Spielplatz means playground in german and Germany sure does has some unique and fun playgrounds. They are by far way different compared to what we would have here in the U.S. Some of the greatest things I can remember about living over there are my memories of playing for hours on their playgrounds. The U.S is amazing and I am beyond proud to be an American but I'm not so fond of the way that everyone over here is "sue" happy. It gets ridiculous the amount of times that Americans have sued over something so trivial just because they want to blame someone for something that went wrong. Which brings me back to the playgrounds. Alot of the playgrounds you see in Europe would never fly in the U.S and it's for fear that someone would get hurt and in turn sue. Ours can only be so high, can only have certain products, have to go along with code and all that fun jazz.
As we traveled throughout Europe, we found that playgrounds are built into every nook and cranny. They were on the sides of hills, on top of mountains, built with water running through them as well as water built in to them. They usually had alot of ropes for climbing and swinging and the higher, the better. Of course, we stopped to visit them all. The boys loved searching for new ones and something way different from what we would have over here. I guess you could say we became "spielplatz" connoisseurs.
It all started with having just arrived in Germany. We landed, got our rental car and hit the road. About halfway to Heidelberg we stopped at a gas station/rest stop. It was the COOLEST gas station! Did I say coolest, because it was definitely cool! It had a restaurant, convenience store, playground, and sitting area. I could have spent hours there just hanging out and enjoying the new country we were in. The kiddos played and we had our first "drink". The lifestyle is so laid back... have a drink, sit, talk and play. I think I can handle that. :) The boys loved it and it was then that it became part of our trip... searching out the most unique playgrounds. Here are a few that we enjoyed playing at.
You're making me want to move to Germany! I'm always saddened by how American playgrounds have become too "safe" for our kids. Looks like the Germans know how to build their playgrounds for some real fun!
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