Our big city experiences in Germany were in Cologne and Berlin. We toured Cologne with Mark and Bernd as our tour guides and went to see the legendary Tutankhaman exhibit. What a treat it was to have them decipher train schedules, transfers and show us around. Anke was our guide in Berlin. It was a bit further - a 6 hour drive - thank goodness for audio books. We were museumed out so we joined up with a historical walking tour. It was fascinating, even keeping the kids attention for several hours. The wall was built in 1961 to prevent the brain drain from the east to the island of freedom - West Berlin. The stories of East Berliners trying to escape were incredible. JFK made an important visit to West Berlin in the 60's and the Germans loved him for it - even built a museum for him in Berlin. The city today is actually mostly new construction b/c everything was destroyed during WWII. There is a moving Memorial for the Murdered Jews and the location where Hitler killed himself is a parking lot. As a city, Berlin has been through hell, and yet again it is literally rebuilding itself. Definitely worth a visit.
Farewell to Germany - thanks to Anke, Bernd (and dad), Kristin, Mark (and parents), Hannah, Runi, Christeanne, Rinehard, Malu and Finnian for showing us an unforgettable time.
Germany photos here
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In Kleve, RJ and Leo were able to visit the local schools. RJ went to Hannah's 10th grade English class. The twenty kids were kind of shy to speak English to a real live American, but a few students were brave enough to ask questions about the states and our trip. Leo went to the local elementary school and attended Kristin's (Anke's sister is a teacher) 4th grade science class. He was paired up w/ another English speaking child who had recently moved from San Jose, CA. His new friend acted as an interpreter to answer questions about our trip and as an ambassador on the playground. Both Leo and RJ liked the break from homeschool as did their parents.
Rodney was educated in a different subject - German bowling, called "kegler." Bernd and Mark's monthly bowling night is a much anticipated event and Rodney got to tag along. Differences from "normal" bowling included two small lanes, a ball the size of a cantelope w/out holes and different slants on the rules, like hit every pin but the middle pin. In other words, nothing like bowling!
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Kleve, Germany has a similar population to Alameda, about 80,000, but it is located in spacious countryside. Enhancing the rolling hills are two grand castles from the 1200's. Although there are a few historical buildings, much of Kleve had to be rebuilt after the bombings of WWII. The town's well-known former resident is Anna of Kleve, Henry the VIIIth's 4th wife. She managed to get away from him after 6 months of marriage via an annulment. They think this was b/c Henry found her pox marks unattractive (not depicted in her portrait) - lucky her!
Staying at Kristin and Marks house (picture) felt calm and refreshing - at least for us! Miles of paved trails to jog, walk or bike were just outside the house. The neighboring farms had animals and Leo particularly liked feeding the donkey's. In addition to the farms next door, we got a tour of the turkey farm that Bernd's dad manages. Did you know it only takes 45 days to raise a turkey to go to market - and they are huge! They use alternative energy on the farm - recycling cow manure (somehow it's not smelly) which produces enough energy for 1000 homes. In the region, there are also solar panels on most roofs as the Germans seem to take seriously the quest for green energy.
Across the Rhine river from Kleve is the Netherlands. We went there for the decadent french fries w/ peanut sauce and inexpensive diesel. Lots of shopping too! If you visit the local "caffe" shop in the Netherlands (we didn't) don't plan on getting a cappuccino. It's the place for buying marijuana; I think it's the only country in the world where it's legal w/ out medical needs. Also in the Netherlands, even though it was cold, there are masses of bicyclists. It's part of their culture to get around by bike - so bike paths are everywhere - wouldn't that be nice!
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We spent almost two weeks in Germany, enticed there by our friend and former au pair, Anke. We were excited to see the Wamers family again and finally visit Kleve, which is on the Rhine river in western Germany. We stayed w/ Anke at her sister Kristin's house - along with Kristin's two children Hannah (14) and Runi (10), plus her boyfriend Mark (can't forget dog Malu and cat Finnian.) Anke's partner Bernd was also with us most days. It's all about family here. Anke's parents (pictured here) stopped by everyday and her mom, Christiane insisted on cooking hearty German meals for us. Although, all seemed well, there was quite a scare. While we were visiting, Anke's fit and fun dad, Reinhard, wasn't feeling well and before we knew it, he was helicoptered to a nearby hospital for quadruple bypass surgery. Thankfully he is recovering quickly and is already being moved back to the local hospital. We all wish him a quick recovery and hope he is back home soon.
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Bon Jour,
Actually, it's been almost a week since we left Paris. We had a whirlwind five days and by the end of our London/Paris side trip Leo sighed that he was tired of seeing famous places. In Paris we were the typical tourists and saw all of the celebrated sites- the main museums like Louvre, d'Orsay, l'-Orangerie and Rodin. It was a kid requirement to see the Eiffel Tower and Rodney was enchanted by the Palace of Versailles. Simply strolling around while sampling the pastries, baguettes and nutella crepes was a favorite pastime. Maybe too much! We had an apartment which makes it great for simple meals at home, but we try to get out and have at least one tasty dinner w/out children - which happily we did. RJ's favorite museum was de L-Orangerie where the humongous Water Lilies by Monet were painted specifically for the spectacular building. I love the Rodin museum which is all sculpture and located in the quaint mansion and gardens where the artist lived. Leo's is uncertain of his preferred site, but he still thinks Michelangelo is the best sculptor as evidenced at the Louvre. We know we were just one of millions of tourists to have visited Paris. In fact, over 245 million have visited the Eiffel Tower, but we wondered, how many like us, were lucky enough to utilize the toilets at the top. Perhaps we don't deserve Paris! Au revoir!
Photos Here..
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The cold weather in southern Italy during March just isn't ideal for boat living. We figure after this two year adventure is over, we'll be stateside for a while, so this is our chance to see Europe. Visiting London, Paris and our friend Anke in Germany bubbled up as our top places to go w/out the boat.
We arrived in London after flying through Frankfurt and Rome (obviously frequent flyer mile travel.) Hopping on the the metro after being so tired was a challenge, but somehow we made it to our little rental apartment in West Kensington. Here's a quick summary of the week in London:
Day 1 - Rode the double decker bus tour so we would have a clue about the basics of London. Growling stomaches gave us the excuse to stop near the London Eye for our first taste of pub fish and chips. We took a ride on the London Eye and relaxed on the slow moving, space age ferris wheel while scanning the fabulous views of London.
Day 2 - Succumbed to Madame Tasauds Wax museum (touristy and schmultzy, but entertaining). We then strolled Oxford/Regent Street - good news - the economy must be booming - we could barely make our way through the throngs of people shopping.
Day 3- Missed our Beatles tour after challenges navigating the tube. Decided to go the movies - saw Rango - in assigned theatre seats. Wandered through Hyde Park - RJ and I rented bikes while Leo and Rodney playeda at the Princess Diana memorial playground. Discovering the Peter Pan statue at twilight was magical. Hyde park is huge and would be a great place to run everyday.
Day 4- Tower of London tour - torture chambers, crown jewels, cafe and a gift shop. Lots of ghosts around there - Henry the VIII wives and poor Queen Jane. During the evening we saw Wicked - fabulous. We stood in line in the morning to get the "front row stalls" at half price and it was worth it!
Day 5- British Museum highlights - Rosetta Stone, Egypt mummies and Greek sculptures (we're all excited to go Greece - but looks like the Brits have all the "stuff" from the Parthenon.) That evening - Rodney and I had a date - dinner in Chelsea.
Day 6 - Beatles Walking Tour - very entertaining - saw Paul McCartney's office (he was there, we saw his light - ooh) the rooftop concert site, Abbey Road, etc. "London Walks" is a great outfit and they have a variety of walking tours.
We absolutely loved hanging out in London. Everyone is friendly and some speak English!
Photos Here
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