We arrived in Ottawa via Iceland at midnight and went off to bed at the Hilton Garden Inn. Grant picked us up in the morning and we moved to an AirB&B on Argyle. Nice to be able to unpack our suitcases into drawers. Jet lag seems to encourage us that we take sudden naps so that is what we do.
Here are a few things we learned during our 9 months as Meanderthals:
1. There is so much world....
2. We learned this one a long time ago but it warrants repeating: If you want things to be just like at home, stay there.
3. Travel light
4. People are generally proud of their country/city and love to tell you about it. Listen. Then be proud of your country all the time.
We are reconnected with family and friends here and have long to-do lists of things in preparation for the next chapter of this journey. We saw various medical people, arranged for medications for me and actually did a bit of tourist stuff, like walking down Elgin, visiting East Block with a guided tour, having lunch with a friend of Grant's who just returned from Portugal, sitting and reading by the canal, dodging bicyclists while walking beside the canal, having coffee at TAN, (me) seeing the Alex Colville exhibit at the NAG and just enjoying Ottawa.
Oh, yes, we voted. I was told and read online that if you will be away on election day, you can vote at any Elections Canada office nearby. So off we went. Arriving at the office, we had to be buzzed in where we told two young women what we wanted. They looked shocked and said they would check and went off upstairs. We suspect they told their colleagues upstairs that there were two old geysers downstairs who thought they could vote there, today! So in due time, two others came and said it was true we could vote. So they took our IDs, went back upstairs, returned in 10 minutes with applications for us to fill out, left again and returned in another 10 minutes with voters' kits which they explained to us very thoroughly. We could have voted right then and there but as the candidates were not confirmed the ballot was blank. Better for us geysers to take them home and confirm who our candidate is, write the name on the ballot and either bring it back or mail it. So we did all that and decided to mail the series of envelopes that contained our filled out ballots. Now at the post office outlet, I was waiting to buy two stamps which I might mention cost $2.25, while George was parked and waiting as we had a bit of a deadline. Well, this couple in front of me seemed to have some complicated business to do which involved not VISA but their debit card and two Canada Post workers. Finally this was done and our votes are winding their way to Elections Canada as I write this.
Soon we leave for Oak Island so today, we will pack our stuff in the car, (hopefully it will all go in), leave some with Grant, organize the leftover food, and see Grant, have dinner with friends and..... then on Sunday, we will breakfast with my sister and her husband and then drive off into the sunshine.
So we are on our way--driving, driving, driving. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for a "Bones" audiobook--that should make the trip less boring.
Sunday, 30 August 2015
Sunday, 16 August 2015
"Hel Yeah" Helsinki, Finland August 13 to 17, 2015
"And the pizza I had for breakfast wasn't bad, so I had one more for dessert" (apologies to Johnny Cash.) This is not exactly the truth. We had way too much pizza last evening so we saved some for breakfast. It was yucky! Anyway....
Arrival in Helsinki, at the airport, wondering where the Finnbus was, we encountered a sign for a free shuttle to the train station. Well, say "free" and I am on it. So we ventured forth and were transported to a new link to the downtown train station which is exactly where we wanted to be. The airport link resembled something futuristic from the Jettsons TV program from way back. We paid our euros and went down into the bowels of the earth and found a wonderful fast train that took us downtown. In fact, George read later that it just opened in July. Very cool. After dragging our suitcases (I am so happy we packed lightly!), we arrived at our almost totally white, IKEA furnished place.
After our food needs were satisfied, we relaxed, tried to decide what to do using photos from Grant's trip and ideas from Sheryl's suggestions. Church in the Rock, Temppeliaukio, was high on the list and also really near our place. What an amazing structure! There was a pianist playing and many tourists milling around--somewhat irritating. However, when we returned for the Sunday concert, there was a more respectful atmosphere. The organist played very well--one piece was composed by Jean Siblius, Finland's renowned composer. We recognized it from the concert at the Cathedral. The acoustics in the church are outstanding.
From there we walked to Market Square where there was a grand market--lots of yummy food and stuff. The food looked wonderful and we did buy some treasures. We stopped to listen to a military reserve band play some jazz. Also stopped at the Old Market Hall for a Finnish Fika--coffee and a cinnamon bun. We checked out the Uspendki Orthodox church and George and Kendra took many photos. This is where they did the serial baptisms that Grant wrote about. Stockman department store was next--Kendra scouted it out while George checked the book store and I sat at Starbucks outdoor tables and read. Kendra was right, this Stockman was the fullest shop I have ever seen. The grocery part is probably 10 times the Eaton's one that Beth and I used to patronize in Winnipeg in the "70s. We, of course, spent some more euros.
The Lutheran Cathedral is an imposing white structure. The cool thing is there are many steps leading from it to Senate Square where they set up a huge stage and the "100 Guitars from Hel(sinki)" auditioned to play with a local metal hero. We went to a concert today with everyone in Helsinki and two ship loads of cruise people on the steps and in the square. It was so hot and there was almost no shade--I thought we would melt. After we had a lovely dinner at Zetor, the decor was old farm stuff. The food was good. We went home for a couple of games of Quiddler and then to bed.
Our tour of the city was a Tram ride which took us to many sites including the Olympic park. Hard to imagine Helsinki hosting an Olympic games. We also saw the Bear park. Anyway, it was a good way to tie places together. While on the Tram, a couple of women got on, sat across from us and were chatting with each other in Finnish. The one looked at me and asked where we were from. She was very interested and George told her how much everyone loved the gentlemanly, hockey player, Teemu Selannie. She was pleased and told us of places we might visit and invited us to join her as she and her friend were going for lunch on a small island. Unfortunately, we had already made other plans but it was fun to chat with her.
Kendra left early this morning. She is a great travel companion--we had lots of fun. Yesterday, while shopping, she discovered a book called "Ernest Gellner". Maybe this is a long lost relative!! We are excited about the next chapter of her life. Yay, Kendra!
This our last full day in Helsinki, we are having a relax and will explore our neighbourhood. We walked to a beach which is nearby, enjoyed a snack while we watched some beach volleyball. We also put our feet into the Baltic Sea. People were swimming but the water felt cool to us. There were two men chatting on the terrace where we were sitting. One was from Germany and the other from Finland, they were conversing in English. Rick Steves is right!
Hel Yeah!!! This is a great city. By the end of Monday plus some extra hours, we will be in Ottawa. It has been an amazing, magical month. Yay!
Arrival in Helsinki, at the airport, wondering where the Finnbus was, we encountered a sign for a free shuttle to the train station. Well, say "free" and I am on it. So we ventured forth and were transported to a new link to the downtown train station which is exactly where we wanted to be. The airport link resembled something futuristic from the Jettsons TV program from way back. We paid our euros and went down into the bowels of the earth and found a wonderful fast train that took us downtown. In fact, George read later that it just opened in July. Very cool. After dragging our suitcases (I am so happy we packed lightly!), we arrived at our almost totally white, IKEA furnished place.
After our food needs were satisfied, we relaxed, tried to decide what to do using photos from Grant's trip and ideas from Sheryl's suggestions. Church in the Rock, Temppeliaukio, was high on the list and also really near our place. What an amazing structure! There was a pianist playing and many tourists milling around--somewhat irritating. However, when we returned for the Sunday concert, there was a more respectful atmosphere. The organist played very well--one piece was composed by Jean Siblius, Finland's renowned composer. We recognized it from the concert at the Cathedral. The acoustics in the church are outstanding.
From there we walked to Market Square where there was a grand market--lots of yummy food and stuff. The food looked wonderful and we did buy some treasures. We stopped to listen to a military reserve band play some jazz. Also stopped at the Old Market Hall for a Finnish Fika--coffee and a cinnamon bun. We checked out the Uspendki Orthodox church and George and Kendra took many photos. This is where they did the serial baptisms that Grant wrote about. Stockman department store was next--Kendra scouted it out while George checked the book store and I sat at Starbucks outdoor tables and read. Kendra was right, this Stockman was the fullest shop I have ever seen. The grocery part is probably 10 times the Eaton's one that Beth and I used to patronize in Winnipeg in the "70s. We, of course, spent some more euros.
The Lutheran Cathedral is an imposing white structure. The cool thing is there are many steps leading from it to Senate Square where they set up a huge stage and the "100 Guitars from Hel(sinki)" auditioned to play with a local metal hero. We went to a concert today with everyone in Helsinki and two ship loads of cruise people on the steps and in the square. It was so hot and there was almost no shade--I thought we would melt. After we had a lovely dinner at Zetor, the decor was old farm stuff. The food was good. We went home for a couple of games of Quiddler and then to bed.
Our tour of the city was a Tram ride which took us to many sites including the Olympic park. Hard to imagine Helsinki hosting an Olympic games. We also saw the Bear park. Anyway, it was a good way to tie places together. While on the Tram, a couple of women got on, sat across from us and were chatting with each other in Finnish. The one looked at me and asked where we were from. She was very interested and George told her how much everyone loved the gentlemanly, hockey player, Teemu Selannie. She was pleased and told us of places we might visit and invited us to join her as she and her friend were going for lunch on a small island. Unfortunately, we had already made other plans but it was fun to chat with her.
Kendra left early this morning. She is a great travel companion--we had lots of fun. Yesterday, while shopping, she discovered a book called "Ernest Gellner". Maybe this is a long lost relative!! We are excited about the next chapter of her life. Yay, Kendra!
This our last full day in Helsinki, we are having a relax and will explore our neighbourhood. We walked to a beach which is nearby, enjoyed a snack while we watched some beach volleyball. We also put our feet into the Baltic Sea. People were swimming but the water felt cool to us. There were two men chatting on the terrace where we were sitting. One was from Germany and the other from Finland, they were conversing in English. Rick Steves is right!
Hel Yeah!!! This is a great city. By the end of Monday plus some extra hours, we will be in Ottawa. It has been an amazing, magical month. Yay!
Wednesday, 12 August 2015
"Back to the Future", Sweden August 9 to 13, 2015
We crossed into Sweden on the train and arrived in Linkoping (Linshawping) around 16:00. Neil and his daughter, Isabel were at the station waiting for us. We remember Isabel when she was a baby living across the street from us. If we were in the yard, we would sometimes hear her calling to us from her bedroom window when she was supposed to be sleeping. Theresa and Margot were waiting for us when we arrived at their lovely home about 15 minutes later. Isabel and Margot just loved Kendra who was happy to bounce on the trampoline with them as well as pick raspberries in the forest and more.... They were delighted to show us around. We all helped make a delicious pizza dinner with blueberry crumble for dessert. Margot was great at the crocodile game. And we had a flower making workshop with Isabel and Margot! Both girls are delightful and fun.
As expected Linkoping is very environmentally friendly. The house of Neil and Theresa is heated when necessary by warm water being piped through under the floors. The water is heated by burning burnable garbage. The city even keeps bike paths clear of snow using a similar method. They can and do use Bio fuel to power their car. The car will also run on gas. The Bio-fuel is made by treating household waste that we would put into our green bins. They receive green bags to use for saving this garbage. City buses run on biogas. The city is working on a state of the art development which may be completed in 2017 and will use all of the above and it will include a garbage chute to move the garbage to where it is treated or burned. There are bike paths everywhere. Sweden has many months of darkness in the winter so there are programs that encourage people to participate in hikes, walks and activities to keep fit and stay healthy. We were very impressed with what we learned about living in Sweden.
Saturday, we visited the "old town" which is a large area that was moved from the centre of Linkoping--it is sort of like Upper Canada Village. Kendra and Isabel and Margo rode bikes there and we others walked. The girls helped make a rope in the fashion that would have been used in the old days. A young employee showed us how they used to do the washing with a wash board and of course, it was easy to see the dryer! We visited the school room and all practiced our cursive writing using straight pens and ink. It was fun but we realized that cursive writing doesn't happen much anymore. There was a chocolate shop which we visited and bought some yummy chocolate. Neil told us later that it is tradition for children to be allowed to shop for sweets on Saturday and then eat it while watching TV later. Usually Swedish children are not allowed to have many sweets. We had a lovely picnic and then walked home--in all we walked 14,000 steps that trip.
Our Thai dinner out was very tasty. We viewed a large cathedral and then walked in the downtown squares. It is a happening place. One of the highlights was super delicious ice cream cones. In one square there was a huge medal bicycle that was also a plant stand. Margot climbed to the top of it, as did Isabel. Linkoping seems like a great place to live. We had such a grand time here, it was hard to leave the next morning.
Stockholm - while walking and dragging out suitcases to our new place, Kendra read a graffiti sign quite loudly, that said, "Be Careful! Jesus is coming very, very soon.". George who was ahead of her, startled and looked back, then Kendra said it was some graffiti. George said, " Oh, I thought you were warning me that he was on a bicycle behind us". We had become accustomed to getting out of the way of bikes while walking in Denmark. Our place is fine, has a good location and lots of space. We will likely have a quiet evening as we are all weary and ready to relax. We visited the grocery store and our tummies are full.
We hit the jackpot with tours today--City Hall, Parliament and the Nobel Museum. City Hall seems to have had a strange architect. According to our guide, he changed his mind about things very often and one result was that Saint Eric didn't get a head. We really had excellent guides everywhere. Sweden's Parliament is 43% women and there is a women's room which contains paintings and photos of the first woman MP, speaker and two other firsts, as well as some satirical comics. Also there is a mirror that has the subscription, "This could be the next prime minister". Sweden has not yet had a women PM. The Nobel Museum was great. I especially enjoyed listening to former winners in one exhibit when they were asked about what they hoped for the future.
Oh, I wanted to talk about our lunches today: I ordered a herring plate which was great, There were three kinds of herring-one was just plain, another had mustard sauce and the third had a garlic sauce. I think the only other herring I have ever eaten was pickled herring. George ordered Swedish meatballs which were quite a bit better than the ones at IKEA. Kendra had a potato/chicken/curry dish.
Stockholm is a city of bridges and water. There is a cultural festival on until the weekend. We enjoyed a juggling act, were not so impressed with a gospel choir and stumbled on a DJ where lots of young Swedes were dancing. Today, our last here, we had a boat cruise through the archipelago. There are many islands around Stockholm. We also visited the Vasa museum which houses a huge warship from the 1600s. It sank during its first appearance in the harbour because it was too tall and too narrow. It filled with water and went down and it took until 1959 before they had the tools to bring it up out of the water. Very interesting. We walked and walked in Stockholm--a cool city.
Tomorrow we are off to Helsinki. yay.
As expected Linkoping is very environmentally friendly. The house of Neil and Theresa is heated when necessary by warm water being piped through under the floors. The water is heated by burning burnable garbage. The city even keeps bike paths clear of snow using a similar method. They can and do use Bio fuel to power their car. The car will also run on gas. The Bio-fuel is made by treating household waste that we would put into our green bins. They receive green bags to use for saving this garbage. City buses run on biogas. The city is working on a state of the art development which may be completed in 2017 and will use all of the above and it will include a garbage chute to move the garbage to where it is treated or burned. There are bike paths everywhere. Sweden has many months of darkness in the winter so there are programs that encourage people to participate in hikes, walks and activities to keep fit and stay healthy. We were very impressed with what we learned about living in Sweden.
Saturday, we visited the "old town" which is a large area that was moved from the centre of Linkoping--it is sort of like Upper Canada Village. Kendra and Isabel and Margo rode bikes there and we others walked. The girls helped make a rope in the fashion that would have been used in the old days. A young employee showed us how they used to do the washing with a wash board and of course, it was easy to see the dryer! We visited the school room and all practiced our cursive writing using straight pens and ink. It was fun but we realized that cursive writing doesn't happen much anymore. There was a chocolate shop which we visited and bought some yummy chocolate. Neil told us later that it is tradition for children to be allowed to shop for sweets on Saturday and then eat it while watching TV later. Usually Swedish children are not allowed to have many sweets. We had a lovely picnic and then walked home--in all we walked 14,000 steps that trip.
Our Thai dinner out was very tasty. We viewed a large cathedral and then walked in the downtown squares. It is a happening place. One of the highlights was super delicious ice cream cones. In one square there was a huge medal bicycle that was also a plant stand. Margot climbed to the top of it, as did Isabel. Linkoping seems like a great place to live. We had such a grand time here, it was hard to leave the next morning.
Stockholm - while walking and dragging out suitcases to our new place, Kendra read a graffiti sign quite loudly, that said, "Be Careful! Jesus is coming very, very soon.". George who was ahead of her, startled and looked back, then Kendra said it was some graffiti. George said, " Oh, I thought you were warning me that he was on a bicycle behind us". We had become accustomed to getting out of the way of bikes while walking in Denmark. Our place is fine, has a good location and lots of space. We will likely have a quiet evening as we are all weary and ready to relax. We visited the grocery store and our tummies are full.
We hit the jackpot with tours today--City Hall, Parliament and the Nobel Museum. City Hall seems to have had a strange architect. According to our guide, he changed his mind about things very often and one result was that Saint Eric didn't get a head. We really had excellent guides everywhere. Sweden's Parliament is 43% women and there is a women's room which contains paintings and photos of the first woman MP, speaker and two other firsts, as well as some satirical comics. Also there is a mirror that has the subscription, "This could be the next prime minister". Sweden has not yet had a women PM. The Nobel Museum was great. I especially enjoyed listening to former winners in one exhibit when they were asked about what they hoped for the future.
Oh, I wanted to talk about our lunches today: I ordered a herring plate which was great, There were three kinds of herring-one was just plain, another had mustard sauce and the third had a garlic sauce. I think the only other herring I have ever eaten was pickled herring. George ordered Swedish meatballs which were quite a bit better than the ones at IKEA. Kendra had a potato/chicken/curry dish.
Stockholm is a city of bridges and water. There is a cultural festival on until the weekend. We enjoyed a juggling act, were not so impressed with a gospel choir and stumbled on a DJ where lots of young Swedes were dancing. Today, our last here, we had a boat cruise through the archipelago. There are many islands around Stockholm. We also visited the Vasa museum which houses a huge warship from the 1600s. It sank during its first appearance in the harbour because it was too tall and too narrow. It filled with water and went down and it took until 1959 before they had the tools to bring it up out of the water. Very interesting. We walked and walked in Stockholm--a cool city.
Tomorrow we are off to Helsinki. yay.
Friday, 7 August 2015
Legoland - Copenhagen, Denmark, August 4 to 7, 2015
We all left Berlin this morning--Karen went to London and Kendra, George and I arrived in Copenhagen without a hitch. Our place is delightful--a large apartment that the kitchen side opens onto a courtyard that is used by other residents as well. There are millions of bikes everywhere--our guide told us there are 1.8 bikes for every person here. We learned that as a pedestrian, one must watch out! We arrived with great hunger so went off to the grocery stores our hostess suggested. Our neighbourhood is trendy--lots of moms biking their kids around. Our first explore ended in being caught in the rain which included lightning and thunder. We didn't melt and had umbrellas with us so our clothes just added to all the laundry we had to do. Washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers seem to take forever here. There is something in the sink cupboard that is called a "Quooker". It has nothing to do with the stove but is connected to a tap by the sink that when turned on produces the most hot, boiling water imaginable. There is no need for a kettle.
Our walking tour was marvelous--the guide was from England but was very knowledgeable about Copenhagen. Factoid: the IKEA catalog is the second most widely translated book right after the Bible.. Factoid: the Danes love their monarchy and Lego. Seems Lego beat Barbie as the best toy!. We saw many sights but were assured that seeing the Little Mermaid, the star of the Hans Christian Anderson book, was a disappointment and overrated so we skipped it. Kendra had a Danish hotdog. Our walking tour was 3 hours long, interesting but I was ready for it to be over. Then hunger struck again--as Danes export lots of pork that is what I had, George had salmon and Kendra had a cooked cabbage, cheese salad. We checked out Licorice chocolates as licorice is popular here.
The canal boat trip showed us the city from the water. Some of the bridges were so low that only the boat with everyone sitting down could pass through. It was very pleasant as the cold days that I have previously complained about are now hot days and being on the water was cooler.
On the way home, we stopped for some Carlsburg and Turborg beer which are the two top beer rivals but are owned by the same company. George and Kendra did a taste test and decided they were much the same. Beer at the 7eleven costs 14.75 DK which is about $3.00 CDN. We had a relaxing evening and played a hilarious game of Quiddler. By midnight we were feeling pretty punchy and didn't have the ability to plan the next day so who knows.....
Next morning, we started out with coffee and a lovely Danish pastry at the best bakery in Copenhagen (according to our hostess). There were some pigeons walking around moving their heads as they do when they walk. George wondered if they get headaches because they move their heads so much.
We managed to attend a tour of Christiansborg Slot (read Parliament)--our guide was just OK but the house was interesting. There were many photos and sculptures to see. Women comprise about 40% of the parliament. We saw copies of the constitutions. They don't have an upper house. There was an elevator which goes up and down all day and doesn't stop so people just step in or out according to what floor they want to be on. I said that that would be enough to discourage me from wanting to be a member of Parliament. So George said that the elevator would dismember the MPs. We also went to the tower and had a great view of the city. We could see the bridge that goes to Sweden. That is where we are going tomorrow.
We had lunch at the library--what an amazing building. There is an outside terrace that has chairs so it is possible to sit and watch the traffic on the canal so that is what we did. We also checked out the library and found a cartoon wall with some really funny cartoons most of which had won prizes. One was from Canada. The building made us want to stay and study.
In the evening, we visited Tivoli which is a massive park with rides, entertainment, food, gardens and a 100 year old roller coaster. We went directly to the beer garden as it was hot. Later, after strolling around, we found the special roller coaster and Kendra and George took a ride. (My favourite ride is the carousal so I didn't join them.) I think I could hear them scream!
Tomorrow we will pack and pull our suitcases to the train station and we will be off to Linkoping, Sweden. We will stay with former neighbours from Mount Pleasant in Ottawa. They and they two daughters moved to Sweden a few years ago.
Our walking tour was marvelous--the guide was from England but was very knowledgeable about Copenhagen. Factoid: the IKEA catalog is the second most widely translated book right after the Bible.. Factoid: the Danes love their monarchy and Lego. Seems Lego beat Barbie as the best toy!. We saw many sights but were assured that seeing the Little Mermaid, the star of the Hans Christian Anderson book, was a disappointment and overrated so we skipped it. Kendra had a Danish hotdog. Our walking tour was 3 hours long, interesting but I was ready for it to be over. Then hunger struck again--as Danes export lots of pork that is what I had, George had salmon and Kendra had a cooked cabbage, cheese salad. We checked out Licorice chocolates as licorice is popular here.
The canal boat trip showed us the city from the water. Some of the bridges were so low that only the boat with everyone sitting down could pass through. It was very pleasant as the cold days that I have previously complained about are now hot days and being on the water was cooler.
On the way home, we stopped for some Carlsburg and Turborg beer which are the two top beer rivals but are owned by the same company. George and Kendra did a taste test and decided they were much the same. Beer at the 7eleven costs 14.75 DK which is about $3.00 CDN. We had a relaxing evening and played a hilarious game of Quiddler. By midnight we were feeling pretty punchy and didn't have the ability to plan the next day so who knows.....
Next morning, we started out with coffee and a lovely Danish pastry at the best bakery in Copenhagen (according to our hostess). There were some pigeons walking around moving their heads as they do when they walk. George wondered if they get headaches because they move their heads so much.
We managed to attend a tour of Christiansborg Slot (read Parliament)--our guide was just OK but the house was interesting. There were many photos and sculptures to see. Women comprise about 40% of the parliament. We saw copies of the constitutions. They don't have an upper house. There was an elevator which goes up and down all day and doesn't stop so people just step in or out according to what floor they want to be on. I said that that would be enough to discourage me from wanting to be a member of Parliament. So George said that the elevator would dismember the MPs. We also went to the tower and had a great view of the city. We could see the bridge that goes to Sweden. That is where we are going tomorrow.
We had lunch at the library--what an amazing building. There is an outside terrace that has chairs so it is possible to sit and watch the traffic on the canal so that is what we did. We also checked out the library and found a cartoon wall with some really funny cartoons most of which had won prizes. One was from Canada. The building made us want to stay and study.
In the evening, we visited Tivoli which is a massive park with rides, entertainment, food, gardens and a 100 year old roller coaster. We went directly to the beer garden as it was hot. Later, after strolling around, we found the special roller coaster and Kendra and George took a ride. (My favourite ride is the carousal so I didn't join them.) I think I could hear them scream!
Tomorrow we will pack and pull our suitcases to the train station and we will be off to Linkoping, Sweden. We will stay with former neighbours from Mount Pleasant in Ottawa. They and they two daughters moved to Sweden a few years ago.
Monday, 3 August 2015
"You Must have Dessert" -Berlin July 30 to August 4
Wow, we are here. Getting here was so efficient. we got the tram outside our hotel to the train station, took the train to the airport and landed in Berlin with a thud. It was all so automated that George wondered if we would have to also fly the plane! We met our friend, Karen from The Watergate at the airport. We used to watch "Corner Gas" together in the laundry room before we had TVs. She was coming from London, England and will be with us in Berlin. Our hotel is as cute as we remember it--it is in a great location. We walked to Checkpoint Charlie to look around. Then we had coffee and a snack. Our waitress was very grumpy.. Anyway the food was good but we might not go back there if she is working that day. We walked down Unter den Linden to the Brandenburg Gate and over to the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe and peeked into the Tiergarten--what a great city. There is so much to see. At this point, we needed a nap as we had been up since 5:30 this morning.
We watched a balloon man that reminded us of "Up" although he didn't fly away. After a pleasant dinner of wiener schnitzel , goulash and more, we discovered a concert that was sponsored by the South Korean Embassy. It was spectacular--a huge symphony, a beautiful opera singer in her princess dress, a pianist, and drummers. There were big screens so we could see that one of the performers kept her music in place by using a clothes peg. Who would have thought! The conductors were amazing. It was outdoors in front of the Brandenburg Gate -we got there around 20:00 and it continued until nearly 22:00. It was just starting to get dark by then. Wow. We were all delighted. We strolled on home and were glad of the warmth of our hotel as it feels like fall in the evening.
So this is August--temps at 24. We have tickets to see "Cabaret" a musical set in the 20s and 30s in Berlin. So this morning George arranged a walking tour for us in the area where it was set. So we took the Underground to what was West Berlin. The guide was great--shocked us to learn how open and advanced life was for gay people. When referring to a young woman who was her own person, he said she didn't take up much space because she loved to live on the edge. We had a lovely lunch in a cafe that the guide recommended.
We walked home for a relax and the set out for a boat cruise. After we got the English transmitter thing working, we enjoyed seeing the sights along the River Spree. And then it was dinner time. It was about 21:00 when we scouted out an outdoor restaurant. The waiter who resembled Faulty in his speed and abilities, said it would be 50 to 60 minutes before we got any food. So we ordered drinks and were prepared to wait. (Oh, yes, an important thing here is that my left eye had started to weep,) So we ordered and George and I decided to share a sausage dish and then have strudel for dessert. We mentioned this idea to the waiter. (Meanwhile my eye was even more weepy and getting sore from being wiped.) By about 22:30, we were nearly done and the waiter showed up, I said that we would skip dessert as my eye was sore ....... However, he replied in a mix of German and English, you must have the dessert you ordered. So I said we didn't want it. He insisted. So it took another 1/2 hour. Finally he returned and offered us free espresso because it was taking so long. Imagine espresso for me who only drinks decaf coffee! So George and Karen had espresso and I continued to wipe my eye.. And then there was apple strudel with cream. What could we do but share it three ways, munch it and laugh all the way home.
And today Kendra arrived. Yay!
"Life is a cabaret, my friend, Life is a cabaret!" A truly delightful production even if the story is sad. The dancing, singing, band and shenanigans--WOW. We started with a delicious dinner of wiener schnitzel with a ice cream/fruit/sorbet dessert and everything continued to be wonderful. Our seats were in the third row and the action was all around us. What can I say, we loved it. Then on the way home we encountered a roller skate hoard--there was music and probably 1000 skating down Unter den Linden-amazing to see. Our guide told us this occurs regularly--sometimes it is bicycles, sometimes skaters and we even saw someone on a unicycle. It all had a police escort.
Today the Reichstag--this is probably the best building ever! We even got to sit in the seats of the gallery in the house. The dome that brings heat and coolness is open at the top and we went up a ramp to the top with commentary in our ears all the way. It was coordinated with the walk and would say things like: Stop for a moment and enjoy the view. The building uses almost completely green energy. This was a highlight for me and our little group. We then, walked over to a beregarten as the temperature was 34 today.
After a little shop and poke around at Gallery LaFayettes and a rest for some of us, (Kendra continued to explore!), we had a delightful dinner at an outdoor cafe. Oh, I forgot, Kendra discovered an amazing chocolate shop which had huge chocolate structures of sights around Berlin. Very cute. Our last wonder and then home to bed. Karen has left for London and we three will be in Copenhagen by lunch.
We watched a balloon man that reminded us of "Up" although he didn't fly away. After a pleasant dinner of wiener schnitzel , goulash and more, we discovered a concert that was sponsored by the South Korean Embassy. It was spectacular--a huge symphony, a beautiful opera singer in her princess dress, a pianist, and drummers. There were big screens so we could see that one of the performers kept her music in place by using a clothes peg. Who would have thought! The conductors were amazing. It was outdoors in front of the Brandenburg Gate -we got there around 20:00 and it continued until nearly 22:00. It was just starting to get dark by then. Wow. We were all delighted. We strolled on home and were glad of the warmth of our hotel as it feels like fall in the evening.
So this is August--temps at 24. We have tickets to see "Cabaret" a musical set in the 20s and 30s in Berlin. So this morning George arranged a walking tour for us in the area where it was set. So we took the Underground to what was West Berlin. The guide was great--shocked us to learn how open and advanced life was for gay people. When referring to a young woman who was her own person, he said she didn't take up much space because she loved to live on the edge. We had a lovely lunch in a cafe that the guide recommended.
We walked home for a relax and the set out for a boat cruise. After we got the English transmitter thing working, we enjoyed seeing the sights along the River Spree. And then it was dinner time. It was about 21:00 when we scouted out an outdoor restaurant. The waiter who resembled Faulty in his speed and abilities, said it would be 50 to 60 minutes before we got any food. So we ordered drinks and were prepared to wait. (Oh, yes, an important thing here is that my left eye had started to weep,) So we ordered and George and I decided to share a sausage dish and then have strudel for dessert. We mentioned this idea to the waiter. (Meanwhile my eye was even more weepy and getting sore from being wiped.) By about 22:30, we were nearly done and the waiter showed up, I said that we would skip dessert as my eye was sore ....... However, he replied in a mix of German and English, you must have the dessert you ordered. So I said we didn't want it. He insisted. So it took another 1/2 hour. Finally he returned and offered us free espresso because it was taking so long. Imagine espresso for me who only drinks decaf coffee! So George and Karen had espresso and I continued to wipe my eye.. And then there was apple strudel with cream. What could we do but share it three ways, munch it and laugh all the way home.
And today Kendra arrived. Yay!
"Life is a cabaret, my friend, Life is a cabaret!" A truly delightful production even if the story is sad. The dancing, singing, band and shenanigans--WOW. We started with a delicious dinner of wiener schnitzel with a ice cream/fruit/sorbet dessert and everything continued to be wonderful. Our seats were in the third row and the action was all around us. What can I say, we loved it. Then on the way home we encountered a roller skate hoard--there was music and probably 1000 skating down Unter den Linden-amazing to see. Our guide told us this occurs regularly--sometimes it is bicycles, sometimes skaters and we even saw someone on a unicycle. It all had a police escort.
Today the Reichstag--this is probably the best building ever! We even got to sit in the seats of the gallery in the house. The dome that brings heat and coolness is open at the top and we went up a ramp to the top with commentary in our ears all the way. It was coordinated with the walk and would say things like: Stop for a moment and enjoy the view. The building uses almost completely green energy. This was a highlight for me and our little group. We then, walked over to a beregarten as the temperature was 34 today.
After a little shop and poke around at Gallery LaFayettes and a rest for some of us, (Kendra continued to explore!), we had a delightful dinner at an outdoor cafe. Oh, I forgot, Kendra discovered an amazing chocolate shop which had huge chocolate structures of sights around Berlin. Very cute. Our last wonder and then home to bed. Karen has left for London and we three will be in Copenhagen by lunch.
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