Stake Conference, FHE & Isaaks
So we arrived on Friday and haven't done many touristy things since. We went out wandering with the Isaaks on Saturday night and took them to the Brandenburg Gate (which once again, looks completely different than the last time we came -- they keep switching things around; that's why they say that the mortar never dries in Berlin). The American Embassy is going in just to the south of it, after much prancing and lots of taxpayer dollars, and they are putting in an U-bahn line too, so there was plenty of construction. Still the gate looks good after an 80 M Euro renovation which allegedly even gave it an anti-terrorism coating (I thought that was the two inch plexiglass windows down at the KFC by Grand Lake in Oakland).
After that, we wandered over to the Reichstag as it was getting dark. Tania Rands had told us about the secret stroller entrance which got us out of lugging the strollers up the steps and out of the long lines. Once again, the security people were fast, efficient, and friendly and should be cloned for airports everywhere. They lured Sebi through the metal detector with a little Bundestag pin with the prussian eagle on it (which Berliners call 'the fat hen') and we all rode the elevator up. Going to the Reichstag was actually Will's idea, and he loves it. What other legislative building can you ride elevators in and then run around in circles on top of? He had a great time. Sebastian was past his bedtime and it was starting to show, but I'm glad now that we've been back for a nighttime visit, because it has a completely different feel to it. Next, I want to see if we can go when it is actually in session, so you can see down into the room and watch the people at work.
Sunday, we went to church and it was stake conference. Rob had served in two of the wards here, and most of the people his age are now in the stake leadership positions. We sat in the nursery and I talked to an American family who has three kids, same genders as ours, only all a year younger. They had lived in the Caribbean, South Africa, and here.
Sunday night, we took the Isaaks to see Nymphenburg palace, though it was too dark to see the pond where Will fell into the lilypads last year.
On Monday, Rob went to the hospital with our student Jordan to translate and fill out papers before he had surgery. Jordan had an infection that had flared up on our trip, and thankfully we were able to make it here to have it treated. He has been such a trooper and so upbeat. The surgery lasted two hours and they decided to keep him overnight, but he has come back to our house to recuperate, because he isn't supposed to do stairs, and he lives on a fifth floor walkup.
In the meantime, Katie and I took the kids to the Berlin Zoo. We liked the seals this time (Sebi said "I weara Nemo? [swim diaper] I wango swimmin") and the hippos and I was particularly fond of something called Erdmaennchen (little earth men) that looked like prairie dogs. They all stood at the window of their cage with their hands on their hips looking at us as if we were the ones in the zoo.
We had FHE over at our house Monday night, where we ate Berliners (jelly donuts) and said goodbye to the Isaaks. Sebi and Tomas gave each other a hug, but I was telling Sebi as he was going to bed that Tomas was going back to Utah, and he said "I see him? I wanplay cars wuh Tomas". I don't know what we'll do without them!
After that, we wandered over to the Reichstag as it was getting dark. Tania Rands had told us about the secret stroller entrance which got us out of lugging the strollers up the steps and out of the long lines. Once again, the security people were fast, efficient, and friendly and should be cloned for airports everywhere. They lured Sebi through the metal detector with a little Bundestag pin with the prussian eagle on it (which Berliners call 'the fat hen') and we all rode the elevator up. Going to the Reichstag was actually Will's idea, and he loves it. What other legislative building can you ride elevators in and then run around in circles on top of? He had a great time. Sebastian was past his bedtime and it was starting to show, but I'm glad now that we've been back for a nighttime visit, because it has a completely different feel to it. Next, I want to see if we can go when it is actually in session, so you can see down into the room and watch the people at work.
Sunday, we went to church and it was stake conference. Rob had served in two of the wards here, and most of the people his age are now in the stake leadership positions. We sat in the nursery and I talked to an American family who has three kids, same genders as ours, only all a year younger. They had lived in the Caribbean, South Africa, and here.
Sunday night, we took the Isaaks to see Nymphenburg palace, though it was too dark to see the pond where Will fell into the lilypads last year.
On Monday, Rob went to the hospital with our student Jordan to translate and fill out papers before he had surgery. Jordan had an infection that had flared up on our trip, and thankfully we were able to make it here to have it treated. He has been such a trooper and so upbeat. The surgery lasted two hours and they decided to keep him overnight, but he has come back to our house to recuperate, because he isn't supposed to do stairs, and he lives on a fifth floor walkup.
In the meantime, Katie and I took the kids to the Berlin Zoo. We liked the seals this time (Sebi said "I weara Nemo? [swim diaper] I wango swimmin") and the hippos and I was particularly fond of something called Erdmaennchen (little earth men) that looked like prairie dogs. They all stood at the window of their cage with their hands on their hips looking at us as if we were the ones in the zoo.
We had FHE over at our house Monday night, where we ate Berliners (jelly donuts) and said goodbye to the Isaaks. Sebi and Tomas gave each other a hug, but I was telling Sebi as he was going to bed that Tomas was going back to Utah, and he said "I see him? I wanplay cars wuh Tomas". I don't know what we'll do without them!
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