Nathan is working in Berlin, Germany for two weeks and the toddlers and I have tagged along on the trip! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more festive and beautiful than Christmas time in Berlin! I have been updating my FaceBook account every day with new pictures, but have been terribly slack with my blog. I plan to come back and post everything in order from day one, but for right now I want to get these pictures up for my new friends.
We have been here for 1 1/2 weeks, and I am still learning my way around the public transportation system. Yesterday, I bundled up Phoebe and Hudson and we set out on an hour long train ride to Potsdam and the Palace Sans Souci. The problem was, I ended up getting off at the wrong stop. We walked and walked and walked, and finally hired a taxi to take us to the palace.
Upon arriving I learned I could not take the stroller inside, it was 40 minutes until the next English speaking tour, and the tour itself lasted forty minutes. The toddlers were getting very tired and I was concerned about taking them in by myself with no way to contain them. The tour guide was fabulous and took extra time with them, showing them things that would be of particular interest to a toddler. They each had their own headsets and they walked around listening and looking up at everything just as like little adults. If only we’d been allowed to take pictures inside! It was absolutely incredible! This was the summer home of Frederick the Great. Sans souci means “without a care.”
Upon leaving it was getting dark and cold. I was unsure of the location of the bus stop since I had gotten off at the wrong one in the first place. I wandered along until I came upon a group of young Asian men and women, and heard them speaking English. They were also waiting for the bus to take to the train station to take them back to Berlin! They were so kind and made sure that we got on the correct bus, and then helped us find the correct train. They stayed with us the entire trip, chatting and entertaining Phoebe. This was the highlight of my day! I so enjoyed the time together, getting to know these bright, beautiful young people!
They are from Malaysia but are studying at Cambridge University. They are spending their holiday traveling to other areas of Europe. After seeing us off, they headed to the airport to catch their flight back to England. I am so thankul I had a chance to meet them, and sincerely hope they see this blog entry! One young lady is missing from the picture, but here are the others.
For some reason, every time I place a picture here, my entry disappears, so I am going to post the pictures in a separate entry.
Girl, you are a daring soul! I can’t imagine taking off for parts unknown in a foreign country **and with two toddlers!!* But then I am kinda travel-phobic. All the more reason for me to be thankful for the brave souls such as yourself who are willing to get out there, take the pictures and meet the neat people, then come back and share them with wimps such as myself…. all the fun of traveling without the upset;)
Love ya and hope you continue to have a fabulous timeā„
For me it’s either do or die! I can’t bear the thought of traveling to these places with Nathan’s work and NOT venturing out to see the sights! Phoebe and Hudson are so portable, and so used to it that it’s not too bad. Of course now we are potty-trained so it might become a little more complicated. It was nice having them in diapers when I didn’t know for sure if I’d be able to find a restroom. lol