Strasbourg

Ascension Day is a public holiday in Germany and also Father's day. The weather was wonderful and we decided to drive the 90 minutes to Strasbourg -  a city at the German French border Ji really enjoyed during her first visit almost 14 years ago.
We found a good parking spot and walked to the heart of  medieval city around the cathedral first

The city center is on an island in the river Ill and the water gives the old city lots of charm

The square by the cathedral is very lively with street musicians and restaurants with outdoor seating

Inside the church is an ancient astronomical clock from 1567.

 

In the afternoon we did a river cruise on the river Ill in an open boat. It went around the island that was to the center of the medieval city and past the section build after the 1870 war to the European parliament

After that one hour cruise Mia desrerved an ice cream in the Petit France section

 Before we drove back she also wanted to check out a playground by the river

Family Bike Day

On the first Sunday in May the city had organized a family biking event. Since the weather was very nice - sunny but not hot - and one of the starting points was only a few minutes away in the school yard of Mia's school, we gave it a try.
On a course through the city one had to complete certain stations that were set up by local sport clubs. In Wieblingem - a part of the city were we never been before - Mia could measure how strong her kick is:

At the final stop she could complete a special parcour

She also tried a wavy round course for scooters or bikes

Forrest Playground in Leimen

A colleague had recommended a playground in the woods outside Leimen which is only a 20 minute drive away.So on a sunny Saturday morning we drove there to check it out
A climbing three was not really an official part of the playground but still was fun

There were some goats that liked the bread Mia had brought

 Later we went for a little hike and Mia also fed some deer

After a few hours in the woods we drove down the street for a few minuted and stopped at a fancy beer garrdem

Mia helped some other children to look for tadpols

The same lake was also used for some wedding shots but all worked out

There was also some art work Mia enjoyed

Project Day at School

Friday afternoon all parents were invited at school to see some presentations related to the recent class project. Mia's class had done something about the Forrest

They had set up a food path for exploring with closed eyes in the class room

.After it was Mia's turn she helped one of her class mates

There was some reading material as well

There were also cakes donated by the parents

 Some activities in the gym

Later many children stayed to play in the school yard because the weather was so nice - a few days earlier it was cold and there was even snow in the morning

Technologie Museum Mannheim

On an unusualy cold day with a mix of sun and sleet and hail showers we went to see the Technology Museum in Mannheim which featured a special beer exhibit

In the first part the steps how beer is made were explained

The exhibit also covered advertisement and beer coasters that are made out of cardboard. Children could make their own with different stamps. We now have quite a few at home

The dangers of alcohol were mentioned as well

Of course one could sample some beer at the end and pose for a funny picture

In other parts of the museum one can see a replica of the first automobile ever with a for stroke gas engine that was build 1888 in Mannheim by Benz

In the back is an Opel 4 - the first mass produced car in Germany starting in 1922