Deutsches Historisches Museum (German History Museum)

A few weekends ago on a rainy Saturday, we spontaneously decided to go to the German History Museum here in Berlin. Although we have lived here for ages, we had somehow never made it there. Much to our surprise there was a festival going on that weekend.

And we got to play dress-up - something you never get too old for . . . 

Never mind that all of our costumes are from different time periods . . . 

The collection of knights and medieval artifacts paint a vivid picture of what life is Germany was really like at that time. It definitely rivals the exhibition at the Tower of London, and may even be better!

We were lucky enough to take part in a children's tour about the knights and their times. 

I even learned a few things from Laura, our amazing tour guide. For instance, there is a saying in German, "Du hast Schwein gehabt!" - "You've just got a pig!" - which means you had good luck. I've always wondered why in the world pigs meant good luck in the German-speaking world, whereas it means anything but in the English-speaking world. Well, the answer lies in the medieval knights' tournaments. The knight in very last place would receive a pig as a consolation prize, which meant that he and his family would have something to eat in the winter. Who knew? 

After the tour, each child got to hold a real knight's sword and feel how heavy it was. 

And after the tour, my oldest sat drawing the knights and taking it all in. 

If you're ever in Berlin, don't miss this museum! In German and English, it's a great place for the whole family.

On the island of Rügen

Rügen is a German island in the Baltic Sea. It is a nature lovers' paradise, and one of the most uncommercialized tourist locales in Europe. It is much-loved by Berliners for weekend get-a-ways, because it is not far away. We have been there many times and visited again over Pentecost. (Berliner schools get the Monday and Tuesday after Pentecost Sunday off!) This time, we were at a the northernmost tip of Rügen called Cape Arkona that is known for its chalk bluffs facing the sea.

The landscape is amazing in any season, but the rapeseed fields in spring were especially breathtaking. I kept thinking that I was in the middle of a Van Gogh painting!

It's rarely what we'd call "hot" on the Baltic sea, and most of the time, we had on long sleeves and jackets. But my kids were determined to go swimming no matter what the temperature was. 

Rügen is also a rock collector's treasure chest. We brought home a lot of souvenirs and a few things for future art projects.

The area around Cape Arkona is also known for its bike trails. We covered many kilometers on our bikes each day and returned home each evening with that wonderful tired but relaxed feeling you get after lots of fresh air and physical exertion.

We also got to ride horses through the forest along the chalk bluffs. I don't have any pictures of us riding, though, because after not having ridden a horse in 20 years, I was too nervous to let go of the reins and take a picture! 

We'll be celebrating Pentecost at our church gathering this Sunday, so stay tuned!

New Year's in Berlin

New's Year's Eve in Berlin is a crazy, wonderful time. And this is why . . . 

Fireworks! 

Right after Christmas, you start hearing them go off at all hours of the day and night, and the excitement continues to build until New Year's Eve. Then, at midnight on New Year's Eve, the entire city looks like a war zone with fireworks going off literally everywhere. Normally cautious, security-conscious Germans suddenly forget where they left their heads, and you definitely want to be where you are going to spend the night by midnight when the sky is lit up for at least an hour!

Our iPhone pictures can't do the fireworks justice, but you can
see the haze from all of the smoke!

My son with a giant sparkler.

We celebrate New Year's each year with our children's godparents, who are two of our best friends, and their children. The four kids all have a blast helping to shoot off fireworks, playing and staying up late.

Food is always a special part of our celebration. Each year we have either fondue (which we ate this year!) or raclette. When we have fondue, we enjoy a 3 course meal over several hours: a cheese course, one chicken and vegetables in broth, and then a chocolate and fruit course. 

Raclette is also a Swiss tradition, similar to fondue, where meat and veggies are roasted on a tabletop grill. Both types of meals are interactive and community-building, so it makes for quite a fun evening!

Source: Raclette Australia

Then, on New Year's Day, we eat brunch together and then try to pick ourselves up and go home after staying up so late. Later in the day at home, my husband, a native Texan, makes us a pot of super-spicy chili. Yum, yum!

Hope that your New Year's celebration was wonderful, and I wish you the joy and peace of Christ in 2013!

Schulanfang / Starting School!

I've had little time to be in this space the past few weeks and here is one reason why:

Congratulations, Sweetheart!

We have a new "Schulkind" (school child), and she is absolutely loving the first grade.

As I've written before, Germans know how to make starting your school career special. The thing that my daughter is holding is called a "Schultüte". It's a gift for the first grader-to-be and is chock full of candy, school supplies and toys. 

Most schools, including ours, have a special ceremony on a Saturday where the kids are officially pronounced school children and meet their new teacher, who will be with them at least until the fourth grade. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and all kinds of people come. 

Since we don't have any relatives around here, we invited our daughter's godparents. Later on in the day, we hosted a grill party for our daughter and some of her friends. 

I hope that this was a day that she'll always remember!

Nikolaus / St. Nicholas Day

On December 5, children all over Germany polish their boots and set them out for St. Nicholas to come. He usually brings clementines, nuts, chocolate and/or a small gift. Then on December 6, the Feast of St. Nicholas, the kids wake up early and run to their boots. My kids, even though they are both old enough to know about the historical St. Nicholas and don't believe that he actually comes, eagerly got their boots ready. My son actually put his whole boot under the water faucet, completely drenching it, so that it was too wet to wear the next day.: )

Nikolaus brought the kids clementines, chocolate and new colored pencils!

They got up extra early to check their boots!

I always read the story of the real St. Nicholas to the children and remind them that we polish the boots and give gifts on this day as a way to remember this man's faith and selfless life. The book below, "The Story of St. Nicholas", is excellent for school-age children and has beautiful illustrations embossed with gold.

In Germany, St. Nicholas and "Der Weihnachtsmann" (Santa Claus) are two different people. I am always met with blank stares when I try to explain to German friends that they have melded into the same person in American pop culture.  I appreciate the distinction, because the story of Nicholas of Myra is an inspiring one that I don't want to get lost among Santa, Rudolph and company.

Exploring Warsaw

The grandparents came to visit from the States and we took a side trip to Warsaw, Poland. While Warsaw may not be at the top of everyone's list as a vacation spot, we found it to be a delightful and interesting place!

The grandparents and our kids in the Old City Square. 

Scaling the Barbican . . . 

and anything else in our path!

One of our favorite ways to get to know a culture is through its food! We love to explore grocery stores, outdoor markets, and restaurants.

Poziomka! A type of wild strawberry. My kids downed these and 500g of the sweetest raspberries we ever got ahold of in about 15 minutes.  Stomachaches afterwards, but it was worth it!

A local bakery with lots of yummies

And baked Pierogis! Who knew that they could be baked and not boiled?!!

Warsaw also has some great museums. The Copernicus Science Center is literally for people of all ages. It is three floors of playful science experiements that will keep the family entertained for hours.  It is fun and entertaining, but at the same time intelligent and not over-the-top. 

My daughter is building a dome with foam bricks.  When she is finished,
the yellow ballon deflates to test her work and see if the dome stands.

This was in the preschool section.  It is a wall something akin to "Light Brights"
where the kids press in pegs that reveal a pattern on the other side.  A tactile paradise. 

We also love to wander through old churches and talk about the imagery with our children.  And in Warsaw, there is a beautiful Catholic church on every corner.  

My kids particularly liked this depiction of St. John the Baptist. I was pleased when they recognized who he was after I asked them a few questions about what they were viewing. Although we don't always think of sculptures and paintings in older churches as being "kid-friendly", children find them fascinating when they are allowed to play guessing games about the content. 

In the Church of St. John the Baptist, there was an unusual and moving Stations of the Cross
carved as three dimensional sculptures protruding from a two-dimensional surface.
We walked through all the Stations with our kids who were glued to them
and loved figuring out what happened at each station.
This led to a spontaneous prayer time from the kids thanking Jesus
for his sacrifice for us and the world. 

My daughter turned into a Polish princess midway through the trip
with this crown of flowers that is apparently traditional in Krakow.

A happy Mommy and Daddy!

Apfelfest

 Sonne, Äpfel, Mittelalter und Freunde, die wir lange nicht gesehen haben:  besser als diese Kombination gibt's nicht! Eine Freundin war mit ihrem Sohn zu Besuch und wir haben uns spontan entschieden zum Apfelfest in Potsdam zu fahren. Obwohl dies ist normaleweise ein herbstliches Fest, war das Wetter draußen eher wie im Sommer.  On Saturday we visited the Apfelfest ("Apple Festival") in Potsdam just outside of Berlin.  My friend and her son were visiting us from Munich and she happened to see a sign for the festival, so we spontaneously decided  to go. Though this is supposed to be a fall festival, the weather outside felt like July! 

Natürlich gab es beim Apfelfest Äpfel, aber hier ging's mehr um das Mittelalter. Sobald wir ankamen, schauten wir ein Theaterstück über Ritter und Drachenburg an. Man kann unten sehen wie der Drache echtes Feuer gespuckt hat! Es tat mir aber bisschen Leid für die Schauspieler, die in so einer sommerlichen Hitze Ritterrüstung anziehen mussten. There were apples, of course, but this was really a medieval festival.  Right after we arrived, we were treated to a play about two knights defeating a dragon. You can see the dragon breathing fire in the picture below. I felt sorry for the actors who must have been dying of a heatstroke in the "summer" heat!

Die Kinder haben Rüstung und Schwerte anprobiert . . .
Our kids tried out medieval armor and swords . . .  

mittelalterliche Technik entdeckt . . .
and medieval machinery . . . 

und mit Holzburg und Rittern gespielt . . . 
and a wooden castle with toy knights . . . 

Zu unserer Freude gab's auch Tiere zu streicheln . . . 
To our delight, there were also lots of animals to pet . . . 

und meine Tochter durfte einen weißen Pferd reiten 

und sogar einen pink Helm anziehen.

and my daughter got to ride a white horse and wear a pink helmet. 

Ich war auch überrascht danach, dass die Kinder noch eine halbe 
Stunde lang mittelaltliche Musik zuhörten. 
Im großen Ganzen war's ein schöner Samstag gewesen! 
 I was also amazed when our kids sat for half an hour enthralled by Celtic music. 

All in all, a wonderful way to spend a sunny Saturday!

Linked to The Magic Onions

Where we've been . . .

In case you wondered if we dropped off the face of the earth the past three weeks, here's what we've been up to and where we've been:

In Vienna at Schönbrunn Palace

At Schönbrunn Palace, there is a wonderful Children's Museum about the lives of the Hapsburgs, the last ruling family of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Much of it is focused on the life of "Sissi", or Kaiserin Elisabeth, who was the next-to-last empress of the Austrian-Hungarian empire. A beautiful, but tragic figure, she was the Princess Diana of her day and is still a pop icon within the German-speaking world.

There is a costume section where the whole family can dress up like the kaisers. 

Here my daughter practices royal hair-dos with a mannequin of Sissi in the background. 

The Royal Siblings 

My son wasn't too crazy about the princess stuff and preferred
the zoo at Schönbrunn. He also loved the Prater,
an amusement park, in north Vienna. 

At a castle in Hungary

From Vienna we moved on to Hungary where Mom and Dad attended a very fun and refreshing conference while the kids played, swam and made new friends.

We watched Hungarian folk dances and held a live falcon
at a castle near Lake Balaton.

Celebrating a Dino-riffic Birthday

My son turned eight the day after we returned from Hungary and we celebrated his birthday at the the Naturkunde Museum (Natural History Museum) here in Berlin.

The children got to visit a pile of fossils that the paleontology students at
Humboldt University had inspected and thrown away.
Each child got to pick out 2 fossils to take home.

As part of the birthday package, the museum prepares a huge box
full of sand and bones for the kids to "excavate".
They get to dress up like they are in the desert and then
discuss their finds with the dosent. 

Starting School

And then we started school!  Both I and my son have been so busy with our new classes, that I haven't been able to do much blogging.: ) As soon as I get back into the rhythm of things, I'll post a few more things.

This a traditional German "Schultüte" or School Cone that each
new first grader receives at a welcoming ceremony.
It is filled with school supplies, candy and toys!