This was our first morning to pack up on the road. It took almost 2 hours to get packed up and out. It didn’t feel like a lot considering we were getting the kids dressed and such, but I’d like to get it down to an hour. We drove a short hour to Hamburg because a friend highly recommended the Miniature Wunderland there.

We didn’t see a lot of Hamburg except this museum and the few blocks surrounding it. It’s in a cool old building along the river. One of the few old buildings in site in fact. It’s clear Hamburg was bombed pretty thoroughly and so much of it is new. There is also a ton of construction everywhere.

The Miniature Wunderland sounded strange, and I didn’t think I’d really enjoy it. Despite the steep cost, I would actually recommend it to anyone traveling in the area. We had to wait 20 minutes after purchasing tickets, but they have a well-equipped waiting area with free drinks and a corner of toys for the kids. The wait went by quickly.

//Stefan Note: This place was amazeballs, i could have spent 4 days here.

//Stefan Note:  Aj Aj AJ AJ Its Kaj, Dalia, and Gustavo having some cervesa in mexico town

We entered a huge floor of miniature land after miniature land. The detail is incredible on these sets! People grilling hot dogs on their patios, parades, police raiding a shady warehouse on the edge of town. It’s very interesting. We were there in the beginning of June, and it was already very crowded. I understand why they limit admittance. There is a ledge where kids can stand to see everything. We were there almost 2 hours and didn’t come close to seeing everything. The kids had a blast, but I think Stefan liked it the most. 🙂 I had a good time despite my reservations. It was very entertaining. And it makes me happy to see the kids happy.

We were starving toward the end of our museum visit. In fact, it’s the reason we had to leave. There is a small cafeteria in the museum, but we headed outside where there are two small cafes with tons of outdoor seating. We had decent sandwiches and some welcomed sunshine before getting back in the car for the drive to Cologne.

The drive from Hamburg to Cologne is simple. It’s just 2 freeways over a 4 hour period. So I was confident we were headed in the right direction until Stefan insisted I check (for perhaps the 2nd or 3rd time). When I finally pulled it up, I saw we’d missed the one freeway change….by an hour. So we turned a 4 hour drive into a 5 hour drive. Oops. It goes without saying Stefan was not very happy with me. Thankfully we didn’t have to turn around, so we forged on.

//Stefan Note : Happy birthday to Stefan from Papa was a GPS!

We arrived at our Airbnb in Cologne around 8pm. The kids were starving so we made some quick noodles and settled into our place here. It’s pretty far out of town. I booked it, but I don’t remember it being this far away from the city center. So two strikes against me today. The reason I booked it, though, is the massive backyard. We are in a cottage/guest house of a family with two young girls, ages 1 and 3. The backyard has a trampoline, a slide, a swing and a sandbox. These are basically my kids’ favorite things. They ran straight for it, and we had to drag them inside to eat and get ready for bed. It made me happy that they appreciated this (remote) place I booked.