Needless to say, Wednesday was almost a killer to move and get up. This day we had no choice but to sit in the Kinder Zimmer on the hard wood floor, while they packed everything remaining in the kitchen, bathroom, closet, and cellar. So efficient were they, they packed Lucille’s mattress she would sleep on and also the wet sponge, and made an inquiry on whether or not to pack the soap!

We went to fetch the girls and Lucille left us at Trude & Otto’s for lunch, a warm meal. After eating, the girls put on their rain slickers and I donned an umbrella as we plundered out into the softly falling rain to Schloss Schonbrunn. On the path, we passed Emu’s which the girls loved feeding leaves to through the fence, at a good safe distance enforced by proactive nanny Cheri. And we went to the Tier Garten to see the horses, wolves, owls, elephants, bees in the hives, calf feeding from mother, and cow being fed and milked, which fascinated Sophia. Vera preferred the baby chicks. We sang, “Rain Rain, Go Away” and the Regen Lied, “Splatsh die Ganze Welt ist Nass!”

Lucille met us later for Keks – which the girls rolled out and cut with cookie cutters – and Kaffee. Trude made a heilige gut Kartoffel Salat with fish sticks. A real at-home, feel good meal, not to mention her to die for Pilzen (mushrooms) at lunchtime. Mmmm.

 

Wednesday, 12 July 1999