Berlin

After staying outside of Prague, we stopped to see our church's temple in Freiberg on our way to Berlin.  The gardener gave us a personal tour of the area and visitors' center, which was fun.

 

The girls appreciated the Halloween decorations and surprises that awaited us at our friends' place in Berlin.  They walked around with us all day to show us their favorite spots downtown and point out neat things we would've otherwise missed like the bricks running through the street where The Wall used to be, gold memorials in the cobblestones to the Jews where they used to live, and the best place for currywurst in town.  I never thought I'd see The Wall in person or get to take my kids to see it, so that was a neat experience.

Another highlight was seeing the sites made out of chocolate and the girls getting to design their own chocolate bars.  We also enjoyed "seeing" and eating from Paris in one of the malls.

Halloween was a different experience at the zoo in Berlin.  Our friends joked (maybe not so jokingly) that the scariest part of the "scary walk" were the moms and all the kids in strollers in the dark.  Or, maybe the open candles everywhere.  Or maybe the real, live maggots in the "feel box."  Not so many restrictions here as in The States for these kinds of things.  Luckily, they were good sports about it, and our kids were happy to get to dress up and celebrate in a memorable way.

On our way home, we found a pretty park in Leipzig for a picnic and playtime in the leaves.  Ivy did well in the car, thanks to her helpful and entertaining sisters.

I returned home feeling rejuvenated--a sign of a great vacation.