One of the last days Oma and Opa were here was spent at the “feed the animals zoo”. We got them tickets for the train, since there wasn’t enough room in our car, and two lucky children got to ride with them, Alexandra and Sarah. They took a bag of books, some snacks and a drink, and arrived at the zoo entrance, almost exactly at the same time as we did. I love the public transportation system here!
Anyway, the weather was perfect for a day outside. I had all the kids bring heavy sweaters, just in case, but we ended up wishing we had left them in the car about 10 minutes in. I love when that happens! So much better than freezing the whole day. We just tied them around our waists and carried on. We headed over to the ducks and fish first. We don’t normally feed them, I am not sure why. But today we bought two boxes of fish/duck food and did our best to fatten them all up. 
There is also an observation window built in to the side of the lake. You can go down below and watch the fish swim past you. I think it’s kind of cool looking, but it freaks out a few of the kids, so I always stay up top with them while the others go take a peek.
The slides were next on the agenda. The kids absolutely love these slides. Even though there is a kind of scary climb up to the top, the ride down is totally worth it. Look at those smiles!
We stayed here for quite a while, but Chris was worried we wouldn’t make it all the way through the rest of the park before dark, if we didn’t eventually get a move on. 🙂 So we finally nudged them all toward the gates leading to the next portion of the park. Feeding the animals! Alexandra doesn’t like the free roaming animals, so she generally hides behind Chris’ legs, and Sarah loves the concept of it, but not the actual execution of it. Nicholas isn’t scared of the animals, but he hates the feel of their wet, rough tongues on his hands. So, this leaves me, Sophie and Noah to go through all 3 boxes of food by ourselves. Sarah warmed up after a while, and did end up feeding a few deer, as did Nicholas, but only after making sure there was water to wash off his hands afterward. You would think with all the drama my kids would hate coming to this zoo, but they love it and always ask when we can go again. (I know, I don’t get it either.)
This strange animal is a family favorite. In German, he’s called a Bartgeier, which means bearded vulture. They were hunted almost to extinction because people thought they carried off their children and ate them. Um, no, they only eat already dead animals. In fact, there are a family of rabbits living in his cage with him, because he isn’t interested in things that are still moving. Also, those red/orange feathers on his chest are actually white. He rolls in red dirt to turn them that color, as part of a mating ritual, they think. Pretty cool, huh? 
And this is Sophie comparing her wing span with his. She needs to grow just a bit more.
Maybe the kids like coming back because of all the fun playground equipment placed around the park? 
This is the swing by the grill, always a kid favorite. It’s a bit hard for them to get on, but we hoisted them all up there, and Opa pushed them til they had had enough. And of course, the live animals aren’t nearly as fun as the statues!
While some of us were taking a bathroom break, the other kids found their own form of entertainment. I think it started out with Alexandra just wanting to wash her hands, but it swiftly morphed into a water fight.
Fortunately, it was a mutual decision and everyone was laughing by the end. The kids did their best to talk me into buying popsicles, but it wasn’t THAT warm, so I held my ground and refused. Don’t feel too bad for the little darlings. Oma had a whole purse full of doughnuts and croissants for them to munch on, just nothing frozen on a stick.
This is Sophie doing what she loves best, feeding the deer. It is always fascinating to me to see the differences in my children. Sarah is outgoing, friendly and not afraid new people at all. Sophie is a bit more shy, reserved and has a hard time in new situations. But at this zoo, Sarah is the one needing tons of encouragement to feed the animals, even though we have been many times before. And Sophie is the one walking right up to the big animals and shoving her hand in their face! It’s like they swap bodies at the entrance, or something. So funny.
It was a wonderful day with the grandparents, and I am so glad they were able to make some more memories with the kids.