First we'll take Pittsburgh, then we'll take Berlin
Earlier this year, Randy committed to participating in a trade show in June in Berlin. It has been a while since he has taken a trip into Europe that was longer than a couple of days, and we wondered if it would be worth it for the whole family to go for a week.
We sang among ourselves Leonard Cohen's “First we’ll take Manhattan” while this planning was taking place. We substituted Pittsburgh for Manhattan, though.
Finally, the trip took shape, and the whole family was going to go, even though we would have to leave for Germany only a few days after we arrived in Pittsburgh. It was a busy week for us, with the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup and all. But we knew we had to seize the opportunity.
It was an unusual Europe trip for our family; we would stay at the same hotel in Berlin for the entire time. There would be no packing up and dashing off for another city (or country!) after only a day or two. Berlin kept us more than busy for the week, and I still felt we could use several more weeks to see everything we missed.
As a preface to my series of posts about our week in Berlin, here are my tweets from that week. These are ordered chronologically, with the oldest at the bottom and the last ones from the trip at the top.
Jun 24
Finally! Boarded for Pittsburgh.
Jun 24
We all pitched in to get the chocolate eaten before we landed in Newark
Jun 24
Since it is summer in Berlin, there were no Kindereggs to be found anywhere. Until we got to Duty Free at Tegel. Happy child!
Jun 24
Grr. Randy and the kids have tsa precheck. I don't.
Jun 23
But before we take off, postcard from East Side Gallery, a stretch of Berlin Wall still standing and used as an outdoor mural gallery
Jun 23
Auf Wiedersehen Berlin!
Jun 22
More running into Old Friends in #berlin! Cast of Dippy, Pittsburgh's diplodocus at Naturkunde Museum
Jun 22
In all the big train stations in #berlin there are adverts for Aeroflot Business Class
Jun 22
Saw this Warhol at the end of the tour of Sanssouci. Like bumping into an old friend unexpectedly
Jun 22
Is it just me or does UNESCO World Heritage designator make anyone else want to collect them all? Sanssousci today
Jun 21
Aiya! Myles has discovered the conjugations of fahren. And snickering frequently
Jun 21
At a Berlin trade show, 2 Swedes come to Randy's booth to talk magnets. Find out he's from Pgh all they want to talk is Penguins Game 6
Jun 21
Josty Cafe of Emil & the Detectives is long gone, but the name/spirit have been resurrected in #Berlin Potsdamer Pl
Jun 20
Secured great seats--um, stairs--for the free concert #Berlin
Jun 20
Ah. I see another all child at the Philharmonie. I wonder if the have also been promised Lego for good behavior #Berlin
Jun 20
Last free lunch concert of the season #Berlin my kids by far the youngest in attendance
Jun 20
From the U2 to Potsdamer Platz saw a red brick "Mexican Church in Berlin"
Jun 20
Tracked the thief Herr Grundeis to a hotel on Nolledorfplatz on our Emil and the Detectives tour of #Berlin
Jun 20
Today's new Chinese word learned in Berlin. At a restaurant where they have hookah and trying to explain to R's Chinese coworker
Jun 19
Myles (joking): Man, Germans are so rich even their garbage trucks are Mercedes Benz
Jun 19 Another Emil & the Detectives tour stop, Friederichstrasse Station, where Oma & Pony Hütchen waited for Emil #Berlin
Jun 19
I have given myself over to the Avocado Toast. It is totally worth not owning a home over
Jun 19
At the Brandenburg Gate. Waited since the 1980s and I was studying German in high school to see this.
Jun 19
Kids wanted to show the #berlinzoo penguins what their Pittsburgh cousins have been up to #StanleyCup
Jun 18
Watching Penguins fight at the Berlin Zoo, waiting for a hockey game to break out #penguins #berlinzoo
Jun 18
Standing in front of the Warthogs at #berlinzoo heard some twenty-somethings singing Hakuna Matata in German #berlinzoo
Jun 18
First stop on our Emil and the Detectives tour of Berlin, the Zoo station.
Jun 17
An Aperol Sprtitz in Tiergarten? I am officially on vacation
Jun 17
Ugh. Just used the bathrooms. Some things at Newark airport don't change
Jun 17
When did Newark Airport start looking like this? This is my gate!!
Jun 16
I should be listening to German podcasts to refresh my German before going to Berlin. Instead I'm hoping the new Die Toten Hosen counts
We sang among ourselves Leonard Cohen's “First we’ll take Manhattan” while this planning was taking place. We substituted Pittsburgh for Manhattan, though.
Finally, the trip took shape, and the whole family was going to go, even though we would have to leave for Germany only a few days after we arrived in Pittsburgh. It was a busy week for us, with the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup and all. But we knew we had to seize the opportunity.
It was an unusual Europe trip for our family; we would stay at the same hotel in Berlin for the entire time. There would be no packing up and dashing off for another city (or country!) after only a day or two. Berlin kept us more than busy for the week, and I still felt we could use several more weeks to see everything we missed.
As a preface to my series of posts about our week in Berlin, here are my tweets from that week. These are ordered chronologically, with the oldest at the bottom and the last ones from the trip at the top.
Jun 24
Finally! Boarded for Pittsburgh.
Jun 24
We all pitched in to get the chocolate eaten before we landed in Newark
Jun 24
Since it is summer in Berlin, there were no Kindereggs to be found anywhere. Until we got to Duty Free at Tegel. Happy child!
Jun 24
Grr. Randy and the kids have tsa precheck. I don't.
Jun 23
But before we take off, postcard from East Side Gallery, a stretch of Berlin Wall still standing and used as an outdoor mural gallery
Jun 23
Auf Wiedersehen Berlin!
Jun 22
More running into Old Friends in #berlin! Cast of Dippy, Pittsburgh's diplodocus at Naturkunde Museum
Jun 22
In all the big train stations in #berlin there are adverts for Aeroflot Business Class
Jun 22
Saw this Warhol at the end of the tour of Sanssouci. Like bumping into an old friend unexpectedly
Jun 22
Is it just me or does UNESCO World Heritage designator make anyone else want to collect them all? Sanssousci today
Jun 21
Aiya! Myles has discovered the conjugations of fahren. And snickering frequently
Jun 21
At a Berlin trade show, 2 Swedes come to Randy's booth to talk magnets. Find out he's from Pgh all they want to talk is Penguins Game 6
Jun 21
Josty Cafe of Emil & the Detectives is long gone, but the name/spirit have been resurrected in #Berlin Potsdamer Pl
Jun 20
Secured great seats--um, stairs--for the free concert #Berlin
Jun 20
Ah. I see another all child at the Philharmonie. I wonder if the have also been promised Lego for good behavior #Berlin
Jun 20
Last free lunch concert of the season #Berlin my kids by far the youngest in attendance
Jun 20
From the U2 to Potsdamer Platz saw a red brick "Mexican Church in Berlin"
Jun 20
Tracked the thief Herr Grundeis to a hotel on Nolledorfplatz on our Emil and the Detectives tour of #Berlin
Jun 20
Today's new Chinese word learned in Berlin. At a restaurant where they have hookah and trying to explain to R's Chinese coworker
Jun 19
Myles (joking): Man, Germans are so rich even their garbage trucks are Mercedes Benz
Jun 19 Another Emil & the Detectives tour stop, Friederichstrasse Station, where Oma & Pony Hütchen waited for Emil #Berlin
Jun 19
I have given myself over to the Avocado Toast. It is totally worth not owning a home over
Jun 19
At the Brandenburg Gate. Waited since the 1980s and I was studying German in high school to see this.
Jun 19
Kids wanted to show the #berlinzoo penguins what their Pittsburgh cousins have been up to #StanleyCup
Jun 18
Watching Penguins fight at the Berlin Zoo, waiting for a hockey game to break out #penguins #berlinzoo
Jun 18
Standing in front of the Warthogs at #berlinzoo heard some twenty-somethings singing Hakuna Matata in German #berlinzoo
Jun 18
First stop on our Emil and the Detectives tour of Berlin, the Zoo station.
Jun 17
An Aperol Sprtitz in Tiergarten? I am officially on vacation
Jun 17
Ugh. Just used the bathrooms. Some things at Newark airport don't change
Jun 17
When did Newark Airport start looking like this? This is my gate!!
Jun 16
I should be listening to German podcasts to refresh my German before going to Berlin. Instead I'm hoping the new Die Toten Hosen counts
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