We went back to Berlin in February for a quick 8 day visit. We stayed at a lovely airbnb in a great neighborhood, despite the sign on the door that greeted us by letting us know a man had been murdered around the corner two days before in the Netto parking lot. It was actually very sad- a fight over a local soccer match. Fans from opposing teams and things went too far..ah Berlin.
The weather was beautiful -sunny day after sunny day and fifty degrees. We visited Omi in her new digs, the kids spent time with friends, we ate at many restaurants, moved around Berlin and even spent some time at a beautiful spa outside the city. Not much has changed in Berlin and it felt very familiar. Overall it was a lovely trip.
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As a little gift to myself at this time of year, I finally had three rolls of film from our vacation to Rome and Thessaloniki developed. The pictures make me glad I shlepped the film camera around. Film is fun. Years ago a friend gave me their old Nikon N90. It's nothing fancy- the latching system is a little loose, so I need to put duct tape all around the film door to make sure no light gets in -but it does the job.
We only had one trick or treater in our house this year. Frida is officially over it, and hung out with friends. Our kids really missed Halloween when we were in Berlin, so it was really nice to head out and trick or treat this year.
We went to NYC last weekend. Lars and I haven't been there in years and the kids have never been. It was really nice to get some city time, though equally nice to return to our house at the end of 4 nights. We walked and walked and hit lots of the spots. I could take pictures there forever. Photographing strangers and street scenes in NYC felt relatively easy compared to Berlin and I had a lot of fun with my camera.
For some reason doing things with giant pumpkins has become a thing in our town. The Damariscotta Pumpkinfest is big deal! People come from all over. The giant pumpkins that line Main st. are a favorite attraction. Decorated by local artists, they are always great to see. We normally we wait to see them until all of the people have left and things have settled. Then there is a parade, 3 days of street buskers and food stalls. Giant pumpkin are catapulted and hoisted via heavy equipment and dropped on things to the delight of huge crowds and the big finale- the regatta , which has folks racing each other in floating giant pumpkins on the river. This year I decided to lean into the Pumpkinfest and purposefully went into town twice to see all the fuss. Here are a few photos.
It was great fun to go camping again. Before we left we had a yearly camping trip with good friends- I think we had gotten up to 6 years in a row. We tried out new campsites most years in Maine and New Hampshire with a couple of repeats. It was always about the camping experience and time with friends. With kids and work -we fit it in where we could and often were left with few choices when making a reservation- beaten to the greatest spots by those who plan ahead. It never really matters -we always have a good time. We go for adjoining campsites, coordinate meals, shoot for a swim and a hike and generally enjoy the great out doors. When we were sure we were returning to Maine, getting back to our annual camping trip was a priority and we quickly booked Labor day weekend back at Rangeley Lake State park. It's a beautiful part of Maine and the lake is lovely.
We picked up with camping and our friends as if no time had passed. Our kids have known each other since infancy and it was great to see them back together again. I can't wait to see where we end up next year. I realized the other day that I am exhausted. Between getting the house back in order, working full time and supporting the kids and Lars as they transition back to life in Maine I am carrying a pretty heavy mental load and I'm not used to it. I went from having too much time on my hands in Berlin, to not enough time here. I do appreciate the structure and routine of my days here- something that I was missing in Berlin. But I miss wandering the city with my camera and am sad that I haven't had much time to take pictures here. But I'm getting there. We gpt out to enjoy some Maine activities- the Fair and the beach before summer ends and I brought my camera.
Its been almost a month since we moved back to Maine. I'm not going to lie, the first night was awful. The kids and I arrived close to midnight and the house was locked. We broke in through the shed and collapsed into the available beds. I had planned ahead and packed sheets for the kids and settled them into the nice bed. But I slept on the hard futon with musty sheets I found in a box packed 2 years ago. It was a miserable night and I barely slept haunted by the memory of our comfy bed in Berlin and wondering what the fuck we had done. However, outside of recalling that first night to write about it here, it is now a distant memory. We are still on the hard futon, but the sheets are washed. The house is taking much longer to put back together than I imagined and we are playing musical beds and don't have enough chairs, but it feels like home. It is hot and humid in a way we had forgotten and Maine is wilder than we had remembered. There are lots of bugs everywhere and the kids are covered in mosquito bites. But I have a conversation with someone outside of Lars, Frida and Benno everyday. I come home to our driveway filled with friends cars and kids playing in the house and on the lawn. We've been to our favorite places and spent lots of time at the lake. Maine is special in the summer time, so we are enjoying ourselves. I haven't been taking as many pictures as I'd like but as we get more and more settled I hope to remedy that.
Tomorrow we fly home back to Maine. We will no longer be Berliners- what a ride its been. I didn't always love the day to day, but I'm happy to have had the opportunity and there is a lot I will miss. We tried to fill up on many of those things the last few days in between packing and cleaning. We had one more Sunday at the Mauer park, ate at some of our favorite places and just tried to take in the city as we moved about. Thanks Berlin until next time.
One more week, and I am having a last minute love affair with Berlin and all that could have been. I am full of regrets... but trying to just shake it off. The weather is heating up, the sun is shining and today is the last day of school. Benno's pick up was an emotional one as all of the kids were saying goodbye as they head to new and different schools next year. Frida wouldn't let me come pick her up from school today and that may not have been a bad decision- I'm a bit weepy these days. She's off having a burger with friends on the last day of school. What amazing kiddos- I couldn't be prouder of how they have navigated the past two years. And bonus- Benno told me today that I was right all along when I reassured him back at the beginning, when every school day ended with tears, that in the end he would be sad to leave. And they are sad to leave but also excited to return home. First though, all of the goodbye's. So here are a few photos from today's goodbye's and from Monday when we celebrated Benno's graduation from elementary school. There is no big school event- there is an assembly, but parents aren't invited. Instead, the parents organize an event for the kids who are moving on to secondary school next year. Their families and all of the teachers who have been part of their education are invited. It was a really nice evening, with food, pool, drink, flowers, dance and a make shift photo booth. Tomorrow is the last day of school, yay! |
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