Last weekend, my Kyrgyz teacher invited us to spend the afternoon at the park. Since the sun was out and the snow was melting, it was just what the kids needed! First we went to Manas-Orto Park, a spacious park with a castle feel set against the beautiful mountains as a backdrop. Instead of the traditional playground equipment, this park features huge cement structures with tons of steps, and a very tall, multi-story tower to climb.
For Misha and Sebby, it was paradise. They immediately started running around in excitement, quickly dashing up steps and running around corners. I had to hurry to keep up to make sure Sebby wouldn't lose his balance on some of the steep stairways! Misha kept running ahead and enthusiastically calling out to Sebby. Sebby, in turn, couldn't wait to catch up with his big brother.
The melting snow created a very wet playground. Some of the stairways were so caked with snow that they boys ended up sliding down on their bottoms. Huge slushy puddles covered the ground. The end result was that both boys completely soaked their boots, and Sebby was drenched from the waist down! Nonetheless, they were having such a blast that they were not about to turn around and go home.
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| Green grass showing through! |
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| With Rahat, my Kyrgyz teacher |
Before heading home, we stopped at another park nearby, Park Lubvi - or Love Park. It features a copy of the famous LOVE statue (you may remember it from the "Love" stamp series.)
Newlyweds often come here to add a lock to this monument, hurling the keys into the lake as a symbol of their eternal love. Of course, the lake is frozen at the moment. In summer, a fountain and birds make the lake a bit more romantic.
Love Park also has a great American-style playground, which all of us played on with enthusiasm for quite some time!
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| Through the tunnel ... the only way to get to the second level. |
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| My little chipmunk |
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| "I did it!" Sebby proclaimed after successfully navigating the tunnel - with a bit of help. |
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| A ladder up to the third level allows you access to this monster slide. A huge icy puddle awaits you at the bottom! |
After our park excursions, we had to go home, take hot baths and drink hot cocoa. The next day, we played a bit in our own courtyard:
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| Making snow castles and rivers |
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| He wanted to wear this outside. |
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| A swing and a sucker - pure contentment. |
1 comment:
Goodness, those steps look slippery! Glad they had a fun outing, nice pictures, everyone looks invigorated--the cold will do that. Such pretty mountains in the distance. -mom
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