A Wednesday Adventure to Remember

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I think that filling everyone in on today's events would be prudent as I am without any doubt that there will be plenty to share from our impending trip to Lübeck. So, here goes...

Today was the las day of school for the students of Hanhoopsfeld. As such, the students were a bit excited and ready to get out of there. This being said, they were engaged and interested as our brilliant students presented their PowerPoint presentations. Presentations on American sports and Halloween were amazing!

From there, Heidi and I took our kids to our favorite local Gellateria for some eis. The group of students proceeded from there to downtown Harburg for tooth piercing and a bit of light shopping. Heidi and I had to go back and attend the teachers buffet in honor of the last day of school. We said our goodbyes there and met the kids at the Phoenix center.

Our next destination was clear. How to get there however, was a bit foggy. Arriba pool was the goal, and we were going to reach it if it took us all day and the following night. Without Annika's leadership and knowhow, it very well may have.

We took the S-bahn into the city and beyond to Kellinstraße. Usually, we could have gone beyond this stop and continued all the way there. Today however, construction forced us to switch trains and head off in another direction for three stops before getting on another train for three more stops before switching once more for the final eight stops. An easy bus ride and short walk later, we were there!

Arriba is a GREAT facility for such a low price. €4 for kids and €6.50 for adults. You can view the web site and pictures here:. For the next three hours, high dive side flips and near belly flops, mass transit down the large tube slides, death defying mini river rides and just chilling in the wave pool were the norm. Everyone had a blast!

With another double scoop gellato cone in hand, we embarked on the journey home. As we neared the corner to head for the bus, the "Herder Hey" made its first appearance of the day! The bus was half way down the street and we had a good 150 meters to go to the stop from the front of ouf pedestrian caravan and a good 250 meters from the end. So that incredibly uinique and unreplicatable ""HEY", which has a tinge of panic, a pinch of excitement, and a whole lot of volume eminated from Herder's lips. Those who had her in class knew what it meant from the moment they heard it and took off running after Herder, gellato in hand. The others, like good little lemmings, simply followed. Bolting towards the bus and half trying to get the drivers attention, Annika went down hard on the sidewalk. Making every attempt to save the all important gellato, feet were over head as she was quite near a full backwards sumersault. In a flash, she was up and running again. I am proud to say that we all made the bus!

The train ride back was relatively simple and uneventful, save one rather angry German. But I'll leave that story for later.

This was one of those day's from which stories that last a lifetime are made. Smiles and laughter ruled the day! So much so that on a couple of the trians, we found ourselves to be nearly the only ones in that particular car after a few stops.

On to the big overnight trip tomorrow and then the final weekend. It amazes me to think that it has been almost three weeks already! It struck me today that next week at this time, I'll be at football camp in Burlington! Time flies!

It's not over yet though! I think we're all poised to make these last few days great!

-Ben

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