September 2008

"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather
And autumn’s best of cheer."
- Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885

It's hard to believe that another summer has come to an end but it's true. We've been looking forward to Dad and Kathy's trip since spring and hoped that two weeks would be enough time to give them a proper tour of 3 or 4 major cities in central Europe. Originally we were thinking of taking them to see Vienna, Budapest and Krakow but Berlin's draw was just too much for Dad to pass up.

I can't say I blame him, Berlin is one of my favorite cities in the world. It offers so much more than just WWII and Cold War history, although those are great to experience, and it's citizens offer up such an intoxicating mix of contrasting cultures and lifestyles that always keeps me wanting more with every visit.

Vienna is a special place as well. It offers a lot of attractions, the Habsburg palaces, the state opera house and other classical music venues, and who could forget the world-class art museums. Our friend Benjamin once said, "visit Berlin for the people (and food); visit Vienna for the architecture (and coffee)." He's right on both accounts.

At the end of the two weeks, I asked Dad and Kathy which city they liked best. Their answer: Prague. Enough said. I love my home town.

Until next month,

-Britt

We're here! The dynamic duo finally stopped by our home town for two weeks of sightseeing, trains, birthdays, and toddler fun.

Wow, that's big! St. Vitus cathedral is a must see.

Happy couple with Mala Strana, Vltava river and Charles Bridge below.

Taking a break at Walenstein Gardens. Lolo looks like she needs a nap.

Papa Bob likes to take swinging to the extreme. In fact, he takes playground time pretty seriously...his inner 3-year old comes out and sometimes you'll catch him going down slides, laying under the swing as Lolo goes by, and goofing off in general. Lolo loved it of course.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
We waited while Papa Bob and Grandma Kathy hiked all the way up the to of the clock tower above Old Town Square and snapped a bunch of photos.

It's fun for those who have seen the astronomical clock a thousand times to watch the tourists go crazy as the clock strikes the top of the hour. Snap, snap, click, click, ooh, aah.

That 4.5 hour train ride to Berlin felt like 10 hours, not because of Lolo--she was an angel, because we did it with *no* air conditioning! We couldn't even get the conductor to open a freakin' window. That was one hot, miserable train ride...luckily the destination was so much fun we ended up staying for a few days.

The white kitty brings Papa Bob comfort, he doesn't know why.

We met up with our old pals Benji and Karin at a wonderful Thai restaurant in Kreuzberg, near our flat. I wish Prague had Thai restaurants as good as Berlin's.

The Pergamon Museum is a must see and hosts an enormous amount of archaeological treasures from Greek and Roman antiquity, as well as Islamic art and middle eastern artifacts. Shown here is the Pergamon Altar from the 2nd century BC.

The Ishtar Gate is mind-blowing! It's hard to believe that something so old still exists (in part) for us to enjoy. The gate, being part of the Walls of Babylon, was once considered one of the Seven Wonders of the world. It was constructed around 575 BC and was one of many gates leading to the inner city of Babylon.

Berliner Dom with the Fernsehturm (tv tower) behind.

Whatever you do, don't push the yellow & red button!

Oh look, Papa. Ponies!

Papa Bob and Lolo at Brandenburg Gate.

What's next on the agenda, Papa Bob?

Ah, there's nothing like a walk in the park with no pants on. It really lifts ones spirits.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe consists of a 4.7 acre site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. It's supposed to be hallowed ground but Lolo mistook it for an obstacle course.

"You'd better get back here or else!" Daddy spent a few minutes chasing down Lolo at the memorial. Unfortunately, video footage of the chase was lost:( Trust me, it was awesome...chasing her through the maze of stones. Ugh!

Too pooped to run any longer, Lolo takes a break on one of the memorial stones.

After walking around Berlin for hours and hours we PROMISED Lolo that we'd stop at McDonalds on the way back to the flat. By the time we finally found it, we were so hungry that we ate everything in sight. Look at all the food Grandma Kathy put away. Wow!

We got up early the next morning and, before heading off to do tourist stuff, decided to spend some time at the neighborhood park with Lolo. She didn't like the swings so much but LOVED the big slide. Papa Bob liked it almost as much.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

We made our way to the incredible Berlin Wall memorial on Bernauer Strasse. This was, for me, the best part of the Berlin trip. It was like a wild time machine...standing next to the wall and remembering when its fall was announced my senior year of high school...fast-forward 20-years and here I am standing next to the wall with my 2-year old daughter and wife...so surreal. Papa Bob and Grandma Kathy felt the same thing only they remember when it went up as well as down...crazy.

Doesn't mommy look beautiful at the mall? This is taken at Potsdamer Platz, an important city square/hub in Berlin that was bombed to oblivion during WWII, which--after the fall of the Berlin Wall--was transformed into a super-huge modern structure containing 30 cinema screens, lots of restaurants, offices, and a museum. It's freakin' huge.

Papa Bob and Grandma Kathy decided to invest all of their retirement money into their very own Cold War souvenir shop in Berlin. Brilliant!

Checkpoint Charlie offered good insight into the crazy political, cultural and social drama behind the Berlin Wall and the Cold War in general. The wall behind the guard house tells the story of the events chronologically including the Soviet-U.S. tank standoff in 1961 and the death of Peter Fechter in 1962, an East German teenager who was shot in the back by East German guards while trying to escape from East Berlin.

We made our way back to Prague on Saturday so that Papa Bob and Grandma Kathy could attend Sunday services at the local Mormon church. They were so excited to attend services in a foreign country but, in the end, they found the services to be just as boring as in the U.S. *Please note that in no way, shape or form do Lolo or her parents condone or take part in said Sunday services.

Daddy and Lolo showed the happy couple one of the best views of the city, from Letna Park.

Our friends, Dan and Valerie, recently had baby #2--Benjamin. We invited them over for dinner so Lolo and Vinson could show off their baby tending skills. Don't they look like proud parents?

After a couple of days back in Prague, we hopped on the train for a 4-hour ride to Vienna, Austria. Like Berlin, we rented a flat in Vienna instead of booking a hotel (I found it on craigslist.org). In my opinion, renting a flat is the best way to really experience a new city from a local's perspective. The flat we chose, in the Favoriten area, was just wonderful. It had been renovated recently and everything in the place was brand-new. The shops in the area were mostly Turkish, which was great, and reminded Melinda and me of our time living among the Turks in Cologne, Germany.

Our first night in Vienna we celebrated daddy's birthday at a recommended Vietnamese restaurant called Saigon. The food was delicious. We can't seem to find any Vietnamese food in Prague since Tiger Tiger was closed.

"Just one quick lick, Papa Bob, and then we'll be on our way."

While walking from our flat to the metro, we stopped at a wonderful outdoor market to buy fresh fruit. Can you find Melinda?

When we arrived at St. Stephan's Cathedral, afternoon mass was in full swing.

While Papa Bob and Grandma Kathy took the Habsburg Palace tour (we had done it before and didn't see the need to drag Lolo through it again) we walked behind the palace to the museum district, hoping the children's museum was open. No luck. Instead, we ended up playing with Lolo outside the MUMOK, on purple foam-covered lounging "blocks."

After a full day of museums and cathedrals we asked a concierge at a downtown hotel where we should go for the best authentic Viennese food. Without hesitation she said, "Figlmueller." A schnitzel institution since 1905, the cosy restaurant sits in a narrow passage just a block behind St. Stephen's Cathedral.

The potato salad was HEAVEN. The warm potatoes were covered with fresh spinach and a pumpkin seed dressing. Incredible!

The biggest schnitzel I've ever attempted to eat. Kathy looks worried.