The Pacifier Tree

In an effort to catch up on all the random little things I wanted to tell you about, I present ... the Pacifier Tree. First I should tell you that cranes/storks are very popular here. They live here naturally and invitedly, have festivals (the Stork landing festival marks the beginning of summer) and restaurants named after them and have homes built for them in parks. LuisenPark in Mannheim is one such park. It is a huge park with playgrounds, greenhouses, floral areas, resting areas (hedged around, filled with lounge chairs and easy jazz playing. Its where the Opas nap after a game of chess played on one of the many "boards" painted on the ground and covered with meter-tall chess pieces), restaurants, boats, a Japanese tea house and gardens, petting zoo... you get the picture. All around the park, on the tops of huge poles are storks nests. There is even one with a camera connected to a video screen on the ground where you can watch eggs hatch.

So, what about the Pacifier Tree? When a child is ready (or their parent is ready) to give up their pacifier, they bring them to this tree and hang them up. In late fall/winter they are gathered for the storks to give to all the new babies who will be born next year. I love the idea and think its an amazingly personal moment to get to see a child proudly hang a pacifier on this tree. I also just think it's really beautiful.