A full calendar can make the Herr and the Bear break out in cold sweats but really, we are in Europe and it will be cold again soon and, we will be a 24 hour plane ride away (not to think of the cost) before we know it so we have to enjoy every weekend we can.
First stop: the Klimahaus in Bremerhaven. I know what you are thinking, scenic Bremerhaven I am so jealous. Scoff as you may, Bremerhaven is home to 2 excellent museums and Familie N took us on an adventure around the 8 degree of longitude in the Klimahaus. It was fascinating, humid, freezing and impressive all at once. Each area was vast and we spent ages exploring the different countries the 8 degree line of longitude passes through. Except the Antarctic where we tried to linger but it was too cold.
While weekends can include excursions, during the week in the school holidays while the Herr is ploughing through the libraries and archives dismantleing and reassembling history I try to create balance where everyone stays sane in a small apartment and can relax but, also get out and about. According to different children on different days my outdoor expectation is way to high. Go through the photos and pick which kid it is on which day!
A mini environmental disaster rescue attempt is always a good distraction to the disappontment of being dragged outside by your mother. Horribly enough whilst we enjoyed the pool in the hot weather the fairly shallow man made lake was loosing oxygen fast and this resulted in tonnes and tonnes of fish suddenly dying one day. This happened while we were away but it was the talk of the town. So, when we stumbled upon the giant filters the fire brigade set up at various points to reoxygenate the water we just had to sit and ponder the world's biggest fish bowl and the effects of global warming.
With big topics covered, the end half of the summer school holidays also saw the beginning of the "Floor is Lava" season and these crazy peeps play it everywhere.
Next stop: Cologne
We have often had visiting academics stay at our house as uni budgets doesn't always stretch to include accommodation and this visit was a return invitation from one of these scholars. Again we jumped on a train and headed to Cologne to be shown around by a local. The Herr and I have been to Cologne lots, and it has always been freezing so to go in summer is a totally different if, wasp filled experience. Oh, and there was the time we saw Belle and Sebastian there, but that is a whole other blog post but in short it was brilliant, if somewhat blury.
We caught up with Frau E, got the insider tour of the cathedral and surrounds then we went off to do a bit of interactive museuming at Odysseum having swapped telephone numbers to organise meeting up to barbeque in the park later.
The time you and the Mouse thought it was a good idea to put her in a zero gravity machine!
We knew which train station to go to to meet up but nothing else and if you have ever heard me rant about how technology and I have a very bad under pressure relationship you would, at this point be thinking of course her battery suddenly died then briefly came back to life, then there was a bit of switching of batteries between the Herr and I as he only exists on free wifi and this all on the train nearing the station we think we have to get out at. I have never before been so happy and sweaty to see the sent tick and get a reply confirming station and meeting. We had heard rumours that there was an excellent comic collection to be seen and the Bear has come away with visions for his future.
Parenting 101 states don't keep the kids up to late and get on the early train home especially on a Saturday night. But, summer picnicing 101 contratdicts this and states enjoy the company and the weather and just don't miss the last train.
Our plan was to catch the 7 30pm train home and continue our unblemished record of being outstanding parents but this wasn't to be as food, conversation and park sitting were to good to cut short. After the best gourmet portable barbeque cook up ever, chats about history on one side and Dr Who and Star Trek on the other side we ended up on the 9 30pm train home.The station was packed but we got a seat and the kids learnt a valuable lesson from a group of fellow travellers who got on at the second station. We had already seen the hens and bucks parties, with specially printed t-shirts or costumes no less that were starting pre lunch drinking and games out side the Cathedral. They learnt that starting too early and a basket of hard booze (think your mum's ie my shopping basket) isn't a good idea. As you will inevitably leave one of your party behind because they stopped for a wee at a building site. But you can, and should spend the trip calling them to actually work out where you lost them and giving them the variety of train connections the Deutsche Bahn app suggests they catch to get home. These guys were really loud and after about an hour of this it wore pretty thin but they weren't obnoxious or aggressive so it was an interesting situation for us to talk the kids through. When you only have public transport there are no quiet trips home where the kids fall asleep and don't notice how late it is but there aren't many that are too crazy either. All in all public transport shows the kids the real world.
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