BERLIN

Over the weekend we flew to Berlin, Germany - again another Ryan Air special deal. It was a combined trip - tourist sightseeing as well as spending time with one of my best friends from high school, Michael Anderson. I had not seen Michael since college - so a decade later it was terrific to connect and see him nestled into his European life in Berlin. Michael is an elementary school teacher now. He rotates amongst schools and teaches children English. How cool! He is in process of applying for a PhD program in Dublin for English literature. His heart definitely belongs on this side of the Atlantic.
We were very lucky that Michael picked us up from the airport and spent the entire weekend with us - helping us navigate all over his beloved Berlin. He says that he even got to see new things with us because how often do you really take advantage of being a tourist in your own home town? It was fantastic having a personal tour guide to lead us all over.

Since returning to Brussels so many people have asked me, "How was Berlin?!?!" It is funny because I sometimes have trouble answering this question even though we definitely had a full and fun time. Berlin is unique city and difficult to describe. It is an unusual mix of tremendously rapid growth since the fall of the Berlin Wall, yet there is always an air of gloom and depressed history remembering the Holocaust and WWII and the division of Communism. The city just oozes history and remembrance. I think it is essential to try to take in this history in pieces. It is always a stark contrast to learn about a time so gruesome and troubling on a whirlwind sightseeing tour. As an example we were struck by the small bronzed plaques built into the streets marking the addresses of murdered Holocaust victims. They dot the avenues around town and serve as regular reminders of how real and horrible the Jewish history is. Can you imagine being plucked from life to endure such terror? It eats your heart; you can't be in Berlin without thinking critically and emotionally about what happened there relatively recently.

We did take time to visit the brand new Jewish museum. The site was billed as a place to not only remember the Holocaust, but as a celebration of Jewish customs and tradition. Even though we basically had to speed walk through the exhibits because Connor was tired and wiggly, I really enjoyed the experience. We did not make it to this part of museum, but I found these photos of a particularly moving and creative exhibit. It is called "Memory Void" and basically visitors walk over a hallway of these metal faces. The "groaning" and "creeking" as one walks over metal rubbing together is supposed to evoke feelings of uncertainty and remembrance. What a thoughtful way to make a point. I highly recommend this brand new museum - maybe just not with a busy toddler in tow. Although they did have kid's corners that were a hit and a help.


We also spent time checking out all of the Berlin Wall memorial and sites. I was 11 years old when the Berlin Wall collapsed in 1989. I remember the TV images pretty vividly and trying to get my young mind about what the Wall represented. I didn't understand the symbolism and history then. I still think it is pretty complicated and unbelievable to think of a city and country so concretely divided. But being in the city certainly primed my curiosity to keep learning more. Even though the Berlin Wall is gone, there is still a stark difference between East and West Berlin. It will take decades for the dividing line to blur and progress to normalize the East. Seeing the large ruins of the Berlin Wall dot the city and the Wall Memorial and bike path was eerie yet intriguing.

Michael showed us this Reconciliation Church spot where the Wall used to run. There was an old church here, but as it was in the way of the Wall and the concepts of Communism the church was demolished. Poof, gone! When the Wall came down this spot of reconciliation was built. I found it calming and particularly touching.

We did take in some tourist sights not so heavy with evocative history. We rented bikes Saturday afternoon and rode all over Berlin, hopping from East to West Berlin and noting the contrasts as well as the construction. The skyline of Berlin is literally filled with cranes. A tangible sign of rebuilding and progress. Kirk and I actually stopped in Berlin for a day 6 years ago during a 3 week backpacking European whirlwind. I remember then we set as a goal to return one day because it was clear the city was changing and growing at lightning speed. Indeed it has. There were a handful of new memorials and modern skyscrapers everywhere that were not there during our last visit. These included the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. A strange plaza full of concrete blocks meant to symbolize whatever you deem them to represent.










We also saw the "Artists' Squat" - a bombed out shell of a building that is a home and studio for many struggling artists. You can walk through the dusty courtyard or even through the floors of the building to see the alternative art on display. It was a strange combination of intriguing and disturbing to think of the struggling artists living in such dismal yet such inspiring conditions.














We rode past the Reichstag Parliament building. We did go to the top of the glass dome last visit to Berlin. I had hoped to return - this time to see it at night. But we ran out of time so we only saw it from afar this time!












Unfortunately just as we were farthest away from the bike shop my bike stopped mid-pedal. The rim and the tire had totally separated. We were stuck! Michael was kind enough to give me his bike to return to the shop while he wheeled my ailing bike back via the metro. Ugh. Thank you Michael!

I did get to enjoy lots of German food in Berlin. I never had been a very big fan of sausage and sauerkraut but Michael took us to a quaint pub place and I had the best sauerkraut ever. I am a convert. Connor didn't buy into the German food kick, but she did really like the ZEBRA painting at the cafe. I also ended up trying GREEN BEER at a restaurant in Potsdamer Platz. Supposedly it is a Berlin specialty, so why not?
On Sunday we traveled 30 minutes by train to Potsdam, Germany - a holiday retreat of Frederick the Great. In Potsdam, there are acres upon acres of grounds peppered with palaces and forests. It made for the most delightful day walking all over and letting Connor run free. Our Rick Steve's guide book really did not recommend Potsdam, but I am so happy we listened to our instincts and went out there anyway. I loved the contrast from the big city and the palaces were honestly some of the most enchanting. If you go, take the time to walk end to end from the New Palace to Sanssouci Palace. The 2 km jaunt will make you feel in touch with nature as well as in awe of the extravagance.
As we prepared to leave Berlin, we did go see the Brandenburg Gate one last time. When Kirk and I were here way back when we snapped a photo of us in front of this Berlin monument - it is one of my favorites from the trip. This time we took a duplicate photo, but this time in the glow of night and with our nearly 2 year old daughter! Wow, how time changes things! Both for us and in the growth of our family. And also for the marvelous city of Berlin and all the change and progress happening all over. Click here for photos of Berlin (full album)

Our GREEN Hotel in Berlin

While in Berlin we stayed at the Artotel Berlin City Center West. It was our best Priceline deal at $75 per night - including taxes. Not necessarily the cheapest we have ever scored in our bidding, but definitely the classiest for the buck. The bold colors and Andy Warhol theming were perfect for the bright, "becoming-modern" city of Berlin.

Most of you know, but the way Priceline.com works is that you place a bid for accommodation, specifying your preferred location and the number of stars you want in a hotel (but you can't choose a specific hotel). Within minutes your bid is either accepted or denied by reply email. But the "winning" hotel is the luck of the draw. So it is always a little bit of a roulette as to what you end up with. The Artotal was a good match for us. The only drawback was that it was a 20 minute walk from the train station...so we definitely got our exercise this weekend.

Imagine our surprise when we walked in and saw our GREEEEEN room! It was happy and a fun surprise. Even if it was overwhelming with all the green!
Connor's favorite part was definitely the purple chairs in our room. They were formed perfectly for her to climb on and shaped right around her little body. She used the purple chairs for eating and especially for reading books. And she definitely knew the word "purple" by the end of our stay!

Looking for Leprechauns!

This past weekend we continued our travels full speed ahead with a trip to the Western part of Ireland. We found another rock-bottom deal on Ryan Air to Shannon, Ireland - so how could we pass it up? A perfect Valentine's celebration for our family. We stayed at the Adare Country House in Adare County. The bed and breakfast was lovely in every way. The couple who owned the place could not have been more accommodating - the 70 euros a night even covered a hot breakfast cooked to order. We felt lucky to have found the place and the low season again helped us out. But the good news was it was even warmer in Ireland than in Belgium - a balmy 9 degrees Celsius! And not too much rain.

We didn't realize that in Ireland (like England) they drive on the left hand side of the street! Even the rental car had the steering wheel on the opposite side. Made the adventure that much more exotic. The entire trip we kept reciting "stay to the left, stay to the left" and poor Kirk had to put up with me cringing around every curve since the perspective was so different being a passenger on the left side.

There was so much to see and do in Ireland. We quickly found ourselves wishing for more time there. We drove A LOT over the weekend! So much to see, but nothing very close to each other. But luckily the journey connecting the destinations was green, lush and exactly as you would picture Ireland.

First up we went to kiss the famous Blarney Stone. I had no idea what was involved in this traditional ritual. Supposedly when you kiss the stone you are given the gift of eloquence. You would think you just walk up and kiss a boulder, right? Oh no, we climbed a tiny, winding staircase to the top of Blarney Castle and then had to lie down backwards while someone held my legs and lean under this ledge to kiss the Blarney Stone. Can you see the fear in my face?!? Kirk on the other hand went second and thought it was funny. Such is the case when you have a long torso!!! It was scarier but also a lot more fun than I thought it would be.

Next we drove to the town of Kenmare, where we had a cozy Valentine's lunch at a cute cafe called "Jam" on the main street. It was delicious and the perfect thing before embarking on the drive around the Ring of Kerry. Kirk also picked up some famous Irish "soda bread" at Jam for us to snack on. It is the heaviest, heartiest bread I ever had. Connor and Kirk enjoyed it but I was full. I got an Irish CD for 5 euros for us to be truly authentic during our scenic drive. We quickly got sick of the CD because we probably listened to it for over 10 hours of driving during the weekend!

We drove around the Ring of Kerry, a scenic drive on one of the westernmost peninsulas. Unsure of what we would find given all the warnings about the tour bus snarls on the ring, we were pleasantly surprised not to encounter one single bus (another gift of low season travel). The views were breathtaking and we "baa-d" and "moo-d" and "neigh-d" at the friendly animals who came right up to our car window. You can imagine what a treat this was for our animal-obsessed toddler! We also hopped out to frolic on the beach at Carroll's Cove. It was good to see Connor run all over and get sandy after so much time in the car. I think she would have run directly into the ocean's waves if we had let her!

To top off the day we went to Killarny to see the Muckross House - a Victorian mansion and took in a spectacular sunset on our drive back to Adare. We had our Valentine's dinner at an Irish pub with a crackling fire and Kirk finally got some Guinness beer, an Irish specialty. It was classic Ireland because when we went in there were Irish men watching a rugby game with immense focus and intensity. I am sure they all cringed when Connor ran all over the pub pointing to the Valentine's balloons decorating the place. But there were again no high chairs, so such is life! Not exactly a lingering, romantic dinner but it was perfect to celebrate our romantic life together - the 3 of us in Ireland!

On Sunday we drove through the old castles turned luxury hotels of Adare Manor and Dromoland Castle. Both were spectacular and we had fun just seeing them and pretending we were staying there - without the fancy pricetag!

Then it was on to the Cliffs of Mohr near the town of Doolin. The Cliffs were green and stunning. I was grateful for a clear day with great visibility! Supposedly they used to let tourists go right out to the edge of the cliffs but after a few fatal falls with windy conditions they pushed back the barriers. Yikes! We stayed far back!

The last stop on our Irish adventure was a drive through County Clare and a landscape called "the Burren." Our guidebook called it "a windswept limestone wasteland" but we found it fascinating and about as opposite of how you picture Ireland as you can get. There were ancient stone walls everywhere and limestone plateau as far as the eye could see.

My only suggestion/edit to our itinerary is I was sorry not to be able to explore the Dingle Peninsula. We just ran out of time, but with another day we could have done it. Supposedly it is a highlight. Just a tip!

We loved Ireland. Didn't see many fellow redheads; I think most of them must hang out near Dublin. But when you are traveling around towns called Limerick and Cork and looking out for leprechauns, how could it be anything but fun?!?! Happy Valentine's Day!

Click here for Ireland on Valentine's weekend (full album)