Oh, and the baby thing.
Right, so around mid-November we were struggling to decide what to do with ourselves over the holidays. We threw lots of ideas around: Barcelona, Prague, Venice... Finally, after contemplating the various options, we made like the British Cabinet in 1914 and decided we'd be in Berlin by Christmas. (Yes, that is a Great War joke. We strive to keep it current here at the SCR.)
Since we left things a bit late the discount airlines weren't so discount anymore and we decided to do the 12 hour drive to Berlin. A little worried about whether Sam could take that haul, we decided to spend a night en route in Heidelberg on a tip. Heidelberg is a lovely little university town situated on the Neckar river. It was spared heavy damage during the wars and boasts an impressive castle ruin looming over the city and a well-preserved old town centre in the baroque style. We arrived in a bit of a snowstorm after dark on December 26 (or Second Christmas) so our exploration was pretty much limited to the streets (where regular readers will know we enjoy takin' it to anyway).
Mom and Sam: Very Happy To Be Out of the Car
Sam Checking Out the Cathedral
Building: Baroque 1592
Heading Back to Our Hotel, Near the (Very Cool) Old Bridge
To be honest, we can't tell you much about Heidelburg other than that it looked very interesting and that, if you want to really rock your visit, maybe don't come after dark on Second Christmas. We will certainly try to get back for a more comprehensive visit sometime before our posting ends.
We can also tell you that many places in Heidelberg sell an amazing local delicacy called sneeballs ("snowballs") that are basically tiny pieces of dough shaped into a large ball then deep fried and dipped in some kind of delicious glaze. We can also recommend that you don't buy four of them for two adults and a two year-old.
Sam Slightly Intimidated By His Chocolate Sneeball
The next day it was back in the car for the rest of the journey to Berlin. We ran into heavy snow and heavy traffic and the day felt longer than the entire 13 hour marathon haul back to Geneva.
Sam: Proud Of/Exhausted By His Stickering
We stayed in a great little apartment hotel in the Mitte area of former East Berlin which had great connections to trams and trains that made visiting the city a breeze. (Free tip to City of Ottawa Leaders: Cities in Europe that want tourists have affordable, effective, efficient, integrated transit systems that showcase the city. Those that don't want visitors don't. Your call.)
Berlin underwent some.... serious urban restructuring, ahem... in the mid-20th century. It then had the opportunity to tear away a considerable amount of really ugly Soviet-era architecture over the past twenty years. The result is a city very different from other European cities in that it is very wide open. It also lacks an obvious city centre, with many eclectic and interesting neighbourhoods competing for attention.
We started by hitting the "tourist district" around the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate. It was cold and snowy and you can't really go inside either of these so we quickly moved on.
Reichstag
Brandenburg Gate: Where 1989 Comes Flooding Back So Fast It's Like They Have Jesus Jones on Permanent Loop
We then wandered past the truly moving and poignant Holocaust Memorial (aka Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) and spent some time visiting the attached museum. Walking among the almost 3000 stelae is a powerful and disorienting experience.
Sam At the Holocaust Memorial
We also made sure to get some good shots of Sam standing in front of the remaining bits of the Berlin Wall. This of course is entirely for our amusement. The Wall will be about as relevant a cultural reference point for him as the Suez Crisis was for me. Which is pretty awesome.
Sam: Confused At Being Asked to Stand in Front of Some Graffiti
We also hit some other really interesting cultural/educational spots, including Checkpoint Charlie and the very interesting but poorly organized Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the Topography of Terror museum which recounts German life under the Nazi regime, and the very cool Pergamon Museum that houses a number of massive archeological ruins (including immense buildings - Pergamon Altar, Ishtar Gate and others) brought back to (read: stolen by) Germany from the Middle East and Levant during the 19th century.
Our Colleague Derek, Who Was Also in Berlin, Hanging Out With Us at Checkpoint Charlie
Longest Remaining Section of the Wall, Outside the Topography of Terror
On Museum Island, Near the Pergamon Museum
But it wasn't all educational highlights. We also made a point of seeing some of Berlin's cooler kid-friendly sites with Sam, including the Lego Museum, the Zoo, the Natural History Museum (largest complete dinosaur skeleton - a brontosaurus) and the really cool Aquarium. Sarah did some shopping (see hat, above) and was impressed by the local design and variety of shops, vowing to come back for more when she got her mojo back (i.e. wasn't 7 months pregnant).
Okay Pal, Enough Culture, Time for Fun!
Sam Gets Hands-On at the Lego Museum
Feeding Goats at the Zoo
Chatting Up the Locals at the Bird House
DINOSAURS!!!
We were also there for New Years Eve, which we got to spend with our great friends Gerb and Gizem who just so happened to be in town from Ottawa. Great times were had by all, including the chaperone. One thing to note about that: the Germans really, really, really, really like fireworks. I mean really. It is difficult to communicate in mere words how much they like their fireworks. Ask Sarah and Sam how much they were still liking their fireworks at 3 a.m. when Sam was still up due to the noise (and oncoming flu, I suppose).
Smile Suggests He Dangerously Appreciates How Awesome This Car Is.
DJ Sam
DJ Sam, Ready for Club Night
Yes, the flu. One by one we fell victim to it, eating up the remaining week of our holidays and putting plans for skiing, sledding and other pursuits on hold. At least we got the lounging part in.
That last pic is pure gold! Where's his glow stick??
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