On Thursday, 15 May we left London for a weekend in Moisburg, Germany. Having learned our lesson with the Florence trip we packed very small hand luggage to prevent a lost luggage incident again. As you can see, were were like pack mules heading out on our journey...we took the Bakerloo tube line to Paddington Station, where we picked up the Heathrow Express. We arrived to Heathrow in about 45 minutes...a bit early for our flight....we only had four hours to kill.
After spending about 65 GBP on coloring books, crayons, sticker books, snacks and magazines we got settled in some seats waiting to board our flight. As the plane took off all we heard was Owen singing (quite loudly)..."I believe I can fly...."
We arrived into Hamburg Airport where Matthew was waiting for us. He arrived back to Hamburg from a business trip and met us at the car rental desk. Good thing too as we followed him to his house!
It was very late when we arrived in Moisburg to the Beaumont's home so we quickly put the tribe to bed. They were very excited to have a sleep over with Helen and Emma! The grown-ups had a "welcome to Moisburg" beer and then went to sleep. Jessica and Matthew had quite a weekend planned for us - we needed our rest.
The next morning the American kids were treated to their favorite cereal - Choco Crispies (cocoa pops). The kids had a quick breakfast while the grown-ups enjoyed their cups of coffee (delicious french-press style) and then it was off and running to the "Wildpark Schwarze Berge" - Black Mountains Wildlife Park.
Our first stop was to buy food for the pigs. Pot-bellied pigs wander around in certain areas of the park just waiting for small people like ours to feed them!
Jessica and Matthew very thoughtfully arranged a private trainer/guide for us. The trainer took us on a walk around the Wildlife Park and introduced us to the animals. The kids met a ferret and took turns petting it. Then we fed raw beef to the wolves and lynx and along they way they fed goats, deer and ox.
As you can see, Emma and Kate, our two-year-olds going on 12, had a power struggle to see the bunnies. All weekend they battled over toys, food, where to sit, cups, spoons, etc. It was comforting to know that the issues parents face with two-year-olds are global. Jessica reprimanding Emma in German, however, seemed to have a greater impact than me telling Kate for the 100th time to share.
We stopped for some lunch - John skillfully ordered 10 plates of french fries, juice boxes and ice cream. Kids were happy. It worked! After lunch we spent a lot of time in the large playground at the Wildlife park; there was so much to do... trampolines, slides, swings, climbing, etc. After a wonderful long day it was time to head home. Jessica prepared a delicious dinner for all of us and there were no arguments when it was time for bed.
On Saturday morning, Matthew and Jessica prepared a traditional German brunch. Coddled eggs, fresh rolls, hot pretzels, cheeses, jams and spreads, fruit - it was all delicious!! Jack especially loved the giant pretzels - he ate 4! The weather, however, was not cooperative. Due to a very steady and cold rain we stayed close to home for the morning. Unfortunately for Jessica and Matthew the American kids introduced Helen to the wonderful world of LeapFrog Leapsters. The boys very kindly let her borrow theirs all weekend. Sorry Jessica and Matt - hopefully she has forgotten about it!
With no sign of the rain stopping we decided it would be best to head out for some fresh air. We headed to downtown Hamburg and bought tickets for a boat tour of Hamburg Harbour. I personally had no idea that Hamburg is the second largest shipping port in Europe and the ninth largest in the world! The narration was in German so Jessica and Matthew translated the highlights for us.
Jessica introduced our kids to a new snack - waffles! Owen could not get enough of them! Jessica sent us home with 2 packages, one was nearly gone before we left the Hamburg Airport. They have since been devoured. We have worked out an exchange - I'll send them Goldfish crackers and they'll send us waffles!
We had another delicious dinner thanks to Jessica's cooking! Everyone was quite tired from our day on the boat - so again, very few arguments about bedtime. After a couple of stories it was lights out for the kids and the grown-ups were not far behind them!
Jessica and Matthew again spoiled us at breakfast. The delicious french-pressed coffee was enough for me, but didn't stop me from having 2 fresh rolls with Jessica's home-made jam. Jack asked me about the giant pretzels the other morning - "Mom, why don't you make the big pretzels like we had at the Beaumont's house?" It was a beautiful morning so the whole gang took the dogs, Bailey and Murphy, for a walk.
Jack took a picture of the grown-ups for us....
And then one last picture of all our kids - they had a really good time together and we look forward to future visits.
A very smooth flight and we were back in London. We took the Heathrow Express back to Paddington and stopped to say hello to Paddington Bear before heading home on the tube. It was a great first weekend away...and gave us great hope that our kids are becoming good travelers!
Prost!
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