Last weekend we travelled to Pforzheim to visit L's mother. It was a whirlwind trip and all together we spent about 13 hours on the Deutsche Bahn (train.) We had heard many rumors that the DB is no longer what it used to be and is now plagued by delays leading to missed connections and generally unpleasant experiences. Our trip down seemed to confirm this point of view. Before we even left Berlin we were notified that our train -an ICE (the fastest, fanciest train) was cancelled- the powerful train was apparently no match for a few snow flakes but a replacement train - albeit a slightly less fast and fancy train would be waiting for us at the Berlin Hauptbahnhof. And it was, but while it didn't appear that much less fancy it was much less fast and we were 20 minutes late. So we missed our connecting train (we only had an 8 minute window) and arrived in Pforzheim a full hour later than expected. However, we all enjoyed the trip. The way back was a picture of German efficiency- our ICE was on time and carried us all the way back to Berlin arriving exactly on time. F and B love riding on the train so the weekend was as much about the train ride as it was visiting Omi. B made this stop motion video which kept him occupied and is an honest depiction of the ride- we did a lot of staring out the window and snacking.
We also played games. listened to music, read, drew and did more staring out of the window and snacking.
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Our new location means new daily commutes- commutes that have now finally become routine. Every morning L and B rush off to make the sbahn and then F and I venture out a luxurious 20 minutes later. I walk her to the bus stop, see her off and then return to the apartment to begin my day. I tidy, and grocery shop and work and before I know it it's time to head out to pick up B from school. F takes the bus herself and rings the bell when she gets home.
It's really amazing how independent F has become. Not only does she get herself to and from school, but she now often heads to dance on her own. We got her a phone for Christmas which makes this all the more possible. I wouldn't want her wandering the city without a way to communicate with us. And she does. If her trip involves multiple forms of transportation she checks in along the way letting me know she's exited a bus and gotten on a tram etc. etc. And she has already needed the phone as snow in Berlin seems to cause major delays and I've had to reroute her a few times after a bus failed to show up. B doesn't have a phone, so although there are German kiddos his age and younger traveling to and from school from longer distances alone, he still gets an escort. I enjoy the sbahn ride as there is always something to see. It's been quite cold. It probably isn't colder than in New England but when you don't have a car and walk everywhere the cold feels colder much more quickly and it is cold- we are in the very minus temperatures here and according to a news article these are the coldest tempertaures to hit Germany so far. And we have gotten some snow. We have had a few flakes here before but this is real snow. First yesterday when I headed to pick up B from school there was a short but sweet mini blizzard and it felt like a real snow storm for about 20 minutes. I love how quiet a city becomes when it really snows and then there were the sweet shrieks of B's classmates in the school yard, "Wir lieben schnee" (we love snow) and the grumbling young travelers smoking outside of the hostel we walk by "i'm going to need some fucking boots and a fucking hat." Even B had to smile.
And then it snowed again today. F slept over at a friends house last night which also made me very happy (she has friends!). And when she returned this afternoon it had started to snow again and we decided to venture out again across the city back to the neighbourhood of the KaDeWe to walk around, windowshop and enjoy a bowl of ramen at one of the cities number one rated Ramesn shops. It was a long and goofy subway ride, a fun walk and a delicous meal. On New Years Day we took a long walk. We headed down the street and turned left instead of right and walked until we hit Wedding. Wedding is an under appreciated borough as far as I am concerned. One of the poorest boroughs of Berlin, Wedding is said to be a place to find the Schnauze mit Herz (big mouth and big heart) of Berlin's working class. After just one visit I don't know about that, but I loved it! It's a contradictory place- rows of public housing on one side of the street and an amazing gothic town hall on the other. It has a lot of great architecture, good playgrounds and a lovely walking trail along the banks of the Panke.
It was New Year's Day, so much of the debries still littered the sidewalks but the cafe's were open and even a few roses were in bloom. Part 1- sphero gets a nubbyL went back to work between Christmas and New Year's but the kiddos and I had a week of down time. And we were hunkered down a lot of the time but we tried to get out everyday and do a bit of exploring either right in our new neighborhood or in new parts of Berlin. Sphero got a new nubby (don't worry if you have no idea what that means) so we took it out and about. Part two- KADeWEWe also headed to the KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westerns) one of the big department stores in west Berlin famous for it's high end luxury items and gourmet food court. We spent a lot of money on snacks and candy- they have a candy counter there that looks like a high end jewelry store and then explored the area around the KaDeWe. Because I am geographically challenged I had no idea that we were just down the street from the Christmas market where 12 people died in a terrorist attack on December 19th, but that is where we ended up. The Christmas market was back in full swing and I am actually glad that the kiddos and I spent a bit of time there. Part three- ice skatingAnd to round off the week we decided to visit one of Berlin's outdoor ice skating rinks. We arrived promptly at 3 (opening hours for the afternoon skate) and within minutes the line behind us was miles long. After a bit of complaining (by all of us)- dull blades on the rental skates, skates were too tight, too lose and all kinds of discomfort in between our feet finally settled in. The next hurdle was mourning the fact that this wasn't our neighborhood pond in Maine which we had to ourselves most days or shared with good friends and neighbors. But as I frequently remind the kiddos (and myself) the key to happiness is accepting things for what they are rather than what you wish they would be - so a bit nervously at first we threw ourselves into the crowded rink and soon we were fearlessly making the rounds with all the others grooving to 80's pop classics both English and German. Despite a constant feeling of being one collision away from a concussion we had a good time.
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