September 1: A family day out.
Oct. 26th, 2012 08:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sister_luckMore old pictures, this time from a family day out to the big city down the river, Cologne.
Our destination was on the "schäl Sick", the other bank of the river, but of course we took the route right through the city centre where there were the usual traffic jams and roadworks.
Stuck in traffic, I was struck by big windows reflecting buildings:
We went to the Rheinpark which has been a favourite for Sunday outings for families since the 1950s and even before. It was deemed worthy of a drive of 20km from SmallTown and so for kid's dad this was a trip into the past, . Some things had changed, some things were the same. The playground was majorly updated, but the miniature railway was still the same. I'd been there before, too, about 15 years ago, with the kid's dad for a party by the riverbank.
Here's the view from the 'beach' - where you can actually find shells!
At the playground there are three mounds to explore.
Getting up there isn't easy and sometimes you're stuck half way:
To get to the top you have to be quick and find the right technique:
But the real attraction is the huge slide with the tower:
Climbing up the tower isn't easy for a three-year old and I was convinced he'd get second thoughts once he was up there looking down the black hole. But no, going down there was preferable to climbing down again.
Wheeeeee!
I wish someone did something with the café with its splendid 1950s architecture. As it is, only the loos are open - which can be visited for a small fee, with the attendant sitting under the umbrella. From what I saw there it's obvious that the whole structure would need a lot of modernization and investment, so I doubt it's going to happen soon:
It's a shame, because from far away you can see how well the building fits into its surroundings:
But this is the view that everyone comes for:
We walked through some more of the park and took the miniature railway back to where we had left the car. While waiting for the last train we witnessed a big German-Asian wedding party and were slightly amused by the photographer's attempts of fitting everyone into one big picture, directing the group from above a footbridge and then getting them to launch their red and white balloons on cue.
Our destination was on the "schäl Sick", the other bank of the river, but of course we took the route right through the city centre where there were the usual traffic jams and roadworks.
Stuck in traffic, I was struck by big windows reflecting buildings:
We went to the Rheinpark which has been a favourite for Sunday outings for families since the 1950s and even before. It was deemed worthy of a drive of 20km from SmallTown and so for kid's dad this was a trip into the past, . Some things had changed, some things were the same. The playground was majorly updated, but the miniature railway was still the same. I'd been there before, too, about 15 years ago, with the kid's dad for a party by the riverbank.
Here's the view from the 'beach' - where you can actually find shells!
At the playground there are three mounds to explore.
Getting up there isn't easy and sometimes you're stuck half way:
To get to the top you have to be quick and find the right technique:
But the real attraction is the huge slide with the tower:
Climbing up the tower isn't easy for a three-year old and I was convinced he'd get second thoughts once he was up there looking down the black hole. But no, going down there was preferable to climbing down again.
Wheeeeee!
I wish someone did something with the café with its splendid 1950s architecture. As it is, only the loos are open - which can be visited for a small fee, with the attendant sitting under the umbrella. From what I saw there it's obvious that the whole structure would need a lot of modernization and investment, so I doubt it's going to happen soon:
It's a shame, because from far away you can see how well the building fits into its surroundings:
But this is the view that everyone comes for:
We walked through some more of the park and took the miniature railway back to where we had left the car. While waiting for the last train we witnessed a big German-Asian wedding party and were slightly amused by the photographer's attempts of fitting everyone into one big picture, directing the group from above a footbridge and then getting them to launch their red and white balloons on cue.
