Day 3: Goodbye Rain, Lessons for the Kids

Finally, a rain-free day in Munich. Kids slept late again and we took our time getting out of the house. Brett is in Paris on business, so the kids and I set out to find a park. After following a ridiculous Google map, we found a small park with plenty of activities and other kids. (Not the park we were actually looking for, but a great one all the same.) It was really nice to be sitting outside, and for this Tucson family it was nice to sit underneath huge green trees.

A green park in Munich.

Ella on the zip line in the park.

Many areas here have been hit really hard by the rain, and there is a lot of flooding. Luckily we haven't seen anything near us. While in the park today we saw this "stream". It was rushing like a rapids and was so loud. I am sure that this is normally a very soothing little stream.

So, a word on the lessons my kids are learning traveling in Europe. We are a very typical American family. Too much stuff: too many toys, too many clothes, too much food, etc. I always love being in Europe because it reminds me how much excess we permit in America. Here in Germany, my kids have already learned to make due with a puzzle, Play-doh, and the park. We have just enough food in the house for a day or so, and we walk everywhere and carry our bags, so we buy less.

Europe is also more environmentally friendly in a lot of ways. You are charged at the store if you don't bring your own bags, recycling is encouraged and easy everywhere in the city, and so many people ride bikes.

The kids also are learning to appreciate the importance of learning about other cultures, especially learning another language. Ella and Jack have both taken Mandarin Chinese for years, and their teacher is very good at helping them respect the people, the language, and the culture. Being here helps them see these lessons in person. Even though we don't know a lot of German, we try our best to learn enough to communicate, and we always ask how to say something we don't know how to say. Of course, most of Europe makes it very easy on use because so many people know English. I wish that being bi-lingual was a priority in the US, but it simply isn't.

I like that the kids see all this in action and learn to adapt. I hope we all carry these lessons home at the end of the summer.

Auf weidersehen (goodbye)