Last Days in Bremen

It had to come to an end sometime.

Of course there was food at the end, and that eaten outside on the terrace, of course.  Leftovers.  ALL the leftovers.  A very strange meal it was, so strange I cannot remember it anymore, but it was some of this and some of that and a little of whatever.  We shared, that was the big thing.  It is so hard to say good bye and to end our special adventure.

Werner was called on the stage that last night, too - the (in)famous chicken-laying-an-egg imitation which is of course inimitable.  Hunter just needs a bit more practice - I know he can do it, too!




And a few last pictures.  When they arrived, Hannah was the first to notice the pillows that I'd made for them, but it took all this time to get a picture!  They did sleep with them most nights but unfortunately, the pillow itself had to be left behind - not enough room in the suitcases!  But the cover - that went along!

Then we had to pack and clean and strip the beds and water the plants and collect it all into the suitcases!! What a lot of things to take on the overnight train to Paris.  Not an easy task but it was done pretty well. And off to Paris and - perhaps just as important - meeting up with moms and dads. 

Two weeks later up in the bedroom - after the Paris adventure -  I found one pair of socks, one holey t-shirt, a number of snack wrappers and more than a few bands for the braces.

The "guest" room has already seen another guest - Amina was here for a week - but still it is a bit, well, quiet around here.

We hope you keep a suitcase full of memories of Camp MeeMaw (and Werner) 2010 and go through your memories now and again and enjoy it all once more.

Independence Day

Where's the fireworks?  Where's the parade?  Sorry, but it's just another Sunday in July, kids.

But we did some US of A stuff:  stars and stripes hung on the pole, stars and stripes on the table, a big American breakfast.  Hannah and Kenley said the Pledge to the flag.  Then they settled into a movie, In America.  Oops.  It was rated "for children over 12" but it must be one of those cultural things .... over 12 here is not so over 12 there.  So that got nixed after about 20 minutes and we were off to Men in Black II.  Fine. 

By then we were ready to M O V E and got on the bikes and headed to the Storchenstation.  Last year we took this route with Hunter and Hannah when we went to the beach, and they recognized spots along the way.  There was a breeze and it was more comfortable than the days before had been.

It was so full at the Storchenstation - of storks!  Wow, I'd never seen so many parents and nestlings.  In the treetops, in all the nests.  The director said they were only given 100 tags to put on the birds this year and they could have used more.   We ate our picnic, looked through the binoculars, signed the guest book, and naturally took a few pictures.

Since we started rather late, Werner and I made and executive decision to take the train back, so we headed for the river and the ferry, but got waylaid by thirst and an ice cream attack.  Lucky for us there is a camping site at the river with a little store so we got drinks and snacks and discovered the playground there.  Playgrounds are always fun.

Hannah fell off her bike once and of course into the stinging nettles.  Water took care of most of it, ice cream the rest.  Then at home she decided to jump down the last four steps of the stairs and did a "Michelle" - she didn't figure on the door jam in her head.  THAT was a thunk!  And she's got a bump to prove it.  We'll try to keep her in one piece till you arrive.

 And I keep collecting money back from them on the Improve Your English Project.  So far, Hannah's waaay ahead of Hunter and Kenley - she's already lost half of her money, Kenley somewhat less.  Hunter has been - like - really careful.

Story time.  Bed time. Lights out.  Pass out.

Universum one day, Football the next

It was sooooo hot Friday and I was sooooooo tired that there was no post.  So today it's two for one. 

Friday was Universum day.   It is a very neat place, a hands-on science museum with heaps of interesting things to do and see and examine and experience, divided into three realms: space, earth, man.  We actually got them up to shower and eat and get going so we could take the 10:25 train to town with our bikes.  And before we got even started good, Kenley had a boo boo on the bike, but Puffy made it better.

It doesn't take long to bike from the main station to the Universum.  We went through "Central Park" (the Bürgerpark) and noted the horse trails and the bridges and the expansive lawns for playing and sunning.  People sit on the benches or lounge on the grass and read books or newspapers or sunbathe - I always think I would like to do that, but somehow it never happens ........

There's the plus and the not plus to this visit.  We know what's there, so it is a bit predictable.  We really like the ice room, the earthquake couch is always a hit and the simple physics of things are always amazing (bouncing balls, wind, water).  Outside it was tiring, just because of the heat, though there were water wheels and the screws of Archimedes and the Camera Obscura to experience.

They've become used to taking sandwiches and such which I like a lot. We had our take along with some drinks and sweets in the little snack bar between the inside and outside activities.  Then when the Universum was done, I took the girls to Ursel's for bead making and Werner and Hunter went off to play mini-golf.  Since I have the camera, there's only the score card to evidence Werner and Hunter's adventure (guess who won 87 to 62?), but the girls and I have pictures!

Later at home we went OUT FOR DINNER!  Wow - our first purchased-in-a-restaurant meal.  We were all really impressed that "our" waiter remembered us all (he's now the owner!) and we all loved our food.  Hunter ate a whole cheese pizza AND a serving of noodles with Alfredo sauce, the girls each ate a pizza, and Werner and I shared pizza and calamares.  Ice cream naturally for dessert and a little walk home. 

Waaaayyy too hot to sleep upstairs.  We made up the couch for Kenley, Hunter brought down his pallet and Hannah made it 15 minutes before she came upstairs to join us.  (She still asks us most nights that all the windows are closed and the doors are locked! )


----

Saturday - Kids sleep late.  What a surprise.  While Werner did the marketing, I made the cake to take to René and Rima's. When the kids got moving, we cleaned up and breakfasted and tried to make a pretty icing on the cake.  Not so much.  The "red" food coloring is so weak - the whole tube just makes it pink! Then we messed up the German flag - it's not gold, black, red - it's black, red, gold !!  Too late - the cake will taste like cake and we'll go with the colors we have.

On the way over I almost finished reading Zach's Lie to the kids -  it was really exciting at the end - though Werner had to take over reading the last couple of pages at the salon because MeeMaw needed a haircut.  I'd put off calling my hairdresser, so we put in a request to René.  It's my first from the master hairdresser and I'm really pleased.  Short and spiffy!  The chairs and mirrors inspired the kids to pretend a little....


And the get together wasn't at René and Rima's - it was at Monika and Lex's with a lot of folks and friends for the quarter final Germany v. Argentina.  We brought the vuvuzelas. Monika had decorated the house and herself, then we got decorated a bit too.  And what a game.  Kenley was especially impressed by all the raucous cheering after the first goal.  It's not American football, but it's still a football crowd.

But it's a village, too, and the kids were a tad disappointed that there weren't cars and horns and such running around like here in Bremen.  (Though that can be a risky activity - an article in the paper yesterday about several accidents after the previous win.)  It took a while for Amina to warm up - as usual - but at the end she didn't want us to go - as usual.  Rima said next time we need to come and spend the night! 


René fired up the grill and then there were ribs and Brats and potato salad and slaw - enough to get us home and late - once more - in bed.  





 

Slow Day

Sort of.

After breakfast (French toast and strawberries) we headed to the library to pick out some videos and then do the market shopping.  Unfortunately for me, the kids opted for MeeMaw's world famous parmesan crusted chicken, not the simplest meal to put together.  But OK.  We bought some of the last asparagus of the season to put into a salad, more beans, more tomatoes.

And I got each of them a roll of 10 cent coins (40 coins) that they can keep, but every time "like"  like, you know, shows up in their like conversation, I get 10 cents back.  I already have like 50 cents and they weren't even here half the day and then Werner declared time out at dinner!!  I think I'll have several euros before the weekend is up.

We had the afternoon off!  Alisa invited them and a friend to yet another pool here in the area, newly renovated with a 3 meter and 5 meter diving platform. They had a great time, they said.  The girls made use of the 3-meter plaform and Hunter was proud that he'd jumped off the big one.  I think I'm glad I didn't see that.    


The biggest event of the day however was getting a splinter out of Hannah's foot.  Did we have to do that last year?  Don't remember.  I've reminded them a number of times to put shoes on when they're on the deck.  Maybe I won't have to do it again.  Hannah was a trooper, the splinter is out, soothed by chocolate ice cream.


NO PICTURES TODAY!  Tomorrow is the Universum and necklace-making with Ursel.  Then there will be pictures.

Family Day

There are certain "traditions" that belong to our Germany visits with Hunter and Hannah, and visiting family is one.  I am always amazed at how we people treasure and seek family ties and how even tenuous family ties bring people together.  The kids just jump right into it, no questions, no qualms.  Kenley joined in like one of the family.  And she is.

First there was a very short visit to say "hi" to Werner's mom.  She's getting so feeble! It seems every visit I notice it more, but regardless, she is so up beat and loves saying hello to the kids and complimenting their growth and asking what is up with them.  Little pleasures mean so much.  Christoph has decorated the whole place in German colors for the World Cup - flags and banners and lights and garlands.  He's a real football fan!

Then off to Affinghausen.  The kids are always a bit shy with each other at first but it really doesn't take long before they are simply having fun.  It's great too that there is so much SPACE and PLACE for the kids there in Affinghausen - a little paradise for kids, as Werner says.  They can run and squeal and scream and just play.  At our place, they have to be so considerate of neighbors and noise and such.  In Affinghausen, they can just let go!

They played football, jumped on the trampoline, took a bike ride, picked wildflowers, ate Bratwurst and other goodies from the grill and Hunter, at least, found it exhausting!  The "odd" pictures are of a farm nearby where we stopped to buy their home-made sheep cheese, sheep oil soap and hand made pottery from a Berlin artist.  On the way home, the girls laughed, poking a bit of fun at Hunter, but he never knew - he was OUT. 

Back in Vegesack, they showered and got ready for bed and silly me thought they would be asleep a bit earlier than the last few nights.  Noooo - it was 11 again before the newest chapter was read and the lights were out.  The last picture is most of the little toys they've collected from the "Überraschungseier" - the chocolate eggs that have little toys inside.  There's only one egg left for each of them. If they want more, it's now up to them to buy them!

Whew. Another full day.  Tomorrow it's market and another visit to a different pool to celebrate Alisa's birthday. 

Town Again

Everyone had more shopping they wanted to do, so town was the logical choice.  Besides, there were things they'd seen and wanted to see again or buy, so off we went.

But not early.  Goodness, I guess we wore them out.  Kenley was first up at 9:45, Hannah soon after and then we had to wake up Hunter.  After pancakes for breakfast - with the last of the KILO of fresh strawberries we'd bought the day before - we headed to the market to get more strawberries along with food for dinner and etc.  There's a lot of etc. in our diet.

It was warm again today, but a tad cooler than yesterday.  There were the usual stops - ice cream (glacée if you want to prepare yourself for France) French fries (pommes frites), and ubiquitous Bratwurst (no translation).  We came upon a street artist had done a pastel on the pavement of Gesche Gottfried, the notorious woman of the spitting stone.  Cool.

I forget sometimes to notice the pretty details in town.  We finished our ice cream at this fountain and rinsed our hands in the cool water.  

Afterwards we went into the Church of Our Lady and enjoyed the quiet and cool of the interior and the kids learned a little something about Gothic architecture (Hunter wanted to know why it was gothic since it wasn't dark and black.  Different Goth.) 
 
They were all happy with their shopping and visiting other little sites as well.  Here they are outside the shop that sells the wooden figures from the Erzgeberge.   

Hunter purchased something from the paper model shop and got a freebie of one of our German lighthouses.  He worked on that while the girls worked on potato stamps and I worked on dinner.

Food all over the table for dinner.  Parmesan crusted chicken with mushroom sauce (rosa and chanterelle), green beans, roasted potatoes, tomatoes with basil or mint, strawberries.  Kenley loved the mushrooms and I have to admit to a bit of disappointment that H+H preferred their chicken with ketchup (ughh) but they loved it and fought over seconds.  (Don't be surprised if they ask for MeeMaw's world famous chicken when they get home; I told them you have the recipe.)  No leftovers! But that was not enough!!! They finished off the ice cream, adding sprinkles and chocolate.


When the table was cleared off we took a little walk in the cemetery and admired the flowers and plants and enjoyed the cool evening air.  What a relief from the heat of the day.  A round of 31 and more bedtime reading and off to sleep.  It's only 11.  Not too bad.  


Affinghausen tomorrow.

Watt, Water, Tacos

What are we doing today MeeMaw?  Well, Watt.  What? Time to take a walk in the mud and muck of the North Sea.  Kenley was concerned about the tides, as was I, since high tide was about 3PM.  So the plan was to get up and get going rather early.  A simple breakfast of cereal and fruit and leave, real quick.  I think it was 11.  We are not very quick, it seems.

But we got to the Watt and I discovered that I didn't have much juice in my battery!  Oh horror!  I keep intending to upload pictures from Kenley but it's always 11:30 when I think of it.  But there are a few pics. 


Hannah provided the usual screaming and squealing and O M G and that sort of thing. They're funny!  


We'd brought the kites and a frisbee and badminton racquets and a soccer ball along, but it was TOO HOT to play (by the way, forget the jacket request from Hunter) to spend time in the sun.  We drove over to Bad Bederkesa and looked at the little castle there and used the playground a bit, but it was Monday so all the buildings were closed. 


Back to Vegesack and a short visit to the pool.  Wouldn't you know it - they thought the water was too cold!  But they ran into Alisa and after a bit of pol time we went home together and invited her to have tacos with us.  She was quite impressed with the tacos - a new experience for her -  and Hannah declared it the best food yet.  (I am such a cook. Frankly I thought the chicken was better.)

A few rounds of 31 and then off to bed and story time.  It's just getting interesting and I think I have to take it with us now in the car and read on the road.  We all want to know what's going to happen next!

Short Sunday

Of course Sunday is just as long as any other day, but since the kids were GONE for 5 hours, it was a different sort of day at Camp MeeMaw.

Julika invited them to come swimming and swimming fit the bill since it was sunny and approaching HOT today.  Invite accepted! (All my worries about cool and wet were for naught; it's now getting to "be careful what you wish for."  I hope it isn't this warm in Paris!)

First, breakfast!  We wanted our German traditional breakfast and we talked about it the day before:  boiled eggs (or scrambled if you want), cold meats, rolls, cheese, jams, fruit.  It worked out great.  Hunter had scrambled eggs and a boiled egg (declaring he really liked them), Hannah + Kenley had scrambled eggs and assorted other things.  Everyone yummied up on the rolls, absolutely no surprise since Germany has the best bread.  

Then they were gone.  I did the wash and some cleaning up and general keeping up and later Werner and I watched the Germany-England game.  Funnnnyy!  I was in and out doing the wash and only needed to listen to the neighbors to know what was going on.   NO cars on the street.  Except for the goals when yelps and hoots and vuvuzelas were tooted, it was deadly silent out there.  W E I R D.  Of course afterwards, it was cars and horns and vuvuzelas and screaming and carrying on.

The kids arrived back STARVING.  We had roasted chicken, green beans, zucchini, salad and fruit.  Kenley tried the zucchini, Hannah and Hunter ate lots of green beans.  Hunter tried mightily to avoid the salad by dumping it in the flowers and then in the toilet but the girls never let him get away with it!!  That was funny. The last of the ice cream was eaten with chocolate sauce and sprinkles and I swear they are eating like stevedores.  

Here's the only picture of the day:  Kids sitting on the side of the tub soaking their DIRTY feet before heading to bed.  Tomorrow they will be even dirtier- it's off to the Watt. (Hannah looks grim, but she was only theatrically posing. It was fun for them all. But she did have a sort of bad hair day in the morning.) 

Kraxelmaxel, Peggy and Football :(

I can't believe it's still Saturday. Oh - wait - it isn't! It's Sunday! But Saturday was at least three days long and it has only just become Sunday, so really, we're talking about Saturday.

So, Saturday was Peggy and Julika and Felina (and Felina's boyfriend Dergo, pronounced not at all the way it is spelled since he comes from Serbia or some such) but not Wolfgang because he's off in France gliding with friends.  Peggy offered several activities - the pool, the beach and river, a bike tour or the ropes course. Since we had planned the ropes course anyway, everyone thought it would be even more fun to do with friends.  Correct.


But first we had to shower and such and it was time for Hunter to comb his hair. It was a group request, so Hunter had to comply.  What a hoot.  He spent a good bit of time enjoying "the look" before he shook it out.

With Peggy and the girls it is always a bit awkward at the beginning.  After all, they only see each other once a year and beginnings are not so easy.  We met at the ice cream parlor, made our intros and went in our own cars to the rope park.  We were NOT the only ones there!  It's vacation time and though we'd let them know we were coming, we still had to wait a bit, and had time to eat some food, and get comfy with each other.  


Julika is half monkey and can zip through this course.  Hunter wants to challenge Hannah and Kenley, but that's not so much fun for the girls, so we paired the two monkeys (Hunter and Julika). And did they have fun.  Julika was always the first to do the course and challenged Hunter with "I can do it better than you!!" and in English!  Hunter of course was up to the challenge and always managed to do whatever Julika did.  That let the girls have fun too. Sometimes Felina and Dergo were between, sometimes not.  Werner brought up the rear.  I got my exercise trying to get pictures of them all all over the place. (Next time, someone else can be the photographer and I'll do the ropes course.)

The start was hard - everyone was a bit nervous but they all bucked up for everyone else.  What's amazing too is how much each one is responsible for themselves - you get the orientation lecture and supervised practice and then participants are pretty  much responsible for themselves. Staff are always looking though, but definitely not holding anyone's hand.


It took about three hours to do, over courses that were gradually more difficult, longer and higher in the trees. Pretty amazing.  Only Hunter and Julika did the last parcours where you had to jump and swing into a vertical net and then climb up to the last platform. 



Whew.  Back to Peggy's for hamburgers and Bratwurst.  And while we were preparing the food, they jumped on the trampoline like they'd been penned up all day.  Wish I had their energy.

After filling up on the salads and burgers and brats, the "little" kids jumped some more (??!!) and Peggy, Werner and I watched the beginning of the USA-Ghana match.  We hurried home to catch the end, but the kids HAD to shower before going to bed so the showers were quick and in the end the girls were standing in their towels watching the final minutes.  What a disappointment!  Oh well.  It was still a fine fine day.

Thanks, Peggy!!

Circus Belly, etc.

Friday.  I just realized that since I stay up so late posting these things, the day on the post is wrong for the actual events.  But you've figured that out.

Breakfast on the terrace.  What?  We're eating outside?  Well, yes, whenever we can.  It wasn't as warm today as the previous few days, but since our terrace is so protected, it gets W A R M and it is very sunny.  So Werner put up the second umbrella, which was great until the breeze blew it over - twice!  But we got through breakfast:  pancakes with initials and/or chocolate chips, strawberries, apricots, syrups.  Pretty filling if I say so myself.

Then the boys went to do the recycling and the girls went to the supermarket and then the kids were on their own for a while (iPads, electrogear - it was unbelievably quiet) while I got the final unpacking put away .  Seems time for that is scarce.


But the time flew by - lunch of MeeMaw's famous grilled cheese sandwiches and then off to Circus Belly!  Cirque du Soleil it is not, but charming in its own way.  Of course, we took the hard way there - a bike trip.  About 45 minutes through back roads and little paths and along a few fields of wheat and by the railroad and stop for an ice cream and then the circus.  

What a hoot. We thought we could pay with our bank card and forgot our own rule: it's cash on the barrel head here.  We had to borrow back from the kids!!!

It hasn't changed much - there's still the amazing guy balancing on the multiple rolling cans, the flame thrower, the lions and tigers, the alligators and snakes, the camels (they still stink) and the plate twirler.  Some parts seemed a bit less refined - the chimp kept swiping a hand at the yipping dog who wouldn't go sit in his place, for instance!  

On the way back we stopped to pick up pizza since there was little time left for cooking.  (Waiting outside, Kenley and I saw a horse-drawn wedding carriage.  Cool.)  Hunter and Kenley had eaten Bratwurst at the circus and they all shared two packs of Sour Spaghetti (sour! and we read later 1000 calories per package!  Ow!) Besides salad and pizza, they bit into fruit and scavenged cake from the day before.  I'm still getting used to how much they can eat these days.  A LOT.  

Then scrub teeth and story time.  Tomorrow is a big day - we'll get together with Peggy and the girls (Wolfgang is off gliding in France) and do our Ropes Course.  Maybe swim.  Definitely grill hamburgers! 

Market Day, etc.

Can you imagine - I forgot to take my camera to the market! But we did get there and saw Herr Meyer the fishmonger, Herr Schmidt the Potato Man, the Cheese Lady, the Veggie Ladies, and a few others.Our baskets and bags were overflowing with fish and bread and green beans and chicken and cold cuts and fruit and even a little piece of Butterkuchen.  And while walking along the shopping area, Kenley spotted a vuvuzela  - those horns that are driving everyone nuts at the World Cup.  Now we know why.

The girls painted their napkin rings and did a great job; Hunter opted to kick the ball around and leave his plain.  OK.  The laundry got done - again.  Two loads - again.  Thank goodness the weather is warm and dry - laundry dries in a hurry.  After lunch, it was clean up and organize; Hunter thought he'd watch some of the Italy WC game but he sat still too long and fell asleep in the chair.  I guess we're not quite over the jet-lag.

Later it was back out on the bikes again and a chance to try out those horns.  And did they hoot!  The nearby cows and calves were really excited or agitated or something - there was a good bit of mooing and running around.  And I immediately restricted hooting in at or near the house.  (We have to live here after the kids leave!!!) 

Then we found a playground at Hannah's insistence and they got to work out even more pent up energy. Where does it come from, and can I have a little?

Dinner was amazing.  Kenley came in and complemented on how good the salad looked, Hunter said he could smell it outside and it all smelled great, Hannah jumped in to set the table, this time al fresco.  They ate two fish patties EACH, potato patties, green beans, salad of tomatoes and mozzarella, we had Matjes and red perch, and then Hannah wanted dessert!  So she found the sample of Butterkuchen from the morning and we ate that.  Even though Hannah said she didn't like nuts, it seemed to nevertheless disappear from her plate.  Leftovers?  Not much.

Then they got the TOWEL LECTURE. Sorry, moms and dads.  Three kids, two and a half days, 10 towels will not get it.  So we identified our towels once again and we're going to try to remember to hang it up and use it again. If not, the dreaded TOWEL LECTURE will be repeated.  They don't want to hear it again, believe me.  It's boring.

Chapter 3 read.  Silence. I think they fell asleep.

DAY ONE - Off to a Good Start

•  1.  Eat French Toast
•  2. See the city (pigs, Roland, magician, Rathaus, Dom, Schnoor)
•  3.  Eat Bratwurst
•  4.  Play
•  5.  Eat French Fries
•  6.  Watch USA win
•  7.  Eat Ice Cream
•  8.  Watch Germany win
•  9.  Eat Spaghetti
• 10. Sleep

Sleeping "in" is relative.  I got up at 8am after the usual sleepless interludes plus a visit from Hannah in the night- first she joined me in bed and then on the floor next to me. Hunter stumbled into the shower shortly after 9, the girls within 30 minutes of that.  Actually, I thought that was pretty early considering the day before. But it was sleep enough.


My breakfast suggestion of French (!) toast was enthusiastically seconded by everyone, so we had fresh strawberries and French toast with syrup, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar and combinations thereof. Y U M. We'd thought we needed to go into the city to buy helmets, but then Neighbors to the Rescue !  Gerd and Renate have several extras, and there were two that fit Hannah and Hunter to a "t" saving us time and effort finding new ones.  Cool!  Thanks Gerd and Renate!


To the train and into the city. We see all the regular sites and would you believe it - the magician was on the steps of the Rathaus!  He entertained us with his tricks and the kids were tickled to see him again.  We found ice cream, we fed the hole in the ground where the Bremen Town Musicians sing, we saw the spitting stone, Hannah found a teeeeennny bear, Kenley took a load of pictures, and Hunter FINALLY had a Bratwurst after almost 24 hours in Bremen.  When we went into the Dom, a nice old man asked if we wanted to climb to the tower.  Well, yeah.  That was a first for Werner, can you believe.  And it's not hard to believe that my legs were a bit wobbly after  265 steps up and then down.  Wow.

Walk around the Schnoor and lollygag in the Stone Shop then RUSH to the train so we can watch the USA play in the WM  (yeah team!) but not really so much because Alisa was home and it was more fun to play with her and then FINALLY we get to take a bike ride and eat dinner and a salad with flowers and watch GERMANY win and then listen to more of the story and go to bed and that is all for today!  The end.


PS Hunter says bring a jacket, but it looks like it's getting warmer.

Here We Are !

The trip was smooth and uneventful, except of course at the very beginning when I realized we'd forgotten the big carry-on bag with the book, snacks, and needlework.  Thank goodness for good people - we recovered it all and recovered our composure in time to say our goodbyes.

There were no tears, but perhaps a butterfly or two.

Hannah collapsed about 2 hours before landing.  Kenley kinda dozed here and there.  Hunter, naturally, never closed his eyes on the plane.

There was a boring and long layover in Frankfurt, then in Bremen we had to wait a bit for a taxi big enough for the five of us and all our bags.  What did the kids do?  Get ice cream, and ordered it all by themselves!  I think whatever German they've learned before is going to be on their tongues before they know it.  Kenley already says Danke and Bitte like a champ.

After showers and shopping and pizza, I read the first bit of our summer book.  Hunter was asleep after the first paragraph.  Though the girls thought he was faking, he was NOT! 

Now they are all fast asleep and I am soon to follow.  More adventures tomorrow.

 

Ready

Not "Ready or Not"  because we are ready for you guys!  Look:  we even have the table set.

You know we do "green" - we like to recycle and we like to save energy and time and so on and so forth.  And of  course we like to eat "civilized."  How to do that all at once at the same time together?  Easy.

I made a tablecloth.  And I made some napkins.  And Werner made some napkin rings.  Each day we will eat civilized with tablecloth and napkins (and please, don't forget the candles!!!) but of course, since we are being "green" we can't just toss the napkins into the wash every time.  We'll reuse.  And it will be nicer because we will each have our own napkin ring.  Hunter is blue, Hannah is red, Kenley is pink.

I've decorated my napkin ring a bit, and so has Werner.  You guys can decorate your own napkin rings, and quite frankly, I think the napkins and even the tablecloth could use a bit of color.  Would you like to paint them, too????

New Bikes

Hey Hunter and Hannah!  Here are your "new" bikes!  You know the ones you had before got too small since you got bigger, so we got "new" ones.

Good grief!  What is Werner doing?  Does he know what he's doing?  We sure hope so!  Actually, you two are going to have the cleanest and smoothest running bikes in Bremen, I think!

Kenley is safe since we're borrowing a bike from our friend for Kenley.  Werner isn't allowed to take that one apart!

Heligoland

It's an island. Yes, it is.  Helgoland in German, Heligoland in English.  It's up in the North Sea.

It belongs to Germany, but it has some roots in the Scandinavian countries, too.  It's very small and only takes a couple of hours to walk around the whole place.  That means it takes longer to get there and back than it does to see it all!

There are some pretty neat things to see - probably the most famous is Long Anna - maybe she should be called LongTall Anna.  It's a stone formation off one end of the island and they seem to forever worry that it won't stand after the next storm.  But it does.  And there are some beaches where you can swim and lots of folks go and camp there in the summer.

Quite frankly, I can't imagine staying there so very long.  I think I would get Island Fever.  If you don't know what that is, look it up!  

Do you think it's worth a trip? 

Paris Sights

Here's something you might see in Paris at the Louvre, but then again you may not!

Click Here

Kraxelmaxel

Huh?  Well, if you live in Bavaria, it's Kraxel, but if you live in Bremen, it's Klettern.  I know Klettern:  it means "to climb."

Remember that picture of Werner swinging from the trees?  There's a Climbing Park like that near Oldenburg where they have all kinds of things strung between trees and you can climb and swing and walk way over the ground.  Kids from age 6 are allowed to do it, so you all qualify.  I suppose even old geezers like us can do it.  

Looks cool to me.   Are you interested??

Strawberry Fields

It seems there's a strawberry lover (or more) in the group.  And wouldn't you know, it'll be strawberry season when you're here!


I know that you can get strawberries almost the whole year there in Florida, but not here in Germany.  We have to wait for Mother Nature to warm things up before we get fresh - and good - strawberries.

These are strawberries we bought at the market yesterday.  They're from south Germany.  And I have to say they tasted really really good on the French toast this morning.


We can Erdbeeren selbst pflucken bei Asendorfs (pick your own strawberries at Asendorf's) (German looks very strange sometimes, doesn't it?).  It's a big farm near here where they grow them and it's not too far to bike. There's a cool store at the farm too where you can buy their own sausages and cheese and butter and such.  Even look at the animals. 

And if we get tired of picking, we can just buy some at the strawberry stand.  Either way they taste really good.

Quiz Time

Questions

1.  What is this?

a. something to play music on
b. a back massager
c. a washing machine
d. a potato scraper












2.  What is this??

a. a washing machine
b. a rocket launcher
c. a mosquito laser
d. a pogo stick







3. What is this???

a. a printing press
b. an iron
c. a sausage maker
d. a pasta machine






READY??


And the answers are:  TA  DA  (music and whistles)

1.  c.  It's a washing machine.  Really.  What fun it was to wash not so very long ago.  You used this to rub the clothes and get the dirt out.

2.   a.  It's a washing machine.  Again?  Yes, really.  This was used to push the clothes and such up and down in the big pot to get the dirt out.

3.   b.  It's an iron.  Are you kidding?  No, I'm not.  People (women, really - don't think the men ever did this work!) put the towels and sheets and cloths through here to press them.  It took at least two people (women) to operate it.  And it was a modern convenience!!!!

There's a museum near here that is an old house and it has all these old things in the house and we think it would be fun to see.  Besides, it is a nice little bike trip from here which means we can take another picnic and go on our bikes.  

OK with you? 

Africa in Germany

Well, that's geographically impossible, isn't it?  Africa is a continent and so is Europe and they do not occupy the same space.  So we can't have Africa in Europe - specifically Germany.

But we can import some of Africa here and have a little impression of Africa here.  And they do!  It's the Serengheti Park Germany.  ( Here is  link to the park and it's written in English, but I think they need my help with the translation. ) 

They have lions and tigers and giraffes and monkeys and  - well, you know - all those African animals!  You take a ride with a bus through the park and then you visit the monkeys and then you have some food (I've heard it 's MUCH better to take your own picnic, and we like doing that anyway!).

Then, hey, there are rides! Great!  You can ride and we can watch.  But if there's a Ferris Wheel, we'll do that.  We like Ferris Wheels.

Looks like a day trip to me!  What do you think?

Leaving Bremen

I know, I know, you haven't even GOT to Bremen yet.  So how can we talk about leaving?  But of course we do have to leave, otherwise the Moms and Dads would be in Paris and we wouldn't.  And you know we have to plan ahead.

We'd considered all the alternatives.  We could drive in the car.  Hummmm.  That's a bit cramped, what with a 10-hour trip.

We could rent a van.  That would give us a lot more room, but it's still a lot of hours of driving.  And what in the world do you do with a car in Paris?  Answer:  Park it.

How about the train?  Well, that's cool.  But it's still a long way.  How do you keep it from being tooooo boring?  You sleep.  You leave at night from Germany and you  sleep in a sleeping car.  It is so wonderful sleeping on a train!  The wheels go ca-thump, ca-thump and it's almost like a lullaby.  And in the morning, you're in Paris.  How cool is that?

The picture on the left is (about) how it looks when the beds are down, and on the right how it looks when you're just sitting around.  


Who gets to sleep on top?????

Storks

People in Germany love storks.  First, they're really pretty to see flying.  Second, they are good luck.  And third, when you see the storks, it means spring is coming and winter is going - always a welcome event here in the cold north.

Storks are graceful but since they're so big, they can't make tight turns - it takes a while to prepare for landing. Sadly, they get injured sometimes because of these long approaches and sometimes run into power lines and such. Not far away there's a refuge for injured storks - the Storchenstation.
Here's the map. From our house it's about 14 kilometers.

There are storks everywhere there - in the trees, on top of the house and on the ground. Besides the storks there are a few other animals wandering around as well.

 

We can pack a picnic, visit the storks and then head to the beach at the river. Sounds like a day trip to me!

Windmills

Werner and I simply cannot remember if we've visited a windmill with you. That must mean that we haven't. Mills are important to Bremen - that's exactly where the story of the Bremen Town Musicians starts.  So we have to do that.

There are a couple of windmills in Bremen, but they just stand there and don't do anything even though they are really beautiful. This one downtown is a restaurant; another is a museum.  Nothing wrong with restaurants or museums, but wouldn't it be nice to see one that really works?

We can do that!
 
Worpswede.  Funny name, huh?  You can say it this way:  Vorpsvaeda.  We can get there by boat and take our bikes on the boat.  


Coming up to Worpswede, it looks like this. See the windmill? It's really small, about one-third of the way across the horizon.   Do you see it?

Here it is up close.  The mill doesn't regularly grind the wheat into flour - they only do it on special days.  But it works.  The sails go faster than you can think and it makes a lot of noise since all the gears and such are made of wood.   See the windows?  They're regular windows, so you can guess how big the "sails" are!  Not small.  

The fence is to keep people away from the sails when they're moving, but it looks like a nice porch.  But only when the sails are still.

A Room with a View

You know your bedroom looks out over and across the street, right?  So, the big house was sold this year and now the new owners are fixing it up.  It seriously needed fixing up.

It's been interesting watching what's going on, ESPECIALLY the roofers.  These guys are crazy if you ask me and it's amazing how they just walk around up there like they're on the ground!

I don't really think you'll be seeing this in June.  Surely the roof will be finished by then!