Snow came to Berlin during our second week; this is the view from our balcony.
We've now been here for a few weeks, and we're starting to feel settled in. That's been relatively easy for me and Jen, as we've both been here before. I've been thinking a lot lately about how it feels to be in Berlin. Then I stumbled upon this entry in Roger Ebert's excellent blog, in which he discusses the sometimes exciting isolation of being a stranger in another land. It captured a lot of what makes an experience like this special.
I've visited a decent number of cities, and liked almost all of them. But one of the things I've noticed on this trip to Berlin, something I especially like, is the relative absence of foreign language being spoken. If you visit Paris you will hear a lot of English, German, and other languages being spoken. I don't mean this as a criticism; after all, I'm one of the English speakers, and it's one of the world's truly great cities for people to visit. But in Berlin, I hear almost exclusively German.
It may sound odd that I, the foreigner who regularly butchers the German language, revel in not hearing my own language, but really, that's what a trip like this is for. I love the experience of just walking around the city, being that guy whom Ebert describes. And yet, as isolated as I am among the crowds here, I also feel a part of the city - or maybe that it's a part of me.
On my last extended visit to Berlin I frequently got to experience Ebert's "all by myself, alone" feeling, as I often explored the city by myself while Jen did her research. This time, though, I am often exploring with Aidan, and I've been wondering what it's like for him.
Aidan standing in the shadow of Berlin's iconic TV tower
As a student of memory I know that over the long term Aidan won't have many specific memories of this trip - at four years old his memory for specific episodes in life is still developing, so he'll likely only have a few isolated recollections. So, for him the most important thing is his experience in the moment. I know how I feel as I am surrounded on the train by Berliners speaking German, but I wonder how this experience of everything being new and unfamiliar feels for him?
For the first few weeks I think he was somewhat unsettled by it. At times he was, to put it delicately, challenging. But in the last week or so he's doing better, and I think he's starting to like it. He loves riding the U-Bahn (underground train) and S-Bahn (above-ground train) to get everywhere. He really enjoys watching cartoons in German ("Spongebob Schwammkopf", "George, der aus dem Dschungel kam"). we've found a few parks nearby where we can take him and his sled (Three Euros at the flea market, score!). And, we've started finding what the city has to offer to entertain kids. We took him to the Deutches Technikmuseum, where he got to see all sorts of planes, trains and other forms of transportation:
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We've also explored a few children's museums and indoor play areas where he's gotten to let loose a little:
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The virtual soccer game didn't work terribly well, but Aidan didn't mind... Short Youtube clip of Aidan on a slide, click to play |
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And he's gotten to enjoy activity with other children:
And so, we're getting settled in. The Christmas markets are behind us. New Year was fun, though. In the days leading up to New Year all of the stores were stocking fireworks. All of these fireworks then exploded at midnight on New Year's Eve. Aidan was asleep, and not even the constant, nearby explosions could awaken him. That allowed Jen and me the chance to stand out on the balcony and watch. These pictures do not do the fireworks justice - we were seeing them nearby and in the distance, in every direction - but here are a few snapshots that my relatively puny camera was able to handle at about 12:30:
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And now it's 2009. For New Year the Germans like to wish you a "guten Rutsch", literally a "good slide" into the New Year. Jen and Aidan decided to take that literally:
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And so, at the end of a cold winter's day, we bring the boy home, where he can enjoy some hot chocolate...
How'd ya like my mustache?
...and curl up in bed, to dream about the moments he experienced today, and the new ones to come tomorrow:
Sweet dreams, little explorer...
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