Fasanerie

At long last, we have an internet connection at home!  The idea of 'back blogging' the last two months is a bit daunting, but I'll post pictures in time. For now, I'm content with resuming blogging in the present; otherwise, this blog may be permanently neglected.  

Yesterday, wanting to leave our village, the kiddos and I went to Fasanerie, an animal and plant park just outside of Wiesbaden.  The park was in the country and covered many many acres. We spent the better part of the day playing in the park, hiking the trails, looking at and petting the tame animals, and picnicking.   

The park boasted a Biergarten and Eis (ice cream) stand.  Log, Bop, and Matty chose a popsicle called Flutsch Finger, a hand with its index finger pointing upward.  Littlest chose a Mini Milk largely because it was pink.  

Log playing in the children's park

As we were walking to the entrance, the kiddos and I passed a fruit stand hosted by a local farmer.  Fruit and vegetable stalls abound here, and the offerings are sweet and in season.  We chose a basket of blackberries, Brombeeren, to augment our picnic.  The berries were plump, and all had purple fingers for the rest of the day; this was most convenient as purple is one of Littlest's three favorite colors.

Part of the animal exhibits consisted of enclosures housing tame rabbits and hedgehogs.  The enclosures stood about five feet tall and had porthole type windows close to the ground for children's viewing.  Perhaps rabbits here are a vicious type (Watership Downs?) as I was struck by the presence of an electrical fence around the enclosure's perimeter and was in constant fear of the kiddos touching the wire!  

Obliging kiddos!  This was a first truly warm day in nearly a month; the high was 81 degrees!

Other animal exhibits in the park consisted of local varieties:  deer, bears, goats, rams, turtles, wolves, owls and such.  Most were tame, and the stag pictured below allowed himself to be petted and fed.  The kiddos were in awe of him, and Log remarked that he thought Daddy would like to shoot him (gasp!).  Littlest's thoughts were more positively engaged as she commented that the stag looked like Bambi's father.  I felt sorry for the poor beast as it sounded as if this section of the park was adjacent to an outdoor shooting range.  Can you imagine how nervous one would be hearing the sounds of constant gunfire?  How tormenting!