Enjoying the Ride

Wow! We just got back from Berlin yesterday afternoon, and I am so glad we were still able to go after everything with my tooth dilemma. It was a long ride there but so worth it to see all of the amazing art, learn about different histories and cultures, and just have fun together! We didn't have much time there, but we rocked that city! With serious planning and lots of energy, we were able to see just about everything our hearts desired! ;)

The first thing we visited once we got there was Potsdamer Platz, the "Times Square" of old Berlin. We sat down and had a lovely dinner here in the Sony Center... so cool!

Early the next morning, we went to the Egyptian Museum and saw the famous Bust of Queen Nefertiti! Seeing something that's over 3,000 years old was so surreal!

We also did the Pergamon and loved it! The audio guide was key for me because I didn't know very much history on the subject matter...

Claire and I went to a fancy organ concert in the Dom (Berlin's Cathedral)... it was so beautiful!

We also went to the upper dome of the Reichstag, which is Germany's old Parliament building.

We took turns going to the Jewish Museum, which was interesting and good to experience

but quite sad...

Although this was air-conditioned and clean, it is a model of what a claustrophobic cell in a concentration camp might've felt like:

I fell in LOVE with art when we went to the Gamaldegalerie. It was so interesting and inspiring to see these works from artists like Raphael, Rubens, and Caravaggio. I loved making my own interpretations of the paintings and then comparing what I thought with others' interpretations.

We also had a chance to see the Holocaust memorial to the murdered Jews

(about 3,000 pillars here).

We even took a minute or two (literally) at the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie!

We did ALL of that in about two and a half days... isn't that awesome?!! I was totally proud of us for being able to get it all in! While driving to and from Berlin, we stopped at this disco-fabulous German hotel because the drive was so long with all the construction and World Cup traffic. It was so sweet... disco balls EVERYWHERE, orange walls with lime green chairs, and animal print furniture = a good time in Germany! Claire and I had a blast in our room painting nails and doing other girl stuff. :)

For the next two weeks, our calendar is jam-packed full of our travel plans. Our next destination: Holland! It will be roughly four and a half hours to drive there, but the drive will be beautiful, and the kids are excited! Everyone is very excited to what the country has to offer!

As for me...

I'm just taking it all in, learning from my experiences here in Europe, and

enjoying the ride.

P.S. It's my amazing dad's birthday today! I feel so blessed to have a dad who takes such good care of us all and is the best example in the whole world. I hope you have a good one, Daddy! I love and miss you so much!