Every time we travel with our kids, I write up a list of tips specifically for families. So, if you don't have kids, this will not likely interest you. If you have kids, read on.
Getting To/From Berlin
Obviously, if you live in the US, you have to fly. Berlin just closed their famous Templehof airport known for Berlin airlifts of the 1950's (they closed the day we left). So, you will likely fly into Schönefeld or Tegel. If you are in Europe and in any country other than those in Central/Eastern Europe driving or taking the train may work. We chose to drive to Berlin from Poland because it was "only" 6 hours and a third of it was on a relatively new (not yet fully completed)autobahn. Add 2 hours for rest stops and lunch and we owuld be in berlin within in 8 hours. And so this is what happened on the way to Berlin. The trip was relatively painless. Kids slept, played, sang and only watched videos for about 2 hours which isn't bad for an 8 hour trip.
Coming back to Warsaw was another story altogether. We came back on a work day. While it was relatively smooth once we got out of Berlin, once the autobahn in Poland ended, we were stuck on one lane roads of bumper to bumper traffic. At one point, there was an actually tractor chugging along at about 20mph. We were in the car for 10 hours and only made two stops for food, bathroom breaks and gas. If we ever go again, it will be by train or plane.
Accomodations
In our experience, European hotel rooms are designed for 1-2 people. If you are shooting for a hotel room, you may have a more difficult time finding one to accomodate a family of 4. With teenagers, you can just forget about that unless you opt for reserving two adjoining rooms. This tends to cost more in the long run. We stayed in a hotel in Dublin, Paris, Cologne and Vienna and found it to be limited space wise. When you consider luggage, strollers, etc, you can see how space is consumed. Some were more spacious than others. Paris was the smallest.
We have opted for apartments this past year. Apartments are spacious and many times you get a one bedroom apartment which is what we did in Prague and now in Berlin. We stayed at the Schoenhouse Apartments. There are many apartments like this around the city, some costing more the closer you get to the Gate. For our one bedroom apartment, we paid 105 Euro which in today's economy was a quite a deal for an apartment right across the street from the U2 Line at Roza Luzembourg Platz.
I have enjoyed my stay in all the apartments we have been in this past year, but this one was the best in the sense that they provided even the most basic items: paper towels, salt, pepper, sugar, dish soap, extra trash bags and a sponge. This may sound like nothing, but every time we go on a trip, we end up at a market picking up these items. This time, I actually packed them in my suitcase. Since we were going by car, I wasn't concerned about cabin pressure blowing up salt, sugar and my beloved Cuban coffee all over the place. But, it was nice to find that they thought about this all on their own.
The reception to the apartments is also located at the same location as the actual apartment. When it comes to European apartments, always ask because the address you go to from the airport isn't necessarily where you will be staying, but only a check in office. Also, unlike many apartments, Schoenhouse actually staffed their reception from 8a-8p. They also had a small coffee bar within the reception as well as a small gift shop that sold pieces of the Berlin Wall for 8 Euro. I found the same souvenir for 13 Euro out on the street. Whether it is authentic or not is anyone's guess. But I figure that if our President still believes that Iraq had WMD, I can believe that the rock that bought was part of the Berlin Wall and no one can convince me otherwise!
The apartment was accessible by a small elevator (4 person capacity or less with luggage). This didn't bother me as long as it was a working elevator. Unlike hotels that have daily housekeeping, apartments only get cleaned once a week. Despite this, if you need extra towels or clean sheets, just ask and they will usually provide them.
The best thing about staying in an apartment is that there is no need to get up early and try to go have breakfast somewhere. You can buy continental style breakfast at any nearby bakery the night before (prices tend to go down at the end of the day since it is a sell or throw out type of mentality) and warm up your croissant or danish in the microwave in the morning. Schoenhouse had a bakery next door in addition to their coffee bar with pastries. We just brought along some cereal and bought some milk and voila instant breakfast. It really can save you money.
Dining Out
You can find American style fast food anywhere in Continental Europe. In Berlin, there was a pattern. If I saw a Starbucks anywhere, there was a Haagen Daz or Dunkin Donut shop either next door or within the block. McDonalds and Pizza Hut were near each other as were KFC paired with BK. But, we are in Europe, you may say. With all this international cuisine why would one eat at McDonald's. Do you want your children to eat? Trust me. If you have a picky eater (and there is always one in the family) choose a fast food spot for at least one of your meals or your kids' pants will be falling off by the end of the week. Case in point: we opted for lunch at an Asian restaurant one day and while Thing 2ate a little bit of everything, Thing 1 refused and went hungry until dinner (at Pizza Hut).
If you decide to forgo the fast food, look for family restaurants that cater to kids. If they provide colors and an activity sheet - bingo! Like I mentioned before, at most European restaurants you dine by candle (votive) light. But, that doesn't mean children are not welcome. This is especially true of Germany which has to be the most child friendly country in the EU. The one restaurant that worked for us was Maredo's which markets itself as an Argentinian steakhouse, but is far from it. Regardless, the food was good and the children's menu included spaghetti, fish sticks, steak, and schnitzel among other options. Maredo's is all over Berlin including near Potsdammer Platz (near Tony Roma's) and on Unter den Linden.
If you have a GPS, you're in luck. Just click on food and you will get every restaurant within five miles. Want something specific? Spell it out and there you have it. We relied on this to find McDonald's or gas stations while on the road and it never failed. It also works on finding attractions. Just plug in the address and walk.
One important note: Berliners do not eat early. This works to your advantage when you are with small kids. Have an early supper and you practically have the restaurant to yourself! We tried to get to a restaurant between 5-6. In some cases though, some restaurants did not begin serving until 6.
Transportation
Berlin's Transportation Authority (BVG) is quite efficient. Tickets are sold at electronic kiosks. Just press the British Flag for the English screen. Once you get your ticket, you validate it either on the platform or on the train or bus. In Europe, there are plainclothed police on buses, trams and trains who conduct ticket checks from time to time. You could be fined on the spot. If you have a single fare ticket, you will just have to purchase as you go along. There are also day tickets available that you validate once and are good for the entire day.
The thing about single fare vs day or multi day passes is that you buy them with the best intentions and then end up either not using them or using alternatives like taxis for convenience. After my experience in Paris, I gave up on the day/multi day ticket option. We spent more time walking by choice because this is the best way to see any city.
Aside from their construction on the specific days we were there, we were still able to get around quite easily. There is a U-Bahn that runs about 9 color coded/numbered lines underground, the S-Bahn which runs above ground and is more like a tram and then you have the buses. In Berlin, most stops have electronic switchboards that tell you what bus or train will be arriving and at what time. The U2 line runs from east to west and will drop you off at most tourist locations (when all stations are operational, or course). Bus 100 also runs this route. I have heard similar of Bus 200, but we did not ride that one. Most buses (including 100) are double decker so if you are lucky to get a front row seat up top, you have a great view of the city streets and attractions.
The City
The city of Berlin has been officially united for almost 20 years, yet the east/west mentality persists and will probably always linger. This is not necessarily a bad thing as it is what makes Berlin what it is, a cultural and historical dichotomy.
East Berlin was very reminiscent of Warsaw in many ways. Remnants of the Wall can be found while walking about. Socialist architecture is found in many buildings, tenements. Other than Unter den Linden, east Berlin is not as attractive as it's western counterpart. However, to make up for it, it is east Berlin that claims most of the history visitors crave. From Potsdammer Platz to the Brandenburg Gate and on, you can find traces of the Wall or double cobblestone bricks outlining where the Wall used to be.
West Berlin is aesthetically very much like any western European city. The architecture is different and more pleasing to the eye. The Reichstag, Zoo, Tiergarten and Ku'damm area all fall to the west. Potsdammer platz borders east and west. While there are some things to do there, attractions are more abundant in the east.
So, while both are joined as one, you can't speak of Berlin as one because no matter how you look at it both sides have distinct features that make they unique.
Berlin has a lot to offer families. We spent three full days and one afternoon/evening. If I could do it again, I would have spent at least five full days in Berlin.
Berlin for Kids
Just the fact that you are in Germany makes Berlin a great place for kids. There is the Zoo/Aquarium, Tiergarten Park, Sea Life Park, and of course Lego Land. You can easily take kids to one of these each day to break up the sightseeing geared for adults.
With school age children, like Thing 1, you can make history interesting and make it relative to them. When walking throughout Berlin, history is everywhere. From Wall remnants, Nazi book burning sites, museums, you name it there are lessons for kids here. For Thing 1, I tried to help him understand how the Wall separated families, parents and children, how people gave up their lives trying to escape communism. I used our family as an example. What if someone decided to separate the county where his grandmother lives from the county where we used to live with a Wall? What if grandma could come to see us, but we were never allowed to visit her? What if you tried to climb over the Wall and someone tried to kill you for doing that? This all made it more real for him. After that he was looking for remnants of the Wall everywhere and asking what sector (American, British, French or Soviet) we were in at any given time.
Toddlers/preschooler couldn't care less about history - they just care about their-story. And part of that is nap time. Even if they have outgrown their nap as mine is getting really close to doing, traveling makes you tired. Having a stroller or one of those child backpacks helps tremendously. Have young children nap while you take in a museum of interest to you.
To sum up, if you think you can't take your young children to Europe, think again. It is quite manageable and will provide you with lots of memories and history lessons your children can access in the future.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Leaving Berlin via the East Side Gallery
My husband travels a lot for a living. This makes it real difficult for us as a family because many times he has no interest in sightseeing. I have learned over the years that my husband is quite the gastronomic connoisseur. Wine shops, gourmet food shops, specialty cheese or chocolate shops are his thing. In fact, I say give him a bottle of wine in a brown paper bag with an assortment of fine cheeses and he is a happy camper.
For this trip to Germany, all he wanted was to find mulled wine or Glühwein as it is known in Germany. This wine is the drink of choice at the Christmas markets in Germany and since Berlin was already setting up for their markets, he figured there had to be some Glühwein somewhere in Berlin.
My husband also shoulders much of the child carrying on our trips. We always bring an umbrella stroller to hold one child or as our own personal cart for coats, souvenir/shopping bags, etc. The problem is that the only child that wants to ride the stroller in Thing 1. Thing 2 has no interest in the stroller, but tires easily walking and all she wants is for "Daddy carry". The Cat was exhausted at the end of every day and his back took quite a beating. And all that without a wine store that sold Glühwein.
While my Cat couldn't care less about sightseeing, I am all about the sightseeing. I love history and since Europe is just one big ball of history, I eat it up. Most people use guidebooks to look for attractions and map out their routes. I actually read the historical sections. Because of the kids, I have had to slow my usual pace and have had to make some concessions to keep all parties happy. So, it was that the day prior I had given up on seeing the East Side Gallery.
But, as I charged our GPS device on our last night in Berlin, I decided to do some research. I looked up the address for the gallery. It is an outdoor gallery where painters from all over the world left some of their art work on a stretch of the Wall. I figured that we had to get out of Berlin somehow, why not via the East Side Gallery. So, as the Cat loaded the car in the pouring rain on the morning of our departure, I plugged in our home address and inserted a via point: the East Side Gallery. I decided not to tell the Cat about my plan because 1) it was pouring and 2) he was so tired of sightseeing that I knew that if I asked to pass by the gallery he would have said no.
So, we left our hotel and low and behold, I found a Lidl (Germany supermarket). Knowing what I had already planned, I said "Hey - there's a Lidl. If there is Glühwein in Germany it may be there. Why don't you go in and check?" I prayed that he would find it because this way when he realized what I had done I could always say "You would not have Glühwein if I had not done that." And, so my very happy husband walked out of Lidl with a huge case of Glühwein, enough to last us a year although he insists that he will consume it before we move.
And on our way we go and low and behold there it is: the East Side Gallery. I act all surprised and tell the Cat to slow down. There was no one behind us so I took some pictures from the car (did I say it was pouring rain?) and then I managed to video tape a good portion of the Wall as the Cat drove along. He actually got a bit excited when he saw where we were and then he looked at the GPS and he says "Wow, even the GPS shows its location!" Then, he got a clue and I told him what I did. He had been duped, but he agreed that the would not have taken me there if I had asked.
And, so I got to catch a glimpse of the gallery, he got his Glühwein and 10 hours later we were all home having a glass of wine and laughing about the whole thing.
For this trip to Germany, all he wanted was to find mulled wine or Glühwein as it is known in Germany. This wine is the drink of choice at the Christmas markets in Germany and since Berlin was already setting up for their markets, he figured there had to be some Glühwein somewhere in Berlin.
My husband also shoulders much of the child carrying on our trips. We always bring an umbrella stroller to hold one child or as our own personal cart for coats, souvenir/shopping bags, etc. The problem is that the only child that wants to ride the stroller in Thing 1. Thing 2 has no interest in the stroller, but tires easily walking and all she wants is for "Daddy carry". The Cat was exhausted at the end of every day and his back took quite a beating. And all that without a wine store that sold Glühwein.
While my Cat couldn't care less about sightseeing, I am all about the sightseeing. I love history and since Europe is just one big ball of history, I eat it up. Most people use guidebooks to look for attractions and map out their routes. I actually read the historical sections. Because of the kids, I have had to slow my usual pace and have had to make some concessions to keep all parties happy. So, it was that the day prior I had given up on seeing the East Side Gallery.
But, as I charged our GPS device on our last night in Berlin, I decided to do some research. I looked up the address for the gallery. It is an outdoor gallery where painters from all over the world left some of their art work on a stretch of the Wall. I figured that we had to get out of Berlin somehow, why not via the East Side Gallery. So, as the Cat loaded the car in the pouring rain on the morning of our departure, I plugged in our home address and inserted a via point: the East Side Gallery. I decided not to tell the Cat about my plan because 1) it was pouring and 2) he was so tired of sightseeing that I knew that if I asked to pass by the gallery he would have said no.
So, we left our hotel and low and behold, I found a Lidl (Germany supermarket). Knowing what I had already planned, I said "Hey - there's a Lidl. If there is Glühwein in Germany it may be there. Why don't you go in and check?" I prayed that he would find it because this way when he realized what I had done I could always say "You would not have Glühwein if I had not done that." And, so my very happy husband walked out of Lidl with a huge case of Glühwein, enough to last us a year although he insists that he will consume it before we move.
And on our way we go and low and behold there it is: the East Side Gallery. I act all surprised and tell the Cat to slow down. There was no one behind us so I took some pictures from the car (did I say it was pouring rain?) and then I managed to video tape a good portion of the Wall as the Cat drove along. He actually got a bit excited when he saw where we were and then he looked at the GPS and he says "Wow, even the GPS shows its location!" Then, he got a clue and I told him what I did. He had been duped, but he agreed that the would not have taken me there if I had asked.
And, so I got to catch a glimpse of the gallery, he got his Glühwein and 10 hours later we were all home having a glass of wine and laughing about the whole thing.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Berlin: Day 4 - More rain with a mix of history...
Ah, Europe in the fall! You just can't get away from the cold and rain. And so, today on our last full day in Berlin, we again woke to light rain falling for hours on end. So, we headed indoors....to the Berliner Dome (Cathedral).
After reviewing appropriate church behavior with the little people, we headed inside. Inside it was beautiful, but I have seen more spectacular churches. Most of this church was damaged in the war, so it is actually relatively new in comparison to other European churches. Going into churches with small children can be a challenge, but we were lucky in that the organist was practicing and thereby drowning out any comments from our peanut gallery.
With your entry ticket, you can climb to the top of the Dome which provides somewhat of a view of the river Spree and the Museum insel (isle). We climbed up and then ended our tour in the crypt where all the Kurfürsten (electors) and Kaisers and Kings of Germany/Prussia are buried.
I really wanted to go to the Pergammon Museum which contains the Zeus Altar along with the Ishtar gate. And I thought Ishtar was only a bad 80's movie! But, we had a combo ticket from LegoLand for the Sea Life Aquarium and since it was our last full day, we decided to take the kids there for their daily activity.
Sea Life Aquarium is located a block from the Berliner Dom. Like Lego Land, the aquarium was located underground. Nothing phenomenal here although I am glad I didn't pay full price for it. It was simply a 2 hour diversion for the kids. The Zoo has a an aquarium as well, but since we had tickets to Sea Life, we skipped the Zoo Aquarium. Part of the Sea Life ticket is a trip into the Aqua Dome. Berliners like their domes!
The Aqua Dome runs through the Radisson SAS hotel. It is a huge circular fish tank with a double decker elevator in the middle that takes you into the tank and makes you wonder who is really in the fishbowl. Again, not something I would do on my own, but they kids enjoyed being inside a fish tank.
There was an Asian restaurant on site and it was lunch time, so we decided to have lunch. The meal was great with the exception that Thing 1 would not touch his Crispy Chicken with peanut sauce. I make curry chicken with peanut sauce at home and he always eats it. This didn't even have curry! So he didn't eat.
After lunch we hopped on Bus 100 and headed west. We walked towards the Brandenburg gate and went to the Reichstag. On the way there, we came upon a row of crosses with pictures of people who were killed in their attempt to escape East Berlin. The Reichstag is right across the street. It is home to the German Parliament not unlike our US Capitol. You can go inside and watch parliament in session and you can go to the top of their dome as well. We just took pictures and let the kids run amok on the lawn in front of the building.
We walked a bit through the Tiergarten Park, Berlin's version of New York's Central Park. We came upon a Memorial to the Soviets. Soviets? Why, you may ask, is there a memorial to such a repressive regime? Because, if you recall, it was the Red Army that took Berlin from Hitler eventually leading to the end of World War II. In essence, many Soviet soldiers gave their lives to end Hitler's rule. That's before they took over the eastern half of Berlin. The memorial is in Russian and there are some Soviet tanks and cannons that Thing 1took interest in.
So, here we are in a park and Thing 2 tells us she needs to poop. I mention this because this is beauty of traveling with small children. Just before entering the park we all used the bathroom. In fact, we PAID to use the bathroom! Now, the Cat was doing a mad dash to prevent an accident (even though she was in pull ups). There was a Starbucks near the Brandenburg gate so he was heading there when out of nowhere he encounters a city toilet, the kind that stand alone, doors opening when you pay the fee. These are far nicer and cleaner than the Parisian variety. But, you better finish using it during the alloted time or the doors will pop open. Thing 2 used the toilet and an accident was averted.
We usually try to dissect the city in quarters, but since we were also doing things with the kids that were scattered everywhere it was a bit difficult to do. With portions of the Metro under construction, we used the taxi several times to get to wherever Bus 100 did not go. So, we found one on the road adjacent to the Tiergarten and headed to Checkpoint Charlie.
Haus am Checkpoint Charlie was the only museum that we adults took in. This was made easier by the fact that Thing 1 actually took much interest in the Wall history. This museum is rich with information about what it was like to live in East Berlin and the innovative ways people tried to escape: in hollowed engine compartments, hanging from the bottom of trucks/cars, swimming underneath the river Spree, in suitcases, via harnessed pullys from a building in the East to the ground on the West, and by underground tunnels dug by East berliners themselves. There were so many stories documented here that it felt somewhat like the Holocaust Museum in DC. Thing 1 was fascinated with what people will do to be free. It was quite a history lesson.
When you leave the museum, what is left of the actual checkpoint is a recreation. Initially, I was not going to pay to have a picture taken with some fake soldiers, but Thing 1 really wanted one and it was 1 Euro so we caved. There is also a stand where one of the "fake" soldiers will stamp your passport with one or many stamps of your choosing. The guy engaged the children and talked to Thing 1 a great deal about the history of the checkpoint. We bought two fake visas for the kids with the different visa stamps and had our own passports stamped with US and Soviet stamps. My tourist passport expires soon, so now I have a reason to keep it.
We walked around the area and found a marker with a trace of the Berlin Wall on it. Despite this, I was beginning to think that the part of the Berlin Wall that I wanted to see, the East Side Gallery, was becoming more elusive with our time constraints. Again, it was dinner time.
After having dinner at the Champs Elysee of East Berlin (Unter den Linden) the other night, we headed to the Champs Elysee of West Berlin - the Kurfürstendamm or Ku'Damm for short. Like it's Parisian counterpart, this street is lined with shops, restaurants, clubs, the Kaiser Wilhelm (bombed out) Memorial church, some interesting sculptures and lots of curry wurst (a hot dog with curry sauce) and döner Kebabs. It is named after the Kurfürsten or "electors" of the Holy Roman Empire.
We spent the rest of the evening strolling along the Ku'Damm and eventually taking a cab home since the Metro station was closed. No East Side Gallery for me tonight.
After reviewing appropriate church behavior with the little people, we headed inside. Inside it was beautiful, but I have seen more spectacular churches. Most of this church was damaged in the war, so it is actually relatively new in comparison to other European churches. Going into churches with small children can be a challenge, but we were lucky in that the organist was practicing and thereby drowning out any comments from our peanut gallery.
With your entry ticket, you can climb to the top of the Dome which provides somewhat of a view of the river Spree and the Museum insel (isle). We climbed up and then ended our tour in the crypt where all the Kurfürsten (electors) and Kaisers and Kings of Germany/Prussia are buried.
I really wanted to go to the Pergammon Museum which contains the Zeus Altar along with the Ishtar gate. And I thought Ishtar was only a bad 80's movie! But, we had a combo ticket from LegoLand for the Sea Life Aquarium and since it was our last full day, we decided to take the kids there for their daily activity.
Sea Life Aquarium is located a block from the Berliner Dom. Like Lego Land, the aquarium was located underground. Nothing phenomenal here although I am glad I didn't pay full price for it. It was simply a 2 hour diversion for the kids. The Zoo has a an aquarium as well, but since we had tickets to Sea Life, we skipped the Zoo Aquarium. Part of the Sea Life ticket is a trip into the Aqua Dome. Berliners like their domes!
The Aqua Dome runs through the Radisson SAS hotel. It is a huge circular fish tank with a double decker elevator in the middle that takes you into the tank and makes you wonder who is really in the fishbowl. Again, not something I would do on my own, but they kids enjoyed being inside a fish tank.
There was an Asian restaurant on site and it was lunch time, so we decided to have lunch. The meal was great with the exception that Thing 1 would not touch his Crispy Chicken with peanut sauce. I make curry chicken with peanut sauce at home and he always eats it. This didn't even have curry! So he didn't eat.
After lunch we hopped on Bus 100 and headed west. We walked towards the Brandenburg gate and went to the Reichstag. On the way there, we came upon a row of crosses with pictures of people who were killed in their attempt to escape East Berlin. The Reichstag is right across the street. It is home to the German Parliament not unlike our US Capitol. You can go inside and watch parliament in session and you can go to the top of their dome as well. We just took pictures and let the kids run amok on the lawn in front of the building.
We walked a bit through the Tiergarten Park, Berlin's version of New York's Central Park. We came upon a Memorial to the Soviets. Soviets? Why, you may ask, is there a memorial to such a repressive regime? Because, if you recall, it was the Red Army that took Berlin from Hitler eventually leading to the end of World War II. In essence, many Soviet soldiers gave their lives to end Hitler's rule. That's before they took over the eastern half of Berlin. The memorial is in Russian and there are some Soviet tanks and cannons that Thing 1took interest in.
So, here we are in a park and Thing 2 tells us she needs to poop. I mention this because this is beauty of traveling with small children. Just before entering the park we all used the bathroom. In fact, we PAID to use the bathroom! Now, the Cat was doing a mad dash to prevent an accident (even though she was in pull ups). There was a Starbucks near the Brandenburg gate so he was heading there when out of nowhere he encounters a city toilet, the kind that stand alone, doors opening when you pay the fee. These are far nicer and cleaner than the Parisian variety. But, you better finish using it during the alloted time or the doors will pop open. Thing 2 used the toilet and an accident was averted.
We usually try to dissect the city in quarters, but since we were also doing things with the kids that were scattered everywhere it was a bit difficult to do. With portions of the Metro under construction, we used the taxi several times to get to wherever Bus 100 did not go. So, we found one on the road adjacent to the Tiergarten and headed to Checkpoint Charlie.
Haus am Checkpoint Charlie was the only museum that we adults took in. This was made easier by the fact that Thing 1 actually took much interest in the Wall history. This museum is rich with information about what it was like to live in East Berlin and the innovative ways people tried to escape: in hollowed engine compartments, hanging from the bottom of trucks/cars, swimming underneath the river Spree, in suitcases, via harnessed pullys from a building in the East to the ground on the West, and by underground tunnels dug by East berliners themselves. There were so many stories documented here that it felt somewhat like the Holocaust Museum in DC. Thing 1 was fascinated with what people will do to be free. It was quite a history lesson.
When you leave the museum, what is left of the actual checkpoint is a recreation. Initially, I was not going to pay to have a picture taken with some fake soldiers, but Thing 1 really wanted one and it was 1 Euro so we caved. There is also a stand where one of the "fake" soldiers will stamp your passport with one or many stamps of your choosing. The guy engaged the children and talked to Thing 1 a great deal about the history of the checkpoint. We bought two fake visas for the kids with the different visa stamps and had our own passports stamped with US and Soviet stamps. My tourist passport expires soon, so now I have a reason to keep it.
We walked around the area and found a marker with a trace of the Berlin Wall on it. Despite this, I was beginning to think that the part of the Berlin Wall that I wanted to see, the East Side Gallery, was becoming more elusive with our time constraints. Again, it was dinner time.
After having dinner at the Champs Elysee of East Berlin (Unter den Linden) the other night, we headed to the Champs Elysee of West Berlin - the Kurfürstendamm or Ku'Damm for short. Like it's Parisian counterpart, this street is lined with shops, restaurants, clubs, the Kaiser Wilhelm (bombed out) Memorial church, some interesting sculptures and lots of curry wurst (a hot dog with curry sauce) and döner Kebabs. It is named after the Kurfürsten or "electors" of the Holy Roman Empire.
We spent the rest of the evening strolling along the Ku'Damm and eventually taking a cab home since the Metro station was closed. No East Side Gallery for me tonight.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Berlin: Day 3 - Monkey Business and a TV Tower
The rain stopped and while the day started out overcast, the sun eventually came out. It was the only day of our entire trip where we actually saw the sun. Most people would probably take in the many historical attractions Berlin has to offer, but not us. We ended up on Bus 100 to the Berlin Tiergarten-Zoo.
I like zoos. Animal behavior fascinates me and on this trip I caught some interesting videos of baby bird bathing, and a hungry ram "ramming" its horns into a fence trying to escape.
There was a petting area with some goats and for some reason, someone thought of putting some geese in there to make it interesting. Geese are not the most friendly creatures. Thing 2 was trying to feed a goat and a goose who was upset that s/he was not being fed nipped at her and freaked her out. She was very cautious petting all the animals after that. The most entertaining was a fenced in ram. It too was rather upset that the goat on the other side of the fence kept getting fed by the kids and it started to "ram" right into the fence with it's horns.
My only pet peeve about this zoo is that there was no personal guide map. We spent about 4 hours there and didn't see it all. But out of all the zoos we have been to, this one was certainly worth it. They have a great array of animals and today they were all active. The kids really enjoyed it.
Walking around the zoo was quite exhausting. We took Bus 100 back towards Alexanderplatz and decided to make the line for the Fernsehnturm otherwise known as the Berlin TV Tower. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the tickets are timed and while they say it is only a 30 minute wait, they lied. We got there around 3 which I thought would be a great time to see panoramic Berlin during the daylight hours. However, by the time, our ticket number came up, it was almost 5pm and the sun had set. If you like taking in city views and pictures of the city, I would not do the TV tower in the later afternoon. It is actually better to get there when it opens at 8 so you can get a good view and if you are lucky, you may be able to have coffee in the rotating cafe. It was jam packed at 5pm.
The city view really wasn't that spectacular in comparison to Paris for example. The TV Tower is the highest structure in Berlin, so nothing really stands out from that high. I could barely see the Brandenburg Gate - yet another reason to go during daylight hours. By the time we finished descending, it was about 6pm and time for dinner. We were close to our apartment so we picked up some food and took it back "home" to eat dinner and called it an early night.
I like zoos. Animal behavior fascinates me and on this trip I caught some interesting videos of baby bird bathing, and a hungry ram "ramming" its horns into a fence trying to escape.
There was a petting area with some goats and for some reason, someone thought of putting some geese in there to make it interesting. Geese are not the most friendly creatures. Thing 2 was trying to feed a goat and a goose who was upset that s/he was not being fed nipped at her and freaked her out. She was very cautious petting all the animals after that. The most entertaining was a fenced in ram. It too was rather upset that the goat on the other side of the fence kept getting fed by the kids and it started to "ram" right into the fence with it's horns.
My only pet peeve about this zoo is that there was no personal guide map. We spent about 4 hours there and didn't see it all. But out of all the zoos we have been to, this one was certainly worth it. They have a great array of animals and today they were all active. The kids really enjoyed it.
Walking around the zoo was quite exhausting. We took Bus 100 back towards Alexanderplatz and decided to make the line for the Fernsehnturm otherwise known as the Berlin TV Tower. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the tickets are timed and while they say it is only a 30 minute wait, they lied. We got there around 3 which I thought would be a great time to see panoramic Berlin during the daylight hours. However, by the time, our ticket number came up, it was almost 5pm and the sun had set. If you like taking in city views and pictures of the city, I would not do the TV tower in the later afternoon. It is actually better to get there when it opens at 8 so you can get a good view and if you are lucky, you may be able to have coffee in the rotating cafe. It was jam packed at 5pm.
The city view really wasn't that spectacular in comparison to Paris for example. The TV Tower is the highest structure in Berlin, so nothing really stands out from that high. I could barely see the Brandenburg Gate - yet another reason to go during daylight hours. By the time we finished descending, it was about 6pm and time for dinner. We were close to our apartment so we picked up some food and took it back "home" to eat dinner and called it an early night.
Berlin: Day 2 - Rain, rain, go away!
Berlin is a city full of history - this, of course, means nothing to young children. We try to plan our days to include at least a few hours of stuff kids enjoy and even then I cannot avoid one of them complaining about something.
This morning we awoke to a drizzling rain, the kind that lightly falls all day hardly ever ceasing. I hate rain unless it is in FL where it is hot and rain is a welcome relief. I especially hate rain when it is already cold outside. So, breaking my rule of saving all children activities for the end of the trip as my bargaining chip for good behavior, we boarded the train for LegoLand Discovery Center at Potsdamer Platz. We figured this would be a good way to spend a rainy day.
After one train stop, everyone exits at Alexanderplatz. We follow suit only to learn that beginning today, on the first full day of our trip, there is construction work taking place at the following 2 stations. I specifically chose this apartment because of it's proximity to the U2 line (here's to you Bono!). The U bahn solution: bus everyone to the Spittelmarkt station on a U2 labeled bus so they can then continue their journey on the U2 line. We were at the tail end of the morning rush hour which in Berlin seems to last all day. This specific round of bad luck does not surprise me since this month has been all about throwing me for a loop.
We get to LegoLand a little after 10:15. After a quick snack at the next door Dunkin Donuts, we made the line for tickets in the rain. Our coats/jackets were soaked by the time we actually got inside.
LegoLand is a glorified Chuck E Cheese with more sophisticated activities. There is a 4D movie, a slow moving Lego Dragon ride, an Indiana Jones jungle expedition, a model building workshop (kids were taught how to make Halloween pumpkins), a testing center where you design/build a vehicle and then test it on a track, a huge jungle gym and the proverbial gift shop at the exit. The kids had a great time, but I really could have skipped the whole thing.
As we leave and head across Potsdamer Platz, we see a large crowd gathering in front of the Ritz Carlton. Josh was curious so we headed over. This is where social psychology can be viewed at it's finest. I asked someone why the crowd had gathered. No one really knew. What I found all the more interesting, but expected, is that more and more people, having not a clue as to who was coming out of that hotel, kept lining up and waiting with all the other clueless persons.
I wasn't going to wait around for a celebrity when I didn't even know who it was. But, my goofy husband was eager to find out who everyone was waiting for. I joked with him that for all we knew, it was Hannah Montana.
The Ritz started giving out purple balloons to the kids. It had some writing on it. I kept telling the Cat to find out what the balloon said. Guess who everyone was waiting for? He finds out and comes up to me asking me who is Miley Cyrus? For any parent of a tween girl (or if you watch the Disney Channel for any period of time0, you would know that Miley Cyrus is Hannah Montana.
I really couldn't care less (sorry to my young cousins who are big fans), but the tweenager whose parents asked me what was going on was thrilled to hear this news. the Cat in all his Peter Pan-esque glory wanted to stay because if Miley is coming so is Billy Ray and this would be a double celebrity sighting. Not that he even cares about either. I couldn't care less about either. I bribed him with coffee at the Starbucks across the platz and he caved.
After our coffee break we headed back to the Brandenberg Gate to continue walking where we left off the previous evening. But, it was persistently raining and the kids were tired. We paid the extra money to hop on one of those sightseeing buses for a 2 hour tour of Berlin. Thing 2 caught a nap while we became more oriented to the city. Despite the price of 15 Euro per person (children free), it was well worth it for Thing 2 to get a nap.
The only reason to board one of these buses is to get the commentary as you ride around. If you don't care abotu the commentary or already know what you are looking at, hop on Bus 100 or 200. These stop at all the tourist areas beginning/ending at the Zoo and Alexanderplatz. We rode Bus 100 for the remainder of time in Berlin due ot the U-bahn situation.
By the end of the tour, it had stopped raining, so we continued from the Brandenberg Gate onto Unter den Linden, a very pretty street whose name literally means "under the linden trees." The trees were practically bare, but they were lit up from beneath and the whole street was quite nice. The street is lined with restaurants, shops, luxury car showrooms like Ferrari and Bentley and the massive Russian Embassy complex. According to the tour guide on the bus, the mammoth complex doesn't just hold the Embassy, but houses a school for the Russian children whose parents work there as well a pool and other perks. The guide called it "a city onto itself."
We found a restaurant called Maredo's which is a chain of Argentinian-like steakhouses. The food was good although it is not authentic Argentinian cuisine. But, it was a family restaurant despite the candle light. My kids actually ate some thing other than chicken nuggets - their German counterpart wiener schnitzel.
The streets perpendicular to Unter den Linden house several Embassies including the British and French which are closest to the gate. After the war, the city of Berlin was divided in four with the Soviet sector to the East and an American, British and French sector to the west. Interestingly, today, those four nationalities are the closest in location to the Gate.
We ran across the Berlin Store on Unter Den Linden and found their prices for some things to be quite reasonable compared to other places we had passed by. Berlin isn't the tourist trap that Prague is, but it has it's fair share of traps.
Thing 1 passed out shortly after that store visit. Since it had stopped raining and we really didn't have an opportunity to walk earlier, we walked the mile and half back to our apartment. On the way, we passed Bebelplatz. This is another place where a profound statement was made showcasing a bit of history.
Bebelplatz is surrounded by the Staatsoper (State Opera), St. Hedwig's Cathedral and a Library. To anyone who has not read anything about the square, you may simply pass it by. But, it is here that the Nazi's held a massive book burning in the 30's. A simple memorial was made underground. The only way you will notice it is by walking onto the square and making your way towards to the other groups of people looking into the ground. Once you get there, you will find a glass square and when you look inside you see a white room with empty bookcases. Enough said!
After getting back to the apartment and putting the kids to bed, the Cat and I ended our exhausting day with a bottle of champagne to mark our 7th wedding anniversary.
This morning we awoke to a drizzling rain, the kind that lightly falls all day hardly ever ceasing. I hate rain unless it is in FL where it is hot and rain is a welcome relief. I especially hate rain when it is already cold outside. So, breaking my rule of saving all children activities for the end of the trip as my bargaining chip for good behavior, we boarded the train for LegoLand Discovery Center at Potsdamer Platz. We figured this would be a good way to spend a rainy day.
After one train stop, everyone exits at Alexanderplatz. We follow suit only to learn that beginning today, on the first full day of our trip, there is construction work taking place at the following 2 stations. I specifically chose this apartment because of it's proximity to the U2 line (here's to you Bono!). The U bahn solution: bus everyone to the Spittelmarkt station on a U2 labeled bus so they can then continue their journey on the U2 line. We were at the tail end of the morning rush hour which in Berlin seems to last all day. This specific round of bad luck does not surprise me since this month has been all about throwing me for a loop.
We get to LegoLand a little after 10:15. After a quick snack at the next door Dunkin Donuts, we made the line for tickets in the rain. Our coats/jackets were soaked by the time we actually got inside.
LegoLand is a glorified Chuck E Cheese with more sophisticated activities. There is a 4D movie, a slow moving Lego Dragon ride, an Indiana Jones jungle expedition, a model building workshop (kids were taught how to make Halloween pumpkins), a testing center where you design/build a vehicle and then test it on a track, a huge jungle gym and the proverbial gift shop at the exit. The kids had a great time, but I really could have skipped the whole thing.
As we leave and head across Potsdamer Platz, we see a large crowd gathering in front of the Ritz Carlton. Josh was curious so we headed over. This is where social psychology can be viewed at it's finest. I asked someone why the crowd had gathered. No one really knew. What I found all the more interesting, but expected, is that more and more people, having not a clue as to who was coming out of that hotel, kept lining up and waiting with all the other clueless persons.
I wasn't going to wait around for a celebrity when I didn't even know who it was. But, my goofy husband was eager to find out who everyone was waiting for. I joked with him that for all we knew, it was Hannah Montana.
The Ritz started giving out purple balloons to the kids. It had some writing on it. I kept telling the Cat to find out what the balloon said. Guess who everyone was waiting for? He finds out and comes up to me asking me who is Miley Cyrus? For any parent of a tween girl (or if you watch the Disney Channel for any period of time0, you would know that Miley Cyrus is Hannah Montana.
I really couldn't care less (sorry to my young cousins who are big fans), but the tweenager whose parents asked me what was going on was thrilled to hear this news. the Cat in all his Peter Pan-esque glory wanted to stay because if Miley is coming so is Billy Ray and this would be a double celebrity sighting. Not that he even cares about either. I couldn't care less about either. I bribed him with coffee at the Starbucks across the platz and he caved.
After our coffee break we headed back to the Brandenberg Gate to continue walking where we left off the previous evening. But, it was persistently raining and the kids were tired. We paid the extra money to hop on one of those sightseeing buses for a 2 hour tour of Berlin. Thing 2 caught a nap while we became more oriented to the city. Despite the price of 15 Euro per person (children free), it was well worth it for Thing 2 to get a nap.
The only reason to board one of these buses is to get the commentary as you ride around. If you don't care abotu the commentary or already know what you are looking at, hop on Bus 100 or 200. These stop at all the tourist areas beginning/ending at the Zoo and Alexanderplatz. We rode Bus 100 for the remainder of time in Berlin due ot the U-bahn situation.
By the end of the tour, it had stopped raining, so we continued from the Brandenberg Gate onto Unter den Linden, a very pretty street whose name literally means "under the linden trees." The trees were practically bare, but they were lit up from beneath and the whole street was quite nice. The street is lined with restaurants, shops, luxury car showrooms like Ferrari and Bentley and the massive Russian Embassy complex. According to the tour guide on the bus, the mammoth complex doesn't just hold the Embassy, but houses a school for the Russian children whose parents work there as well a pool and other perks. The guide called it "a city onto itself."
We found a restaurant called Maredo's which is a chain of Argentinian-like steakhouses. The food was good although it is not authentic Argentinian cuisine. But, it was a family restaurant despite the candle light. My kids actually ate some thing other than chicken nuggets - their German counterpart wiener schnitzel.
The streets perpendicular to Unter den Linden house several Embassies including the British and French which are closest to the gate. After the war, the city of Berlin was divided in four with the Soviet sector to the East and an American, British and French sector to the west. Interestingly, today, those four nationalities are the closest in location to the Gate.
We ran across the Berlin Store on Unter Den Linden and found their prices for some things to be quite reasonable compared to other places we had passed by. Berlin isn't the tourist trap that Prague is, but it has it's fair share of traps.
Thing 1 passed out shortly after that store visit. Since it had stopped raining and we really didn't have an opportunity to walk earlier, we walked the mile and half back to our apartment. On the way, we passed Bebelplatz. This is another place where a profound statement was made showcasing a bit of history.
Bebelplatz is surrounded by the Staatsoper (State Opera), St. Hedwig's Cathedral and a Library. To anyone who has not read anything about the square, you may simply pass it by. But, it is here that the Nazi's held a massive book burning in the 30's. A simple memorial was made underground. The only way you will notice it is by walking onto the square and making your way towards to the other groups of people looking into the ground. Once you get there, you will find a glass square and when you look inside you see a white room with empty bookcases. Enough said!
After getting back to the apartment and putting the kids to bed, the Cat and I ended our exhausting day with a bottle of champagne to mark our 7th wedding anniversary.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Berlin: Day 1 - Finding our way
So, we arrived in Berlin without incident. We checked into our apartment. It is a great 1 bedroom apartment with a kitchen, flat screen TV's with a USB machine where you can plug in your Ipod to watch your programs on the TV. We haven't had time to use this nor do I understand why people would watch TV while on vacation. I'm happy just with the BBC while I get ready to go in the morning. The apartment is clean with a fully stocked kitchen (wine glasses included).
We are staying in east (formerly communist) Berlin. While aesthetically, the area is not as pleasing to the eye as the western part of the city, the location (a few feet from the U-Bahn) can't be beat. There is also a CVS type shop right across from the apartments that sells just about everything you could need as well as a 24 hour mini mart place that sells water, soda, wine, beer, champagne and snack foods.
After settling in, we headed over to Potsdamer Platz. Not at all what I expected. I am used to the "platz" being an open square. This one is home to a massive entertainment complex, the Sony Center. There are restaurants, a movie theater, IMAX, and some shops. The LegoLand Discovery Center is also here. Two American chains, Tony Roma's and Dunkin Donuts were present as were Starbucks (you can easily find one within a mile anywhere you are) and Haagen Daz.
Potsdamer Platz has plenty of places to catch a bite to eat. I usually see candles in restaurants and automatically assume children are not appropriate at the establishment. However, in Berlin it seems that candles are used at tables in every restaurant regardless of who they cater to. So, if you go with little kids, have no fear.
After having dinner, we headed down the street toward the Bradenberg Tor (Gate). On the way we passed the Memorial to Holocaust victims. This is a interesting memorial consisting of concrete slabs of different shapes beginning small and growing tall until it becomes a bit of a maze. I am not sure what the sculptor/designer's interpretation was but I had a feeling of being consumed by the slabs of concrete the further we walked into it. You literally get lost within the memorial. For me, it stood more as a symbolic representation of the Holocaust as something that started out on a small scale and grew to the point that the human mind cannot fathom. So, if this was the sculptor's intention, he did a great job in conveying his message. There is alot of critiscism about the Memorial only commemorating Jewish victims of the Holocaust instead of being all inclusive of the Roma, homosexuals, political prisoners, etc that died at the hands of the Nazis. I can see their point.
We continued walking towards the Brandenberg Gate, passing the massive and new US Embassy complex before reaching the gate. Berlin was having a Festival of Lights where the important attractions were lit up including the gate. The Berlin wall ran right along the Brandenberg Gate and beyond. The gate itself was located in East Berlin. The Quadriga statue on top faces the East. It's hard to believe today that the wall kept the West from the gate. The location of the wall is marked by a double line pointing out hte course of the Berlin Wall. Large slabs of the wall are found across the city lining the area of the wall's original location including where we went earlier at Potsdamer Platz. In fact, until 1989, Potsdamer platz was an empty area divided by the Wall. Souvenir shops sell "pieces" of the wall. Some have ceritficates of authenticity attached to them. Whether real or not, they are a bit of an expensive novelty - almost 13 Euro!
After reaching the gate, the kids were exhausted and we were not oriented enough to find the nearest metro. We got in a taxi to head back to the apartment to get everyone bathed and into bed ASAP.
It was the best night's sleep I had in a while.
We are staying in east (formerly communist) Berlin. While aesthetically, the area is not as pleasing to the eye as the western part of the city, the location (a few feet from the U-Bahn) can't be beat. There is also a CVS type shop right across from the apartments that sells just about everything you could need as well as a 24 hour mini mart place that sells water, soda, wine, beer, champagne and snack foods.
After settling in, we headed over to Potsdamer Platz. Not at all what I expected. I am used to the "platz" being an open square. This one is home to a massive entertainment complex, the Sony Center. There are restaurants, a movie theater, IMAX, and some shops. The LegoLand Discovery Center is also here. Two American chains, Tony Roma's and Dunkin Donuts were present as were Starbucks (you can easily find one within a mile anywhere you are) and Haagen Daz.
Potsdamer Platz has plenty of places to catch a bite to eat. I usually see candles in restaurants and automatically assume children are not appropriate at the establishment. However, in Berlin it seems that candles are used at tables in every restaurant regardless of who they cater to. So, if you go with little kids, have no fear.
After having dinner, we headed down the street toward the Bradenberg Tor (Gate). On the way we passed the Memorial to Holocaust victims. This is a interesting memorial consisting of concrete slabs of different shapes beginning small and growing tall until it becomes a bit of a maze. I am not sure what the sculptor/designer's interpretation was but I had a feeling of being consumed by the slabs of concrete the further we walked into it. You literally get lost within the memorial. For me, it stood more as a symbolic representation of the Holocaust as something that started out on a small scale and grew to the point that the human mind cannot fathom. So, if this was the sculptor's intention, he did a great job in conveying his message. There is alot of critiscism about the Memorial only commemorating Jewish victims of the Holocaust instead of being all inclusive of the Roma, homosexuals, political prisoners, etc that died at the hands of the Nazis. I can see their point.
We continued walking towards the Brandenberg Gate, passing the massive and new US Embassy complex before reaching the gate. Berlin was having a Festival of Lights where the important attractions were lit up including the gate. The Berlin wall ran right along the Brandenberg Gate and beyond. The gate itself was located in East Berlin. The Quadriga statue on top faces the East. It's hard to believe today that the wall kept the West from the gate. The location of the wall is marked by a double line pointing out hte course of the Berlin Wall. Large slabs of the wall are found across the city lining the area of the wall's original location including where we went earlier at Potsdamer Platz. In fact, until 1989, Potsdamer platz was an empty area divided by the Wall. Souvenir shops sell "pieces" of the wall. Some have ceritficates of authenticity attached to them. Whether real or not, they are a bit of an expensive novelty - almost 13 Euro!
After reaching the gate, the kids were exhausted and we were not oriented enough to find the nearest metro. We got in a taxi to head back to the apartment to get everyone bathed and into bed ASAP.
It was the best night's sleep I had in a while.
Under the radar
Our road trip to Berlin turned out to be better than expected. The fact that half of it took place on an actual autobahn and that we managed to stay under the radar of German police made it quite uneventful.
You see, we don't have a Polish/EU license. We were supposed to get one when we got here, but my dear husband didn't think this was important. We have applied for one now, but the license wasn't ready before we left. We don't even have the international driving permit. So, technically, we are driving illegally here.
Normally, this doesn't bother me. However, our diplomatic tags are not the same as EU tags and are not recognized by the German authorities. Slightly Cracked and Thrify Expat have been pulled over twice for this reason. And, while we followed their advice and got our diplomatic corp sticker and PL sticker to identify what country we are traveling from, I still worry about trying to communicate with German polizei. Our car is now parked in a garage across the street so we are safe for a few days. I'll be relieved if we can get to the German border without getting pulled over.
You see, we don't have a Polish/EU license. We were supposed to get one when we got here, but my dear husband didn't think this was important. We have applied for one now, but the license wasn't ready before we left. We don't even have the international driving permit. So, technically, we are driving illegally here.
Normally, this doesn't bother me. However, our diplomatic tags are not the same as EU tags and are not recognized by the German authorities. Slightly Cracked and Thrify Expat have been pulled over twice for this reason. And, while we followed their advice and got our diplomatic corp sticker and PL sticker to identify what country we are traveling from, I still worry about trying to communicate with German polizei. Our car is now parked in a garage across the street so we are safe for a few days. I'll be relieved if we can get to the German border without getting pulled over.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
UN Day 2008
Today was UN Day at the American School. Like last year, it is a day where the school celebrates the diversity of its students and teachers. During the two weeks leading up to UN Day, the kids make presentations to their classrooms about their home country (or State) so that the children learn more about where their classmates come from. This year, instead of representing his many nationalities, we let him focus on the USA since we will be moving back there this summer. He specifically focused on FL. Trying to get Thing 1 to focus and actually work on this was worse than a root canal. It didn't help that Thing 2 was starved for attention and kept asking me to give her "homework" too. Between sorting through pictures, online resources, a little typing and a little writing, we managed to put a poster together.
At home, he chose a picture atlas to read from every night and we covered the countries he had learned from during the day. Thing 1's classroom is made up of children from the USA, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Canada, and Mexico. We talked about Columbus’ “discovery” of America on Columbus Day. He learned why Columbus called people in America “Indians” and why today most people in Central and South America speak Spanish. Quite a history lesson, but after all, history is one of my favorite subjects!
Every year, country tables (staffed by parents) are set up in the gymnasium and main hallways. Each student is provided a “passport”. Each table has a country stamp, for example, the American stamp is the Statue of Liberty, Germany is a castle and so forth. The children visit the different tables and answer questions about the country (based on their age), receive all kinds of goodies and get their passport stamped.
This year, the 1st graders were paired up with a 5th grader. They thought this was pretty cool. Thing 1's 5th grade buddy happened to be his best friend's brother. So they went around the world together. I supervised 5 pairs of twos and Thing 2.
On the day leading up to UN Day, it is best to fast if you will be indulging in the festivities. Every year the cafeteria closes for that day. Parents provide dishes from their home country to share with the classroom. You literally can spend the entire day eating. My favorite of the day was "Nanaimo Bars" brought in by Thing 1's Canadian classmate. His mom was even good enough to include the recipe which I photographed (see below) so that I can replicate. Try it for yourself – a bit messy, but it is exquisite.
Each country table also provides miniature edible treats. For example, you can try Irish Cheddar Cheese at the Ireland Table, Belgian Chocolate at the Belgium Table, Croissants in France, and tea in India, China, and Japan. Our USA table provided chocolate chip cookies and Hershey’s kisses.
Thing 1 had fun answering questions about country flags, capitals, animals, etc. He visited every table. To give you an idea of the school demographic, there were tables for the USA, Poland, Lithuania, Mexico, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Croatia, Turkey, Kenya, New Zealand, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Romania, Brazil, South Korea, Israel, France, Ireland, Canada, India, Portugal, South Africa, Great Britain, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Japan and Malaysia. And that doesn’t include the countries that did not have a table because they did not have enough people to staff one, like Spain. We almost didn’t have a USA table because most of the US moms were either already room parents or they had small children who would not sit at a table for hours. Luckily, an Embassy mom with older children stepped up and we just provided her with supplies for the table.
Thing 2 joined the children in their trip around the world. We call her and another boy’s brother, the 1st grade room sister and room brother. They mostly played with balloons in the gym while the older kids visited tables. Thing 2, however, spent more time going table to table and collecting edible goodies. The child was eating every treat she could find. I even caught her stuffing her jean pockets with some treats. She also very rudely (but childlike) put back something she tasted that she did not like which I had to then take and throw out. She’s definitely a “foodie.”
As fun as it was and as much as we will miss this, I am quite pleased that these two UN weeks are over. No one realizes how exhausting it is for parents to put these things together. And I only had one at the school! I saw moms with 3 or 4 kids trying to split themselves into 3 or 4 so they could participate in each child’s experience. That’s 3 or 4 different meals for 3 or 4 different classes. They could start a catering service for all that trouble!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Trash Bandit strikes again!
Last month, I wrote a post about our neighborhood trash bandit and my attempts to thwart him. Well, this morning, he declared war!
I now have a lock for my trash gate and still the bastard managed to reach through the gate, open the trash can, slice open the bag enough for him to sift through it. He didn't make a mess, but had the trash collector come by and tried to collect the bag, it would have surely thrown trash everywhere. I had to go out this morning and put the broken bag into a new bag.
I have now placed the cans against the wall with the opening facing the wall and I am planning on lining the gate with a flattened cardboard box. If that does not work, I will be collecting dog poop from my dogs and setting up a dummy bag right at the top for him to dig his hands in. I'm inching closer to surveillance.
I now have a lock for my trash gate and still the bastard managed to reach through the gate, open the trash can, slice open the bag enough for him to sift through it. He didn't make a mess, but had the trash collector come by and tried to collect the bag, it would have surely thrown trash everywhere. I had to go out this morning and put the broken bag into a new bag.
I have now placed the cans against the wall with the opening facing the wall and I am planning on lining the gate with a flattened cardboard box. If that does not work, I will be collecting dog poop from my dogs and setting up a dummy bag right at the top for him to dig his hands in. I'm inching closer to surveillance.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
If you give an expat free coffee....
...they will come to your event. Mom's may find this title familiar if you have read "If You Give A Mouse a Cookie...?" by Laura Numeroff. My fellow expats (both American and international) have kept the java (or shall I say kawa) drip flowing since we arrived and most likely way before. What is it about caffeine and the expat?
Before moving here, I would have my usual Cuban expresso (still do) and that was usually sufficient. The only time I would stop at Starbucks was after a sleepless night with the kids. Now, it really doesn't matter whether I sleep or not - I am not working (although it does feel that I have 2 full time jobs with no paid leave in sight) so if I am really that tired, I can snuggle up with Thing 2 for an afternoon nap.
But, here, in the expat universe, everyday is a coffee morning both informally and formally. In the past 30 days alone, there has been one for the American Friend's of Warsaw, the International Women's Group, the PTO Board Meeting, the UN Day Planning Meeting, the ES Counselor meeting, the Parent Advisory Committee Meeting, the Mums and Tots Committee Meeting and that's not even touching upon all the java flowing through the Mums and Tots playgroups. Seriously - if you are low on coffee at home, look up a website and I am sure someone is giving up free coffee around here on any given morning.
I think my nervous system has become so accustomed to this intake that it takes even more to keep me going. Earlier this week, I had a double (Cuban) expresso since the Cat wasn't home to consume the other half. Still that did not stop me from wishing I had a calculator to sell movie tickets to a student at the PTO store ( I worked it out in my head eventually). A double just won't do anymore. So I had another coffee courtesy of another PTO mom.
Today it was coffee with the 1st grade room moms and if I didn't want to go to that one, there is always the one for the American Friends of Warsaw. Thursday there is nothing scheduled but then there's the parent-teacher conference at 8:30am - gotta be bright eyed and bushy tailed for that one. And now Friday, my one day of morning rest this week, Fran Drescher (aka The Nanny) will be in town for a breast cancer awareness event. I bet you there will be coffee! It's like heroin - if you need your coffee fix - you will find it free of charge somewhere in Warsaw.
Of course, this isn't why we attend these events. We enjoy socializing. Problem is that this coffee social thing is giving me some side effects. Today, I actually noticed my eye was twitching and I couldn't stop it. So, I was either really strung out on caffeine or I have Parkinson symptoms.
Wouldn't it be great if we took this concept and changed it to cocktail evenings? Not the fancy kind, but just a group of moms (preferably without tots) getting together for wine or tequila shots. Kids love relaxed parents not anxious caffeine induced ones. Angry drunk people need not stop by.
I am now so irritable and in withdrawal that I had my children choose who they wanted for the evening: Happy mommy or angry irritable mommy. Unanimously, they chose happy mommy. Good choice! Amazing how giving them choices works! They are on their best behavior which is a good thing because right now I don't think my brain even cares about who hit or scratched who.
Before moving here, I would have my usual Cuban expresso (still do) and that was usually sufficient. The only time I would stop at Starbucks was after a sleepless night with the kids. Now, it really doesn't matter whether I sleep or not - I am not working (although it does feel that I have 2 full time jobs with no paid leave in sight) so if I am really that tired, I can snuggle up with Thing 2 for an afternoon nap.
But, here, in the expat universe, everyday is a coffee morning both informally and formally. In the past 30 days alone, there has been one for the American Friend's of Warsaw, the International Women's Group, the PTO Board Meeting, the UN Day Planning Meeting, the ES Counselor meeting, the Parent Advisory Committee Meeting, the Mums and Tots Committee Meeting and that's not even touching upon all the java flowing through the Mums and Tots playgroups. Seriously - if you are low on coffee at home, look up a website and I am sure someone is giving up free coffee around here on any given morning.
I think my nervous system has become so accustomed to this intake that it takes even more to keep me going. Earlier this week, I had a double (Cuban) expresso since the Cat wasn't home to consume the other half. Still that did not stop me from wishing I had a calculator to sell movie tickets to a student at the PTO store ( I worked it out in my head eventually). A double just won't do anymore. So I had another coffee courtesy of another PTO mom.
Today it was coffee with the 1st grade room moms and if I didn't want to go to that one, there is always the one for the American Friends of Warsaw. Thursday there is nothing scheduled but then there's the parent-teacher conference at 8:30am - gotta be bright eyed and bushy tailed for that one. And now Friday, my one day of morning rest this week, Fran Drescher (aka The Nanny) will be in town for a breast cancer awareness event. I bet you there will be coffee! It's like heroin - if you need your coffee fix - you will find it free of charge somewhere in Warsaw.
Of course, this isn't why we attend these events. We enjoy socializing. Problem is that this coffee social thing is giving me some side effects. Today, I actually noticed my eye was twitching and I couldn't stop it. So, I was either really strung out on caffeine or I have Parkinson symptoms.
Wouldn't it be great if we took this concept and changed it to cocktail evenings? Not the fancy kind, but just a group of moms (preferably without tots) getting together for wine or tequila shots. Kids love relaxed parents not anxious caffeine induced ones. Angry drunk people need not stop by.
I am now so irritable and in withdrawal that I had my children choose who they wanted for the evening: Happy mommy or angry irritable mommy. Unanimously, they chose happy mommy. Good choice! Amazing how giving them choices works! They are on their best behavior which is a good thing because right now I don't think my brain even cares about who hit or scratched who.
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