Day 4!

While playing with his blocks this morning, Brycen asked me to help him. After doing so, he told me, "Good job Mommy!" I guess I have officially gotten my son's approval on my block building ability.

Then when heading out this morning, I saw someone else having their wife take a picture of them under Bryce's "Park n fart" sign. Always fun to see others that have the same sense of humor :)

So...today, we got alittle lost.

Mr. Independent "no cheese!" man has returned.

I had our route to "Checkpoint Charlie" all planned out when the underground subway train we were on stopped after two stops and announced that it was the termination of the line when on the map, there are clearly at least 6 more. Slightly confused, we (among several other tourists) headed off and started up towards the street to figure out where we were. Around us were lots of signs probably explaining construction on the train or something...in German so I guess I will never know for sure.

The station we came out was pretty cool though.

After figuring out where we were, we then hopped on a bus.

These buses have "stroller" sections built in, with handy fold down seats that we love.

Another kid sat across the aisle from us (probably around 10 years old) with his family close by. I could tell they were tourists as well with the way the map was glued to their hands and the excitement their kids displayed for the double decker buses and fold-down seats.

At one point though, the boy stood up to look out the front window for a moment and apparently didn't realize the seats fold up by themselves after you get off. Gotta hate those sitting down on where you thought your chair was experiences (something I may or may not have experienced...a few times :)). The whole bus gasped seconds before he fell, predicting fair well what was going to happen.

His family immediately broke out into loud laughter and his little sister loved doing reenactments of the scene several times after. The boy did hit his head pretty hard though and it was hard to see if he was crying or laughing for a bit. He took it like a man though and came up laughing--allowing the rest of the bus to let out their silenced giggles. Made my morning. haha.

Even though it wasn't quite our stop yet, I saw this and hopped off to investigate.

Found one sign stating this area used to be a railway stop where all the Berlin Jews were deported to the concentration camps. Sad event. Cool building though and weird how only one wall remains and no indications of any construction to fix or take it down. Dates on the building said 1839 and 1879.

Checkpoint Charlie (one of the checkpoints they had between West and East Berlin during the Berlin Wall period). Big tourist area and the guards at the checkpoint are actually actors that you can take pictures with and pay for them to stamp your passport.

I found it very ironic that the first thing in the U.S. sector, is a McDonald's.

The streets surrounding the checkpoint had lots of information to read and for a brief moment, I had my "cheese"y boy back.

Picture of rubble from WWII.

We then came across a Berlin Wall memorial. It stands on the area that used to be the gestopo headquarters (under Nazi rule, the prison house where people were taken for trial).

Lots and lots to read about the Nazi period, Jews, and WWII. Sad stories. One was about when disabled and ill persons were murdered. A 6 year old girl with epilepsy was diagnosed with "idiocy" and taken to an unknown facility and never seen again, she was among the 70,000 murdered during a very short period (10 months, I believe). Another talked about how the Soviet officers raped over 2,000 women. And another talked about how all women (aged 15 to 50) had to sign up to work to help remove rubble after WWII ended. The city was seriously a pile of rubble like the sign indicated above, at the conclusion of the war.

Even though their were a ton of signs Mommy wanted to read, Brycen never complained. He loved the rocks and would sit and line them up on the sidewalk and then when it was time to move on, he put the rocks all back to where he found them, followed me to the next sign and started all over again.

"Water!" (He gets a bit excited)

I think the advertising people for this company should be fired.

If anything, it makes me want to walk...

As much fun as those do look!

When you don't have a beach, make your own. In the middle of Checkpoint Charlie....(not the first "beach" I have seen here).

Observation #1 for the day: Lots of drinking takes place over here. Beer is huge. On the first day on the job, Bryce's co-workers asked him what he has seen in Berlin. Bryce started listing off a few things we did and then they said, "Okay no, what bars have you been too?" They then recommended some places to eat. "It's great, you can bring your kids and have a beer".

People walk all over the city, on buses, and the subway drinking open bottles. Really weird for me. Kind of the thing you would see at maybe an amusement park in the U.S.. Sold on every corner at the little vendor stands. We passed a drunk group of young people the other day--so sad that the drinking age in most of Europe is 18.

As much as I love walking around at night, in the little alleys and seeing everyone eating outside (because the weather is absolutely gorgeous) with live music and delicious aromas--I can't help but notice that everyone is drinking, some solo, lots of couples. Between smoking and drinking--I kinda fear for their health. I can't stand all the second hand smoke--it's everywhere! And the parents hold their cigarettes so close to their kids and babies. So sad.

Brycen randomly learned how to blow bubbles with his spit today while playing with his blocks. All the sudden he came to me and said, "Look Mommy! Bubbles".

Proud Mommy, for sure. Haha.

Ordered that Kabob of ours! And I can't tell you how thrilled Brycen was when he found french fries in it!

It was good but I still think I prefer the Greek Gyros back in Salt Lake by where my parents live, over it. We'll have to try them again before we leave though just to make sure...:)

Loved Daddy joining us for some evening adventures.

I'm guessing the soccer ball is for the U.S. Women's Soccer team in the World Cup (a girl on the team graduated from my high school two years before me)!

Waiting for the train on our way home.

Start 'em young!

And he loved it...any excuse to play with water! Hasn't quite caught onto the concept that you actually need to scrub and clean them but it's a start.

Observation #2: Who needs to find a parking spot when you have the sidewalk?

Observation #3: Loving the near extinct bug population here! The real reason, I think, to why they can get away with having no A/C and people eating outside. We have had our sliding door to our balcony and window open for almost a week straight now and I found a total of 3 tiny, tiny bugs. No mosquitos! I might just be in heaven.

Tomorrow we have Daddy home all day with us so we're thinking maybe we'll do the zoo! Happy Weekend!