hear the birds chirping away, and we thought we heard a woman out there. Turns out it was a bird making the sound! They were cracking us up - check out the videos!
Enough with the animals - next up - a visit to the Haribo Factory Store! I am a huge fan of Haribo gummy products, so I was setting myself up for some trouble by going to an entire store dedicated to the candy.
"Haribo makes children [and Kim] happy"
I couldn't believe the amount of gummy bears people were purchasing! They had entire shopping carts full of gummies. I watched as people loaded the trunks of their cars full of candy. Crazy!
Shopping for candy will make you hungry, so we drove to downtown Bonn to grab some lunch. We found a fun pub that was showing a couple of soccer games, so we ate a hearty German lunch there.
To walk off our lunch, we strolled through downtown for awhile. I found a great leather shop and actually ended up buying a really beautiful leather coat that fits perfectly! I had been shopping for a leather jacket for awhile and was excited to finally find one that I love.
We also explored this church, which was actually one of my favorite churches we've visited in Germany. It had some pretty colors on the walls and ceiling, and the stained glass windows were gorgeous.
We also found the house where Beethoven was born. And we found these cool benches!
You're sitting - it's a normal bench
Oh...what's this??
Ah! A nice, built-in table where one could enjoy a snack or perhaps a game of checkers
After we saw the bench, we figured we had seen all of Bonn :) So we headed back to Frankfurt for a nice evening at home! It was a really fun little Saturday.
I would have FREAKED out if I was there when the snake was trying to make his escape. Ewww. I would have been one of those people at the Haribo store loading my car up with gummy bears too! Yum! Love the bench. :)
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