2008.09.21. - Very busy weekend - ropes, sales & marzipan

There is nooooo way to fill a weekend more than we did it with this one. It was fun but quite exhausting by the end.

It all started out with Alena's birthday party Friday afternoon. She took her friends, including Julia up to the amazing rope climbing facility in the woods of Kelkheim.

The weather turned out to be so nice that Annie and Daniel decided spontaneously to stay and do some climbing themselves (for 3 hours!).

First I was against it because the kids were totally unprepared as far as the clothing is concerned - Daniel wearing heelies (shoes with in-built wheels to roll on), Ann Marie wearing a dress and crocs!)

But I thought since there was no guarantee for such ideal conditions like on that day for the near future until spring comes, Annie should give her 1st climbing try-out a go.

We took Alena home with us for a double sleep-over until Sunday evening. There were two other events planned with her.

Saturday we went to the biannual Garage Sale of the American Women's Club where the Scouts helped sorting clothes and toys for charity. Then we quickly transported Daniel to his friend's birthday party and hurried on to a big furniture shop to buy new lamps for our home and a room fountain for Alena before Daniel was brought back home again.

Sunday we had a whole bunch of kids. Julia celebrated her birthday (again), this time including friends from her new highschool. We booked a "Marzipan Workshop" in the Chocolate Museum of Köln.

We spent one and a half hour on the highway one way (justified by the distance) and more than 30 minutes circling around the Museum, trying to find 2 decent parking places without success (the main underground car park was closed down due to construction works). We did take two unmarked parking places at the end and collected two parking tickets upon return accordingly. It was worth it though.

First of all we were surprised by a very nice exhibition and outdoor market of art and handcraft items all around the museum. The kids could have spent hours looking around and strolling between the booths. They were most impressed by the performance of a magician who entertained the crowd.

We then took an hour to inspect some parts of the museum, especially those ones where chocolate was offered to the visitors for free. The highlight of these "points of interest" was definitely the huge Chocolate Fountain decorated with golden cocoa beans followed by the chocolate production line and shaping machine. Unfortunately, we didn't even have time for the interactive part of the museum where the kids can play quiz and other games involving chocolate.

Instead we headed to a laboratory like room with an instructor who guided the kids through the skillful art of Marzipan-Figures preparation.

A giant lump of "raw material" (marzipan) was provided and several different decorational stuff - food coloring, sprinkles...


Too hours went by like two seconds. Our group had great ideas and worked with full concentration to realize them in different shapes and colors.

Even Norbert produced a bear and a blackberry while I tried my skills with a pyramid and an image of the sky.

Annie made a series of furniture, Julia a Wii controller and Daniel a couple of Halloween figures.


Although with bellies already full of chocolate and marzipan, it still felt appropriate to visit the Museum's Grand Cafe and test some of the sweet masterpieces it had on display before we headed back home. Luckily, the weather allowed us to sit at a table on the river side.


Later on the way back home we drove through a late summer / early autumn storm and followed the arch of a rainbow. It was a nice end arranged by mother nature to yet another happy but very busy weekend of ours with the kids.