BLOG

It’s no secret that Eric and I love the zoo. I have blogged about a trip to the Bronx Zoo recently. Well… we went back again! This year the Bronx Zoo hosted Boo at the Zoo with a special exhibit, Jack O’Lantern Illumination — Creatures of the Night. There are more than 1,000 hand-carved, beautifully lit Jack O’ Lanterns. These are some of my favorites.

Happy Halloween!

Eric took me to Niagara Falls for a long weekend trip and it was wonderful!

The falls are incredible! The mist rises so high into the air it creates clouds in the sky. When the sun hits the waves in the right way a rainbow arches from side to side, and it is beautiful at night and gorgeous at sunrise.

We also took a day to visit Niagara on the Lake. This charming town is full of wineries and cute little boutiques, hotels and restaurants. We took a winery tour and visited four wineries including our favorite, Konzelmann.

We also went to the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory. I love going to butterfly conservatories and have visited some all over the country including Maryland, Washington D.C., Boca Raton and North Carolina. This one is my favorite! It is enormous–home to over 2,000 free-flying tropical butterflies. The space is incredible too, with a rainforest setting with a waterfall and unique and dramatic plants.

Niagara Falls is a great spot for a vacation! If you are considering a trip here are some tips:
I highly recommend staying on the Canada side of the falls as close to the Horseshoe Falls as possible–although the fireworks are close to the American Falls. Be sure to spend a day at Niagara on the Lake for some shopping and lunch and take a peak inside the vintage hotel, The Prince of Whales. Have some maple cream cookies and definitely take a trip on the Maid of the Mist–that was our favorite thing we did!

Eric and I are members of the Wildlife Conservation Society in NYC and we love it! This week we went to the members night at the Bronx Zoo. It was so much fun! It was too short, and we plan to go back again very soon, but we were able to say hello to some of the Zoo’s newest members: baby sea lions, a baby giraffe, baby gorillas, a baby peacock and lots of baby monkeys!

If you have a chance to go to the zoo this season, definitely check out the gorillas at the Congo and the sea lion exhibits–they were our favorites.

Our trip to Germany ended with a stop in Munich and Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Eric and I took a trip to Austria and Germany in May for 11 days. Click here for Part 1 in Austria and here for Part 2 including castles throughout Bavaria. See below for the final, Part 3, of our trip.

The city of Rothenburg was founded in 1170. Walls and towers were built in the 13th century.

If you plan on traveling to Southern Germany, I highly recommend spending a night in Rothenburg. It is now one of my favorite places in the world. It’s so incredibly charming and magical.

Doesn’t it look like at any moment little elves are going to open this door and start singing?

One of my favorite things we did was the Night Watchman’s Tour. Rick Steves says, “For a thoroughly fun hour of medieval wonderment, take the Night Watchman’s Tour. The watchman jokes like a medieval Jerry Seinfeld as he stokes his lamp and takes tourists on his rounds, all the while telling slice-of-gritty-life tales.”

Towards the end of WWII, in March of 1945, Rothenburg was bombed. The city would have been completely destroyed if it had not been for two brave opposing officers. The American soldier, John J. McCloy, was deputy secretary of state and knew the beauty of Rothenburg. He grew up hearing the stories of the enchanting medieval town from his mother who had loved the city as a tourist and hung a painting of it in their home. He ordered the US troops not to use artillery in taking Rothenburg. The local German military commander, Major Thömmes, was given the option to leave and hand over the city. He gave up the town, ignoring the orders from Hitler for all towns to fight to the end.

Five weeks later the war was over and Rothenburg was still standing. As the night watchman says, “We lost a part of it, but not the heart of it.” After the war, the city sent out articles asking for anyone around the world to symbolically buy a meter of the wall to help restore the city. To this day you can walk the wall and see all the names of people who donated.

Rothenburg has appeared in several films, notably fantasies. The city was the inspiration for the village in the 1940 Walt Disney movie Pinocchio. Filming took place here for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) and Part 2 (2011).

Rothenburg was all about charm, Munich is all about beer and brats! Cheers or PROST! from the Haufbrauhaus.

Special thanks to my mom for getting these great shots of me and Eric!

I Instagrammed a lot while we were away. Here are some of my favorites from this part of the trip.

The fairytale trip continues with enchanting castles, horses, swans, gorgeous mountains and elaborate fountains!

Eric and I took a trip to Austria and Germany in May for 11 days. Click here for Part 1 in Austria and see below for Part 2 including castles throughout Bavaria.

King Ludwig (1845-1886) was born and raised at the Hohenschwangau Castle and took over the throne at the age of 18. He created an ideal fantasy world as a refuge from reality by building three castles: the nearby Neuschwanstein, the Royal Palace of Herrenchiemsee, and the Linderhof Palace.

Neuschwanstein was built in honor of Richard Wagner, the world-renowned opera composer. Many rooms inside the castle were inspired by Wagner’s characters. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the castles, but I did take lots of photos of the exteriors!

Traveling from castle to castle we saw some beautiful scenery.

The Royal Palace of Herrenchiemsee was modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France. The highlights include the State Staircase, the State Bedroom and the Great Hall of Mirrors.

Eric took this awesome panoramic photo with his iPhone!

The Hohenschwangau Castle was built on the remains of the fortress Schuangau, which dates back to the 12th century. A family of knights was responsible for the construction of the medieval fortress. It is considered a jewel of German romanticism.

The Alps are so gorgeous they don’t even look real! Standing there at Lake Plansee I couldn’t believe my eyes. The snow-capped mountains, the crystal clear waters and the rolling hills made my mom want to start singing, “The hills are alive with the sound of muuuuuuusic.”

The last castle we visited was Linderhof, built in the baroque style around Ludwig’s hunting grounds. Whenever Ludwig was in residence, rather than flying a flag, he set two large swan figures outside the doors of the palace.

The slideshow includes more photos of the castles along with a stop in Oberammergau, the Weiskirche Church and the Ettal Abbey where monks have been brewing beer and making liquors for centuries. Check out more photos in the slideshow:

The last part of our trip is coming up next in Part 3: Munich and the Hofbräuhaus and the medieval city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Coming soon!