We’ve been meaning to go to Monkey Mountain for awhile now – ever since we heard about being able to feed monkeys that are roaming free in their enclosure. Finally we managed to find a day where we could make the trip there and back, and not on a normal weekend day. I didn’t want to have to compete with kids to feed monkeys, because let’s face it, when there’s animals around, I become a bit of a kid.
Monkey mountain
Located in Kintzheim, France; Monkey Mountain was about 2 1/2 hours south of Miesenbach, Germany. It ended up taking a little more than that due to road works on the autobahn, but all in all it wasn’t an exhaustive trip. With all the roadworks going on, we ended up having magnificent views on the way of quaint villages that looked like they were out of Disneyland. Houses were brightly painted, flowers everywhere, narrow roads and little locals everywhere. Surrounding these little villages were many vineyards and corn fields.
There was a toll on the way south, I think it was around €3,30 – so petty cash, but handy to have with you. The toll booths were automated and had the option to change the language into English. It also looked as though you could use credit cards, but they had to be chipped cards, so bare that in mind.
For adults, it was around €8,00 each to enter the park.There wasn’t a time limit, you could wander around at your own pace. We spent about 2 1/2 hours there, taking photos and enjoying the scenery. At the beginning there is a little spiel given in either English, French or German about not feeding the mama’s with their babies, and only feeding the popcorn that they give to you at the start.
Once inside, all information was only in German or French, which was fine as we weren’t there to read the information – we were there to feed monkeys! The monkeys seemed to enjoy Nick a lot, and kept wandering onto the path to randomly just stand near him. It was kind of hilarious. One of the big rules is you weren’t allowed to be within one meter of the monkeys, but unfortunately it didn’t seem as though they understood that they could only be within one meter of Nick 😉 :
The monkeys feast on corn leaves, which they seemed to go to town on. They also had fresh fruit and vegetables that had been distributed around the forest just before we got there, so some of them weren’t too interested in popcorn when there were other tasty treats to be had.
The monkeys were communal. The mama’s with brand new babies were amongst all the adolescents, adult and geriatric monkeys. It was nice to see such an inclusive family environment!
Here are some more photos, if you click the little thumbnail then they will load bigger:
So… yes, we did bring extra popcorn, and that’s why we were there so much longer. The amount that they gave was only a tiny amount, so we had heard to sneak some in. Which we did. Some monkeys loved it, others didn’t.
All in all, we will definitely be back to Monkey Mountain! It was such a fun morning and I can’t wait to go again.
Strasbourg, France
We decided to find a place to stop for lunch on the way back to Deustchland, and I found some information about Strasbourg. There is an area called ‘Le Petite France’ that sounded like a nice place to go and visit for lunch, and it definitely was!
After finding parking close by opposite the Ibis (FYI – about 3,50 for ~2 hours) we set out and wandered around. It was beautiful!!! The flowers around the canals made it so much prettier, and it was nice to see it when it was super warm. I hear they have a nice little Christmas market, so we might have to visit again in the winter.
After having a look through some of the restaurants, we decided to follow the locals and find somewhere to eat outside of the tourist area. We ended up in a supermarket and got some French foods to eat beside the river. We got a lot of food for €13, which wouldn’t even have bought one main in the tourist area, plus we still have a ton of that food in the freezer! (Chocolate pan au lait anyone?)
Once our bellies were satisfied, we set out and walked around the area. It was just stunning! We did get mistaken for German tourists when I was buying a magnet. Although Nick and I were speaking to each other in English, he ended up replying to us all in German. Obviously the whole fair hair/fair skin/blue eyes thing still holds true. Either way we kind of laughed to each other and humoured the guy, replying in German on the way out.
It was then photo time! Nick got some amazing shots of this beautiful little area and I stood in the sun drinking a diet coke.
Life is good!
In a couple of weeks we head to London, so planning is in full swing for that now. I can’t wait!
Au revoir,
Emma
theroamingkiwi.com 