Pottenstein

David had a 4day weekend because of training holidays, so we did a little exploring! Ok, I've just spent the last 10min looking at an atlas trying to figure out exactly where Pottenstein is, but I'm unable to locate it. The map we used is in the car, which Dave has, so just know it's about 40min from Breitenguessbach, not sure in which direction - everyone should know by now that I'm slightly geographically and directionally challenged! The drive was beautiful, green mountains, beautiful farmland and little towns. First we hit this little fun park that had a kind of gravity-driven roller coaster of sorts, a toboggan slide and some trampolines with harnesses so the kids could jump really high. We did not go on the toboggan slide because the carts had no seat belts and the person in the front had to control the speed and Dave and I weren't ready to relinquish that kind of control to three and five year olds just yet!

That is Dave and Kinley behind us. The track took your cart to the top, then gravity did the rest. Each cart had seat belts, thank goodness! and hand breaks.

This is me and Jones on our way up!

The beginning before our decent. It was pretty scary because in some parts the track was hanging off the side of the mountain and there was only this little cage in case you fell, and it was open at the top!

Dave and Kinley coming in at the end. Don't they look exhilarated?

 

Jones got going super high! And he had lots of fun, especially for a boy who didn't think he wanted to do it!

Little Kinley with her crazy hair and Buddha-belly was so light she kept stopping mid-air and the guy had to come push her bungees again.

Down the road about a 1/4 mile were the caves. There was a cafe on the side of the mountain where we had lunch before we ventured inside. The tour guide spoke German, but once inside we found out that if you waited after his explanation, there was a recorded English version that echoed through speakers in the cave walls. A little creepy, but also special, since we were one of only two English speaking families on the tour. We got to linger behind everyone else and go at our own pace.

The mouth of the cave is behind us. If you look right above the flagpole you'll see a fenced area which is where the cafe was.

Jones, our junior photographer, takes our picture while we wait for lunch.

Being friendly while we wait for the tour to start.

Inside the cave.

Lots of formations in the background, but they're hard to see.

This was a bear skeleton they found when they opened the cave and started cutting pathways.

Jones being cool, of course.

Formations on the cave floor.

This was the lowest part of the cave, right before the exit. They call the formation on the left the "tree" with the low ceiling representing the branches and leaves, and the icicle-like formations on the bottom the roots.

This is where you end up when you leave the cave. Completely amazing and beautiful!

Among the rocks and forest outside the cave.

After you exit the cave there is a short hike on a little trail through rocks and forest, then it opens up to this look-out spot where you then take some steps back down to the cafe, and then more steps down to the parking lot. In this photo past the parking lot you see some water and the little cream building on the left - it's a trout farm where you can feed the fish and there is a little cafe and you can also get smoked trout to go. We'll have to get some next time!