Kaiserslautern Zoo

On Sunday we took a family trip to the Kaiserslautern Zoo. We saw lions, tigers, monkeys and a whole lot more. We bought animal food at the entrance and Caden helped me feed llamas, cows, and donkeys! He thought it really tickled when the animals ate out of his hand. The donkey was very soft and that was his favorite animal to pet. One of the great things about living in Germany is that you can bring your dogs everywhere. We brought Dixie to the zoo with us and she had a great time! She loved looking at all the different animals and listening to the lion roar. I think we will be taking many trips back to the zoo!


Caden liked feeding the donkeys!

Jake and Dixie in front of the Tiger Cage.



The zoo was exhausting!

Oma and Grandpa Visit!

Jake's parents, Kim and Dan came to visit us for a week! They flew into Paris Saturday morning and we drove to meet them there. We toured Paris all day Saturday and half of Sunday. We did a hop-on, hop-off bus tour and we saw all of the major sights; Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, Louvre, Opera House. Saturday night we went out to dinner at a little Cafe along the Seine River. After dinner we took a boat cruise and saw Paris lit up at night. It was beautiful! We got up early Sunday morning and went to the Louvre. We were very lucky and did not have to wait in line or pay to get in! We saw the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and a whole lot more! It was amazing and overwhelming. We could have spent days there without seeing it all. We loved Paris!

Arc de Triumphe.

Eiffel Tower at night.

Louvre

Notre Dame Cathedral at night.

Sunday afternoon we left Paris and headed for Reims, a city in the Champagne region of France. We went to the Surrender Room Museum. This museum is the location Eisenhower and the Allies received the surrender from the Germans. We visited the Notre Dame Cathedral which is where the French used to crown their Kings and Queens. Monday morning we ended our visit to Reims with a tour of the Pommery Champagne Caves. The caves were dug out of chalk mines by the Romans and have been converted into champagne cellars, holding 20 million bottles! They were very impressive and the champagne was delicious.

Map in the Surrender Room

Notre Dame Cathedral, Reims.

Entrance to the Pommery Champagne Cave.

On Tuesday Jake took us all over to his squadron for a tour. He showed us his plane, the C-21, and we all got to get inside. Caden really liked his Daddy's plane!

Jake with his plane.

Caden, Andi and Kim inside the C-21.

On Wednesday, we went to Rudesheim, a town on the Rhein. We had to take a car ferry across the river to get there. We ate lunch at a great restaurant overlooking the Rhein. After lunch, Jake, Dan, Caden and I took a cable car ride up the side of the mountain. The ride took us over the vineyards. It was cold, but pretty. We also went to a Castle that has been converted into a wine museum. It was cold and rainy, but we still had a good time!

Rudesheim

Thursday we took Dan and Kim to Kaiserslautern. We walked through downtown and then ate lunch at our favorite restaurant, The Brau Haus. We had great food and Caden had a good time making a mess!

After a busy and very fun week, Kim and Dan left Saturday to go back to Georgia. We can't wait to see them again this summer!

Caden with his Oma and Grandpa!

Fun At The Park!

Today was another warm and sunny day! I took Caden to the park for the first time and he loved it. The swings were a little big for him, but once he learned to lean back, he thought they were great! I pushed him in the swings for a long time and he laughed the whole time! Next he sat in a bouncy airplane toy and pretended to fly just like his daddy. We played at the park for about 30 minutes and he was exhausted! I think that was our first of many trips to the park.

Caden on the swings!

Riding in the Airplane!