Stolen

I forgot to mention that we had a couple bouts of theft.  On Halloween the kids and I rode to the sbahn and locked up our bikes.  As usual, we threw our helmets into my bike basket and didn't think twice about it.  We have left our helmets unlocked for over a year and no one has touched them.  I thought it was strange at first, not locking them.  Everyone here was so adamant that you MUST lock your bike.  Bike theft is very VERY common here.  So we had always locked our bikes but I figured since hardly anyone here wears a helmet they must not be that precious.  Well, I was wrong.  Or maybe right.  I still think that someone stole them on Halloween night as a last minute Halloween costume and not truly to use as a bike riding helmet.  Nevertheless, we were down two helmets.  Unfortunately, Josie hates her helmet (it is pink and purple with flowers from when she was 7 years old) and hers was NOT stolen.
Then just a few days later, we rode our bikes to a nearby bus stop so we could catch a ride to a friends house for dinner.  We all locked up.  Marty and Benjamin locked to a street sign and Josie and I locked to a wooden (sunk into the ground) bench.  Well, when we got back to get on our bikes, Josie's was gone.  Then we looked closer and saw that the thieves pulled the wooden bench out of the ground and slide the lock off.  Stinkers!!

Micha, Maya and Josie

Our bikes are our main form of transportation so we immediately started looking for a used bike for her.  We found one the next day.  Her friend Maya was coming over so

the two girls and Marty went to check it out.  They ended up running into Micha, Julie's boyfriend, at the train station.  Josie said she liked the bike and it was a done deal.  Not more than a day without a bike.  Phew!!  Bummer is after a day or two she deemed it an "old lady bike" which is kind of is and guess who is now riding that bike and who has my bike (which I quite liked myself, thank you very much!)

Libraries and Books, Books and Libraries

We both look a little crazy and distorted
in this pic but oh, well. 

Benjamin has turned into such a ferocious reader.  I am really struggling with keeping enough books on hand.  Since moving to Germany has has read every single Percy Jackson book including all of the series that came after - Magnus Chase and The Kane Chronicles.  There were probably others as every time we go into a library and we tell the librarian that he really enjoyed the Percy Jackson series the helpful librarian tries to suggest another book by the author and every time Benjamin replies "read it" "read it" "READ IT"  it is crazy.  The librarian then asks how old he is and is typically amazed at the speed and focus he gets through books.
When we returned from Seattle this summer he started on the Harry Potter series.  He finished all of them and even read the play "The Cursed Child"  and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" 
The kids have Thursday and Friday off and therefore Benjamin didn't have a chance to go to the school library as his library day is Fridays.  So he and I rode to the large public library in Das Schloss.  Its about 4 miles away and takes us about 25 minutes to bike there.  So we hopped on our bikes and tried to check out a few books but no luck.  There was nothing there that caught his attention.  I knew it would be a long weekend if he didn't have a book.  He uses reading to really calm himself down or fill himself up.  It is his go-to activity.  Before we left for the library we had gotten in a little fight and he stormed into his room to cool off and then lamented "Ugh!!  I don't even have a book to read!!"  That's why I knew we had to at least try to find something.

After the library where he didn't find anything in a series he did find a few graphic novels.  He was hungry, of course, after the bike ride and wanted the mall Indian Food.  I said no but then said we could stop by our favorite Indian food restaurant which is on the way home from the library.  He felt so special.  We don't often go to lunch just him and I and certainly not at his very favorite restaurant.  It was a nice afternoon with my favorite little guy.

Teufelsberg

Marty is fascinated with imagining what our current surroundings were like during the war or even during divided Germany days.  He has watched several movies and several series that depict our region of Berlin from back during war times.  In his shows they even name the neighborhood we live in and nearby neighborhoods.  It's strange.  So when he stumbled upon the old spy listening station that is just a short bike ride from our house, he was thrilled. 
We took our bikes and headed out not knowing what to expect.  He didn't do any research on the place just knew where it was on a map and knew it was within biking range.   The way there was through wooded area on mountain bike trails.  We have city bikes and were not at all

 prepared.  But we did it.  We biked up to the top of the "mountain" 
The place is surrounded by fencing and barbed wire.  You can see in but couldn't get in.  We circled the place and came to a sign that said it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.  It just so happened to be a Tuesday, unfortunately, so we were left just staring at the bizarre place wondering what it was like on the inside.

The bike ride home was a bit more direct as we found a bike path and avoided most of the mountain bike trail.  With all the fall colors it made the bike ride and trek worth it even though we weren't able to enter.

A Night Out

On Saturday we headed into town to see a movie at the IMAX theater.  Back a couple months ago when Marty took Josie to the movies he made a mental note that the First Man (about Neil Armstrong) movie was coming.  So we all hopped the train and ended up at Potsdamer Platz.  We have only seen one other movie in Berlin (Wonder) back in the Spring. 
After the movie we were all hungry for dinner so we headed to Asteria - one of our very favorite Greek restaurants here.

Our good friend, Hollis and family used to live right above this restaurant and was the one that introduced us to it.  They had to move back to the states so being there without

them felt a little strange but we all devoured the delicious food and then headed back to our sleepy little corner of Berlin.  But before we did we happened upon what must have been the first weekend of the Christmas Markets. 

We didn't do much other than walk through and appreciate the lights.  But it is interesting that they start this early in the season.

Public Library

We finally got ourselves signed up for the Berlin Public Library.  I miss our Seattle Public Library while here even though I still get most of my books through the digital download program.  I miss our location branch and walking back to the hold area to find treasures of books there and checking them out.  I miss the friendly or not so friendly librarians that we had become very familiar with during our years as West Seattle library patrons. 
We had heard about a large library atop the big shopping mall in Steglitz.  We go here frequently for Indian food, our favorite falafel shop is nearby as is the sporting store that sells everything from bike helmets to soccer shoes to winter gloves and hiking boots.  It is like a cheaper version of REI... actually it just has every outdoor type thing but at ALL different price points instead of the REI where everything is expensive.  So we biked to the shopping mall (about 8km and 25 minute bike ride away) and headed to the top floor to check out the new to us library.  We were all so excited to get our own cards and browse the shelves.
They have a small English section for kids and a small English section for Adults.  They have mostly just big named, mainstream authors with no super recent books but still we all found something we liked.  Benjamin was elated to find that he could check out video games for his xbox and Josie, as always, chose about 8 books and will likely read 4.  She can never narrow it down but I'd rather that than her not find anything she liked.
We left happy and full of books and knew we would be back soon.  It is a very nice library but pales in comparison to the awesome Seattle public library system.

Harry Potter - The Exhibition

One of the biggest reasons that Toby and his family came to Berlin

was to attend the "Harry Potter - the Exhibition" We actually had not heard of it before Toby mentioned it.  But in preparation both kids started reading the books. Benjamin started with book #1 in mid August and by the end of October had read through book #6!  That kid has really REALLY surprised me with his reading ability, focus and interest.  I literally cannot keep enough books in his hands.  He rips right through them.
Josie had read the first couple but chose to go back and read from the beginning.  She alternated an English version with a German version.  Her ability to read (and write and understand - her speaking, although she is able, is lacking a bit) in German is extremely impressive.  Marty

can't really even help her much with her German homework as it is beyond his understanding.  Even though German was his first language and his parents worked VERY hard to instill the language he is lacking in the more grammar that Josie has arrived at.
The morning after Halloween we hopped the train to Potsdam.  Arrived with plenty of time.  This exhibit is a timed event.  You have one hour to get through it so if you arrive late you shorted your time. So even though it isn't our norm, we arrived early.  The kids were both really excited.
When we were first ushered into the exhibit with our tour group of about 25 people we first came to a room with the sorting hat.  They called a few

volunteers up to be "sorted"  All the kids in our group were placed into the house "Gryffindor"  Then we were ushered into the exhibit and past many of the sets that were used in the Harry Potter films.  There were costumes and props and really cool explanations about the filming process.
All in all the kids LOVED it.  I thought it was very well done but I am not a huge Harry Potter fan.  I have read the first book back when it first came out with my very first class of ESL/ELL students at Shorecrest High School and then we took them to see the movie but I didn't read beyond that.  It did inspire us to want to go to London and visit Harry Potter World since by living in Berlin we are so close.

Sitting in Hagrid's chair.

We met Toby and his family there - there tickets were for an hour after our tour finished.  We were able to give big hugs and a heartfelt thank you for visiting us.

Felix being sorted into Gryfinndor

Halloween- Berlin Style

Last year the kids were really disappointed with our Halloween experience.  It was one of the first times that the cultural differences were truly glaring.  To be fair, Halloween is not a German holiday.  In certain areas of Berlin they started celebrating the holiday just 10-15 years ago so they do have some kinks to work out and/or make it their own.  Clearly it does not need to be how it is in the US or at least Seattle.  We don't even know if the rest of the states do it like we do.

Anyway, one of the promises we made the kids was that if we were going to stay a 2nd year in Berlin that we would find a better area to do trick or treating in.
I sent out a few emails and did a bit of searching and found that there was, in fact, a very American neighborhood filled with very American people.  It is very close to the US Consulate and also pretty close to where we live.

We made plans with Toby and his family to meet us near the Sbahn.  Being from Sweden, his kids had only experienced European/Swedish Halloween.  According to Toby this consisted of his kids dressing up and then he would call his parents and his sister who live down the street to remind them that it was Halloween and to get the candy ready.  They would walk down to their grandparents and their Aunt's and get a piece of candy or two and that was it.  So by comparison, our experience last year wasn't all that bad.   We hopped the bus and ended up at "THE" trick or treating street.  There were SOOO many people.  All Americans - both those giving candy and those trick or treating.  I heard more American English in the one hour that we walked around than I have heard in months. We met up with Benjamin's best friend, Clayton and his mom and brother.  We also met up with our friends Katy, Bob and their kids, Leopold and Suzy.  I write that very nonchalantly - "we met up with" but it was anything BUT.  I was trying to connect with each by text.  It was pitch black outside. 

Best costume of the night.  Suzy the
jellyfish.  She doubled as the lead
since she was lit up and everyone
could actually see her. 

Every time I'd look down at the bright light on my phone then I couldn't see in front of me for several minutes.  The 6 kids would already be halfway down an unfamiliar street.  There were seriously SO many people.  I felt overwhelmed.  But we connected with some of the friends that we had planned to connect with that night.  There were two other friends that were there but couldn't find them.
The kids all were very very happy with their trick or treating experience, though so it made it worth it.  We realized the time and that we had previously made a reservation at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant back in Zehlendorf.  We found that walking would be our quickest option so we hoofed it and made it just a few minutes late to find Marty (who had to work) waiting for us at a big long table.  We ate and laughed and the kids traded their candy and Toby's kids said that "was the best thing EVER"  In fact, at the end of a VERY full week in Berlin which included a trip to the Harry Potter exhibit (the whole reason for the Berlin visit)  they rated Halloween as the VERY best part of the week.