Today's post is about the time I went to an outdoor festival in Zurich. The festival was in honor of an annual Swiss tradition, Knabenschiessen. I went with the mom and one of the sons and his friend to the festival. It was amazing. We did have to walk a bit in the scorching heat to get there but that was fine. It meant I could eat festival treats without having to feel guilty about it!
Knabenschiessen was established in 1889 (according to Wikipedia.) Basically, a group of 13 to 17 year-olds shoot at a shooting range with a rifle. It used to only be for boys but girls can also participate now. At the end of the event, the Knaben King and Queen are crowned (given to the person with the most accurate shots.) [Knaben is the traditional Swiss word for boys.] I didn't actually see the shooting event but that was fine with me. If I wanted to see children with guns, I could have stayed in the US (yup, that was a shot - pun intended.)
Going to the festival was a fun experience. Open-air festivals are pretty common in Germany and I've been to a number of them. This one followed the same formula. A street lined with stands selling wares or food that you're willing to sell a kidney for in order to afford the crepes with nutella (it was about $8. Smh.)
Then there were the rides! There were so many amusement park options! And they all looked terrifying. I'm not a fan of heights and the rides meant for people my age thrust you into the sky. I didn't go on them but watching the people plummet to their potential deaths was fascinating.
Overall, it was an amazing day that made me grateful to be in Europe.
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