Austria
August 7 to 29, 2010
hexenwasser
Hexenwasser
Wow, what a crowd. Last time when we came in June it got busy, but nothing like now! Even Samantha commented how it was more fun when she could actually get at some of the water features without having to wait her turn. At one point she asked a boy for a turn at one of the dam levers and when he wouldn't budge, went to ask (and then tell) the boy to give Sam a turn and he still refused. Finally the boy's sister went and got the mother who finally told him to give Sam a turn. So Sam got a 2 minute turn with the boy and his mother watching her the whole time. We were quite disgusted with how inconsiderate many of the kids (and their parents!) were, many of them being foreigners, especially dutch and german.
But the kids still had fun climbing and wading through all the water features and whenever the other kids were too pushy, stepped in to make sure Sam and Christopher got their turns too.
Arriving at the liftstation at Hexenwasser with the big witch pot gift shop.
Sam quickly gets on the raft...
...the raft fills up quickly but Christopher still gets a chance to try it out too.
Kaisergebirge.
It's still fairly early so the unheated "Kneippbecken" are still a little chilly.
Samantha decides to brave the water also.
4 Hexen on a giant broom.
Opa gets his feet wet.
Off we go, along the watery path that leads through Hexenwasser.
Samantha and Opa at Hexenwasser.
The Hexenlifts even have spots for the witches to put their brooms when they get tired of flying. ;-)
A sign with the story of the Juffinger and Saukogel witches.
Oma helps Christopher along the slippery water channels.
A system of water channels with dams that the kids can control the water flow.
Samantha could spend hours working the dams!
Christopher is having fun walking through the streams.
Opa helping Christopher navigate the very crowded log.
Christopher posing on the big log.
Samantha makes her way across the log.
Christopher makes his way under the branches... oooh, that's chilly!
The vacation version of "logging on"... ;-)
Moving on...
The squirting bridge.
The spraying bridge.
The merkids of Hexenwasser.
Playing on mermaid rock.
Christopher goofing around.
Another climbing log bridge.
Christopher is taking a break while dipping his feet to keep cool.
Opa's so cool he doesn't need to dip his feet... ;-)
Samantha hanging out with Oma.
logging lot of fun times!
An umbrella fence.
Oma and Samantha try to make the water sing.
A local warlock gives Sam some help.
Dam, this is fun!
Christopher explores.
Time to head to the Hexenhaus.
The big Hexenhaus.
Across the bridge we go.
The mechanics of filling up the witch's bathtub.
The water park area of Hexenwasser.
Hello from Hexenwasser!
austria menu:
still to come:
august 20-29