Berliner Philarmoniker and then some
Every Tuesday afternoon through the performing season, members of the Berlin Philharmonic stage a free chamber concert in the foyer of the Philharmonie. We were very fortunate to be in Berlin the week their last performance before their summer break was scheduled. Myles was easily on board, but Brigid, who has never attended a classical music performance of any kind (I KNOW!!), was a little reluctant. That was, until I offered a deal involving Lego.
Of all the things we did in Berlin that week, this was the one I studied beforehand the most. The times. The public transportation routes. The system for gaining admission. How to lay claim politely to a seated spot. Unlike anything else we would do, this event had a very small window of time to enjoy.
We arrived about an hour before the doors would open, and already a few dozen people were waiting in front of the doors, most of them much older than I even. I worried that my kids might be the only ones of their generation present. At noon (or there about) the doors were opened.
While there were no advance tickets available, but instead there was an usher who handed out plastic chips. We barely took two steps and we handed them back to another usher. With the two ushers so close to one another I was surprised how effective the process was to controlling admission. However, they did this every week.
After tightly controlled admissions, the crowd fanned out into fast-moving chaos. There were limited Sitzplätze available for anyone who wasn't elderly or disabled. Fortunately, being part of the earliest wave, the kids could plant themselves at the top of some stairs.
Even though we were just in the foyer of the Philharmnie, I was a little thrilled to be in the same building where Sir Simon Rattle conducts. I usually bought bargain-priced classical music, but Rattle's Mahler recordings were totally worth paying the full rock-star price.
We had nearly an hour from the time we wereplanted seated, so Myles and I took turns to go down to the concessions area below for drinks. I had a Perrier and he had Apfelschorle. I was tempted by the wine selection, but they were at Philharmonie prices!
The program promised to be interesting. The previous week's was all Beethoven, I had read online.
I was afraid one hour would feel too short, but with the three different pieces they played, it was then about right.
After the concert, we had a few minutes to walk around. Both kids really wanted to see the stained glass wall up close. They loved the color gradients.
We browsed the Philharmonie shop before we left. I really liked seeing what kinds of books they sold for children.
Carmina Burana for kids!
If only Die Zeitdetectiv books were available in English. Sure, we have Magic Treehouse, but can we really get too much history?
Afterwards, we proceeded to the kids' reward for being very cooperative with the lunchtime concert. We went to the Legoland Discovery Center.
It was....okay. Both Myles and Brigid enjoyed themselves, among the giant models, the multitude of build centers, and the few small amusement rides.
It would not be fair to compare it to our experiences at Legoland Deutschland, especially since the Discovery Center was squeezed in the cellar of a mall. For me it was a little too closed-in and stuffy.
In retrospect, since all they really wanted to spend most of their time building, we probably could have skipped the Discovery Center and spent more time at the large Lego store, which we would visit too briefly later in the week. We also missed the times for the Fabrik show, when they demonstrate how the Lego bricks are made (my favorite part).
The shop at the Discovery was a little bit of a letdown for us. There was a build-your-own minifigure stand, but there was no Pick-a-Brick, where you buy Lego bricks and pieces of any combination and they are priced by the kilo. We could build our own mini-figures from limited options.
They would make more appearances in our pictures through the rest of the week, so that was fun.
There was Pick-a-Brick available at the giant Lego store, as well as model building and other activities. There was also no admissions charge, but a line to get in the store. If we were to go back to Berlin, I think we might try to a lot more time to the Lego store (which has some uniquely Berlin twists to it), and leave the Discovery Center as an option for a day with crummy weather.
Of all the things we did in Berlin that week, this was the one I studied beforehand the most. The times. The public transportation routes. The system for gaining admission. How to lay claim politely to a seated spot. Unlike anything else we would do, this event had a very small window of time to enjoy.
We arrived about an hour before the doors would open, and already a few dozen people were waiting in front of the doors, most of them much older than I even. I worried that my kids might be the only ones of their generation present. At noon (or there about) the doors were opened.
While there were no advance tickets available, but instead there was an usher who handed out plastic chips. We barely took two steps and we handed them back to another usher. With the two ushers so close to one another I was surprised how effective the process was to controlling admission. However, they did this every week.
After tightly controlled admissions, the crowd fanned out into fast-moving chaos. There were limited Sitzplätze available for anyone who wasn't elderly or disabled. Fortunately, being part of the earliest wave, the kids could plant themselves at the top of some stairs.
Even though we were just in the foyer of the Philharmnie, I was a little thrilled to be in the same building where Sir Simon Rattle conducts. I usually bought bargain-priced classical music, but Rattle's Mahler recordings were totally worth paying the full rock-star price.
We had nearly an hour from the time we were
The program promised to be interesting. The previous week's was all Beethoven, I had read online.
I was afraid one hour would feel too short, but with the three different pieces they played, it was then about right.
After the concert, we had a few minutes to walk around. Both kids really wanted to see the stained glass wall up close. They loved the color gradients.
We browsed the Philharmonie shop before we left. I really liked seeing what kinds of books they sold for children.
Carmina Burana for kids!
If only Die Zeitdetectiv books were available in English. Sure, we have Magic Treehouse, but can we really get too much history?
Afterwards, we proceeded to the kids' reward for being very cooperative with the lunchtime concert. We went to the Legoland Discovery Center.
It was....okay. Both Myles and Brigid enjoyed themselves, among the giant models, the multitude of build centers, and the few small amusement rides.
It would not be fair to compare it to our experiences at Legoland Deutschland, especially since the Discovery Center was squeezed in the cellar of a mall. For me it was a little too closed-in and stuffy.
In retrospect, since all they really wanted to spend most of their time building, we probably could have skipped the Discovery Center and spent more time at the large Lego store, which we would visit too briefly later in the week. We also missed the times for the Fabrik show, when they demonstrate how the Lego bricks are made (my favorite part).
The shop at the Discovery was a little bit of a letdown for us. There was a build-your-own minifigure stand, but there was no Pick-a-Brick, where you buy Lego bricks and pieces of any combination and they are priced by the kilo. We could build our own mini-figures from limited options.
They would make more appearances in our pictures through the rest of the week, so that was fun.
There was Pick-a-Brick available at the giant Lego store, as well as model building and other activities. There was also no admissions charge, but a line to get in the store. If we were to go back to Berlin, I think we might try to a lot more time to the Lego store (which has some uniquely Berlin twists to it), and leave the Discovery Center as an option for a day with crummy weather.
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