From Erik –

After barely making it through the day and collapsing at about 8 pm, I woke up ready and refreshed to take on the new day! Rather than walk 20,000 steps like we did on the previous day, today we decided to make use of the fine public transportation that Berlin has to offer. For the price of only €14 the entire family could save our aching feet – well worth it!

Liz had found a restaurant online called the Kantine Deluxe. The primary feature of this place is that they don’t have wait staff, instead opting for iPads on all of the tables. It reminded me of a high tech Baker’s Café, where you placed your order via the corded telephone at each table. Charlie insisted on ordering a “Parent Schnitzel,” which is an adult sized portion. Unbeknownst to him, I got him the kid version, and when it came he was mildly outrage at the tiny size.

 

 

After lunch we headed over to the DDR Museum. Inside we discovered all kinds of great exhibits depicting life in East Germany during the socialist (communist) regime. The kids got a chance to drive a Trabant, the quintessential East German car, learn about the education system, and explore a typical East German apartment. We even got a chance to learn about sports, and in a blast from the past, we found our friend Siggi Fülle! While glancing at the sports display, Liz found a stack of old books. I happened to find one discussing the 1964 Olympics Games, and there Siggi was, swinging on the P-Bars!!

 

After finishing up at the museum and grabbing an ice cream, we made use of our transportation pass and hopped on a tram to the Alexanderplatz. We then made our way over to the Fernsehturm, a 368 meter tall tower, the tallest structure in Germany, and second tallest in the European Union! Katie wasn’t feeling like making a summit today, so she and Liz went exploring in nearby area while I went to the top with Juliette, Sam, and Charlie. Once there we played a fun game of “eye spy,” using the materials provided by the tower. Charlie continues to be the master of spotting things!!

 

When we got down it was time to eat again, and Liz once again came to the rescue. She had found a little tapas bar not too far away that was adjacent to a playground. We hopped on a tram, found the restaurant, secured a table, and then our kids were pretty much gone. Playgrounds tend to have that effect. Liz and I ordered a few sampler platters, and when they arrived I was pretty certain we would be feeding our kids something else that evening. One of the more interesting dishes was whole, lightly fried sardines. Remembering that in Hamburg kids will try things for €1, I offered it up. Much to my surprise, they took the bait and three kids tried sardines. They did not eat a second one.

 

With that we attempted to head back to our apartment, and due to some really poor navigating on my part, we did have to do a little walking. I got us off at the wrong tram stop, marched everyone to the next stop, and then we had a little trouble finding the bus stop. Then, German transportation really threw us for a loop, because the bus did not show up when the sign said it would. Highly unusual to say the least! Finally it did come, and our crew was happy because we promised them ice cream! The kids had seen an advertisement for “Ice Cream Fondue” at Häagen-Dazs. It didn’t disappoint!

 

The next day we were faced with a choice – we could watch Germany play South Korea with thousands of Germans on the Fanmeile, or we could head to Potsdam to spend time with our friends Frank and Britte!! The kids were given the option, and it wasn’t even a contest!

Potsdam is beautiful city located just outside of Berlin, but we were all a little “monumented out.” We decided to take a more active approach, and upon arriving at the train station we visited a little shop called Pedales, where we rented bicycles! Liz and I got sporty green bikes, and mine even had a chariot attached so that I could tow “the little prince” Charles all over the city. Katie, Juliette, and Samantha all got their own bikes as well, so in short order, we were off!

 

We began our journey by traveling through a park, which was great because there weren’t any cars trying to kill us! Katie and Samantha had some time to get themselves accustomed to bike riding, an activity they don’t spend all that much time on at home. About halfway through our journey we stopped for lunch and enjoyed yet another pizza!

About halfway through our ride, Katie wiped out! Luckily it was a low speed crash, but she still bruised and scraped herself up pretty good. The crash also broke the headlight off of the bike, but we were happy that we wouldn’t be making a second trip to the Krankenhaus. After we got her all dusted off we continued our journey, which took us from the confines of the park, and plunked us into the busy traffic and roadways of Potsdam.

Pretty much immediately we were counting our good fortune because all of the cars were stopped as we simply pedaled right by. Then we discovered why – a bicycle was lying flat in front of the car that hit it, with the rider taking a trip in the ambulance. What a great way to instill confidence in our team! We pressed on and made our way to Sanssouci, the summer palace of Frederick the Great, and often counted among the German rivals to the Palace of Versailles. We locked up our bikes and strolled around the grounds for a few minutes, but soon we needed to meet Frank and Britte, so we got going again.

The trip from Sanssouci back to the bike rental shop was full of stress, danger, and excitement! Having two kids that aren’t the greatest bicycle riders, coupled with the evening traffic in Potsdam, made for a harrowing ride. In spite of the chaos, we made it back to the rental place without incident, and we all decided that we wouldn’t let the end of the day ruin the entire day. The verdict was in – Lillas like riding bikes together!

Next we made our way to the rally point, Huckleberrys Floβstationen. We were soon reunited with our friends, Frank and Britte, who rented a raft with a small outboard motor so we could explore the waterways around Potsdam. To make it even better, it has a little charcoal grill so we could cook ourselves some dinner. The kids were overjoyed to see our Frank and Britte, and the fact that we were going to get to do some boating and swimming put them over the top!

Frank happens to be a history buff, so as we made our way to a little beach he was pointing out all of the sites along the river banks. Our favorite was the Glienicke Bridge, nicknamed the “Bridge of Spies.” During the cold war this bridge was completely under Soviet control, and was often used to exchange captured spies between the US and USSR. A really interesting point that Frank brought to our attention was the fact that to this very day, the two halves of the bridge are a different shade of green because the two side couldn’t agree on a color!

Once we arrived at the little beach, Frank and I fired up the grill, Britte cracked open the wine, and the kids swam and played in the sand. We enjoyed our dinner together, laughed, cried (as Germany was knocked out of the World Cup), and connected. As I took it all in, I was struck with an intense feeling of gratitude, for our friends, for our family, and for the many blessings in our life that put us on that beach.

After we returned the boat, Frank and Britte invited us back to their apartment for a night cap. Not one to turn down an invitation, we headed over to their place and enjoyed sitting on their rooftop balcony overlooking the city of Potsdam. In the meantime, sneaky Britte took the kids “shopping” in her storage area. It seems that she saved Eleah’s things over the years and was excited to share them with our girls. The kids kept disappearing and then returning wearing new clothes. We politely declined because we were already packed to capacity. Ever the innovator however, Britte also happened to have a small roller bag to put everything in. Needless to say, we left with more than we came with.

As the clock rolled past midnight, we had to part ways, so we all walked to the train station together. We said our goodbyes on the platform, but I’m certain it won’t be long before we get together again! The Lillas got to see a whole different kind of train passenger on our journey home, and exhausted, we all quickly fell asleep!