On February 2nd, 2013, The Wife and I took a trip to the Hannover Tiergarten. The word “Tiergarten” translates literally to “Animal Garden,” which always makes me think of snarling lions springing from cabbage crops and giraffes falling from fruit trees — splattering on the ground beside pink afterbirths of overripe fruit pulp. Can you imagine? Fur-covered limbs sprouting from roots and blossoms. Yellowed fangs stabbing outward from bramble thickets. Green vegetable juice spraying into the eyes of stunned onlookers. Children pawing at their parent’s coat sleeves, trying to hide their eyes and escape a lifetime of emotional scarring. The crowd turning to run — a moment too late — for Spring has arrived at… The Animal Garden.
Anyway, we came across these disgusting pigs called “Wildschweine,” and I decided to film them slogging through their own filth. These videos made me want to stop eating pork forever. Seriously, I was done. No more swine for me. Then I snapped out of it, glanced at my calendar and realized it was time for my monthly Bacon Bath!
“Honey, call the butcher and fire up Charlotte’s Web; I’ve got my ham goggles on and I’m diving into a bathtub full of porkbellies!”
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Oh God, My Wife Is German. 
Great, I’ll never be able to enjoy Maggi again! :P
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Right? It hasn’t tasted the same since…
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Hey,
Part of the forest that adjoins our subdivision is set aside as a Wildgehege, with two separate (and large) areas, one with Wildschweine, and the other with Mufflon and Rehe. They are all interesting to watch on our walks, especially since there are two sibling deer that are albino.
C
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Oh wow, albino deer? Maybe you can take a picture of them and show us!
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That is very sad. Pigs do not like that environment. They need bushes and grasses. They only like dirt or mud to roll into to keep bugs off. That Tiergarten should be ashamed of how they are treating that pig.
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…and there were like 10 pigs in that muddy slop too…
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Aww, they remind me of my Olde English Bulldogges rooting around in the snow. Although my dogs snort more frequently and much louder.
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Nice! What were their names?
The Wife won’t let me get a bulldog. Not even a pug. Dammit. :(
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Gemma & Shocker. That is a bummer, they are awesome dogs, not to mention that they are hilarious.
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“Shocker!” I love it!
I know, right? I want a pug because it would make me laugh and smile every day. Nevermind their breathing problems — this American needs to be entertained.
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Shocker came with his name and it wasn’t worth trying to change it. He didn’t come to live with us until he was over one and a half years old so he was a bit too old to go changing his name. Also, he isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed if you know what I mean. So he also answers to a myriad of other names and words. lol
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Haw haw haw!
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I’m curious; does it look any better in the pig area in the summer? It looks as if he just lives in a huge mud pit.
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I know! Yeah, I’ll have to check that when the sun comes back out in a few months.
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I gave up pork once, after Biology II in high school, where I learned first hand that they really do have a hair in their chinny chin chin. Didn’t last long. Bacon is bacon, after all.
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Exactly.
And I hear you; I had to dissect fetal pigs for my biology class. Ugh.
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The wife has banned me from eating pork ever again because she see’s trucks carrying pigs to slaughter every day. I know, worst life.
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Maybe we could argue those pigs will go to waste unless you eat them…
:)
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These guys are quite the attraction in Hanover, I went there last year with my sister and her family. Apparently you can feed them with either acorns or spagetti – they won’t accept anything else.
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Haw haw haw! Really?
Siiiick.
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Der Hannoversche Tiergarten, what a nice place to go. Looks very cold though :)
LG Anja
(prev. stadtderengel)
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It was! Cold as balls!
Oh, did you start a new blog? Do you still have your old one?
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Yes, I started a new blog and gave up the old one.
And I just had my first Meetup. It was awesome!!
LG Anja
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Oh really? Nice!
Where did you meet?
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I chose an Italian Restaurant in my neighborhood where we could sit all together on a long table on the heated patio. It was really cool and lot’s of fun. Here is the link:
Long Beach German KlönTalk Group
Long Beach, CA
150 Members
Check out this Meetup Group →
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Cool! You may have inspired me to start my own group. Maybe.
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Love the last video’s ending! Ha Ha And hearing the commentary. I think you should add more videos with you and your wife speaking German. Plus your wife’s laugh is contagious. Love it!
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Oh thank you! I absolutely love my wife’s laugh as well. I will pass along your compliments.
And I am terribly self-conscious about speaking German, but I will try to record it more often. Thank you for the encouragement!
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March 1st is National Pig Day! And I love your bizarre imagery! I once heard someone talking about the KGB and the image that came to my demented mind was that of a HUGE bee, sneaking around and generally being cagey – the Cagey Bee…. Great minds think alike!
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Haw haw! “The Cagey Bee.” I love it.
And I totally think this way as well. Constantly.
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Die Wildschweine scheinen aber nicht sehr wild zu seien! And let me tell you, your German sounds almost exactly like my oldest brother’s and he’s been speaking it for over 50 years … it just sounds like you’re trying too hard to make it sound perfect.
Going to sniff my Maggi bottle now. :-)
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And pardon my typo in “sein.”
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ha! and then I see I already did correct it! No more sniffing Maggi for me.
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Haw haw! Oh God, sniffing Maggi would burn so bad…
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Totally not very wild! And people were feeding them too.
Oh totally; I’m so self-conscious about speaking German I basically screw it up. I’m way better when I’m relaxed.
Is your brother a native German?
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We were all born in Canada (3 of us), but are first generation, and learned German before English. My middle brother and I could always pass for native speakers when we were “at home” in Deutschland, but that first born just never managed it.
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Haw haw! “That first born…”
Poor guy. :)
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