The vacation started off with a fun trip to the zoo with Steffi, Olli's sister, and her children. In addition to seeing the animals, the kids had a blast playing on the climbing structures at one of the zoo playgrounds and watching a man make sand sculpture of Noah's ark at the end of the day.
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| Lukas leaping for joy at the end of one of the tunnel slides at the Hannover Zoo |
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| Isabel enjoying her turn down the tunnel slide |
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| All five cousins watching a man sculpt sand--very fascinating! |
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| Julius and Isabel |
A few days after that, it was time to begin preparing for a reunion of Olli's mother's side of the family. Since Olli's parents were hosting the two-day reunion, there were lots of things to clean and set up in their beautiful backyard.
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| Lukas sweeping the cobblestone patio in preparation for the outdoor tables and grill to be set up for the reunion |
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| Isabel helping to clean out the refrigerator that would house the beer for the two-day festivities |
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| Lukas with his self-created "clean-up rig" |
Once all of the preparations were completed, the festivities could begin--mainly food and conversation, which lasted well into the night. :-)
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| The first and second cousins having their first "chow-down" |
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| Conversation and catching-up with the relatives |
The kids did a great job of entertaining themselves while the adults conversed with one another
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| Jonathan, Isabel and Julius jumping into the empty swimming pool |
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| Lukas helped pushed all the cousins on the tree swing |
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| Lukas and Sophia--the oldest of the younger set of cousins |
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| Still talking into the wee hours of the morning... |
The next day, we all met up in the city to tour the Rathaus (city hall) and walk the "Rote Faden" (the Red Line) through the streets of Hannover to see some of its scenic and historical sites.
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| One of the models that shows Hannover through the ages, pre and post war |
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| On our city tour |
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| Following the Red Line through Hannover |
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| Julius and Isabel becoming great friends as well as cousins :-) |
Then, we went to walk among the peaceful gardens of Herrenhausen, into the Niki de Saint Phalle Grotto and up to the spraying jet fountain.
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| Outside the gardens of Herrenhausen. Uncle Günther's dog was a big hit among the kids. |
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| Kids will find fun in all sorts of places--Isabel, Jonathan and Julius digging through pebbles outside the gardens |
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| In front of one of the fountains |
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| A miniature Jet d'eau! |
We ended the day with more delicious food and a night-time treat of creamsicles for the kids.
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| More food! |
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| A special nighttime treat, followed by a read-aloud time |
As always, Beate and Wolfgang, Olli's parents were gracious hosts throughout our entire stay and we had a grand time!
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