Opel Zoo

Yesterday we went to the Opel Zoo with some fun friends, the Wilkenson's. Michelle is my long lost twin: we were both born in October of the same year, grew up in Southern California, got married in August of '92, and have 4 kids, three boys and one girl. Cool, huh? Germany has amazing zoos and parks. Germans don't have many kids, but it seems that they really go overboard designing parks and playgrounds for the few kids they do have. We got a bit of a late start, and with a stau (traffic jam), we got to the zoo a little before noon. I had never been there before and didn't know what to expect but I was impressed. Truth be told, we didn't actually see a ton of animals, we spent most of the time at the playgrounds. Some of the equipment they had were sure to be banned in the US, or at least multiple consent forms required and age and height requirements adhered to before any child would be allowed to go on one. My kids had a blast. Even Jaxon got in on the fun and chased and played with the others.
Here are the kids at the first exhibit we saw, some giraffes, zebras and buffaloes:



Probably the highlight of the experience was camel riding. Unfortunately, Mason was too young to saddle up on a camel, but Colton and Ella took a spin around on the back of one. Last time they rode a camel, the pyramids were behind them. It had been a while, but they held on, had fun, and looked good while doing so!



So, are you feeling sorry for Mason yet? I was too, until I figured out the German sign and realized that Mason could ride the ponies. Ponies! Those are cool! Not as big as camels but still fun! That will work! So off we went. After explaining to the German pony worker that I only speak a little German, he found someone to translate for him and we figured out that he was asking Mason which pony he wanted to ride. Mason isn't too picky in his pony selection, so he picked the first one, appropriately named "Princess". I was handed the reigns, so I guessed it was up to me to lead these guys around the corral. Sure, no problem. I can walk a horse, take pictures, and keep Mason from falling all at the same time. I even threw in a piece of gum and chewed on top of everything else.
Here's Mason in all his cowboy glory:




Remember those cool electric cars from the Devil's Table park that the kids loved riding around and Jaxon even popped a tire on one of them? Well, they had some more of those cars at this zoo and all the kids loved going around the track, feeling the need for speed.



There was a swing to ride around on, jungle gyms to climb on, and of course, lots of french fries to consume.





I bought some bags of carrots when we entered the zoo, not knowing what we would be able to feed, but since they were selling them, I figured they'd come in handy at some point. We found some goats to feed, and even an elephant. Do elephants eat carrots? This one did. It was a little bit tricky to get Mason and Ella to throw one far enough so that the elephant could reach it with his trunk, but he ate all the ones we got near him.



And here are Mason and Ella riding an elephant. I know, its not a real one, but we can't be too picky now, can we?



Ok, now is when the fun starts. See, I had to leave the zoo kinda early since we had been invited to eat dinner at the Jensen's house at 5pm. I figured if we left at 3, that would give me half an hour to get lost, and still be ok to arrive on time since the zoo is 1 1/2 hours away from our neck of the woods. Did I mention yet that I forgot my GPS back home? I was a little worried about this the whole time I was at the zoo, and since the Wilkenson's weren't leaving yet, I knew it was up to me to find our way back. Well, I have a spiffy I phone with built in GPS. That should work just great, right? WRONG!! Bro. Wilkenson tried to give me directions before I left, I checked the map on my phone, looked at the directions it displayed, and still felt totally and hopelessly clueless. Oh well, I had enough gas, I would probably at least remain inside the country. I took off and right away discovered the directions on the phone were useless. It was telling me to do stuff that didn't match up with my surroundings. German streets aren't labeled well, so the fact that I was supposed to turn on Albergstasse meant pretty much nothing to me. I drove for about 1/2 hour, then saw a freeway. Up until this point, we were just cruising through pretty villages and wooded areas. I got on the freeway and within a few minutes, Michelle called.
"How ya doin?" she asked.
"LOST!!" I replied.
She was wonderful, figured out where I was and guided me to keep going a little further til I found the freeway I needed. She stayed on the phone til I was on the right freeway. THANK YOU MICHELLE!!! (The fact that I had her 12 year old son in the car might have added to her sense of wanting to make sure I reached home eventually and that she saw her son again before he turned 13).
So, I was zooming on the autobahn so I would be late for the Jensen's. We got there only fashionably late (10 minutes) since going 100 miles an hour really speeds things up for ya. We ate a delicious dinner, delightful dessert and then went Boo'ing.
We made goodies and delivered them secretly to her neighbors. Her kids went all out, dressing in black and even camouflaging their faces. Luckily, I love black, Jaxon wears tons, and Mason was wearing a black Halloween shirt, so most of us were appropriately dressed for the occasion. My kids LOVED trying to be sneaky and running up to people's doors, ringing bells, and running. Jaxon especially took it to the extreme as he pretended he was in the field, running a special ops mission, and barking orders to his soldiers to "Fall back!!" or "Stand down!!!" or "Proceed with caution!!"
Here are the LDS Ninjas, as we affectionately named them, getting ready for some business: