Sunday at the Grunewald

We have heard about the Grunewald since moving here.  We live right on the corner of it.  Marty points out how amazing it is every time we take the S7 (Sbahn7) train line because it is his favorite train because it runs right through the Grunewald.  Direct translation of Grunewald is Green Forest.  It is a massive forest set right in Berlin among some of the most expensive real estate in the area of Dahlem.

We especially heard about this park from dog owners and dog lovers as it is one of the largest off leash dog parks in all of Europe.  After a leisurely morning (for the kids, Marty and Mogli) I was still trying to clean this house which because of the remodel is a hopeless, tireless - I should

probably just give up and let it go - battle...we packed a bag with Mogli treats and toys and headed off on the bus to the great Grunewald.
We entered and it seemed like a really flat hiking trail that you would find near Seattle.  We let Mogli run free and at first it was pretty quiet, not many people or dogs.

But after a turn toward the lake we seemed to pass dog after dog after dog.  Mogli does really well with nearly every dog he comes in contact with.  I can only imagine that after

being a street dog in Crete he has learned how to not be aggressive and go with the flow around another pups.  He plays and runs and has a great time.  The only time we ever really worry about him is when he takes off and doesn't want to listen to our calls to come back.  He has always come back, obviously but it freaks us out... mostly just Josie and me.

After a few friends he makes on the way to the lake none of us had any idea of the hour long fun he would have down at and IN the lake.  He has never really liked water so

we weren't sure if he would actually go in but he spent a solid hour in pure dog HEAVEN.  So many dogs so many balls so much playing and running and just being allowed to be a dog.  Heaven for sure.

We decided to leave while he was still listening to us.  We are relatively new dog owners but we equated it to when the kids were young and if we stayed too long at a playground they inevitably always got hurt.  They would either be too tired to climb or would miss a rung of the ladder or would simply melt down before getting to the car or home.  We made the right call.  Mogli had energy on his way out but we decided to stop for dinner at a newly recommended burger place that had plenty of

veggie options.  It was a HIT.  Mogli happily came along, ate his dinner that we had packed and then spent the rest of the time asleep under the table.   One big thing here that makes me so angry is the lack of water fountains.  In Seattle, and I imagine most of the US, there are ample water fountains.  It is a huge pet peeve to live in a country with fresh, clean tap water and not have it accessible.  So much better for the environment to have a drinking fountain or
filling station at the ready at train stations and bus stations.  We always bring water with us but now with 5 of us wanting water it is nice to have a place to refill.  It must be some thing new in Berlin because this is the third one we have seen since returning from Seattle. YAY for water fountains!!!!!
We made it home and we all crashed.  This is how Sundays were meant to be.