Connyland with the Coma Family

By the sea lion pool

Last Sunday we had one of our very BEST days yet with our friends the Coma family, at a theme park called Connyland! Nderim plays on the Barracudas with Michael, and his wife Samije and I became good friends back in 2006 the first time we were here. They have two sweet girls, Eleonora (6) and Amarda (1). Jake has had so much fun playing with them, especially Eleonora, who came to the airport when we arrived in June and Jake just took to her immediately. You should hear him try to say their names, it's hilarious, he tries so hard! They always have a great time playing at the games together and yesterday was no exception at Connyland. The weather was absolutely perfect, it was warm and sunny but not too hot.

Sea lion show

Watching the seals

A kiss from the sea lion

The Comas were kind enough to drive both of their cars so that we could all caravan together to Lipperswil, where Connyland is located, which is about an hour from Zurich. The drive was beautiful, with picturesque, green Swiss countryside the whole way. Connyland is like a mixture of Sea World and Disneyland, on a much smaller scale. It had such a great variety of things and we were so impressed with all it had to offer. Jake couldn't contain his excitement when we told him the night before that we were going to a place with seals, dolphins, dinosaurs and rides, so the next morning when the Comas arrived, he was screaming with glee!

Jake & Eleonora

Petting the goat

The first thing we did was watch the Sea Lion show, which turned out to be Jake's favorite thing. They played American music during the performance, such as Michael Jackson, The Beach Boys, Beyonce, and Outkast, which we really enjoyed. Jake kept exclaiming "wow" and was totally mesmerized. We even got to have our picture taken with a sea lion, which scared Jake a bit to be so close, but I think he has looked at the picture a hundred times by now! We got Jake a Connyland t-shirt with a seal on it and he hugged himself for about ten minutes after putting it on! Next was a bouncy house, a petting zoo, Dumbo ride and a pony ride. The Comas were kind enough to pack lunch for everyone so we took a break and ate while waiting in line for the pony ride, at which the little ponies were quite loud with their whinnies! Then we all went on the log ride, which was so fun! Eleonora was scared at first to do it, but she ended up loving it so much that she asked to go again. We headed over to a playground area and let the kids run around while we drank and talked for a while. Then Michael, Jake, Nderim and Eleonora went down a huge slide, just like the one at the Houston Rodeo.

Bouncy House

Riding the pony

Dumbo Ride

Dolphin Show

Dino Attack was a great ride for Jake, complete with cars that looked straight out of Jurassic Park! It was only a few minutes long and he was asking for more the second it was over. But we had to head over to the dolphin show, where we got front row seats! This show is number one in Switzerland and we really enjoyed it. Jake loved seeing the dolphins jump and play and he kept asking to pet or hug them. His favorite part was a dolphin playing football with the trainer.

The Comas on the Dino Attack ride

Jake & Michael on the slide

Log Ride

Michael & Nderim getting dry after log ride

Me & Samije

After a trip to the gift shop to get the kids some souvenirs, the kids rode a little merry go round. Then we left Connyland and went to the Coma's house, where Samije and Nderim cooked us a wonderful dinner. The kids played and played, even after the long day they'd had. Maybe the naps in the car gave them a second wind! We had such a great time with the Comas. Samije and Nderim are so genuine, easy going, and fun-loving. Eleonora is great with Jake, and he loves having someone to play with. It was really refreshing to be with another family, and this was the most fun Jake has had since we've been here. I know we will remain life long friends and we appreciate their generosity and hospitality so much. We will cherish the memories at Connyland and the fun we had with Nderim, Samije, Eleonora, and Amarda. Thank you Coma family for such a special day, we love you!

Michael & sweet Amarda (so cute to see him with a girl!)

The Settle & Coma Families at Connyland!