Saturday, July 3rd, we woke up a bit later than normal, due to the activities the night before. It was a glorious, sunny day, and we were headed to downtown Zurich to have a little fun! Every three years, Zurich city puts on a huge carnival to kick off summer and just celebrate life in general, I guess. There is no holiday connected with this thing at all, it's just something they do. But whatever the reason, it's really, really fun to go to. It officially opened Friday night, and doesn't completely close until Sunday/ Monday morning. We arrived later than we had originally planned, but it turned out to be a good thing. Many of the vendors weren't really open for business yet, as they were still recovering from the night before. I think they stay open until 3 or 4 in the morning! We were able to find a free parking spot, very close to the action, since it was technically still early to the main crowd, and started walkin
There were several family oriented things that were obviously operating on a slightly different schedule, and that is where we headed. First up were the camel rides in the park. We stood watching them for quite a while, but no amount of fast talk on our part could convince our kids that actually getting on one would be fun. So we walked to the other side of the park, and over towards the carnival rides. Did I mention it was a really warm, sunny day? Well, it wasn't even noon and it was starting to get really, really hot! So we made a detour and cooled off in the lake. Ahhhh!
Just before we got to the main group of rides, we spied a pony ride. This the kids were willing to do. Well, the female ones anyway. It was kind of a strange set up, with no actual line, so every time the ponies would stop, there was this mad free for all as parents hurried to get their kid on a pony first. I heard one lady complaining to the operators that she had been waiting for half an hour! Yikes.
Alexandra got on a pony with my help, but Sarah and Sophie were a bit too slow, so they had to wait for the next go around. I started out walking along next to Alexandra, so she wouldn't be scared, but the ponies kept pushing more and more towards the center, where there were other ponies taking a rest. I really didn't feel like getting kicked, so I escaped through a small opening as soon as I could and started walking on the outside of the ring. But then the ponies started pushing me off the stage completely! So I gave up and let go. Alexandra wasn't super happy about that, but she didn't cry, and eventually one of the workers came and held her hand. Guess she knows how to keep the ponies in line better than I do.
Sarah really was excited to ride the ponies, although you can't tell it in this picture.
Sophie, of course, is always up for any adventure, and the girls happily told each other what their ponies names were, and patted their manes to say hello.
Walking on the street we usually drive on is always so exciting for the kids. All the trams were stopped and only delivery cars were allowed through, so we walked straight down
the middle just because we could!
The rides were set up right across from the lake, in a square where they usually have a farmer's market. Such a gorgeous setting. All the younger kids wanted to ride the merry go round first. But instead of animals, they got to drive cars!
Nick patiently waited til they were done, and then we headed over to the bumper cars. The girls decided to wait with Chris while I took the boys for a spin.
Nick was big enough to drive his own car, and Noah rode with me. We got enough tokens to stay in the car for two rounds, but in the first 30 seconds Nick reopened a wound on his elbow by bumping it into his steering wheel during a crash. It started bleeding pretty bad, and ended up getting all over his shirt and shorts. He drove over to Chris and got a tissue for it during the break. At least it didn't hurt, just looked pretty bad. We had a great time, even though those little things are much harder to steer than an actual car!
We strolled up and down several streets, looking at all the little vendor stalls. Lots of jewelry, handbags and wallets, hats, t-shirts, candy, and even a stall selling saris! And then there was the food. Oh, the delicious smells of all the food. I had to stop and buy dessert before we even had lunch. I can't say the proper name in Swiss German, but I can read the sign and know who is selling them. :) It's rings of apple, battered, fried, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, and a generous portion of vanilla sauce served on the side for dipping. The trick is to eat them while they are still warm, but not so hot that the trapped steam burns your mouth. See, they are so good, it's really, really, REALLY hard to wait until they are actually cool enough to eat. I first tasted these divine goodies, back in the summer of 2001, our first in Switzerland. I also happened to be expecting Sarah at the time, and perhaps those pregnancy hormones helped to forever burn their taste into my memory. Who knows, but I especially wait to eat them only at Zurifescht. And I am such a wonderful mother, I actually shared them with my children. haha!
We had sort of done a big loop through downtown by this time, and were getting really hot again. But I knew of a big fountain close by, so we headed over there to refill our water bottles and dunk our heads. No, seriously, the kids just stuck their heads right in, they were that hot. Then they got their hats nice and wet to prolong the cooling effect. I just filled a bottle of water, poured it on my neck and down my back, and called it good. Then we set off in search of lunch. With so many choices, I was kind of hoping for something more exotic, but the kids all just wanted sausages. Still, there is something special about the flavor of a good sausage cooked outdoors that just can't be recreated any other way. We munched on them as we slowly made our way back to the car. We made another stop for some cotton candy, and one more to cool off again in the lake before completely calling it quits and heading home. After all, we had a Fourth of July bbq at the pool to get to! Yes, that's right, the parties just merge into one giant, long celebration around here. haha!