We came into today with next to no plan or idea of what we wanted to do. Despite the fact we are in another country, Brandon and I both were feeling more on the lazy side today and did contemplate simply staying in. That being said, I was feeling like trying to go out and do something small, at the least, so we scoured the internet to decide on something fairly local and enticing to the both of us. What we came to agreement on was the Tierpark in Bochum. So, we got ourselves up and ready to go and headed to the Straßenbahn.
Differing from our previous ventures to Bochum, we rode the Straßenbahn to the stop for the Planetarium today instead of the Hauptbahnhof (main station). Doing this allowed us to have a short 5-minute walk to the Tierpark. The Tierpark was on the smaller side, similar (but slightly smaller yet) to Elmwood Park Zoo for those familiar with southeast Pennsylvania. However, they had a good selection of animals: mammals, birds, reptiles, etc. They even had guinea pigs! Brandon was excited because they had otters on display. Tierpark Bochum had what appeared to be a pair of Asian small-clawed otters, and when we got to their enclosure, they were snuggling under a tree taking a nap. It was very cute! They also had Kunekune pigs, so I was delighted! I have developed a particular fondness for pigs in the last few years. I don’t quite know what it is, but I think they are just adorable! One of the other things the Tierpark had for several of the animals on display that I thought was just REALLY cool was tactile signs. The signs had the name of the animal in print and braille, as well as 3D models of the profile view, separated profile view, head, paw/foot/etc., and some other defining feature or features of the animal. The models were quite detailed, with sharpness to the teeth or indentations in paw pads, for example. The accessibility nerd in me freaked out quite a bit :) There were a number of different birds at this zoo, as well. A few of them made some noises that I don’t even know how to describe other than interesting. There were also Seehunde (harbor seals) and Pinguine (I’ll let you guess what that is :)). We got lunch at the zoo, which took a little bit of time on account of there being a number of school children in attendance today. There was also only one gentleman running the food stand, but he was doing a great job! We both had Bratwurst mit Brötchen (rolls); I realized while we were eating I had not had just plain bratwurst yet on our trip until that moment. We also shared some Pommes (fries) with Mayo. I had an Apfelschorle (sparkling apple juice) and Brandon got Mineralwasser (mineral water). It was a satisfying and delicious meal :) After we finished lunch, we went in search of the other part of the Tierpark, which was an aquarium and fossilium. We realized (once we found it) that we had walked right by it when we came in as it was attached to the entry building. I felt very silly for missing it, but I was glad we could check it out! There were many fish and reptiles on display, and some of them were even a bit active, as opposed to napping. The Tierpark experience only lasted a little while, so it was just past midday when we finished. I decided we should try and go elsewhere (maybe) before heading home, but everything else that would have been a potential exploration point would have required a bit of a walk or multiple public transit switches (mostly buses). The Tierpark backed up to the Stadtpark, so Brandon suggested we just go for a walk there, and so we did! The park was beautiful, and we saw a lot of geese and ducks. There was a cool tower in part of it that we sat and looked at for a little while. I was starting to feel like just relaxing, so I suggested we head back to Hattingen and watch a movie on the TV in our room. Brandon wanted to buy Peter a copy of Knives Out, so we popped by the mall in Hattingen Mitte to do that first and then we went home and put on Pirates of the Caribbean. Unlike previous watches, we put the main audio in German, but we kept the subtitles in English. It was pretty good! I think I need to watch another movie I am familiar with in all German (audio and subtitles) so I can see if the wit, humor, fun, etc. works just as well or not. Dinner tonight was a tomato salad with bread, cheese, and meat. I continue to be inspired to make some changes to my buying habits/menus for Brandon and I when we get back to the US to reflect the food we’ve had here. I never thought about how satisfying or filling having a spread of meats and cheeses could be as a meal. Plus, we both really love meat and cheese! Tomorrow is going to be an exciting one for me as I get to attend a day of work with one of the neighbors who is a teacher for the deaf at a local school. I am mostly excited about the experience, but I am a bit nervous since I will be on my own tomorrow, so I am worried I will have some panicky moments in using my German. Later in the afternoon, I will then get to go to Alicia’s English language school class with her, so it will be a jam packed day of education! I am hoping to have some pictures from all the adventures tomorrow, but stay tuned for stories from the day! Until tomorrow, enjoy the pictures!
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