Berlin

We spent 5 days in Berlin in mid-August, just before school started. Dave spent a year studying in Berlin in 1992 during college, and Dave and I had gone there together for a visit in 1998, so we were looking forward to going back to see what more had changed in this amazing and historic city.

We stayed downtown, right near the Brandenburg Gate. Of course you know the famous Adlon Kempinski hotel right next to the Brandenburg gate...we didn't stay there, but at some apartments on the next block! But it was a great location. We even found a crepe restaurant around the corner!

We also met up with Karl-Andreas and Almut Hecker, Dave's former host family, as well as their daughter and her family who live in France. That made it even more interesting to see the city and hear the history from the perspective of true Berliners.

The Reichstag (Germany's Parliament) was one of our favorite spots on the trip. The dome was was rebuilt in 1999 - now a striking glass cupola with a mirrored funnel coming down. We walked along the spiral staircase up to the top, where you can look right down on the Parliament meeting room (and look out the dome to the views of the city). It is symbolic of government transparency after the fall of the wall.

It seems to be a Michels family tradition to take a horse carriage ride through every European city we visit! We went on a great ride in Berlin from the Branderburg Gate along Unter den Linden through the city to Gendarmenmarkt. It's at Gendarmenmarkt where the two beautiful churches, Deutscher Dom and Französicher Dom stand. In between the two churchs is the Konzerthaus. What a beautiful square!

We toured the city, seeing major sights including the Berliner Dom, the new and modern main train station, Victory Tower, Alexander Platz, Hackescher Markt, Museum Island, the Opera Hall.

We had some fun trying on hats at one of the stalls in Hackescher Markt.

We visited Checkpoint Charlie and saw the amazing stories of people's escape from East to West Germany. And, it was even more interesting to hear Almut and Karl-Andreas' stories of how, when the city was still divided, they used to be able to get passes to go visit East Berlin to go to the museums (as it happened, most of the cultural riches - museums and opera house - of the city were divided onto the East side). All through the city we saw the bricks on the sidewalk, a subtle but powerful reminder of where the wall used to stand.

And, the Heckers' daughter Hilda was in college in 1989 when the wall fell, and she told us about how it was actually a "mistake" on the part of a government spokesman, who said the wall was open, when he meant that it was becoming more open... so people flooded to the wall and told the guards it had been announced that it was open. The change was coming, but this triggered people to act. Hilda told us how she, along with many other students, went down and sat on the wall, wanting to be a part of this historic moment.

 The Holocaust Memorial was an impressive new monument - a series of 2,700 different-sized blocks arranged around an entire block of the city, creating a maze. They became taller as one approached the center of vthe block, almost blocking out the sun. It conveyed the magnitude, confusion and hopelesness of the Holocaust.

 

The 2009 Track and Field World Championships were taking place the same weekend we were there. So, it was a very festive atmosphere, especially in front of the Brandenburg gate, where many of the awards ceremonies were held in the evening.

And, at Potsdamer Platz (an area that became a "no man's land" between the two walls when the city was divided, which has now been built up into a beautiful part of the city), they had a lot of track and field events set up for kids (and adults) to try. Being the track enthusiasts that we are (!), we gave them all a try. The kids loved it!

And, of course we saw an IMAX movie and also visited the Lego Experience Center at Potsdamer Platz.

Saturday, August 15th was William's 3rd birthday, and we had a fun celebration dinner at the top of the TV tower (Fernsehturm) in Berlin. We had tried to go up to the top the day before, but the line was 2 hours long (not fun with 4 kids). So, after asking a bunch of questions, we figured out that if you got the VIP tickets (double the price), you didn't have to wait in line at all! Well, on Saturday night we got the VIP tickets and went right to the top. It's a rotating restaurant, so we had dinner and looked out at the city - and still the incredible differences that are evident in the former east and west sections of the city. And, the musicians even serenaded William with a happy birthday song!

Also, note the way the sun reflects off the dome making a cross.  The TV tower was in East Berlin, and they were not allowed to practice religion, but it was said that those trying to impose this rule could not escape religion, as there was a cross on this important landmark everytime the sun shone.

Just a trim...

Before...

And after...Meredith's bangs kept falling in her eyes. So, at nearly 7 months, it was time for a bang trim! I think we'll be going back for the full haircut soon.

Sweet Baby Meredith

Meredith is such a sweet, cute, happy baby (and can you believe all that hair)! In any language, everyone calls her a "little doll". Here she is in August at 6 1/2 months.

Swiss National Day

August 1st is Swiss National Day, the equivalent of July 4th in the US. It commemorates the Oath of Confederation, taken by the three original cantons, which took place seven hundred years ago. And, it's a big celebration! In each Gemeinde (community), there are HUGE, HUGE bonfires. And you would not believe the fireworks.
I stopped by the fireworks stand outside the grocery store earlier in the week to buy some fireworks. I bought a standard package, and it included some pretty serious rockets (which we decided against launching in the backyard).
We were in Germany at Neuschwanstein earlier in the day, but came home in time for the fireworks. We lit our own sparklers and some more adventurous ones, then watched as the skies lit up for the next couple of hours with other people launching big ones!

Neuschwanstein...or Disneyland?

Neuschwanstein, a castle in Hohenschwangau, Germany, built by "Mad" King Ludwig II, was actually the inspiration for Walt Disney's Disneyland castle. We visited this castle in Bavaria, southern Germany, over a weekend in early August and had a great time. The castle really is amazing to see from the outside, and the inside was interesting too - the king only lived there for a short time, before he was declared insane and could no longer rule. All the floors inside were thus never fully completed!
We stayed in a little hotel in Hohenschwangau, then took a horse carriage up the hill to the castle. We did a bit of hiking around the area - Bavaria is definitely a beautiful place. When we went up to a bridge behind the castle, we met an artist who was selling paintings of the castle. The kids were all very impressed, and he gave Elise a special painting with abstract musical notes (as the king had parts of the castle decorated with paintings of Wagner's operas, and there is a "singing room" where Wagner concerts are still held each year)!
Nearby is a second castle (the orange one, which we just saw from the outside) where King Ludwig's parents lived. It's a pretty impressive little valley, flanked by these two amazing castles.

Camels, Anyone?

During the summer break, William's preschool went on an Ausflug (fieldtrip) to Knies Kinderzoo - a fun little zoo about 30 minutes from where we live. They have all kinds of animals, including elephants, ponies, and camels to ride, and a sea lion show. William rode the train there with his preschool friends. The kids (2, 3, and 4 years old!) go on lots of Ausfluge - riding the train into Zurich, to museums, playgrounds, or the lake, quite often. It's very fun for them.

Since Elise and Nathan didn't have school, we drove down and met them in the afternoon. It was a hot day, but we waited for a chance for the kids to ride the camels - and I'd say it was worth the wait!