Klimahaus Bremerhaven 8° Ost

Photo Credit:Klimahaus Bremerhaven 8° Ost

Normally when I sit down to write a post, I have at least some idea of where to begin…but right now I can’t say that that is the case. I am speechless at what I experienced today, and despite feeling a lack of direction for this post, I want to write down everything I can remember now before any time passes. Because it was JUST that good.

The building that is pictured above is kind of hard to miss, and even harder to ignore. I have never been a huge fan of museums, so it hasn’t really been at the forefront of my plans to go to this place…but in an effort to stay busy and not get bored, I decided to go this morning after church. I was, after all, at least slightly intrigued by the building itself and the copious amount of people I see coming and going from it every single time I walk past it (which is pretty much every single day).

So in I go, paying €14 which I thought was a lot at the time…in hindsight I would pay a heck of a lot more than that, and will not hesitate to go again despite the fact that it’s fairly expensive entertainment, especially for this city.

I couldn’t possibly have been the only English-speaking visitor there today, but the staff treated me like I was…I was “checked on” a few times, and someone was always there to translate for me or give me tips, which made me feel like royalty…how amazing of them to go out of their way to make sure I had a positive experience. Every time I thanked someone for helping me, they replied “Eez okay. Everysing veel be gut for you, ya.” It was awesome.

Ugh…I don’t feel like my words are doing me justice right now. So I will go to the strongest weapon for relating experiences—pictures. Enjoy : )

(I obviously can’t post all 240 that I took, so I picked a few to post and threw the rest into a slideshow featured at the bottom)

I melted my handprint into the ice in Antarctica…now I will always be a part of it : )

Look at me! Back in Africa…

My heart literally aches with homesickness for this continent. I NEED to go back. Now.

My name in Tifinaugh (Niger)

Just lay down and watch the stars for awhile in the desert. No biggie.

And this? This is where and when I almost cried. Have you ever seen anything more beautiful? There was twinkly/spacey/Enya-ish music playing and a sense of solitude that even the little kids seemed to grasp. I must have layed on the couch and watched those stars blink for about 35 minutes straight.

The Rain Forest…literally.

It might be hard to tell from the picture, but those are actual waves being created behind the scenes there. With really nothing stopping you from walking into the water.

Babies!

NOT a real baby, but still so cute. How babes sleep in Samoa.

Here comes something amazing…

(can you see the zoo??)

It was frickin’ freezing up there. But seaside living is worth it!

There is so so so much not pictured, too! In Samoa, there was a rainforest at night exhibit that was impossible to take pictures of because it was pretty much pitch black, plus it was literally raining in there so I had to hide my camera in my jacket so it wouldn’t get wet. It was kind of like going to the cornmaze…that same kind of “lost but safe” feeling…I just wandered around until I found my way out.

Oh you guys, it was so cool. Every country/continent featured was so real. The temperatures were incredibly accurate. I went from sweating my arse off to freezing cold, back and forth, many times. At the entrance there is a free bag/coat check, and I tried to check my coat and they said no keep it, and I can see why. And the smells! Switzerland smelled like cows, no joke. Africa smelled like campfire. Antarctica smelled like fish and ice. You get the picture. And the ground wasn’t ever just cement or linoleum if you were in a country…it was totally real. In Africa you walk through sand (which I would like to believe they had delivered from Africa, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the case!) The ground in all the European exhibits was pebbles and cobblestone. The rain forest was some kind of squishy, “wet” material..you get the picture. You would love it here so much. I almost cried a few times, just overwhelmed by it all. (and no I am NOT pms-ing, thankyouverymuch)

My heart has been physically aching lately for Africa. Sometimes, when I least expect it, I can smell it…sweat and fire and spice. And it brings hot, burning, rarely-shed tears to my eyes. I want to, need to, go back so, so bad. But today, thanks to the Klimahaus Bremerhaven, a tiny bit of that was pacified in a way. No it wasn’t the same as being there, but it helped. My heart is full. Full of gratitude and wonder and thrill.

~C

PS I know I promised that post on real estate here, and believe me, I am getting to it! Things just keep coming up that need to be posted first. It’s still coming though : )