The Hagenbeck Tierpark, aka. "The Zoo"

On Saturday we decided to go to the Zoo. We decided at about 8:15. We started getting ready in earnest at 9:00. We didn't arrive at the Zoo until almost noon. That's how long it takes us to move around with three kleine Kinder. Between leaving and arriving, we took a bus and two trains, for a total of almost an hour's travel both ways. And we were fully loaded with everything we would need for the entire day, included two diaper bags stuffed with cloth diapers and wipes, snacks to decrease our food costs, and a coat and water bottle for each person.

It didn't even all fit in the stroller. But we were determined to have fun...even if it killed us.

On the way in we found a small stand selling uniform looking white plastic sacks. Most of the visitors were buying them, so I quickly pointed it out to Jeff to go talk to them (I tend to avoid talking to anyone, so as not to have to mince German so badly they kick me out of the country). It turns out the bags were full of precut food for the animals, such as carrots, apples, leafy greens, and cucumbers. For a couple euros you could purchase a bag and feed certain animals in the park, and the money went to the care of the animals. We bought two bags. Although you could feed many animals, such as the monkeys, by far the most exciting were the elephants. They would reach out to grab the food from you and pop it in their mouth as quick as possible so they could reach for more. Everyone got a turn, but David didn't want anything to do with the elephants. I got my hand wet from its' trunk.

We stopped shortly to look at the monkeys and throw them a few veggies. (Perhaps Ari is on the wrong side of the glass?) Then we booked it over to the other side of the park for the Giraffe feeding that started at noon.

At the giraffe area was an elevated walkway where you could stand at the giraffes' head level. A volunteer for the zoo had a wheelbarrow full of leaves for the giraffes. For a nominal donation we each got a handful of leaves to feed them. Jeff took the kids up first, then it was my turn.

Jeff had tried to get David to feed the giraffes when he went up, but David was scared, same as the elephants. When I went up with him, I saw that the giraffe had quite the reach, so I picked David up and just held him so he wouldn't expect anything. The giraffe came and took the entire branch of leaves right out of his hands. Ariana, on the other hand, was so short and had so many people in front of her that the giraffe didn't really seem to notice her. And she was practically jumping up and down waving her leaf and calling to it. So it was really quite funny when the giraffe finally did notice the leaf dancing up and down and eat it, because Ariana let out a scream and started crying. She had to be comforted to calm down. I know, shame on me for finding it funny, but she had already been feeding the giraffe just fine before that, it just surprised her.

Ella was content to hang out in the stroller for a good portion of the day, and I was glad not to have to carry her. As you can see, I dressed her up for the occasion. Those are little monkeys on her shirt. Ella's favorite part of the trip was when we went back to the elephants later in the day to feed them some more. She kept turning her head to look at them intently.

Next, Ariana got to go on a pony ride. She had the biggest grin on her face when she got off. She also got to pet the pony's head, although she moved a little quickly for its' liking.

Here is David checking out the flamingos. We had to keep a good eye on him because there was nothing between him and the water. Flamingos are one of my favorite zoo animals, but this zoo had a couple of new tricks up its sleeve, like some cute baby grizzly bear cubs tumbling and playing together. The tropical animals are actually kept in a separate huge building with its own admission. So when it started pouring down rain, as it often does in Hamburg, we headed inside.

Here is what greeted us first inside - lemurs. This is also one of my new favorite exhibits. You walk into a room that is full of lemurs playing and doing whatever they please, including using one guy's shoulders as a stepping stone to another perch! You couldn't touch them, but they could run around you. It was really cool. We didn't get a very good picture because they were always on the move. There was also an incredibly cute baby lemur in the group.

Towards the end, everyone was getting a little tired and cranky, especially because the stroller had to be left outside of the "aquarium." We sat down to eat some snacks and then headed back outside. We visited a few more animals, ate dinner, and then it was time to go home. Of course, by that time the kids were exhausted and the hour long train ride home was a royal pain. But that's another story (and one not really worth recounting).

As you can tell, I love having a phone with a camera now. And we will probably be headed back to the zoo sooner rather than later - feeding the animals was a big hit.