Grin and Bear It

Sunday was a day of sleeping in, rolls with freshly made apple jelly (basically the most delicious thing I've ever had), cups of tea, looking at the fog, and reading Harry Potter und der Gefangene von Azkaban.
That is, until 15.30. Then, with my parents, I ventured out into the fog. We were going to the Steiff Museum.
Now, if you haven't heard of Steiff, then I guess that's okay. But if you haven't heard of teddy bears, that's a different story. Giengen, where the Steiff Museum is located, is literally the capital of Teddybeardom.

I told you! 

Margarete Stieff was an invalid who initially made an elephant shaped pincushion for her niece, unintentionally creating a cuddly friend that was way more fun than a pincushion. What began as Ms. Steiff's hobby of creating stuffed toys for her family rapidly grew into a business that now has a reputation for quality and creates multitudes of animals (from Triceratops to bears) for children, adults and collectors alike. The story and mission is actually really neat; check it out here. 

We parked at the parking lot and immediately saw the original factory...

...and then the row of Steiff banners... 

...and then the museum itself.

One is immediately confronted by a warm, fuzzy atmosphere...

... and intricate animal tableaus.

 We took a 'tour,' where we were led through a reproduced old-fashioned workshop, and then a world tour, complete with the Atlantic depths...

...the Antarctic...

...and a circular room of international bears, who sang a song for us.  

Then we entered the museum proper, where I rode an elephant. 

Then we had a teddy bear birthday party...

 ...and then we took baths...

...and then we saw a lion being created (he will go to a collector; the collectors' animals are stuffed with woodshavings).

And after a quick stop by Arabia...

...we hit the gift shop.

I felt like a little bear myself in this museum. So full of enthusiasm and color and creativity and huggable creatures...

I brought one home!