~Camping Lago Maggiore...Goldeneye 007 Style~

~We were very excited for our camping adventure to Lake Maggiore in Switzerland. Unfortunately, from the very beginning of our trip.. we got stuck in some very heavy traffic. I said to Steve.. "I bet I could walk faster than this.." He said to get out and try it.. so for the next 15 minutes.. Cole & I walked along the Autobahn pushing our car with us. You should have seen the looks we were getting.. crazy Americans! This is one thing we will definitely not miss about Germany.. they live in their cars. I don't know how, because they are very frugal & the gas is very expensive.. but there is always traffic no matter what time of day~


~We were in the car for 3 hours and we only made it 75 miles.. so we decided that enough was enough. We plugged in camping into our GPS, and lo and behold.. we took the exit and came upon a beautiful campground. We got set up and went on a little bike ride around a lake, and then Kade entertained himself with this bike wheel for over an hour~


~We made delicious taco soup for dinner.. this is a perfect meal to make for camping.. just dump a bunch of cans of beans and tomatoes..then add some taco seasoning. It turned out great and we were fully satisfied~


~But never too full to eat some s'mores. You are not allowed to have a camp fire while camping in Europe.. so we had to get creative. We decided that we would roast marshmallows over the camp stove flame... and the result = delicious~


~We started early the next morning.. and a couple of hours later along some of the most gorgeous areas of Switzerland we have seen.. we arrived at Lago Maggiore. We were meeting up with our friends, the Woods.. we decided an easy place to find them would be the top of the Verzasca dam there~


~Steve & Garrett had mentioned the desire to bungee jump off of this dam.. I thought I would also join them. And then we drove up the very windy road.. and around the corner I came face to face with the dam....~


~I am not going to lie.. it took my breath away. My palms began to sweat and my heart began to beat very fast. Then we walked along the top of the dam.. I looked down, and I said "absolutely not".. Garrett came walking up with his family and said to Steve.. "are you ready?" Steve knew there was no going back.. this was the ultimate in peer pressure~


~They stood in line for the Goldeneye 007 bungee jump. James Bond first jumped from this dam in his movie, after that it became a very popular bungee jump. They paid their money, so there was no going back.. then it was time for Steve to get his gear on. It was so quick, it was hard to not seriously wonder about the safety.. but it had been done thousands of times before.. we had to have faith it would hold~


~The boys were a little scared for their dad.. because they had watched many jumpers go before him. But they just kept encouraging him, and giving him the thumbs up.. it was me that was freaking out!~


~Garrett agreed to go first.. and they were all set in their gear. Garrett's wife Heather was in charge of the video.. and I was in charge of the camera. My hands were shaking so bad, but I did the best I could~


~Then I thought I was going to pass out. Right before Garrett jumped the workers pulled out these huge rolls of duct tape.. yes, they were putting duct tape on the ropes that were seconds from being the only thing that kept you living~


~Garrett made a successful jump and came up with a huge smile, and now Steve was next.. he was out on the tower, I think he saw the panic on my face.. so he gave me and the boys a thumbs up.. I was about to have a heart attack~


~He put his toes to the edge, waited for his 3 second countdown.. and then did a huge jump into the air. This is the highest bungee jump in the world from a structure. The height of the dam is 220m (750 feet), and it is an amazing 8 seconds of freefall. He came down at a speed of 120 kmph (75 mph)~


~I was taking tons of pictures.. but I was holding my breath the entire time, until I saw that the rope held him.. finally I could breathe.. he let out a loud scream.. I knew then that he just had the time of his life~


~I truly do not think (or hope) he will ever do anything again that is more scary than that in his life.. and my husband loves an adventure. After seeing him get pulled up, I felt a total feeling of regret. I should have been up there on that tower next.. what was I thinking? The line was too long now, so I missed my chance. I hope to go back and do it myself one day~


~He was all smiles.. you could tell that he was replaying it over and over in his head. I was so proud of him.. he overcame his fear and just went for it~


~It was a gorgeous day, and the views were amazing. We were very proud of Steve and had a great time watching him and all of the other jumpers. We had been here for a few hours... so we decided a good way to end our dam experience would be to go and get ice cream.. smiles all around~


~We were very spoiled on this camping trip because Steve made us the most incredible Italian dinners every night over the camp stove. This felt like living the high life.. this is not the camping I was accustomed to. When we woke up the next morning, the boys got out of the tent and hurried over to the lake. One of the campground employees had just dropped off a huge bag of day-old bread from the campground bakery.. the boys loved it! They were entertained for an hour~


~What you see them wearing is what they were in for 4 days straight. The weather was perfect and warm, and we went from the lake to the pool the entire day. This was a perfect vacation.. good food, good friends, fantastic views from our tent, and tons of adventure. On our second night, we put the kids to bed after making s'mores.. and then the adults sat out on the beach and talked. We all said.. the only thing that would make this better is if we could see some fireworks.. and no joke, not five minutes later the most beautiful fireworks lit up the sky above the lake..we must be living right to get that kind of luck~


~The next day we drove back up the windy road through the gorge with the plans to swim next to a quaint village that is situated right next to a beautiful part of the lake. We had to stop and get a picture of Garrett & Steve in front of the dam that they just conquered~


~The Swiss village was beautiful and simple.. and there were many people out walking along the roads. There was a lot of hiking and swimming on this perfect, sunny day~


~The water was freezing cold, but it did not slow our little fish Cole down.. he had a hard time catching his breath once he got in.. but Steve was able to pull him out very quickly. I love the fact that he was brave enough to jump from the rock. Behind him you can see a tall bridge...Steve & I jumped off that bridge. It was by far the highest jump I have made. Steve said he was almost as scared as he was to do the bungy jump.. there is a greater chance of getting hurt if you land in the water wrong from that high up~


~There were lots of people out. The water was this gorgeous, deep, blue-green color. It felt like there was an audience.. because anytime you jumped or dived off the rocks where Steve is.. or from the tall bridge.. everyone would whistle and clap. It was a memorable experience~


~After a full day playing at the water, we decided to head home. On our drive back we stopped and explored around this wonderful village that was completely made of stone~


~It was very hard to pack up camp and leave this gorgeous location.. but the weekend was over. We had the best time. On our drive back, we opted out of German food (if you lived here, you would understand).. and decided to set the camp stove up and make some delicious Top Ramen at the gas station.. it was brilliant~


~We have been to many countries here in Europe since we moved here. We decided to add another country to our list on the way home. Liechtenstein is the smallest German-speaking country in the world, and the only alpine country to lie entirely within the Alps. Much of Liechtenstein's terrain is mountainous, making it a winter sports destination~


~On the way through this tiny country.. we stopped and enjoyed some of the things that make this country popular~


~Schloss (castle) Vaduz, overlooking the capital, is still home to the Prince of Liechtenstein. It was a great final stop to a fantastic weekend~