Berlin After Action: Exploring Part 1

North and South Korea

Belgium

 When we checked into the pension, the owner had mentioned something about bears and that it was fun for the kids to keep an eye out for them.  I wasn't really paying attention, but then we started walking around and found them.  Wow!  The kids loved them!  It was fun to see how each was decorated to represent a different country.  Big Sis wanted to find Greece and Devil Pup had to find Egypt.  For more info on the Buddy Bears, click here.

 We saw a number of street performers, but Big Sis was quite taken with this troupe of breakdancers (I was more taken with their advanced age -- one looked older than me and I'm sure that's way too old to be breakdancing or doing tricks on skateboards -- brittle bones and all that, y'know).  Of course, I found the way they ended the show to be the best part:  ABBA's "Money, Money, Money" blaring as they held out caps for their audience to place money.

After our first night's dinner of sushi (YUM! and the girls liked it, too), we wandered around a bit and ended up going down a sidestreet we later decided wasn't quite in the right direction.  However, if we hadn't gone down that street, we might never have seen this.  And what is it?  Well, it seems to be a restaurant suspended by a crane:  Dinner in the Sky!  Neither of the girls thought this was a good idea.
DP:  "What if you fall?" 
me:  "There are probably seatbelts."
BS:  "What if the crane breaks?"
me:  "Hopefully, that wouldn't happen."


Our first night in Berlin, we really didn't have time to do any of the tourist sites so we spent the evening wandering the main thoroughfare near our hotel-pension.  It was fun and relaxing, despite getting rained on at the end.  Oh, well, that was a good excuse to get back to our room and get everyone showered up and ready to really see Berlin the next day!

Berlin After Action: Train and Pension

 Stretch had a 3-day weekend, so we decided to test out the rail system and go to Berlin.  The weekend before I booked our rail tickets via the Deutches Bahn webite.  I played around with it a bit to see how much tickets would cost using different configurations, i.e. with or without the various BahnCards which provide discounts of 25-50%.  In the end, we decided to forego the BahnCard for this trip, using it as a test trip instead.  For 2 adults and 2 children in a 2nd Class compartment with reserved seating, I paid 457 euro (including the extra 5 euro for the reserved seating).  I may have been able to find better deals if I'd planned a bit further in advance, but didn't think it was too bad for last minute.  It was certainly far cheaper than flying and much more comfortable than driving!

I also booked us on the ICE train (fast train) that had no connections and would get us to Berlin in roughly 6 hours.  The first picture shows a 2nd class car and the second picture is the area with compartments and WC (toilets) where we were seated.  Each compartment had 6 seats, small table and places to hang jackets and a place to put luggage overhead.  We could control the lighting and temperature inside the compartments as well.   Once we got to Berlin (the Hauptbahnhof there is HUGE!), it was a matter of finding a bite to eat and then finding the local public transportation to take us out to Charlottenburg (the neighborhood where our accommodations were located).  We took a U-Bahn (making only 1 connection) to Adenauerplatz and then walked a few blocks to the Hotel-Pension Bregenz.

When we checked in, one of the owners immediately gave us a map with suggestions of things to do with the kids.  She marked routes for us and showed us the bus and U-Bahn routes.

 Then, she showed us to our room.  It was spacious, clean and had an ensuite bathroom.  While the shower was a bit tight sizewise, it perfectly suited our needs.  Everyone had their own bed and none of us felt cramped.

The breakfast the next day was also lovely.  Each table in the breakfast room was set with blue and white china.  The buffet was more than ample, offering cereals, yogurts, breads, meats, cheeses, fruit, and coffee cakes.  Tea, coffee, milk, orange juice and water were also available.  I was finally able to get fresh brotchen and liverwurst with fresh coffee for breakfast ... so good!  If we get a chance to go back to Berlin (there was so much we didn't get to see or do!), I'd definitely stay here again!

Also, we could buy the tickets for public transportation at the hotel.  A family pass for the day was 15 euro.

New Orleans, N'Awlins...

So Stretch had to go for work and it was my birthday... so I tagged along while my mother kept the girls. The first 2 days, I was on my own to explore the French Quarter (and it's shops). I even found a pair of dragonfly earrings. Here's a sample of a few of the sights:


























Before...

and after! Yum!

Getaway

Thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law, I was able to go on a business trip with Stretch last week. I had one day of "classes" or conference and then the rest of the time was mine to catch up with friends and family. Stretch spent almost his entire time there experiencing death by PowerPoint. When one particular day ran long, I received a text message, "Just shoot me now."

For the 3rd time, I participated in a Four Lenses temperament class. Not too surprisingly, my personality or temperament hadn't changed, it only became more entrenched in what it already was. There actually are benefits to doing this more than once. I take something different away each time, but I do wish the presenters would recognize that some of us have done this before, thereby enabling a broader use of the training. For those of you who have done this, I am a green (one of only 2 in a room of 27 women at this conference). We are a rare breed and like it that way!

One of the highlights of the week was getting to spend almost all day Sunday with my college roommate. She was sweet enough to drive the 2+ hours to where I was since I had no transportation. It was nice to just get to hang out again without children and without a schedule to keep. We lived together for 5 years so we'd done our fair share of just hanging out in our youth.

Then, my mother and stepfather drove in from out of state for a couple of days. We shopped and ate Korean food. We even introduced a buddy of Stretch's to Korean food. This was challenging because we found out minutes before leaving for dinner that he had a sesame allergy. Seriously? Do you have any idea how integral sesame oil and sesame seeds are to Korean cooking?! Somehow we managed to feed everyone and no one went into anaphylactic shock.

I also ran into a couple of other Marine wives and had a great opportunity to catch up. A few of us even managed to go exploring and have lunch my last day there. It was a restful trip for me. One I'd needed.

Car, planes, and ERs

I'm back!!! Well, for now, anyway.

We've had a crazy 4 weeks. First, Stretch and I went away for a week to attend a seminar together. Okay, not exactly together. We spent most of our time in separate classes and only had lunch together twice all week. But we were told by the organizers to enjoy that week as a "honeymoon time." So we waved as we passed each other in the hall and remarked, "Glad we're getting to enjoy all this togetherness!" On the plus side, thought, I met some great people and received a lot of really good information that I hope will be helpful at the next duty station.

We raced home from that week to attend Big Sis' last basketball game of the season. She was the first to score a basket in that game and went on to score several more times. This was huge because it was the first time all season that she'd made baskets during a game. She's actually very good at making baskets but is not terribly aggressive about getting the ball during a game.

Stretch went back to finish the last week of the seminar. He took a rental car that didn't look big enough for him. Somehow he managed to fold himself into it. I stayed behind with the kids to get ready for our next trip. There was so much to do and so little time. So... a few things just didn't get done (like getting the house clean). Then the girls and I drove to my sisters' house Friday night (where Stretch met us) so that we could return the rental car and fly out Saturday. Stretch had another course to attend and we were tagging along because my parents live in the same area.

L'il Sis spent the entire 2 weeks we were away sick. I took her to the ER twice! She felt better just in time to fly back home. The first week, she was congested and had a fever. I took her to the ER when she'd had the fever for days and it kept coming back and then she started blowing blood out of her nose. The second week and second ER trip was because she spent a night vomiting and having diarrhea. She'd dropped at least 2 lbs. They gave her 2 bags of IV fluids, one had anti-nausea medication in it. Then, they sent us home with suppositories for the nausea. Have I mentioned that L'il Sis is 3-1/2? We tried but the suppositories... they just didn't happen.

Between illnesses, there was a brief respite during which I was able to see 2 of my best friends. We spent one afternoon going to lunch, shopping and getting pedicures. We were also able to get the kids together to play once.

It never seems to fail... whenever I've flown with the kids to see grandparents, there is always illness and an ER visit. At last count, there were a minimum of 4 ear infections (they never seem to get them any other time), one case of chicken pox, and now L'il Sis' mystery viral illness.

It's no wonder I'm cranky.

Home again

I'm back from SpouseBuzz Live. Many, many thanks to my MIL for watching the kids for me!

It was great to put a face to some of the voices in my head, those imaginary friends. In addition to meeting some of the SpouseBuzz authors, I met Butterfly Wife and her Jack Bauer, who accommodated my need for a photographer not once, but twice. I also met Stephanie, who was just as tiny as I'd imagined.

And, hey! I even won something! It was one of the ammo cases; stuffed with a book, a hat, a t-shirt, and a fleece jacket!

First weekend

Thanks to the Salute to Heroes program, the girls and I spent our first weekend without Hubs in Virginia. We took advantage of the free park admission and went to Busch Gardens Williamsburg Saturday afternoon. My sister suggested the trip some time ago. I knew she was bringing her family and the girls were SO excited to see their aunt, uncle and cousins. Additionally, good friends live in the area and we were able to stay with them. The girls loved getting to play with Mr. M and their dog. Plus, Miss T even gave up her day and went to the park with us. Thank God she did, too! I'm not sure how I would have handled a 7 year old and a 3 year old (sans nap) without her. It was much more crowded than we'd expected, but the girls seemed to have a good time. And honestly, that's all I wanted from this first weekend without Daddy: for them to have a good weekend with plenty of diversions.

I was torn about this weekend. I'd started planning it just before Hubs left. I was trying to finalize plans the day after he left when I learned that his great-uncle had passed away. I still don't know if I did the right thing or not. I sent flowers but opted not to take the girls to the funeral, and followed the original plan for the weekend. While I felt an obligation to be there for Hubs' family, I felt an even deeper obligation to the girls. What would you have done?

Weekend getaway

My wonderful mother-in-law came down and watched the girls for me so I could meet my friend and her siblings in Alexandria, VA for a weekend away. It was a much-needed break! While I missed the girls, I think we all appreciated each other more when the week-end was over.While the cherry blossoms were in bloom, it was incredibly cold!

It was slightly warmer the next day when we shopped in Old Town Alexandria. We were able to browse in crowded little shops. Bliss! Plus, we were able to linger over meals. More bliss!