Where to Take Your Parents for German Castles

My parents never intended to go to Germany. They certainly didn't envision spending so much time in Berlin. They really never thought they might have to watch their future grandchild grow up speaking German (hopefully).

So when we can make concessions, we do what we can. On their last visit to see us in Europe we put in some time to see one of their favorite things: Castles!

Note: Not all locations have been tested on our parents, but I feel pretty certain recommending them after our visit.

Top 14 Tweets of the Brazil v. Germany World Cup Game

It is impossible to ignore that the World Cup is happening right now. And Germany is winning.

News of the tournament is all over social media, I've covered where to watch in Berlin on EasyExpat and Where to Watch in Germany on about.com and every night there are fireworks announcing each goal. While our stamina is sadly sub-par to watching all the games, we've rallied around the US team (before their loss to Belgium) and worn our Germany colors proudly around town.

Last night's game between Brazil and Germany was a slaughter. Total annihilation. A complete, unbelievable joy to watch for Germany fans like us. Enjoyment was elevated even more when I tuned in to what people were saying on Twitter.

Berlin's Tropical Island & Getting Naked with Germans

We first heard about the Tropical Island south of Berlin driving down to the Spreewald. Like an enormous metallic pimple, it stood out against northern Germany's flat terrain.

What is that?!

Some kind of indoor water resort. I think it may have been where they made zeppelins or something.

Intrigued by this bizarre structure and explanation, I snooped it out online. It is indeed an indoor water park - one of the largest of its kind - and it didn't actually house zeppelins (though that is a persistent rumor).

And it is large at 360 metres long, 210 metres wide and a 107 metres high. That means that it is big enough to fit the Statue of Liberty standing up, the Eiffel Tower lying down, or all of Potsdamer Platz including skyscrapers. Damn Tropical Island - you big!

Visiting a Berlin Gartenhaus

I've always admired the small garden houses that line rail lines, dot the countryside and can be found all over Germany but never imagined I would actually get a peek inside. Generally, our friends in Berlin don't own more than a bicycle let alone a second home.

So when Ian's kita partner (aka his work wife), a life-long Berliner, invited us to visit her and her family's Garden Home we jumped on the U-Bahn.

Located deep to the SE of Berlin in Königs Wusterhausen (fun name, eh?). It was a bit of a trek but completely reachable by Berlin public transport with the purchase of a C ticket.

We were joined by Ian's boss, a transplant from Bavaria. In addition, Ian's kita partner's German partner and daughter would be there. This was one of the first times I would be intensely surrounded by only German speakers. I prepared for German language battle.

Offbeat Northwest: Camping in Montana

Happy Memories Camping

I love camping, but I've never been in Germany. This is partly because we moved to Berlin with 2 suitcases and have literally no equipment. It is partly because our travels outside of the city are in their infancy and I still have relatively no idea of the campgrounds in these here parts. And it is partly because of the Germans.

The one time we tried to go camping was in the Spreewald, just south of Berlin in Lübbenau. It went like this.

Ian: "Are there any camping spots available this weekend?"
Campsite: (laugh) "No."
Ian: "Are there any camping spots available in the coming weeks?"
Campsite: "No, there are no spots for the rest of the year!" 

Germans. Always prepared, unlike us.

Berlin Beer Festivals: Internationales Berliner Bierfestival

Though I've posted about  festivals in Berlin and drinking quite frequently (some would say too much - sorry parents), somehow I have managed to avoid writing about Berlin's Mile of Beer at the Internationales Berliner Bierfestival. We've managed to drink there each year, just not take pics or impressions of note...which seems like a pretty ringing endorsement.

Berlin's Hafenfest Tegel

We arrived in the sleepy NW corner of Berlin to things looking just a bit different. Some people were dressed in viking-esque garb. Multiple stages with cover bands and other miscellaneous acts had been set-up. There was much German singing.

Hafenfest, had Arrived. 

 

People gathered around little tables as the music varied from oldies, to German polka to death metal.

Our friends live right around here so we had already been exposed to the wonders of Tegel - outside of the lake and the airport. When they told us about this traditional harbor festival which included a viking village and performances we were open to it. When they told us there were fireworks we were in. We're obviously a sucker for fireworks, but we should never handle them so this sounded perfect.

Männertag & Mother's Day

Vatertag or Männertag is celebrated on Ascension Day, or the much more fun to say "Christi Himmelfahrt". The holiday has been at least partially absorbed by young, not-father guys in an excuse for groups of males to get together and be manly over beers.

Wikipedia reports on the possible historic path this holiday has taken:

Berlin Pyronale = FIREWORKS!

If it is not already apparent from our blog or just life, Berliners love their fireworks (and Ian & I should never be allowed near them as our NYE almost disaster demonstrated). They love them so much, they have a whole event focused on a world championship,

Pyronale

We went for the first time* last fall and while I hardly captured the grandeur of the fireworks, I hopefully I captured a bit of the scene...a little bit of why we love Berlin.

Learning to Love in the Land of Whiskey, Whisky & Bourbon

Whisky Kaninett - Berlin

When a friend asked if we wanted to join a private tasting of bourbons and whiskeys at a shop in Berlin, there was only one right answer:

YES.

The Plan

As frequent drinkers of the cheap stuff, whatever that may be, I am not all that familiar with anything as tasty as whiskeys and bourbon. Despite my sketchy knowledge, we looked forward to a night of fine drinking. Six of us arranged to meet at the shop in Steglitz and drink to our hearts content. What we got was so much more. From 7:30 to about 11 we were inundated with fascinating facts about whiskey, whisky & Bourbon. 

What NOT To Do at Oktoberfest

Opening weekend of the greatest beer festival in the world was last weekend and it seems everyone we know just got back or is on their way. We have been twice before, beginning and ending our year abroad in 2007-2008, but we didn't even talk about going this year. As amazing as the festival is, we are hesitant to make our way back.

Let's start with the amazing:

Oktoberfest 2008

How does Youtube work?

Deep thoughts I have while eating pizza on the Ubahn

We have a YouTube channel that we mostly just abuse. We toss "dad videos" up (just like dad's where he would film events for far too long with random narrative and then proudly show the unedited version) whenever we have time. So the quality is....not so hot.

Somehow, one video has rated a favorite among all the others.

Getting Down with Nature just Outside Berlin

It's funny, I have already spent 10 years driving practically everyday. This is common as an American. It is not common in Berlin. 

I loved driving when I started at 16, taking my Bronco II - named Charlie - too fast around turns. Some of my best teenage memories are just driving with Charlie. It was my first love affair. But eventually, Charlie had to be put down and driving just got old. I relied on Ian for driving once we lived together, but still had to commute to work, waiting for the Ballard bridge to come down and Seattle traffic to unjam. I was pleased to switch to U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram, bus, bike, and leg in Berlin. I hardly miss the car. 

BUT (of course there's a but) we have some amazing friends with a car. The best of both worlds! They suggested a camping trip in the Spreewald. Camping is one thing I do miss like mad and so we eagerly utilized Ian's German skills to call & see if any sites were available.

Gritty & Glorious - Erster Mai

May Day is one of the premiere events in Berlin. Though I had little idea it even existed in the United States, I now eagerly look forward to this kick-off of summer festivities.

This year we took on another part of the celebration we were similarly ignorant of. Have you heard of Walpurgisnacht? I didn't even know how to say it. This day falls exactly half a year from November 1 and has roots in European pagan rituals. A time of bonfires, witchery, and spookiness - I was in.

Arena Berlin

The traditional place to go in Berlin is Mauerpark and I had full intention of going. Friends had intentions of going to Badeschiff. Only half-reluctantly, I changed plans and headed to one of my favorite places in Berlin. After a recent facelift to the surroundings, the open-air club was looking even more magical than usual.

"Germans sure know how to Blow Shit Up"

My dad recently joined Facebook (which is all kinds of funny) and the title of this post is the comment he left on this video of Berlin's New Years. Well played Daddio.

It's true, Berlin's Silvester celebration is not only like nothing I've ever seen before, but like nothing I've ever even seen in my dreams. It's madness. It's excitement incarnate. It's magic. I've written about it 1, 2, 3 times before, but this year was the best of them all.

This year we hurried back from Paris on December 31st to enjoy our 3rd New Years in Berlin, this time with our Berlin friends that actually stayed in town. We ended up on a rooftop for midnight and I can say - without hesitation - this was the best New Years celebration I have ever enjoyed.

Where my Ghouls at?

I LOVE Halloween. As in LOVE!!!


Far and away my favorite holiday, I love the silly, spooky character of the season. Not yet into the mushiness of family time and fresh in the "holiday season", Halloween is all sorts of awesome.

I have fond memories of past outfits and tasty treats. What- You'd like to see some costumes & treats? No problem!

Princess Peach & Mario

Placing Poland: Szczecin

The parents are here and on day 5 of European travel. We have big plans for a trip to Hungary, Bratislava, & Vienna next week but since we are so close to Poland, why not a day trip? We didn't just want to hop the border for some nowhere, so we set our sights on Szczecin (auf deutsch Stettin). It reportedly had a Duke's castle, a tourist map with red line guided tour, and was only about 2 hours away. Plus - the train ticket was a Brandenburger ticket, meaning it would only cost 28 euro for all 4 of us to travel there & back. Bonus!

It didn't turn out exactly as we hoped, but was still an experience. Once again, we have decided to rate the cities we are visiting with our parental units. This town might not have stacked up so well, but there is more to come. 

Mosques & Unity in Berlin

Monday was both Day of German Unity (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) & a day of open mosques. Considering I've only been in one mosque (granted it is an important one), I was excited to see what all of our Muslim neighbors have got going on.

Let's Go!

Gorgeousness of gorgeousness! The open house was wonderful with a member writing names in Arabic calligraphy, prayer service, and henna tattoos.

When we exited the mosque, a news crew that had been video tapping the open house asked for his opinion. 1 euro for anyone who finds the footage!

We wandered down to Brandenburger Tor to check out the German Unity Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) celebration. A concert, lots of food & beer stands (including proud displays of Belgian waffles, Dutch fries, and other national speciaties) I was completely underwhelmed by the celebration. Isn't this one of the biggest days in history for Germany?

(Expat in Germany wrote a great post about the celebration & her disappointment here. )

Another beautiful day in Berlin, but certainty not the significance I thought a day like this deserved. Tired from our tramping around, we made our way back to the house. We saw this notice on the door:

Someone had put a quacking lawn duck in the courtyard that quacks whenever someone walks past. This German doesn't find it funny. After asking "Who would do something like this?", they said the quacking is driving them crazy. Come to think of it, we can hear up on the 4th floor. It must be loud for those on the bottom. At least one German voiced a different opion, writing in pink marker 

"I love the duck"

For more pics of Neukoelln & the day: photos

Damn!berg

Continuing on our long drawn out story of our road trip through Cologne, Belgium, and France....

On the car ride back to Berlin from France we took a break in some of the cute German cities that aren't so prominent up in our NorthEast corner.

First stop:

Herrieden

Officially Visa'd

About 10 months after I arrived here in Berlin, I am officially visa'd. Hooray! But why'd it take so long?

I think I learned a valuable lesson. Do not confuse the Auslanderbehorde. They do not like confusing American writers who work for off-shore companies. Many guidelines need to be followed and rule books thumbed through. There is no room for common sense - only Rules!

The German system (from our perspective) makes no sense and it's bureaucracy is no doubt increased by the unhappy people who work there. Do they have to get a degree in hating people? As always - this is the time to preface how lucky we are to even be able to live & work here. I know its nuts trying to get into the US and we are the ones who decided to live here. Still - not so fun.

Luckily, during our appointment we bumped into the one nice woman we worked with before and everything went according to plan. Well, basically. There was some confusion about where exactly to go, awkward butting in line, and a discrepancy in the price of the visa (in our favor so we were ok with it :). BUT the most important thing - I got it. It's even quite vague allowing me to work as a writer anywhere in Germany. If I wasn't so busy & happy in my current position that would be quite enticing.

I do feel so sorry for making the process so difficult. Ian got his teaching visa (much more common in these parts) ages ago. Next time, I will just lie & apply for the teaching visa. Just kidding kids, don't do that.

Visa what!

(But seriously - do that. )

Want to hear more about stamps & frustration at the Ausländerbehörde? 

• They love stamps... lots of stamps.
• The most Frustrating Waiting Room in Berlin
• A Hate Letter to the Ausländerbehörde