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The Team Goes to Berlin.

· Berlin

The flight over

The view from our window seat on approach into Berlin: the wing over lakes, forest, and red rooftops as we came in to land

After a week living in a hotel, which I do not recommend even if you love the hotel, we took the three bags packed to last an entire month and flew our team to Germany!

Along the way, we carried Frank through airports like luggage, George enjoyed a playground in the Newark airport, and Liza outlasted George’s sleep-deprived rebellion on what will be remembered as a rough flight to Berlin. Once we got some breakfast and landed, George was happy again and perhaps fueled by the nap he finally allowed.

George at the wheel of a play airplane in the Newark airport terminal, grinning, with his mom leaning in beside him
Playtime in Newark
Our dog peering out through the mesh of his travel crate before the flight
One team member flew in a crate
A mid-flight selfie: the two of us smiling from our seats on the plane to Berlin

We had a welcome party at the airport: Libby (called Apu from here forward), who flew from Thailand to meet us, and three of Liza's colleagues. They loaded our bags and carried us in vans to our new home in Grunewald!

You should check out Grunewald if you are not familiar. It is a tremendous forest that runs for miles in each direction. My favorite part is that it starts immediately beyond our backyard. We step through a gate and we are there. Frank and I explored it first, taking his first bathroom break on the European continent as an opportunity for a forest stroll.

Meanwhile, Apu and George played in the backyard while Liza got us organized inside. Moments later, we were all asleep.

My memories from the rest of that day are garbled, as we slept little on the flight. I do recall a critical stop for currywurst and chocolate milk, which George calls "Spanish Hot Chocolate." Neither Spanish nor hot, it still hit the spot!

A great first day in the books, we crashed around 8, knowing our biological clocks would wake us shortly!

Apu and George jumping together on the trampoline in our backyard
Apu and George, straight to the trampoline
The view from the house: our backyard opening straight into the pines of Grunewald
Grunewald starts where the backyard ends
Liza at a sidewalk table with a bowl of currywurst and a bottle of chocolate milk, George sipping his at the edge of the frame
The critical stop
A playground, picnic tables, and a covered grill hut tucked into the forest near the house
The three of us with the stroller, out exploring our new neighborhood

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