Must ... Keep ... Awake

Sure, it's 9pm in New Jersey, but 3am in Berlin and that's where my head is at. But ... must ... stay ... awake or this jet lag will own me.

We kept the kids up to about 7:30pm. Alice rallied, just before she dropped from exhaustion she was running from room to room shrieking with laughter. Leah didn't fare so well, she was sacked out on the sofa barely able to keep her eyes open. On the plus side, there was absolutely no argument when I called "bedtime."

The flight home today was like running a marathon. Nine hours of keeping two small kids occupied. Luckily, my ace in the hole is TV. Leah could sit for hours watching it. Alice, on the other hand, got restless several times -- sending me into the nether-regions of my backpack to produce something that would keep her sitting.

My house looked different to me walking in. The colors more crisper than I was imagining in my head. And my bed couldn't look more like appealing, after weeks on a 5-inch foam mattress we slept on in Berlin, it looked like a cloud ....

Ugh. Must stop thinking about my bed ...

Berlin, We'll Always Have...

Things I will always remember about Berlin:

• Einfahrt means exit. teehee!
• East and West are two very distinct areas, even though they are no longer divided by the Wall. 
• The dairy here rocks -- we all indulged in too much yogurt, cheese, milk and ice cream.
• Too much currywurst can be a bad thing.
• Mass transit works on the honor system with occasional ticket checks; a risk-lovers paradise. 
• Seeing Nazi-used buildings has a chilling effect on one's blood. 
• While seeing the remnants of The Wall is awe-inspiring. 
• Schmuck translates to jewelry in German. Heh. 
• When done right, the renovation of a 15th-century neo-baroque building can be beautiful.
• A mall is just a mall, whether it's in Berlin or Paramus. 
• Telling time on the 24 hour clock annoys David to no end. Me: "It's 14:10 already!" Dave: "Grrrrrr, don't you mean 2:10?" Me: "No."  Hehe

Happy Anniversary, Carol and Allan!!! Three years went by fast! 

Family Trip to the Aquarium

Ehhh!

Nasty reptiles will haunt my dreams.

The Berlin Zoo also includes a world-famous Aquarium, which we skipped over when we first arrived in favor of the zoo. Today, since the weather is getting colder, the aquarium was our destination.

As usual, it's nice to find an indoor haven where we can unleash the kids and let them run wild. Which is what they did, with the handful of other children who were there.

Alice's staring contest with a fish

The first floor was many aquariums with fish and other things you'd expect at an aquarium. Alice liked staring at the fish and Leah was just in a rush to see it all.

The second floor was mostly reptiles (including "Alligator Alley") and the third floor was bugs. I kid you not, ants were suspended from the ceiling and hairy spiders were displayed in the benches. But I don't mind bugs as much as I do reptiles. Snakes, namely. And there were too many of those. And turtles, which I've had an aversion to since I nearly was killed by one as a kid. (No jokes about it being a harmless snapping turtle. It was out for my blood.)

Looking at fish

Overall a successful trip to the Aquarium, which included a stop to the gift shop. (Dave's favorite part.)

Afterwards, we drove along Ku'Dam. What is Ku'Dam? Geez, I've only mentioned it in several posts!! It's the shopping street that took the place of Unter Den Linden once the Wall went up. It was the Western version of a grand shopping avenue. And it's pretty grand, and included all the big names,  though being Sunday, nothing was open.

Well, that completes are last weekend in Berlin. Next weekend, we'll be home and celebrating Halloween. And, since it is Sunday, we'll be watching football -- and event Dave is probably most excited about.

One More Week Until Bye-Bye Berlin!

We're leaving in a week from today, heading home in time for Halloween. In a week, this adventure will be over.

I'm divided about leaving. On the one hand, I'm looking forward to all the comforts of my home and everything I'm used to. On the other hand, this has been a very worthwhile adventure. All that we had to deal with (mostly, the Dr. Jekyl/Mr.Hyde mood-swings of a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old in a foreign country) as been nothing compared to all we got to see and do. And the challenge of it all -- tiring but so much fun.

I now have a preschooler who can spot the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, who can say please and thank you in three languages. And a 2-year-old who will forever be talking about the Milan carousel and the car she loved to ride. Not to mention their new obsession with ice cream.

And I have tons of stories, memories and pictures that will make a kick-ass holiday card. (Watch your mailboxes!)

Needless to say, I would do this all over again.

In the meantime, I've put together a list of things I have yet to do and see. With one more weekend to fill with final Berlin sights.

Then, it will be all over. Who knew seven weeks can go by so fast!?

Leah's Photos: Berlin Bus Tour

Leah is a budding photographer. We've been giving her our little digital camera at sights while on this trip to take her own pictures. It keeps her amused for awhile and we get some interesting shots.

Here's three shots from our recent Berlin bus tour:

Her boots...

Her Nana...

Her sister ... in mid-chase!

Annie Leibovitz better watch out!

Berlin: Left to See and Do...

Here's my list of final week activities:

- KaDeWe -- that very large department store I drove past in the car. We keep hearing about the cafeteria on the 6th floor with every food product imaginable (comparisons to Harrod's food department, if you've been to London), and their toy department -- which features Imaginarium toys. Yay!

- Prenzlauer Berg -- that trendy area I also drove thru. It's the "Brooklyn of Berlin" for all the artsy-fartsy hipsters who live there and the families that are now populating it.

- Neue Synagoge -- we have a view of the dome from our apartment, but that's it. It's called "spectacular" in my tour book. It's also in a trendy neighborhood.

- Berlin Zoo -- I'd like to return to the zoo to have more playtime on their playground. There's an aquarium there that we didn't see the first time, either. The kids like fish.

- The Pergamon -- this is hailed as the most fabulous of Berlin museums, so working up the courage to take the kids inside. This isn't an art gallery -- it's full of antiquities from ancient worlds -- including an enormous gate once belonging to Babylon. So, it's gotta be more interesting to them. 

I also have a small list of shopping to do for holiday gifts. Mostly, flat or easily packed. Although, there's a certain castle I want for the girls that might qualify as an extra carryon. 

Berlin Bus Tour

It's Nana's last morning in Berlin, so we decided to jump on a tour bus to see everything there is left to see.

Nana has been going out at nap time the last two days to see a bit more than our morning outings. She's actually entering museums and beautiful churches, so I'm living vicariously. I've only seen the outside of these places.

L&A in front of Brandenburg Gate

But today, we're going to cover a lot of ground.

It's a soggy day, luckily the girls both have their own umbrellas -- though if they choose to use them is an entirely different matter. (Mostly, they're dragging along the ground closed.)

We left the World's Heaviest Stroller behind (as carrying it onto a bus is just ridiculous) and took a train to Potsdamer Platz to board a green double-decker Berlin tour bus. It's a 2-hour ride and goes both to East and West sites.

We were a bit worried that the guide wouldn't speak English, but it turned out Martin (who resembled a German Andy Warhol) spoke fluently and even told a few corny, canned jokes he probably amuses all the American tourists with.

Nana and Leah at G'makt

It's a great tour and completely worth it. We hopped off at the Brandenburger Tor, so Nana can take a few pictures. She was a little emotional about being there and seeing remnants of the The Wall, though she can't pinpoint why. My thought is its existence spanned her lifetime -- her generation rioted against it and eventually tore the thing down. So, she has a right to feel the connection.

We were near the neighborhood of Ku'Damm -- the West side's famed walk -- when we jumped of and had currywerst from a stand. They also enjoyed freshly pressed apple juice. Delicious!

Nana heads home tomorrow morning, and we'll miss her! It was a luxury having another adult with me all day with the kids, and getting out in the evenings for solo dinners with David. Also reminds me that we'll be heading home in a week and this adventure will be over. Sniff.

(Internet working in about 5-minute spurts - joy!)

The World Without the Internet

The access to the web went kaputt last Thursday and I've been feeling so isolated as a consequence. I'm lost! I can't believe we lived in a world without it. Seriously.

Not only have I not been able to update this lovely blog (though, not too many newsworthy things have been happening around here), but not checking in on email, hearing from friends/family, looking up information and even finding out the weather forecast. Not to mention, no access to work email -- which I committed to do everyday.

Argh!!!

We finally got a technician on the phone who can help. He's currently "looking into it" and offered to send an email when he's found the solution. Dave: "Um, I have no access to email. Can you call me?" Tech: "Oh, this makes sense."

Meanwhile, we escaped for the night to a Starbucks at the local mall for a romantic evening. Duel laptops, free wifi, a mug of hot chocolate and no eye contact. Ahhh, married life!

East vs. West

Last night, we were invited to Dave's coworker's house for dinner. The coworker is an expat from Brooklyn (Park Slope) who has lived in Berlin for nearly 2 years. Her German boyfriend was also there and spoke perfect English. The food and conversation were fantastic.

Her apartment was beautiful and modern -- decidedly opposite from the dorm-like apartment we've been staying. And she included mushrooms they handpicked this weekend in the meal. Delicious.

Although the conversation skipped around quite a bit -- coworkers, favorite movies and books (we're all committed to our Kindles) -- Bernard, the boyfriend, made several comments about the differences between East Berlin, where we're staying, and West Berlin, where they lived.

Having spent a majority of my time in East Berlin, I had no idea there was a difference. But I saw for my own eyes pulling up to their apartment, there is a vast different. A seeming 20-year gap -- as the East has tried to catch-up to the "modern" West-side since The Wall came down. The East resembles a quaint small city, while the West side has a more Manhattan borough feel with restaurants, shops and crowds.

To think, I almost missed it!

Bernard says that even the population is a little different in the East. Older. More formal. Stuffy. While the West neighborhoods are filled with more worldly, urban people.

I dug out my map and have picked a few very "West" places to visit in the final week here -- including Ku-Dam, a popular street that rivaled Unter Den Linden when The Wall went up.

Full reports to follow. (If I ever get internet restored to our apartment. Grrrrr!)

Flea Market All Morning, Football All Night

The sun finally made an appearance today so we ventured out early this morning to a large flea market out by the Tiergarten (the huge park here in Berlin). Called "junk" by Dave, it was fun to see all the stuff out on display, like rows and rows of antique door handles, sets of china, beer steins and just about anything else you could think of. In one booth of music, Dave found a section named "black music" -- and his eyes bugged out.

This was certainly an outing fraught with danger: Both Alice and Leah wanted to touch things and the close corners and flimsy tables made it a precarious walk. However, Mom came away with two new ladles for her collection.

Since it was on the way, we stopped at Potsdamer Platz and all had lunch together at the same Australian place. It was good! And child-friendly. And Mom got to see a remnant of The Wall on display and got her passport stamped with authentic DDR visitor credentials.

Once home, and rested, Dave and I made plans to return to the bar he found several weekends back to watch Sunday football. They had wifi available, as well, so the use of the internet after days without it was the icing on top. However, before heading out we played a long game of hide-and-seek with the kids. Alice won the award, her first and only attempt at hiding had us running around the apartment for several frantic minutes until she finally gave herself up -- she was well-hidden under Nana's bed. Stinker.

Miami vs. Green Bay is the game we watched at Belushi's -- just north of Alexander Platz. It's a 1pm game at home, but started at 8 here. Our fantasy football team is going to have a rough day.

We're less than 2 weeks until we head home.

Nana in the House! And We're Out!

We're happy to welcome our guest for the week ... Nana! (Otherwise known as my Mom.)

We picked her up on Thursday morning and have been showing her some sights -- though we've been slowed by two days of rain.

Dave and I have been taking full advantage of having some babysitting ... so last night we went to Potsdamer Platz for a movie -- in English at the CiniStar! (Don't see "The Good Guys" unless you're in a foreign country with few choices.) We also ate at an Australian restaurant in the Sony Center there. Hamburger in our choice of beef, chicken or kangaroo! (Eh?)

Today, we peeled out after nap for some shopping along Freidrick Strasse. It was drizzling rain but that didn't stop us from finding some cute souvenirs and Hello Kitty PJs for Leah. Also, I bought a controversial sweater that no one likes but me. (Whatever.) For dinner, we stopped at a Tai place called Cha Cha, with a waiter we'll be talking about for months to come. In short, he was so timid, I thought he might faint while taking our order.

It's been nice to sit in a restaurant and not anticipating the next 2-year-old tantrum. Thanks, Mom!

Travel Day - Milan to Berlin

Another early wake-up time for us, but a quicker trip to the airport in the wee hours of morning.

At the airport, Dave and I decided we've had enough with the European-style breakfast of a baked good (eg. croissants/roll with jam) and a tiny glass of juice -- we're not coffee drinkers. In Dave's words: "I would punch someone in the face for an egg sandwich." And I believe him. (Though, I'm particularly jonsing for Cheerios.)

In the apartment watching a dvd

Once we got home -- and so strange to think of Berlin as "home" -- we had errands to run and piles of laundry to sort. The kids will be in some very interesting outfits until I can get all the laundry done.

I made currywurst for dinner with pommes frites (that translates to hot dogs and fries). The currywurst sauce is incredibly delicious. I will bring a jar home with me and will slather it on everything -- including my big American breakfast of scrambled eggs.

P.S. Happy Birthday Mom!!! See you on Thursday morning!

Eating In Berlin - Still Getting Used to It

One of my main areas of trouble (other than traveling with two young kids) is figuring out how Berliners eat. And when. And what.

For example, I went out on Sunday morning with the family to do some grocery shopping for the half-week we had left before leaving for Milan. The grocery store was closed. All the grocery stores were closed. All that is open in Berlin on Sundays is bakeries (thank goodness) and flower shops. That just doesn't make sense to me. Why close something as necessary as a grocery store?

And dinner... when and what do they have? The to-go places around the apartment close at 4. Other than the tapas place (a blessing) there is one other restaurant and its nearly always empty. Do most people eat at home? And we normally don't see kids in restaurants, where are they?

So bascially, if I miss lunch out (which I usually do), I miss out on the one hot meal I get all day. Otherwise, it's bread and yogurt for breakfast in the apartment. And frozen pizza or pasta in the apartment at night.

Celebrating the Reunification - 20 Years Later

View of the festival

Today is a national holiday in Germany: Happy Unity Day! (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) So, we did our duty and got to "downtown" for some celebrating, eating and people-watching. Yup, it was tough but someone had to do it.

We're not much of street festival people, so we were pretty impressed by the turn-out. The main part, which we saw, was centered around the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate -- as Leah, Alice and I saw on Friday. There were several stages set up here and there with music. And vendors lined up along the street leading into Brandenburg Gate called Avenue of June 17 (which has it's own significance in German history). We stumbled upon two swing bands who were great -- we danced a little -- and a little chorus of kids singing "We Are the World" karaoke-style -- which wasn't so good.

And, yes, we ate our way up the street and back -- the food was fantastic. We started with a bratwurst, a huge pretzel, followed by French fries (pommes) and some dessert. Everyone got something they wanted...

Couldn't be happier!

Dave got an obscenely large glass of beer -- good thing we took the S-Bahn (subway) and not the Benz! No need to worry about a DD.

Hello, Kitty!

Leah got a very large Hello Kitty balloon. Which annoyingly banged us and fellow festival-goers who passed to closely. Grrrrr!

Vanilla and Chocolate cone and nose

Alice got ice cream, which she was very excited about. Unfortunately, she didn't finish it. It was drippy and she dropped in on the ground -- which was a tragedy of mythic proportions.

The greatest kabob ever

And I got a stick of chocolate-covered strawberries. One of my favorite treats. I shared with Alice, after the ice cream cone disaster. Just call me a giver.

Believing we made the most of Unity Day in Berlin, we headed back home with full bellies. I'm hoping they'll televise some of the concerts tonight on TV -- meanwhile, Dave found an American bar where he can watch some football.

Getting Ready to Celebrate

Boy, did I pick a bad day to forget my camera!

Leah's favorite part of this trip is traveling by subway, so we took the elevated train (S-Bahn) a few blocks from the Reichstag -- Berlin's current parlimentary building. Forgetting, of course, that Germany is getting geared up to commemorate 20-years of reunification (called Tag der Deutschen Einheit).

The Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate (a block south) both had large stages setup in front of them. The square in front of the Reichstag -- where I had planned to free Alice for a little exercise -- was taken up by the stage, VIP seating area, tech crews and the lawn was barricaded, ready for the masses to watch the concerts planned. The long tree-lined avenue through the Teirgarten leading up to the Brandenburg gate was lined by food vendors, gaming booths, carnival rides and a tall ferris wheel on the opposite end. All getting ready for massive crowds this weekend.

We passed under Brandenburg Gate to the Unter Den Linden side. That small square is usually closed off to traffic and full of crowds taking photos. Today, we spotted a bear, two WW2 soldiers -- one German, one American -- a Native American cheif (why?) and a Star Wars Storm Trooper. And a news crew filming it all. Yup, definitely a party atmosphere.

We'll return this weekend to celebrate, and take pictures, too.

We Become Mall Rats

Leah needs pajamas and Alice needs a warmer coat -- so we're off to the Alexis mall in Alexanderplatz!

Observations at a Berlin mall: much the same as any other mall. Mall rats, high school kids trying to look cool, moms pushing around strollers, that odd businessman walking aimlessly. The shops are similar, just named odd things -- like the teen clothing store called 1982. Who wants to shop from that year? Yuck. Even the food court is basically the same -- and food court pizza tastes like cardboard here, too. But a bit more expensive.

Half the mission was accomplished. We found a coat for Alice, though she hates it -- she despises all outerwear. We also found two non-Barbie Barbies with super long hair for $5euro each. Score! Later, Alice pushed her Barbie on a swing at the playground. "Not too high, Barbie!"

My some divine providence we live near a Spanish tapas place called Tapas y Mas. At 5, it's basically empty, so I took the kids there for dinner tonight. Tortilla for them, Serrano ham, Manchego cheese and shrimp in garlic/olive oil for me. If it weren't for a tantrum and Alice trying to escape out the door (three times), it would have been heaven. Oh, and booze. Everything would have been better with a glass of Sangria.

Which brings me to the Motto of the Day: Everything is better with a glass of Sangria.

Today's Long Drive Around and Hanging With Germans

I'm starting to feel some travel fatigue. Can one sightsee for too many days? I'm guessing this is a common thing among intrepid adventurers like myself. Especially for those traveling with young kids with no apparent end to their energy.

Anyway, today I wanted to check out the "biggest department store in Europe!" or the KaDeWe, for short. I got it into my head that driving would be more fun, as I may have several bags when leaving and it's a much more comfortable ride than the train. That, and Dave stole the last 5 euros from my wallet this morning.

The drive over was fine but the destination wasn't. The department store is in the middle of all this commercial hubbub, which included a lot of pedestrians. There was also a massive amount of construction -- this being Berlin, I shouldn't have been surprised. And when the parking lot (which the website promised was conveniently located) didn't make itself known, and Alice was slowly falling asleep in the back, I decided that the train was a much saner approach. So I reset the navigation system to send us home. (Is walking around a department store really worth all the trouble of navigating hundreds of pedestrians and surly construction workers?)

Besides, here I was about to benefit from motorized narcolepsy -- a charming trait passed down to the kids from their dad -- so who was I to fight it?

It was a nice scenic drive home. But, deciding that wasn't enough, I pointed the Benz toward an outlying neighborhood called Prenzlauer Berg -- roughly the "Brooklyn of Berlin," meaning the place with all the hip little shops and cafes. I tooled around while the kids snoozed (finally, a naptime I didn't have to fight for!) and decided it was worth a return visit.

Sometimes, it's nice to be a tourist from the comfort of inside a car. No?

In the afternoon, we returned to our favorite sandy park for well-earned playtime. The newsworthy part of our playground trip is I got into an conversation with three girls from the nearby school. They must have been 10-years-old. They spoke the barest amount of English and one girl spoke Spanish. So between the three languages we managed to share some information. One girl called Alice and Leah "So Sweet!" and could say "Ohmigod, Ohmigod!" (Hilarious.) The other girl had a cousin who works at Dave's company. And the third girl has a cousin who plays soccer professionally. Finally, some German interaction! I was starting to feel a bit isolated.

They shouted to some of their classmates that we were American. And as the last boy was running back to school he shouted at me, "What kind of ice cream is your favorite?" -- maybe the only sentence in English he knew. It made me laugh.

Brrrrrr in Berlin

A&L on the
"boardwalk" by the Dom

As promised, I bundled up the tykes and headed out the door for a long walk. The destination was Museum Island, which I skirted when we visited the Berliner Dom last week. (Which Leah remembered: "We've been in that church, Mommy!)

The little island, located in the Spree River, is a cluster of neo-classical buildings built in the 18th century. They house a vast number of ancient treasures. For example, the Pergamon has an enormous mosaic Babylon gate. Heck, the world's oldest coins are in the Bode. And the whole neighborhood is an architectural work of art, with all the stone and bridges connecting it to the mainland.

The Pergamon

On a side note: Cobblestone streets are not ideal for the World's Heaviest Stroller, though the kiddos enjoyed the way their voices vibrated as they sang songs at the top of their lungs. I'm sure the neighbors love that.

The Bode

The weather is getting colder, more fall-like. It was probably in the 50s today. And very gray, which they tell me is a characteristic of Germany. Gray.

At a toy store, I bought the kids little umbrellas, because I'm an awesome Mom -- and it looked like it could rain at any minute.

We met a 4-year-old in the grocery store this afternoon, named Anna, who told us what umbrella was in German. She's learning English in her kindergarten class and was fascinated by Leah's gabbing.

Tips for Visiting Berlin

1. Almost all of Berlin's historic buildings have been bombed, rebuilt, reused and renovated. Even statues have been relocated, given new perches, gotten facelifts. Find a guide book that will atleast give you the basic lowdown, it makes seeing them all the more interesting.

2. Bikers are everywhere. They will run you over. Be vigilant.

3. There are not a ton of playground. You have to seek them out.

4. Lunch is the major meal. Business people don't normally eat at their desks (like me), so restaurants get crowded around noon.

5. This is an incredibly walk-able city. Wide sidewalks. The tourist destinations are close together. No major hills. Lots of cafes for quick breaks, and a diversity of cuisine for full meals.

6. A lot of Germans know English. So, if you're kind and say "Sorry? I don't understand." They'll help you out if you can -- especially in the tourist areas.

Go visit Berlin. It's an affordable city with lots to do and see.

Rain Delay

Another rainy day, this one more steady, so the girls and I decided to take a day off from sight-seeing and stay in. I won't bore you with the details; we cleaned up, did laundry, watched Dora, colored pictures to jazz up the walls and so on.

We did venture out for a market run, I frequent a grocery store called Kaiser, which is across the street. And I had to buy laundry tokens from the office manager, who has the personality of a cactus. She corrected my pronunciation of "five" in German three times, and not in a friendly way.

I've been promised better weather for tomorrow, so I'm planned a very long walk to make up for the day. Hope your weather was better!