December was a busy month and deserves more than one post, but life's tough. Sorry December 2012. So after we returned from Neil's swim meet, we dove into all of the Christmas cheer Berlin had to offer. With 20+ markets in the city, we had plenty to chose from. We hit a one-weekend market at the Jagdschloss in Grunewald, one in the center of the city, and thanks to a visit from the Shores' of Gdansk, we hit the most beautiful of all at Schloss Charlottenburg. Also, we got a Christmas tree.
Bus to Grunewald
Hike to the Jagdschloss Weihnachtsmarkt
Annika's only visit to Santa this year. She loved it.
City Weihnachtsmarkt treats.
Schloss Charlottenburg Weihnachtsmarkt
Our tree.
We also had Thanksgiving redux with Annika's boyfriend Guzzi and his parents. (Sidebar: I have to say that all of our German friends do not disappoint in the name department. Guzzi's real name is Gustav and his parents are Rebecca and Georg Von Mitzlaff). We try to get together for dinner every few weeks so the kids can play, and the adults can talk. They had hinted at their desire to have an American Thanksgiving but weren't available for our actual Thanksgiving extravaganza, so we did it a few weeks late. Apart from Guzzi maybe trying to strangle Annika as we tried to get them to hug, it was a great success. Also, it snowed, and I made a really creepy snowman.
Turkey time.
Playing nice.
YOU WILL HUG ME!
Awwwwww.
Yikes. I have no excuse. Just yikes.
A few days later, it was Christmas. It was pretty low-key because the next day we were off on the train to Prague! I had been greatly looking forward to it after James did nothing but rave about the one day he spent there after Thanksgiving. We would also soon figure out that a number of other Olmsted scholars and their families would be visiting the City of a Hundred Spires/Golden City. The Christmas market and all of the Christmas decorations were still in full swing, and it made a beautiful city even more amazing. We sampled some of the delicious and definitely not healthy market fare including some cinnamon-sugar-coated doughnuts which were roasted on a spit over hot coals. I also must say that the Christmas tree was one of the best I saw anywhere, and my picture does not do it justice. Also, we learned what is not allowed in Czech banks.
Christmas morning
Annika enjoying everyone else's gifts.
Train to Prague
Nom, nom, nom.
Christmas market entertainment,
Prague Christmas tree.
No guns...or dogs. I assume everything else is fair game?
The next day we walked all over Prague...literally. We trekked up to an Eiffel Tower replica and then up the Eiffel Tower replica which offered some great views of the city. En route, we saw a large golden femur suspended above the street. No explanation was ever offered as to why it is there. On the way back from there, we stopped into the Toy Museum which Annika loved...don't mind the picture which indicates otherwise. We also saw the largest straw nativity in the world. That night, we had dinner with the Flammias (Olmsted 2012, Firenze, Italia) and the Johnsons (Olmsted 2011, Ljubljana, Slovenia) in a Czech restaurant and brewery. (I basically never have pictures of mealtimes because trying to coral the monster and also maintain some level of involvement in conversation while eating is about all I can handle). It was, as always, a pleasure to hear everyone's stories and just catch up on goings on in English.
Golden femur.
Mini Eiffel Tower way up there.
Us way up there.
Straw nativity.
Annika enjoying the toy museum.
The following day we did some more walking and took in sights including the Jewish quarter, a giant metronome, and more great views of Prague. We also had lunch at a great bike-themed restaurant. The menus were international and based on the famous bike races of Europe, and they offered a discount with your ticket to the Jewish quarter sites (Yahtzee).
Le Tour menu.
Giant metronome.
Another stunning view of Prague.
Our last full day in Prague we took it easy after what must have been 10 miles of walking over the previous 2 days. We had dinner that night at a train-themed restaurant with the Johnsons and the Musas (Olmsted 2011, Rabat, Morocco). It was a great way to finish our trip there and another evening of wonderful conversation plus the added bonus of the adorable Musa boys entertaining Annika a bit (Again, sorry for the lack of pictures. Just trust me, they are beautiful children). The next morning after a beautiful sunrise run, we grabbed breakfast at a bagel place which not only had a playroom but also adhered to my strict dietary guidelines. Then we hopped a train back to Berlin for the New Year's Eve (known in Germany as Silvester) festivities.
Prague at sunrise.
I love gluten!
We had heard that Berlin was home to one of the best Silvester celebrations in the world. It did not disappoint. With a child, your New Year's Eve is not as wild and crazy as it once may have been. I have never been a huge fan of New Year's Eve, so that suits me really well. We headed downtown to the main festivities relatively early in the evening just to check it out. There was more food and drink than one could ever hope to sample, so we grabbed a drink, walked around a bit, and took in the entertainment. As we would find out watching at home from the couch, the early evening entertainment is just the main show entertainment doing their sound checks and dress rehearsals. We heard a couple of songs from Blue, a British boy band from the early 2000s making a comeback. We kind of dig them. We then headed home and put Annika to bed so we could enjoy a bit of champagne and awesome German television coverage which included an attempt at the Guinness Record for the most people doing the Gangnam Style dance at once. As with all German television, it was awesome and terrible. We readied ourselves for the fireworks which are legal to buy three days (12/28-31) and shoot off one day a year. You know how when you were a kid on Halloween you would binge on candy because it was really the only time you were allowed to go totally nuts? It's like that but with the stereotypical German strength and vigor. Amazingly, Annnika slept right through it, and around 2:30 we could hear ourselves think as the noise finally dwindled.
Blue killing it.
Brandenburger Tor festivities.
Our fireworks extravaganza.
With that, I am finally caught up on 2012...and only 7 months into 2013! Not too shabby.
Coming up:
More snow
Snowy Easter and trip to Bulgaria and Vienna
The snow ends and we try not to die doing a triathlon
The great train adventure through the Netherlands, Belgium, and France...and Germany.
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