Natural History Museum in Berlin

While we stayed in Berlin during the week, the kids and I took the opportunity to explore a bit my hometown. This city is rich in culture, history and offers lots of activities for all ages. So on Thursday, we 3 went to the Natural History Museum in Berlin. It brought back memories since I went there often during my childhood and not much has really changed inside the exhibition.The museum houses more than 30 million zoological, paleontological, and mineralogical specimens. It is famous for two spectacular exhibits: the largest mounted dinosaur in the world, and an exquisitely preserved specimen of the earliest known bird, Archaeopteryx (source: Wikipedia).

Amelia and the Brachiosaurus

The new additions are the interactive telescopes that show visitors in a step-by-step animation how the original skeletons in the exhibition turn into live animals. Of course, Amelia and Elliot were fascinated by this and we spent quite a while in front of these computer screens. 

Additionally, currently the museum houses Tristan, one of the best preserved skeletons in the world of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. My dinosaur-loving son had a blast at the museum. 

But the other exhibitions were very interesting too, especially the mounted animals:

After the museum, we met Opa and strolled thru the East side of town towards the apartment. Love this picture I took of the Berlin Cathedral and the TV Tower. 

Posing in front of the Berlin Cathedral and the TV Tower:

The kids and I enjoyed the day in the city, exploring the museum and seeing some sights.

Petting Zoo and Pool Time

The Monday after the big birthday bash, my mom, kids and I went to visit a small petting zoo not too far from where my mom lives. It is a pretty small zoo but perfect for the kids as they can feed all kinds of animals and also race around on bicycles and scooters and enjoy a playground there. And since my children love feeding animals, this was the perfect way to start off a new week. 

Big and small got to feed the goats, donkeys, horses and deer.

Elliot was less interested in feeding but loved riding on the different balance bikes the zoo provided for the children.

In the afternoon, we stopped by at my uncle's place to say hello. His two children, my cousins, and their families live on the same property and so the kids enjoyed playing with their relatives. They especially loved swimming in the big pool. Whereas Elliot had no fear in jumping right in (his head was barely above water), Amelia was more cautious in the beginning but then jumped right in too. 

Peek-a-boo:

What a great way to cool off and have fun with the family. This summer, we truly enjoyed our time with all of our family members and seeing friends. We miss not having them close by during the year.

Birthday Party, Bicycles and Soccer Match

On Sunday, we celebrated Tante Kathi's (Elliot's godmother) 40th birthday with a fun and relaxing garden party. It is not often that we can be here to celebrate special occasions, so it is even more special when it is a big, important milestone we can celebrate with our family and friends together. 

Happy Birthday, Tante Kathi! Cheers!

 There was lots of food, gifts for the birthday girl, ballons and bubbles for big and small!

Tante Kathi and her two sisters:

Happy couple: Oma and Opa Jürgen

And Amelia and Elliot practiced their bicycling skills. Elliot loves the balance bike and Amelia is getting more comfortable riding without training wheels.

That same day, Germany played in the round of 16 in the European soccer championchip and we proudly wore our team's colors. Luckily, they made it to the semi-finals and we cheered them on against France on Thursday. That day though, we lost. But Germany is still WELTMEISTER!

Summer has arrived

The next couple of days, we spent taking it easy in the city as it was hot, hot, hot. Don't get me wrong, the summer here has been rather cooler than warmer but we did get a couple of very hot days in between. And since most apartments or stores don't have A/C, it is quite the adjustment when it gets hot. First up on Friday were hair appointments. I was so overdue for a haircut and some highlights, it was a must and felt great. For over 2 hours, I got pampered and relaxed by myself while Opa entertained the kids. Crazy hair, don't care:

During and after

Upon return, Opa, the kids and I went to eat some ice cream to cool off. Since we have been in Germany, Amelia and Elliot ate so much ice cream as they usually eat in an entire year. They better enjoy it as it won't continue when we are back home. Amelia's favorite is chocolate and Elliot loves Straciatella.

Bus and train ride with Opa

On Saturday morning, another very hot and humid day, my dad, the kids and I went to the children's and youth's leisure center (FEZ), which is located amidst a large parc in the woods. This recreation parc invites people to an active outdoor stay as well as to an indoor activity center.  FEZ has been frequently visited by my family when I was a child and it is fun and brings back memories to go back and enjoy it with my children now. The best part about the parc is the little choo choo train that runs around the perimeter.

Waiting for the train

Choo Choo

All aboard:

My little guy loves trains, cars and everything moving, so of course he was in heaven riding this choo choo train. Then it was time for a picnic and some fun on the playground before a rainstorm ended our visit abruptly.

That same night, my brothers and I had plans to go out together. My mom was so kind and picked up the children from Berlin and we three took off to the inner city.

This is the first time since I have left for America (15 years this summer) that only the three siblings got to hang out together. It was a much needed and fun evening and will be a tradition from now on.

Lennard, Alexander and Franziska

The heat only lasted 3 days, but we made most of it and enjoyed spending time with our family.

Zoo and Dinosaur Exhibit Visit

On a hot Thursday morning, the kids, my dad and myself went to visit a nearby 3-in-1 park in Germendorf that features a big petting zoo, a dinosaurier exhibition and some small amusement rides as well as a couple of lakes. Before it got too warm, we wanted to fed the animals. The petting zoo is a huge area, where the deers can roam freely and be fed with the food from the dispensers. 

Elliot loved hugging the deer and they didn't mind to be hugged:

Next we headed to the dinosaur exhibition. Do you know these two dinosaurs?

 

They have all kinds of life-sized replicas and even a burning volcano. Some of the dinosaurs even made some noises. 

To cool off, we jumped in to one of the small lakes. The kids loved being free and swimming around like fish in an ocean. 

We saw and fed a few more animals and Amelia even rode a pony. If she could, she would pack a real one in the suitcase. 

Then it was time for some rides. My biker girl and boy loved riding on these motorcycles:

Smallest roller coaster I ever rode, but it was o' so fun:

And of course, there were many cho cho train rides:

Amelia and Elliot had a blast with Opa in Germendorf and so did I. It is the perfect park (and cheap) for small children.