Halloween

One of the topics that comes up again and again from our friends back home is whether or not Halloween is celebrated in Germany. From what we've heard, five years ago we would have said, "No, it isn't," but that is not the case today. Many Germans shake their heads over this recent phenomenon and each year it gets bigger and bigger.

A few weeks before Halloween, stores have a decent supply of decorations, candy and costumes. But actual trick or treating happens only in certain neighborhoods where there are lots of kids.

Last year, we were invited to trick or treat at the American compound in Frankfurt where government workers are housed and it was a lot of fun. But this year, James had a lock-in sleepover at school, Micaela went trick or treating with friends at the compound, and David and I wanted to see what the deal was in little Liederbach. We had heard that there was some Halloween activity in a different section of town that was loaded with kids.

Here's our little La-La Teletubby and Mulan. Rebecca fell asleep during a car ride and at 6:00pm, a co-worker from Lufthansa who lives in Liederbach called to report, "You better get over here soon! There are kids everywhere and people may run out of candy!" Becca was very grumpy when we first got her up and dressed, but David said she changed her tune after they rang the first doorbell and got candy. There is a little rhyme your can say when you ring a doorbell, but most people resort to the shorter "Süßes oder saures!" (Sweet or sour!)

It was a good thing we got that call. David said that neighborhood in Liederbach looked just like an American neighborhood on Halloween and the kids had a great time. Becca and Emilie ended up with many little bags of gummi treats, some chocolates and a few Ricola cough drops.

I stayed home to man the front door. Even with Halloween decorations out front and the light on to welcome little witches, ghosts and goblins, no one rang our bell.

I did chuckle as I put the La-La Teletubby costume on Rebecca. Each year, I see articles in magazines or stories on TV of how you can save money by making or sewing your own Halloween costumes. Ha! I sewed this costume for Micaela about 10 years ago and by the time I had bought the pattern, fabric and notions, it cost 4 times as much as the La-La costume at the store. However, it has been worn on Halloween 5 times by 4 different kids (Becca wore it last year as well) and it gets worn quite a bit around the house for fun. So, I figured in the end, it paid for itself.

Scary La-La.

Soccer Game

James is on his second year of playing soccer at school. Last year he seemed a little lost on the field, especially compared to his more-experienced teammates. He looks more comfortable and feels more confident this year and usually plays a defensive position. He has just started playing goalie, though I could never understand why someone would want to play that position.

The team as a whole isn't doing great in the league standings, but when we look back to how the soccer season began for us last year, we couldn't care any less.

Berlin Trip - a Postscript

We had a fantastic weekend in Berlin and all too quickly, it was time to head home. We entered the sparkling train station and found the platform for our train to Frankfurt. Soon, our ICE train arrived and everyone rushed to board the train. We had reservations and found the right train car, but there was a big crowd gathered at the door waiting to get on. The line just wasn't moving and a minute or so, David said nervously, "Just get on the car right next door. We can find our seats later."

"What's the big rush? It's not like the train is going to leave without us!" I thought to myself. But, we all did as Dad said and got onto the next car. With us still standing in the aisle between cars, the doors closed and then there was a bit of commotion. People near the door began frantically pushing the "Door Open" button, but to no avail. The doors stayed closed. People seemed to then be discussing something important.

I asked David what was going on and he checked it out and answered, "Some poor guy was waiting to get on the train, and right when he was about to board, the doors closed. It's time for the train to leave and no one can open the doors for him." So this man waited for his turn to board the train and saw the doors close right in front of him. He would need to wait for the next train to Frankfurt, which wouldn't be for hours.

Ah, the mystery was solved. You do have to rush to get on a train. The conductor will not wait for you, even if you have one foot on the stairs to enter the train car. This must explain why German trains are famous for always being on time. Punctual, yes, but understanding and forgiving, no.

Berlin: A Zoo and a Wall

This royal bear stood right outside our hotel.

Our first stop this morning was to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) to store our luggage and grab a quick bite to eat. When the kids saw a McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, there was no saying no. The train station, Europe's largest two-level railway station, is huge and sparkling. David commented that we could probably eat off the platform floors they were so clean. We could have spent quite a bit of time wandering through the different levels and checking out the stores, but we had plans.

Next stop, the Berlin Zoo. The Berlin Zoological Garden, which opened in 1844, is the oldest and most internationally well known zoo in Germany. With almost 1,400 different species and around 14,000 animals, the zoo presents the most comprehensive collection of species in the world.

By the end of WWII, the zoo area was completely destroyed and only 91 of 12,000 animals survived. The zoo and its aquarium were then reconstructed on the most modern principles, displaying animals in their natural environment.

Micaela with a memorial to service dogs.

Another great playground.

James and the Giant Peach

Here's almost two-year old Knut, the zoo's most famous resident. Rejected by his mother at birth here at the zoo, Knut was raised by zookeepers. He was the first polar bear cub to survive past infancy at the Berlin Zoo in more than thirty years. But a German tabloid newspaper ran a quote from an animal rights activist who said that Knut should have been killed rather than humiliated by being raised "as a domestic pet." This resulted in worldwide public outrage as fans rallied in support of his being hand-raised by humans. Children protested outside the zoo, and many e-mails and letters expressing sympathy for the cub's life were sent from around the world.

Knut became the center of a mass media phenomenon dubbed "Knutmania" that spanned the globe and quickly spawned numerous toys, media specials, DVDs, and books. It didn't hurt zoo revenue, either.

And a two-time Vanity Fair cover boy, too! But I felt quite sorry for this much bigger and less cute Knut. Less than a month ago, the trainer who raised him from infancy died suddenly, and as Knut paced back and forth in front of us, it seemed to me he was scanning the faces of the crowd. Was he looking for his caretaker?

Wow! A brown bear and wolves sharing the same enclosure? And the bear seems quite content with his situation.

Maybe not after all....Now get out.....

....and stay out!

No explanation needed.

We still had some time, so we hopped on a train and quite by mistake ended up at a Berlin Wall display.

Here on opposite sides of the Wall. These remaining pieces are situated where the Wall once stood.

People reading about the history of the Wall. We tried to explain to the kids as simply as possible what it was, but they weren't quite getting it.

Then, we came upon this photo in the display. David said, "See? People were jumping out of windows, trying to escape to the west at the last minute as the Wall was being built!" James said, "Why jump out of the window? Why didn't they just take the stairs?" We explained that in that moment, taking the extra 3 minutes to take the stairs could have meant the difference between freedom or "captivity," or possibly the difference between life and death. Ahh....they were starting to get it.

You can follow this path, which marks the former location of the Wall throughout the city. Statistics on the number of people killed at the Wall vary. Berlin's privately run Checkpoint Charlie museum puts the toll at 238 and estimates more than 1,000 people were killed at the Wall and in the heavily fortified and mined former East-West German border between 1961 and 1989.

The last person to be shot dead at the Wall was Chris Güffroy, a young East Berliner who decided to try his luck at escaping on 5 February 1989 (!), months before the Wall finally fell. He had wrongly assumed the East German regime had suspended its order to shoot would-be escapers on sight.

Yet Chris Güffroy was not the Wall's final victim. Four weeks later, 33-year-old Winfried Freudenberg died fleeing East Berlin in a gas-filled balloon. Freudenberg's balloon crashed in the West Berlin suburb of Zehlendorf and killed him instantly.

Just a few blocks away was the Holocaust Memorial consisting of 4.7 acres covered with 2,711 concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. The slabs (some say representing Jewish graves) vary in height and are designed to produce an uneasy, confusing atmosphere.

The whole sculpture aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason.

Our stroll ended at the Brandenburg Gate. Next to the gate is the new American Embassy that was dedicated this year on July 4th.

And last, but not least, the Ampelmännchen (the little traffic light man). The East Berlin Ampelmann was created in 1961 by traffic psychologist Karl Peglau who theorized that people would respond better to the traffic signals if they were presented by a friendly character, instead of meaningless colored lights.

Following German unification in 1990, there were attempts to standardize all traffic signals to the West German forms, leading to calls to save the East German Ampelmännchen. The protests were successful, and the Ampelmännchen returned to pedestrian crossings, including western districts of Berlin. Some western German cities, such as Saarbrücken or Heidelberg, have since adopted the design.

The Ampelmännchen has become a sort of cultural icon. You can find him on t-shirts, keychains, cookie cutters, ice cube trays, post-its, etc. There's just something about the little guy that puts a smile on your face as you're crossing the street and leaves you feeling disappointed if you get the "normal" light at an intersection.


As a farewell to Berlin, we shared a packet of gummi Ampelmännchen on the train ride home.

Berlin

This morning, it was breakfast and a little sightseeing before we needed to meet up with James' team at the international school for their cross-country meet.

Becca getting an eyeful.

Every time Becca spied these banners which were hanging all over Berlin, she would call out: Guck mal! (Look!) Barbie!

"Berlin Sculpture" marks Berlin's 750th anniversary in 1987, two years before the fall of the Berlin Wall. The chain links, twisted and pulled apart, represent the turmoil of the city with its 4 sectors (American, British, French and Russian), separate but somewhat linked together.

What a forlorn golden man....until.....

Em cheered him up with a Euro.

The Emperor Wilhelm Memorial Church was constructed in 1891-1895. The broken tower was kept as a reminder of the destruction from a bombing raid in 1943 during WWII. A new octagonal church (not shown) and a freestanding hexagonal bell tower (right) were constructed in 1962 with blue-colored glass bricks.

Painted bears are found all over Berlin and visitors are welcome to climb all over them. This bear was covered with constellations.

James and his bud Fernando

Just before the race, dealing with some nerves

And they're off!

James finishing his first cross-country race in the middle of the pack.

Proud of their second place trophy.

After the race, James joined us for the rest of the weekend. We intended to go to the zoo, but it was closing early. We took this picture at the entrance anyway and we'll try again tomorrow.

We decided to take a bus tour of the city, but first had time to watch some street performers and...

....curl up with a fußball bear, and ...

....pose with a cool fountain (Emilie is always up for a photo), and...

....grab a bite to eat. Now, don't laugh. There are a handful of KFCs in the Frankfurt area, but we have yet to eat at one. In fact, the only American fast-food place near us is a McDonald's, and it's a pain to eat there (parking issues). So, we don't eat American very much at all. KFC, a distant second to Chik-fil-A I know, was a big treat for us.

By the time the bus tour got underway, the sun was setting. We couldn't get good views of the many sites due to the tarp covering the top of the double-decker bus, but the tour probably was the best use of our time. Here is Emilie in front of the Brandenburg Gate, one of the main symbols of Berlin. Berlin was celebrating their annual "Festival of Lights" and many of its sites were beautifully lit.

David was especially interested to tour through the former East Berlin. He had been in East Berlin the day before the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989 and described it as very desolate. The next night, word spread that the Wall had fallen, and David, his good friend Jim and hundreds of thousands of other people converged all along the wall to celebrate. David himself sat on the Berlin Wall that very night, right near Checkpoint Charlie.

As he drove through the area tonight, he marveled at the transformation. You can still see plenty of typical uniform East German apartment buildings, but now there is also plenty of shining new construction.