Phil - Chicago via Finland

Christmas is fast approaching, and so is the end of my travel schedule for this year. 

This second last trip for the year (I have to go to Cologne for a few days next week) was really interesting 

First stop was Helsinki, where I'm sure I never saw daylight. I arrived late at night, was up early to take a 2 hour train ride to Turku (where our company has a factory) to have a some meetings and a site tour and watch the robots dance! The technology that goes into production lines is quite amazing!.

I transferred back to Helsinki by train, and even though we were rolling through the Finnish countryside, it was all dark.

After some further meetings in Helsinki, I flew to Chicago - my first visit to the home of the Blues Brothers.  Nicole, however, sees Chicago as the home of 'ER' and asked if I saw George Clooney anywhere. 

Chicago is a great city, I was really impressed. The Euro is killing the dollar, and I was able to get in an hour's shopping (ended up with new ice skates for the boys!). 

 

The meetings were really interesting (do I sound surprised?), but I was really sad to be away for the Christmas concerts and other events at home.  For some reason I missed putting them in my diary. Usually the personal events get put in the calendar first, and I work trips around them. I have some video footage to enjoy (but it is not the same, is it?). At least I convinced Nicole not to decorate the tree without me!

 

Huge snowstorms shut in the Eastern Seaboard, but luckily, Chicago missed it all and I got out in time - and glad to be home.

 

I am so looking forward to the Christmas break!

O Christmas Tree.

I picked out our tree this morning, and it was delivered in the afternoon.

The delivery service is a bargain. For 5 euros, the tree is delivered, carried up 3 flights of stairs, set up in your Christmas tree stand, and they make sure it is standing straight! Amazing service!

I promised Phil we would wait for him to get back from Chicago on Saturday afternoon before we decorate it together. We brought all the decorations up from the cellar. It is lucky that we bought a bigger tree than last year!

Fingers crossed Phil doesn't get snowed in at Chicago.  There are problems in New York, but the weather hasn't moved across yet. I don't think I could bear looking at this naked tree in our home for the entire weekend.

Christmas concerts

This week has been full on for the kids. 

Alexander has joined the school choir. sorry it is called the "vocal ensemble". He loves singing, and really enjoys taking part in it. 

On Sunday afternoon,they sang at St George Church for their Advent Market. They sang their set of songs, had a break for 45 minutes, and repeated the performance.

Tuesday night was the Year 3-6 Christmas production. Alexander sang in the vocal ensemble, and Cameron recited some Christmas greetings from different countries and the class sang songs about the story of Bethlehem. They both really enjoyed themselves. A Big thanks to Olga for the photo of Alexander, she has a great camera!! 

Thursday morning the choir was invited to perform at the Indian Embassy for their Christmas Carol day.

 His music teacher Mrs Schultz, played the keyboard andthe kids performed. (Alexander in front middle).

Thursday evening was a repeat performance of the Year 3-6 Christmas production. Cameron's class was involved in Tuesday night performance. Thursday was Alexander's class. Alexander read a Christmas poem, performed in the choir, and stepped in to sing a solo for the 1st Wise man, as the original Wise Man could not make it that night. He was really excited to be doing it, as only the Year 6's got the solo parts. As a proud mum I think he did really well. Phil and I have no idea how he managed to pick up a voice that can sing in tune, as neither of us can!

Wertheim windows

These are the Christmas windows of the Wertheim department store in Berlin on the Ku'damm. I am not quite sure what to say about these ones. 

At first I thought they were hideous. The second time I walked past then, I just thought they were plain funny. The third time, they are growing on me. 

The blue mannequin reminds me of David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King in the movie Labyrinth.

Cameron thinks the windows look disgusting (what great vocab, from the 7 year old), and Alexander thinks they look strange!

Ku'damm Xmas tree

Following the 13th November post.

Here is the Berlin Christmas tree upright, and decorated. Sorry for the quality of the photo, but the tree is now surrounded by little Xmas huts, and the crowds are getting larger as it gets closer to Xmas.

If you like Bratwurst sausages, now would be your favourite time of the year. At the markets there are stalls where you can by 1/2 metre of bratwurst in a roll. Roasted chestnuts are a favourite too.

St Nikolaus kommt

The boys are good at remembering that 6th December is a good day for kids. The night before they must polish their shoes, and hopefully, if they have been good, St Nikolaus comes and leaves them some treats!

The boys must have been quite good, as they got some chocolates in their shoes, (and also some from our neighbours).

If you are not good, you get sticks (kind of like the coal for naughty children).  Look what was in Mum's boots, (behind Alexander), a bit hard to see, but there are a couple of branches in there!

Advent candles

Everywhere in Berlin the past few weeks flower shops and markets have been selling these advent candles. On the 1st Sunday of Advent, you light one candle, 2nd Sunday, light 2 candles, and so on. The boys have found an inventive way of using the candles. This is a great bribe tool for getting them to eat all their dinner. You just need a satay skewer and some mini marshmellows! 

But be careful the marshmellows don't ignite (although the boys love to watch them catch fire)

Xmas markets begin

Our favourite is at Potsdamner Platz, because they have this great snow tube slide! Cameron got to have first go this year! (he is at the bottom of the slide in the orange coat) One of the Christmas trees in the Sony Centre is made from Lego! I love the decorations that have been made from Lego bricks as well! A Lego Santa and his sled for the kids to sit in too.

Ice Skating

Ice Skating this morning, and I have to admit it was really nice to get into a car, and be there in 10 minutes, rather than waiting for the bus and S Bahn!

Quite a few other families from the school join us on a Sunday morning, so the kids have their friends to skate with, and we have some adult company.

We skate for an hour, then stop for a coffee break, skate a bit more, and we are home for lunch.

A great way to spend the morning in the fresh (very cool) air, and stretch the legs a bit. You just have to make sure you have enough warm clothes on!

beep beep

So, after avoiding driving in Berlin for so long, I have finally taken the plunge and accepted a little Mercedes (B-Class) as a company car. It is really very nice, although the Berliners will have to get used to a mad Australian trying to drive on the wrong side of the road.Note there are no scratches yet, lets wait and see!

Phil in Shanghai

I had a business trip to Shanghai and London. There was an option for us to move to Shanghai at one stage before we took this posting to Berlin, so I was keen to finally visit! 

The city really took me by surprise - it was a really interesting place, very modern (in the parts where we stayed), dynamic and full of life. The Bund had great restaurants, bars and nightclubs (very western!). I think I have eaten the best meal of my life there - at a place called Jade on Jade, on the 36th floor of the Shangrila Hotel - French/Chinese fusion -  fantastic! Although the traffic in peak hour would drive me nuts!

Lots of business meetings, but I was able to squeeze in a bit of bargain shopping and had a quick look around, including the French quarter and the Jade Buddha temple, and a great Ancient Chinese Museum.

Finished off the trip by flying to London for a 3 day course, and finally back home.

Thanks Bad Tölz

All the decorations are in the stores, the decorations and lights are starting to appear in the streets, and the giant snow tube ride is being constructed at Potsdamer Platz (YIPPEE, our favourite) It is getting dark by 4.30pm here. 

Today the Christmas tree on the Ku'damm was being delivered! Here it is in front of the Gedächtnis-Kirche, preparing to be lifted by a crane.  

The sign on the tree translates to the Bad Tölz (a region in Bavaria, Germany) grew this tree to reach the sky for the Berlin people. The large ropes hanging down on the left of the church, are attached to a huge crane. I will be looking forward to seeing how they decorate it.

Remembrance Day Service

The Berlin 1939-45 War Cemetery, Charlottenburg. It snowed through the entire service! It was really peaceful. Even though the cemetery is on Heerstrasse (a busy road), you don't hear any traffic! (see 25th April 2007 post to see the cemetery without snow on ANZAC Day)

It's snowing

Schnee, Schnee, und mehr Schnee.  

I must have felt it in my bones, we went to the shops this morning to buy Winter snowproof boots! 

Just in time too, it started to snow this afternoon!

Stars of the Future

Well, they did it again.

We had a talent contest at the school this year to help raise funds for the charities we support. Alexander, Emily and Isaiah won 2nd place in Year 1, for their stand up comedy act, telling jokes. 

This year, they enlisted Verena to be involved, and won 1st place with a Cinderella pantomime, and a friendship song! They were hilarious, and we were so proud of them! They worked really hard to learn their lines and their dance routine most weekends.Second place was Laura and Martin who recited the poem, Down the back of the chair by New Zealand author, Margaret Mahy. They looked great in their All Blacks gear!

It is a long poem to remember, they were terrific!The Southern Hemisphere were well represented. Martin is in Alexander's class. Their teacher was so proud of all of them!

Sardinia

Another week of school holidays. I am still amazed how many holidays the kids get here. 

At the last minute we decided to fly to Sardinia for 5 days. Phil needed to be back in Berlin for a meeting that couldn't be moved (I hope it was worth it), so we arrived on Saturday and left on Wednesday. 

A lovely place, we were at Cala Gonone. The resort was very quiet. It was the end of the season, and in 9 days the hotel would shut for the Winter. It was perfect for us, it was very quiet, and very relaxing. We had the entire beach to ourselves most days, and the kids enjoyed splashing around in the waves, building sandcastles, and searching in the rock pools. It wasn't warm, 18-20 degrees, but that never stops kids from playing at the beach. Our first day on the beach was a bit chilly!

A view of the town The the sun came out a bit, and the boys were in the rock pools! They spent hours climbing around the rocks

We still cannot get used to these stones on the beach....we are spoilt in Australia with sand on beaches! You definitely need your thongs for a walk along the beach over here! I can't understand why we were the only ones in the water? Maybe because it wasn't warm, but the kids don't seem to feel it! A wedding car. We didn't see the bride, but let's hope she didn't have an enormous meringue style dress, because I don't know how she would have fitted in this little car! The sun came out, and we had loads of fun on the beach!

Alexander enjoyed the hot chocolates in Sardinia. This will be the thing he will remember most about our holiday. It was so thick, like melted chocolate. He wants to find a recipe for a Sardinian hot chocolate! It would be great with some marshmellows I think, when it is freezing outside.

I think we would have smaller cups!

Year 4 trip to the Aquarium

Alexander's class went to the Aquarium for the morning. They are studying different types of skeletons. Handed with a clipboard, pencils and worksheets, we went in search of the various types of skeletons. As everyone knows, taking a photo through glass never works, but we still do it! You could watch the jelly fish all day, but the kids wanted to look at everything else too! Verena, Emily and Alexander One of the staff were feeding the bearded dragons, and Verena asked the man if we were allowed to touch it. He brought it out for us to hold! He was very cool!

Toy shelves

I love these new shelves I bought last week from IKEA. There is so much space for the kids to put all the toys, puzzles and games, and whatever else. They fit from wall to wall perfectly, and look how clean the fish tank is! Thanks Phil!

Cameron's new bike

"It's got 21 gears", that's what Cameron will tell you, if you ask him about his new bike!

Back to School

Today is the first day of the school year. 

Alexander goes to Year 4, Cameron goes into Year 3. 

Both of them have fantastic teachers. It should be a good year!