Sun 6 Apr 2003
Sunday in Germany is pretty much non-existent. Usually the only things open are tourist shops with over-priced crap (and we have bought our fair share of it). We decided this was a good day to head to the local zoo and give the kids a bit of fun. Since it was pretty cold today, we bundled them up and caught the train (really a trolley painted like a train) from the cathedral to the zoo.
The zoo was quite an amazing site. There were apartments that backed up to the animals. They could sit on their balconies and watch the animals. What a wild thought (and I am sure, a wild smell) to have all that action in your backyard. The animals were the same as every zoo.
The one thing that impressed the kids the most was the HUGE playground, which was of course, filled with DIRT. That is one thing I will never miss about Germany. The Germans insist on building playgrounds on mounds of sand and dirt for the kids to dig in and the parents to see good outfits headed for the trash. We let them play a good long time. What was really funny was the kids complained just moments before that they were soooo tired! Strange how energy comes back when you place fun in their path. When the kids shoes could not possibly hold any more sand and their face and hands looked as if they were painted in dirt, we headed to the fish. Ahhh… warmth! It felt good to get out of the cold wind. The kids really did enjoy the fish the most and we spent a good amount of time there as well.
Right next to the zoo was a Seilbahn (or skylift as we English-speakers call it) that ran over the river, highway, and the city park. We piled all 5 of us and one unyielding stroller into the very small compartment and set out across the sky. You could see very far over the city and the kids were mixed with excitement and fear. Of course, this is also my biggest nightmare come true. Far up in the sky, in a shaky old tin can, hovering over a river. The ride ended at the city park in which we turned the kids loose again (there is that energy coming back again). Because of the cold and time we did not stay long and hopped on the seilbahn to head back.
The day was pretty much done and because of no naps the kids were too. Needless to say, they went to bed very easily that night.
