Germany

Our five weeks in Berlin are coming to a close; we catch a 6 am flight tomorrow morning to Venice for the next leg of our journey.  Not sure what I was thinking when I booked that…I guess it was the $75 per person fare that roped me in!

Everyone has enjoyed our time here.  For the kids it was a good opportunity to relax a bit, and settle into a routine.  They especially enjoyed when we got together with our friends down in Southern Germany, and met up with Jim Donovan and his family here in Berlin.  It’s tough when you can’t communicate with the other kids on the playground, so having some American boys to hang out with for a little bit was great fun!

Bill and I loved experiencing life in the city, and checking out the historical sites we had heard and read about over the years.

Eastside Gallery, a series of paintings on an old portion of the Berlin Wall; and Checkpoint Charlie

One of our favorite days during our stay was our trip out to Potsdam, a city adjacent to Berlin that was once the home of the Prussian royal family.  It is also where the victorious Allied leaders met to decide the future of Germany and postwar Europe generally.

Given the ages of our kids, we never really got to experience Berlin’s nightlife, but we did stay out one evening for the 30 minute show about the German government that is projected on a government building down by the Reichstag.  It was quite informative (English subtitles), showing how the government has evolved since WWI, including stirring clips on the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany.

We’ve had enough bratwurst to last us for a while, but we’ll miss the yummy Vietnamese restaurant down the street, and the gelato shop with its 1 euro scoops of delicious ice cream.  Our apartment here has been perfect; just the right size for a family of four, close to the train, but not in a touristy section of town, so we didn’t have to deal with crowds or inflated prices.  I’ll update the lodging page after we leave with a link to the apartment, in case any of you are planning a trip to Berlin at some point!

Late August, early September seemed like a perfect time to visit.  We had nice summer days at the beginning, and a touch of fall at the end.  That said, we are ready to head south, back to warmer temperatures and a bit more sunshine.  After a quick visit to Venice we are heading to Cotignac in the Provence region of France.

We are back in Berlin after a great 5 day visit to Southern Germany. We stayed with some Coast Guard friends, the Bas family, who recently moved to the Stuttgart area with their 5 year old and twin 2 year olds. They were wonderful hosts, starting our visit off with a trip to their favorite biergarten.

They also took us to their favorite neighborhood castle, which had incredible views of the surrounding countryside.

One of the highlights of our visit was a trip to Legoland Deutschland. We have never gone to the Legoland in California, so I’m not sure how they compare, but this one got an enthusiastic thumbs up from all the kids and adults. The lines for the rides were short, and the Lego creations were amazing.

Daniel celebrated his 5th birthday during the trip. His day started and ended with chocolate frosted cupcakes, and included a visit to the Ritter Sport Chocolate Factory, which has a huge store with bargains on their factory rejects.

We took advantage of all the American military bases in the area and stocked up on toiletries and food from the base exchange and commissary. It felt a bit like cheating, not having to rely on the local German stores, but we won’t have this opportunity too often!

The trip’s other milestone was that Bill officially entered retired status, as of September 1st. He’s now free to grow a ponytail, or beard. We’ll see about that!

Thanks again, Michelle and Jim, for a wonderful visit!

It’s hard to believe we have been in Berlin for over a week now. We have done a bit of sightseeing, but have lots left to see and do in our remaining month here. It’s nice to have the opportunity to relax and really get to know a place, after a few months of more frequent change.

We are staying in a pleasant two bedroom apartment on the north side of the Tiergarten, Berlin’s “Central Park.” The kids have enjoyed the park’s playgrounds, and several others that are close to our house.

The Berlin Victory Column, celebrating Prussia’s 1800’s war victories, is a prominent feature in the Tiergarten, and we ventured to the top to check out the views it provides.

We got an even better look at the city when we took a tour of the glass dome atop the Reichstag Building, where the German parliament meets.

We officially started homeschooling this week, taking an hour or two each morning to work with the kids individually on their schoolwork. It went surprisingly well! In addition, Bill, Caroline and I have all been reading some books that are set in Berlin, which has really deepened our understanding of the area, and its history.

Fortunately, we didn’t see anyone like this when we visited the Prater biergarten for lunch one day!