Sunset and the Christmas tree at Unter den Linden. Some sort of picture-taking opportunity with guys dressed in American and Soviet military uniforms. No idea why, maybe something related to an anniversary of the Berlin airlift. In the background stands the omnipresent TV tower.
We arrived in Berlin on December 23rd, sufficiently weary that the best we could do that evening was stumbled out to the nearest restaurant and then back to our apartment for the first of several jet-lagged, sleep-confused nights. I used to handle jet lag much better than I do now. Blech.
We like our apartment. It's basic and meets our needs. Our landlord seems like a really nice guy. He met us there when we arrived, with no complaint at our having taken so long to get there from the airport (we were delayed by filling out forms about our missing bag). That week our TV died, and on the same day Jen called him he showed up with a brand new TV. So far, so very good on the landlord front!
We have two small bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom. The apartment serves as our first reminder of the differences between the US and Europe. The washing machine is in the kitchen, and there's no dryer. The fridge is very small, which means we have to go grocery shopping every couple of days. And, for some reason, Europeans appear to have never learned of the existence of shower curtains:
It is humanly impossible to keep the bathroom floor dry within this arrangement. Europe has many things going for it - tasty bread, cheap wine, excellent chocolate, and no politicians from the Bush family - but this is, frankly, quite uncivilized
So, anyway, we awoke on Christmas Eve before 9am. It'd have been nice to sleep longer; but, since most every store closes by 1 or 2pm on Christmas Eve, and our food supply was comprised of a bag of nuts and a few cereal bars. So, up and at 'em and off to the stores for food and basic household items - and some Gluehwein at the Christmas market in the platz by the store. You know you're in Germany when it's 11am and you're drinking hot red wine in your winter coat and gloves. Man, they know how to do winter here.
We spent most of the rest of the day getting unpacked (my bag finally arrived, after I'd spent some Euros on emergency clothing for me and Aidan, natch). Aidan got settled into his room pretty much right away:
Christmas day was very nice. We had brought some small gifts for Aidan and picked up a few more once we got there. We're fortunate that he's not yet at an age where he wants big, expensive electronic gifts, so a handful of small things made his day.
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Aidan unwraps gifts by a tree that would make Charlie Brown proud
In the afternoon we headed out to the Christmas market. Yes, it was open Christmas day, and it was hopping. Unlike in the US, where the Christmas merchandise hits the shelves in September, the music starts November 1, the sales go on for weeks, and then everything ends by noon on Christmas day, here they keep it going. We had a great time at the market:
Contrary to his huddled appearance, Aidan did have fun on this ride
And he enjoyed his first bratwurst of the trip
Ah, there's nothing more festive than Jaegermeister!
After the market we headed over to the Brandenburg Gate. Aidan had been hearing about this for weeks from the talking globe his grandma gave him for Christmas, so he wanted to go see it:
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It apparently did not disappoint, as he has called this one of his favorite things in Germany so far. He also made a lego model of it, and wants to go back and see it again.
One of the challenges of the trip is how to occupy Aidan's attention. A frequent question from him this week has been "What now?" This was not unexpected - it's a common refrain anytime he's out of school for more than a few days. Over the next 4.5 months there are probably only so many times we can get away with taking him to the Brandenburg Gate, so we need to find out what kind of family stuff the city has to offer. Today's activity was ice skating:
Youtube clip of Aidan skating, click to show video
It was pretty crowded, and if you're able to watch the Youtube clip you'll see that people just fly by in close proximity. But, despite a few falls, Aidan, always the trooper, had a great time, and so did we.
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That's the trip so far - we're having a great time! More updates to come...
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