Scott's sister's husband Steve Byrum and his son had dreamed of visiting Normandy since grade school. But with the tough times back in the US it didn't look like it was going to happen while we were over here... but then things just fell in place and he was able to set aside 2 weeks to visit us. With such a short time we crammed his schedule full of fun trips.
Lower School Sports Day
So after Steve arrived on Thursday (after several delays) we drove home to Christina's sports day. Jeanne always loves watching Christina run... and she is pretty fast!
This year she won her year group on the flat race. Congratulations Christina!
Friday on our way to Gatwick airport (south of London) we attempted to drive by Stonehenge. Scott, Bryce and Madison rode a train down and were going to meet up with us later... and then IT happened.
The WORST bad luck day ever here in the UK
Disaster #1: What was to be a 5 hour journey ended up being 11. Traffic on the circle around London was at a standstill. No places to pull over for toilets for the kids. ugh. We gave up on Stonehenge and thought to eat dinner at Windsor until the traffic settled down.
Disaster #2: Somehow we were 10 p short (unbeknownst to us) when we put the coins into the machine for our timed parking. Jeanne thought she had the right change but a few coins dropped when the kids were feeding the machine. We thought we had picked them all up and bought two hours of parking but with 10 p short the machine only gave us one hour not the two we expected (Jeanne should have double-checked the paper!). That should have been enough... BUT...
Disaster #3: The pub that we chose to eat at was virtually empty. We knew we could eat fairly quickly. So we placed our order with the waiter and waited... and waited... and waited... Finally over an hour later, we asked. And we found out that the waiter had got off work and never placed our order to the cook. UGH! So they rushed the food but Christina and Ethan were hungry and fidgety. But on the plus side... we did get a free meal. We were feeling okay about the whole exchange until...
Disaster #4: Jeanne's van was clamped! For those of you in tranquil Illinois where the parking spaces are wide and plentiful... and FREE- you may not know what they are. But here in the UK they can clamp your car to make you pay your parking tickets.
(Minor) Disaster #5: No one answered the phone when I called to get my car unclamped! We had to get to Gatwick THAT night as our flight left very early in the morning! But eventually, the over-aggressive ticket writers returned. There was no mercy given and we had to fork over 120 gbp!
Traffic was much better and we were feeling like although we had quite a bit of bad luck that we were fortunate to be moving... at least we would make our flight... But then...
Disaster #6: Traffic. AGAIN! This time it truly was standstill. Jeanne could tell that it was an accident but was hoping to be able to get off at the next exit... an hour later we had traveled the 2 miles to the next exit. UGH. Steve fingernails were embedded in the armrests from the stress of this trip and we hadn't gone anywhere!
Finally, we got a break with our bad luck and when we got off Jeanne's sat nav directed us down one lane, tree over grown, winding road. Backwards and forwards and Jeanne was totally confused which direction we were going, but TOM TOM took us around the exit and onto a completely barren highway. So the other cars that didn't take the exit were routed off that highway onto another route. Jeanne figures that we saved another hour or two by exiting. Hurrah! We arrived near midnight for a 4 hour sleep. ugh. But at least we got there!
Berlin
We arrived at 9 am and hit the ground running.
Jeanne carried all of the luggage (3 backpacks and a rolling suitcase) to the hotel while everyone else continued on the train from the Berlin airport to downtown Berlin.
Checkpoint Charlie was the first stop. The museum had grown substantially since the last time we were there in late 1996. So much information!
The museum documented the history of Berlin and the divided city. It also had numerous examples of the amazing and ingenious ways in which people attempted to escape East Berlin.
Next we went to the Pergammon museum which is an amazing collection of WORLD treasures that the Germans took or "bought".
The Altar from Pergammon, Turkey... the entire thing!
Above: the Ishtar Gate of King Nebucanezzar the second
An intricately painted and cared wooden room from Iraq... interestingly it was from a Christian family as the words and scenes depict Jesus and New Testament verses.
After the museum we were stopped by the smells... you can't go to Germany and not try Bratwurst! So we did.
We walked along what used to be the Berlin wall that separated East from West. So much had changed...
Here is where the Nazis interrogated prisoners... UNDER the wall!
Modern Berlin has not forgotten the post-war divisions even though much has changed after it's unification. But the city planners wisely wanted all Germans to remember... so they placed bricks or metal beams where the walls once stood. So walking along the city streets the mark still stands... even if a new building was built over it!
We came upon an interesting memorial to the holocaust ... a sea of raised cement rectangles.
When you approach it from the side you can't quite grasp the meaning... but as you walk in the ground undulates lower and lower til the cement rectangles tower over your head.
The kids enjoyed running down the rows playing hide and seek or tag... It was so unusual!
As we approached the Brandenburg Gate we could tell that the people who were walking towards us were NOT the average crowd. Men in drag changed to men in tights and wings. It got scarier as we continued...
Finally, Steve, Jeanne and all the kids had enough and tightly holding on to the kids hands we tried to escape to the nearest train- Scott and Bryce still had energy to continue exploring WW2 sights further away. But our escape back to the hotel wasn't a good plan... unfortunately the train car we chose seemed to fill up with the drunk and celebrating couples from above ground that we were trying to escape! Men in makeup and glitter and tights all squished on a subway train. Ugh.
Jeanne grabbed the lone post between seats at the end of a carriage and tried to slip the kids in before they were crushed. It was a good thing too. Steve and Madison weren't able to get in but at least Ethan and Christina were safe from the crushing crowds. Several drunk people yelled at Jeanne to scoot in but for the safety of the children, she refused. Finally, that part of the journey was over. They got off and we could breathe.
Steve and Ethan were so totally exhausted. Jet lag and a long day walking. But Ethan was quite a trooper. We walked to our hotel which was close to the station and were quite pleased with the spacious clean rooms. Yea!
London
Another early morning flight back to the UK- but it wasn't too bad. A quick taxi and we were there. Jeanne had her van and we drove THROUGH London to drop off Scott, Christina, Steve and Ethan to see the Rosetta stone in the British Museum and then other big sights in London. Then Jeanne drove home and eventually they rode a train back to Peterborough and Scott's car. It worked out perfectly.
Highlights of the UK
The rest of the time spent with Steve and Ethan was visiting the local sights (Lincoln, Tattershall, Boston & Burghley House). The pulpit above was the same one that John Cotton preached from! Such close ties to our pilgrim forefathers!
Normandy
Scott also took a long weekend off for another trip to Normandy. It was a really fun being able to share our experience with the Byrum's and watch Steve's amazement and enthusiasm for the different cultures... (well maybe not the French toilets....) Still it was a joy to share such meaningful times with them.
Good Memories!
So after Steve arrived on Thursday (after several delays) we drove home to Christina's sports day. Jeanne always loves watching Christina run... and she is pretty fast!
After the museum we were stopped by the smells... you can't go to Germany and not try Bratwurst! So we did.
He had to wait until Friday for his appointment with the ENT doctor (a week after the accident). We had been told that he would then have his nose set. But that Friday was also the last official day of school for Bryce (excluding tests) and the entire year group was celebrating by going paint balling all day. And nose or no nose- Bryce wasn't going to miss that event!
