I have a small allotment or Bauerngarten at the Botanischen Volkspark Pankow. I love this place, the concept is simple, I pay an annual fee for a small pizza slice of a circular allotment. It's gardening but with a big helping hand. Planting is done in concentric rings so everybody is essentially growing the same things (so you can always get tips from your neighbour). Some of the seeds are planted for you, the rest you do yourself as part of workshops. Watering is done by a sprinkler in the middle of the circle, triggered when sensors in the soil pick up that the soil is dry. Essentially I don't do a huge amount of work in exchange for my crops of potatoes, parsnips, carrots, salad, peppers, radish, sweetcorn etc etc.
It seemed like the perfect place to take Wilf, there were vegetables to pick, botanical gardens to run around in, a cafe with cake and even deer to feed. He did seem to enjoy it a lot but I think we adults appreciated the break from the city more.
On a bike it takes me 20 minutes to reach the garden, on public transport it takes 30 to 40 minutes and you need to be precise with the tram and bus connection. I've cycled in with Leo in the bike trailer and it took 40 minutes, but more fun than the bus. I don't like doing that with out company though. He still feels very vulnerable on in the trailer.
We stayed for a few hours and then headed back to the city. Flos and Dave had a flight to catch and we were headed north for my partners Dads 75th birthday party.
On a side note. Its been really nice hanging out with the Bevins Family. Its been a long time since I've spent this long with them and we were able to have a proper catch up. Wilf is adorable and was really sweet with Leo. In turn Leo was very comfortable in their company, regularly being passed between us and never failing to smile. On the off chance that anybody other than myself reads this, check out Flos' range of "Gender neutral baby bibs, booties, blankets and mobiles in brightly coloured fabrics from around the world". She made Leo an incredible mobile thats hanging between the kitchen and living room. Leo loves it and trie to grab the giraffe for a nibble every time we pass it.