The Hamburg Zoo

We're off to the zoo in Hamburg today.  In German, it's a Tierpark, an animal park, but it's a zoo.  It's called the Hagenbeck Tierpark after the man who started the zoo based on his collection of exotic animals. There's a bronze statue of him there, stroking a lion.  They say he was attached to the lion and they were great friends and when Herr Hagenbeck fell in one of the animal enclosures one day and was threatened by the tigers and such, the lion came and protected him and saved his life.  Yes.  Well.

But it seems it was the first park without cages, rather places with moats and such to keep the animals and the viewers safe from each other.

I am walking like an old decrepit person today because walking up the 265 stairs of the Bremer Dom (the cathedral) and s l o w l y wandering around the city yesterday did me in, but good!  Oh well, better to keep moving!

To the train, and then an hour's ride to Hamburg.  We pass the time playing cards - 31, Crazy 8's, and the time flies.

Tierpark!

First the elephants, who we could feed - lettuce, carrots, cucumber and such.  They never stopped begging!  It was sad to see them stepped over the barrier and stretching out their trunks for the bits of lettuce and carrot, but so it is at a zoo.

 And of course we had rain!!  Bad luck on the weather this trip, but it didn't last long.  Gray clouds, though, they stayed... 

We saw white pelicans, giant bears,
Orangutans, bison, goats, donkeys, parrots, zebras, lions (lazy), a leopard (sleeping), otters (swimming) and so many others!

 And then there was cotton candy!!

And a Buddah, just for Hayden.

 Dylan really liked the peacock, though he refused to show off.

 And the playground!  That was cool - big slides, big swings.  That was a nice break.

 Weather aside, it was a nice visit, but exhausting. 

 The swinging bridge to the Orangutan exhibit.

 On the way back, there was some sleep to be had....Wish I could do that!!

Dinner: keeping it easy.  The first Mac and Cheese for Dylan, leftover pasta with roasted eggplant and fresh tomatoes for me and Werner.  Fruit salad for the kid, tabbouleh for us.

What now??  She wants to play hide-and-seek.  OK - one turn each.  Funnier than I thought, especially the last round where Werner has put himself behind the couch!  He can hardly get out!

Old Maid, a round of Uno and some chapters in the book and to bed. 

Hoping for better weather tomorrow, a picnic and some kite flying.  We have so much wind!