Right after spring break, I had to head to the US for a week to help Leider with a doctor appointment. It was at that appointment that I learned that due to changing US laws, we will have to move back to the US this summer so that I can take adult guardianship of Leider and help him with housing, doctor appointments, etc. when he is an adult. It is certainly a change of plans, but we are nothing if not flexible! 😉
While the doctor appointment itself was not that exciting, I did get to have an awesome time with Leider. We even got to go to our favorite spot: Culver's! On top of that, because I missed my flight, I spent a great day chatting with Uncle Greg before going to my parents' house. My dad and I played a lot of Yahtzee and Mom and I went to Madison for the weekend to celebrate Lacey's bridal shower and bachelorette party. To say that I was exhausted from all the running around and fun is an understatement...
Lacey's bridal shower was Kentucky Derby themed.
Mom and I getting ready for the bachelorette party (it was right after the bridal shower).
Lacey had a BIG bachelorette party!
I won a duck out of a claw machine!
Two days after I got back from the US, Ben left a two week family trip in Ireland (stay tuned for a post about that. I told him he would have to make a post all about his awesome adventures), and that weekend, Miller and I headed to Berlin to meet up with Ryan one last time before moving. It was also a great opportunity for Miller and I to have some quality Mom and Miller time. We flew out after school on Friday, landed at 10:00pm, and checked into our super fancy Hilton Hotel for a good night's rest.
The next day, we started off by heading to the Brandenburger Tor (the Brandenburg Gate). It is Berlin's most famous landmark. It was right behind the Berlin Wall during the Cold War and went from being seen as a piece of the wall (division) to being the symbol of reunification when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. Originally, however, the gate was build in 1791 by the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm II.
The Brandenburger Tor is incredibly popular, so this is the least amount of people I could get in my photo. 😅
Right next to the Brandenburger Tor is the Reichstag Building. This is the official governmental house of Germany. The reason people visit the Reichstag Building is to see the huge glass dome. While it is free to see, you have to have a ticket in advance. Miller and I were good planners (Ryan not so much) and we had our tickets booked! Basically, you go up to the dome to see the amazing views of Berlin and to walk on the ramp spiraling up around the dome's mirror filled center.
The outside of the Reichstag Building. You can't see it in the photo, but behind the building is the dome.
The Reichstag Dome!
The view of the dome's top from inside.
Miller loved the views from the dome!
The dome and its mirrors from the top of the spiral ramp.
You can't visit Berlin and not take the opportunity to learn more about the Berlin Wall and the Cold War. Being history buffs, Miller and I knew we would want to visit Checkpoint Charlie. It was the principal gateway for foreigners to travel between the two Berlins. The actual checkpoint is kind of a cheesy tourist trap now. However, right next to it is a really neat open-air exhibit that explains the milestones of the Cold War and a small, cheap museum that goes into more detail about how the wall affected Berliners. It was crazy to learn how fast this wall was built. It was almost over night! There were stories of young Berlin adults who went to visit friends for a few days, and couldn't get back to family because the wall had been built. Later, they would have to hold their children up so their parents could see their grandchildren! I found this was a piece of history I don't think was covered in my classes as much as I wished it had been.
Me at Checkpoint Charlie.
An original piece of the Berlin Wall.
Our final stop before heading back to the hotel to swim and get good sleep before traveling back to Greece early Sunday morning was some authentic German food. It was good we had Ryan, because he could point out all the best eats (and talk to the waiter in German for us). I ended up going very "Berlin" and having a curry worst with a pretzel. For dessert, we had spaghetti ice cream. Don't worry, it isn't what it sounds like. It is just ice cream that LOOKS like spaghetti.
For spaghetti ice cream, the ice cream is put through a machine to make it look like noodles. It is then topped with strawberry sauce (marinara) and white chocolate (parmesan).
Overall, the trip was too short, but so much fun! Knowing now that we will be returning to the US in two short months, we are all determined to make the most of what time we have left in Greece!
Ryan, Miller, and I taking a quick selfie before we headed back to Greece and he headed back to Munich.
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