Day 85: Slow Down Day

So, last night everyone was exhausted. Tired from moving out of our Berlin home, from our travels to Britain, and now tired from our tour yesterday (even though we sat on a bus for most of it). Chris and I talked, and we chose to move things around. He is going to work today and the kids and I will take it easy (Chris going to work today might even be classified as "taking it easy" over touring about a new city).

My only job for the day is to ship ONE MORE BOX. Our big bag was too heavy to make it through the States without a penalty cost. And this is before buying any souvenirs from this part of our trip. So, it makes sense to ship more items.

The four of us head a building over for breakfast at a coffee café (Café Nero... we see a lot of these). It's a perfect start to the day with a small bite to eat with Chris before seeing him off.

Another bonus of Chris working today, is that we can pack the two big bags to hold at HotelTonight's office while we take a weekend trip (with only two carry-on sized bags) to Oxford. So, we pack those two bags up with items we don't need over the weekend, and fill a big bag and my backpack with items we do not think we'll need for the duration of our trip. We should have sent them from Berlin, but that's how it goes. This is round B.

We are only a mile from HotelTonight, but this seems too far to wheel two very large bags. It also seems impossible to take them onto the Tube during rush hour (and we haven't even looked at the map to see if that wouldn't still be a lot of walking involved). So, we head out the front of the hotel and catch a taxi. Cool! Now I can say I've been in a Hackney carriage! We were wondering if there was room for luggage... sort of. There is no trunk. Since there are only two of us, we don't use the extra fold-down seats and we pull the luggage in with us. Pretty cool, even for just one mile.

When we arrive at HotelTonight, we have to call up to get into the building. It took us about three calls to get the buzzer to work (and meanwhile, the intercom was breaking in and out) so we could open the door. After walking into the building, we could see there was an elevator. At this point, Chris was confident that he could go on his own (he was worried about carrying the two big bags up stairs, etc. not knowing how far he had to go). So, he went up the elevator to secure our bags and put in a full day's work. Another bonus, two of his coworkers from the SF office are in town this week and today's their last day. With our previous schedule, he would have missed seeing them. This new schedule has him overlapping today, so it's nice to get to see them and work with them before they head out of London.

After leaving Chris at the elevator, I head back... or so I tried. I couldn't get OUT of the building! Sounds crazy, but the door was locked, or stuck. Or, am I incompetent at opening doors? I'm looking at knobs, possible locks, twisty-things... nothing works. There is a woman standing outside, not giving me any attention... maybe this is better than me being fully humiliated, but on the other hand, I was hoping she'd point or mime some kind of hint to me. Just when I was almost in full panic mode, and was about to call Chris saying I can't get out of the damn building, I noticed a button on the wall (about 4 feet from the door, on the right side of the hallway) with a big note saying, "Push, then open door." OMG. I push the button and, miraculously, I am able to leave the building. I laugh out of exasperation, but I'm not sure the woman outside was entertained or irritated by my demise.

At this point, I'm sweaty. But, I will also take this time to point out how warm it is here. It's in the mid 60s, but raining. So, I have to keep my jacket on and hood up if I want to stay dry, but I'm sweating in my new down coat... if only I hadn't forgotten my old raincoat, which was just a shell and would have been perfect in this hot-rainy weather.

I had decided to walk the mile back to the hotel room. This would be some of my exercise for the day, plus, it would give me an opportunity to see where we are living and what's around us. I'm sure I look like a tourist, with my head up, looking everywhere as I walk slowly.

This is the trifecta photo.
Red-double-decker buss (left), Bobbies (middle), Phone booth (right)
and a bonus "LOOK RIGHT" in the forefront

So far, London is overwhelming to me. The crowds are intense. The sidewalks are small. The traffic is fast (and going on the wrong side). Everyone is not only in a hurry, but they seem to be run-walking everywhere. Even at my fast past, people are heading past me in a blur. This feels very different than Berlin where the sidewalks were wide, traffic was fast, but not insane (or maybe in Berlin there was a wider shoulder on the roads, maybe the roads were wider too), and in Berlin, people who were in a hurry, weren't like the people in a hurry here in London. I just feel tense all the time. I know it's a new place and we're figuring things out, but it just feels like a lot of it is due to having to be alert for people wanting to pass, people coming at you, cars, lights, etc. If you just go one street off the main road, it's a world of difference, so when I got get onto one of these streets, I do breathe a little easier.

Something that I find amusing, as I'm walking through the city, is what goes through my mind. In Berlin, I mostly thought about its recent history with WWII and the Nazis. London may have a long history that is interesting as well... but all I can think about is showtunes, SNL skits, and other media references (usually poking fun at the British or seems like it when I retell it in my mind). When I was younger, I was in the musical "The Boyfriend". So, as I walk through Bloomsbury, all I can do is think of the song, "A Room in Bloomsbury" (start at minute 2:40). Now, it's been over 30 years, so I can really only remember one passage and chorus, so that repeats in my head over and over and over and over. The next thing I think about is the "All Things Scottish" SNL skit from back in the day as I pass a Scotch Shop. And finally, I took a photo of a building today, one that had bricks that I liked, to show how they mount their street signs. Anyway, Venice noticed this same building and sign, but for another reason... the street is named Macklin and it makes her think of the character Andy (who pretends to be Bert Macklin from the FBI on the "Parks and Recreation" show.

Bloomsbury (left), Scotch Shop (middle), Macklin street (right)

So, I feel kind of dweeby as I walk through Posh-London and all I'm thinking about is making fun of the British (I'm speaking in an exaggerated British accent in my head all the time...) Is this how we are raised in the U.S.? To mock the British? Must be, because, otherwise, I feel like I'm a good person.

As I was nearing our hotel, I passed by a few Chinese restaurants that looked good. I'm already thinking of lunch with the kids. We had thought we might try a Japanese fusion restaurant for lunch, but it looked fancier. The places I'm passing now seem to be more fit to a quick lunch. So, I'm hoping to get the kids to agree.

Back at the hotel, I relax a little, blog a little, get the kids ready for the day a little. And I do convince them to try this Chinese place I found. There actually are two Chinese restaurants right next to each other (when we found it again). One has a lunch buffet and had a lot of fried dishes available (yumm, looks good). Everyone inside is multicultural (but very few, if any, Asians). Right next door, is another Chinese restaurant and this one has soups, noodles, and other dishes available for sit down lunch (and has very few, if any, non-Asians). It took some group discussion to all get on the same page, and, in the end, we choose the more authentic restaurant (yes, on the first page of the menu is chicken feet... we are in the right restaurant).

The food is SO good. I don't think I've had Chinese food this good since we were in SF. Yum. Our tummies are happy. We made the right choice.

Lunch dish (left), "Watch out! There's a thief about" (mid-left)
Lunch dish (mid-right), "Coin-henge" (right) 

I had brought my large bag and backpack filled with items to ship to lunch. After eating, we head to the post office to ship our stuff. However, when we get there, there are no boxes for sale. Ok, a few, but they look like donut boxes, definitely not strong enough or big enough to hold our stuff. So, off to Mailboxes Etc. for us. Several blocks later, we arrive at MBE and ask about shipping items internationally. Holy crap... it's expensive here. I really should have shipped these items from Berlin. Darn it. But, we're a bit stuck (again). I could buy a box and package it all up and then walk BACK to the post office and wait in their long line... but that sounds horrific at this point (my back is tired form carrying all this stuff back and forth), I just want it over and done. So, I commit. And while we're packaging it all up, a man comes in to ship his stuff... hears the price... and walks out saying he's just going to take it as his third piece on the airplane because that's free and the price quoted was too high... I'm with him and I think that will be what we do next... buy a box and just put it on the plane. Even if we have to pay, it will be half, if not, a third of the price I just paid to ship this box. Sigh.

Feeling loads lighter, we head through town to the Cartoon Museum. This is not something that was on our list of things to do or check out. However, as I was searching for the post office, and other places, I saw "Cartoon Museum" on the map. It sounded fun and kid friendly. It was definitely one of those museums that are on the much smaller-side of things. No worries, the kids are free with my admission. After looking around, we spent a few minutes in the room upstairs where they encourage you to draw your own cartoons. Lots of help (books, posters, etc.) and lots of supplies (paper and pencils).

Cartoon Museum (left), Venice's work (right)

When we left the museum, we were ready to head back to the hotel. BUT, I had promised the kids we could stop at Krispy Kreme first. Something on their "life" bucket -list, so we HAD to do it. A few false starts, but we find the store, buy some donuts, head back to the hotel, and the kids enjoy their treat. Not long after, Chris returns home wondering why we aren't hungry yet!

Yet another bonus of Chris working today is that he got a few suggestions for dinner tonight. We pick Flat Iron, a close walk, and looks good, although we can't find a menu online. Well, it seems that our luck ran out, in terms of timing, we get there and it's a 30 minute wait for dinner. Not too bad, we do put our name in. One of the first things we notice about this restaurant is that the doors are locked to get in. You can get out, you just can't get in unless the host opens the door for you. And he only opens the door for one group at a time. He'll open the door, take your name and information (phone number for texting) and then he shuffles you back out the door where he'll talk to the next group. He was constantly asking people to wait outside and that he'd be with them in a moment. It is a smaller looking restaurant with NO space to wait inside. But it's odd.

We walk around while we wait for our table. We thought we'd go to a park, but it was chained closed (closed at 5:30pm). So, we stop for coffee nearby, for the caffeine, but also so we'd have a place to sit. There were no benches for sitting (they were in the closed park). And the sidewalks are so narrow, there's no where to sit. Anyway, so we buy coffees so we can sit. And remember, it's now 7pm and 63 degrees! It's warm!

Side story: Two people came by asking for a handout. The first one went by asking and I replied, "Oh, nein." Doh! So, when the second went by, I just shook my head (you know, used the universal language).

When our table was ready, we were ready. It was a cozy (and hot) atmosphere. And we realised why we couldn't find the menu online, it is most likely because it is only one thing on the menu, steak. That's it. There were a few sides and salads to add-on, but the only entree was steak. They had two specials that night, another style of steak and a hamburger. But while we were ordering, one of the specials ran out, to be replaced with another. But still, small menu. Xander went with the hamburger and Venice, Chris, and I shared the Ribeye steak... it was 3 pounds! We did a good job on it, but needless to say, there were leftovers.

We loved our cleavers!!!

And now that we have something we could share with the homeless, we don't see any. I would have given them our leftovers, but as it is, they go into our refrigerator with our leftover Chinese lunch.... I know we're going to forget it.

Time for bed. And guess what?! This is when the brass band begins to play, "When the Saints go Marching In" across the street. Did I mention that our hotel windows don't make a good seal? So, we can hear them loud and clear. It's actually fun music... just not at 10pm when you're trying to get kids to sleep. Sigh.

Day 71: Outdoors and Leica

Lately, I've been feeling pretty good about my "German-ness". Either I look comfortable enough to be local, or the fact that I don't carry around a map is a good sign, or I look nice enough to approach... whatever the reason, I have been asked directions, almost on a daily basis, for the past week or so. A gentleman at our tram stop asked if his Bahn ticket would work for the tram too. Yes! A couple of young ladies (after asking if we speak English.... they sounded East European), asked how to get to Alexanderplatz from a Bahn station. Another woman stopped on her bicycle, on one of my morning walks, and she asked if she was headed in the right direction for Hackescher Markt. Another couple stopped me in the park, on another walk, and asked where they could take their little girl to play (the park we were standing in front of was locked, so they were looking for another one). Another woman asked if she could get to Friedrichstrasse from this platform, I was able to tell her, no, head to the other side of the platform. A gentleman stopped Chris and me, one morning, asking if he could get to Unter den Linden by foot. We showed him where he was on the map and how to take a Bahn if he wanted. He asked if she should take a taxi and we said, no, either walk or simple Bahn ride.

Most approached me in German. Some, I was able to answer back in stilted words and pointing, others I had us switch to English before being able to help. I was only NOT able to help one woman. A little ol' lady asking... I don't know. She wasn't able to switch into English, and I tried to help... but she just walked away. Sorry! But, I love how I'm the new information person!

A few weeks ago, Venice had the idea of getting the "My Book About Me" book by Dr. Seuss. The kids have these books back in the U.S. but she thought it would be fun to fill them out with a "Berlin" frame of mind. The book asks questions like, "How many forks are in your house?" "How many windows?" "How many steps to the mailbox?" And so on. So, doing a book here would be different than the book they have in the U.S. I agreed to buy the extra copies (paperback, however) for the kids.

Today, we made a point to do some of the activities before it's too late. Answering questions that required us to go outside (otherwise they would never breathe fresh air!) So, we walked to the nearest tree, mailbox, market and counted our steps all the way.

Counting steps around town.

The sun showed itself and it is a dry day. And the leaves, I still can't get enough of them! We must stay outside a bit longer! I suggested we go to the nearby park (near the Kaiser markt where we counted steps) and we were treated to more eye-feasting sights (and a farmers market with good smells... hmmm cooking sausages).

Park photos.

I sat on the bench with other moms (although their kids were either nursing or shoveling sand as best as a toddler can). Meanwhile, my kids start gathering up all the leaves into a giant pile so they can jump into it. Xander worked up a sweat, they were working so hard! One toddler was fascinated, but not brave enough to jump in the pile. He did, however, add two leaves to the pile (one at a time).

Venice adding to the pile before a jump.

Xander adding to the pile before a jump.

My view.

As the sun lowered in the sky, it was time to leave. After a brief time at home, we headed to the tram stop. We noticed the construction sign that was there, indicating that the M1 will not be running as usual for the rest of the time we're here. It will be running similarly to the 12. So, what does this mean for us? We can't get to Hackescher Markt by tram. At least not easily. Good thing we've completed most of our shopping there, so we don't really have any reason to go back. The main reason we'd need to get there is to transfer, it was a good place to transfer (and for Venice to get her favourite Bubble Tea). So, for two more weeks, we'll just have to transfer at another Bahn station. We're getting pretty good at the transit system, this should be no problem! And, at least this time, we saw the sign, were able to understand it, and we're not in a hurry, so no worries on us having to take a different route.

We're headed to a museum to meet Chris. But as we get to the Friedrichstrasse station, we find out (from texts) that Chris is approaching the same station (he's coming from work). After several frantic texts, we do NOT get on a train that's in the station and we find each other. Now that we'll wait for the next train, Chris has time for a coffee and the kids get a snack (even though they both said they weren't hungry when we were leaving the apartment... a donut or pretzel from the stand sounds way better than what I offered at home...)

Caffeinated and fed, headed to the C/O Berlin at Amerika Haus to see the visiting Leica exhibit. "Eyes Wide Open!" is celebrating 100 years of Leica photography. It was a great exhibit (although a few photos that were disturbing to the kids). I really enjoyed the history of the camera and how it changed the "visual exploration of reality by amateurs, artists and photojournalists." Amazing how all but a handful of images for this trip have been done on an iPhone. Would the creator of the first 35 mm Leica prototype, Oskar Barnack, believe it? Thanks to Keith for suggesting this exhibit.

The Leica exhibit (I didn't take any photos inside)

By now it's pretty late. Most restaurants will be filled up and we don't have any reservations anywhere. Plus, we're on a side of town we're not used to walking through, so we don't know what good restaurants are around. However, we're in a part of town that has a lot of fast food choices. A lot of sausage stands, pizza places, etc. So, we just walk until we come across Jim Block, a burger joint. We see open tables, so we head on in.

Jim Block is a fun sort of place. When we order (this is an "order at the counter" place, not a "sit and we'll wait on you" kind of place), instead of asking our name or giving us an order number, we are assigned a place in Berlin. We get Hauptbahnhof. We hear other street names being called while we wait. Kind of fun! And while we wait, we can enjoy the dance beats the DJ is playing (yes, a DJ was playing thumping dance music for us to enjoy while we are eating burgers... it was difficult to NOT eat to the beat).

We haven't been to this part of town at night before. So it's cool to see the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church with its lights on. The electric blue lights shining through the windows are pretty cool and create a modern "stained-glass" effect. Unfortunately, the bell-tower is under scaffolding so we only get a hint as to how that looks.

Time for home and bed!

Tonight's last bit is everyone having fun with the lights at Jim Block. They were lights that were flickering. You couldn't any flickering until you started waving your hands around (like the video below) or flinging your pommes frites around (which the kids did as well).

Day 65: Museums and Lights

After getting a late start to the morning, we decided to skip the farmers market. We really don't have any current food needs. We still have all those dips/spreads from last week since we didn't have any guests at the house to help us eat them up. The only really thing we want is bread. But, we decide we can get that elsewhere, so no need to make a trip to the farmers market.

Chris attempts to find a local DHL package store. We're thinking of sending home a few boxes of summer clothes and souvenirs so that we don't have to drag them to London. But, Chris couldn't find the storefront. Near his office, he has been to a DHL store that might work, but he has yet to find someone inside that store that speaks English which could make it tricky to find out all that we need to know. So for now, we're stuck until next week when more stores open and we have another chance to check it all out.

For lunch, we head north to Pizza Zia Maria. Thank goodness for nice workers. We ordered a few medium pizzas and they asked us, "Do you know the sizes of our pizzas?" He showed us what a medium would look like (too much food if we proceeded as planned) and we readjusted our order. It was just the right amount and it was amazingly yummy. Thin crust, crispy, and super flavourful cheese. Everyone was happy.

And then we became even happier as we finally got to try Hokey Pokey, an ice cream shop recommended by one of Chris' coworkers. It has been very important to this coworker that we try this place. Every week she asks if we've been able to get there. Due to its location (north and not the way we tend to travel much) we haven't been to it. Anytime we're near, it seems it's late a night, too late for an ice cream stop. But today, it's perfect timing! And, wow. It is AMAZING ice cream. It is the best we've had on this entire trip. I already want to go back. I can now understand why Chris' coworker has wanted us to come here. I can understand how it's her favourite place. We sit and enjoy our ice cream for as long as we can savour it.

Diana's ButterKaramel (left), Venice's Banana Peanut (middle-left)
Chris' BananaCrunch (middle-right) and the kids enjoying their treats (right)

Full of tasty treats, we headed back south with the intent of visiting the Altes Museum, one of five museums on Museum Island (really, an island in the middle of the river Spree). When we arrive (25 min later) people are thirsty (of course I left the water at home) and in need of a restroom. Chris wouldn't mind a coffee either. So, we search the craft fair that is going on in the streets nearby, but don't find anything. We head into the Museum Café. While Venice and I use the ladies room, Chris and Xander find a seat in the crowded café. When we find them again, no one has stopped by to take any order. It doesn't seem like we can order at the counter. This could take a VERY long time and we don't want to linger that long. So, we leave.

Random photo of a cute little car with fall leaves on it (left)
Chris taking a photo of a statue whose head is... in a building? (right)

We head to the Altes Museum (which has a café of its own) and get our tickets. As I asked for two audio tours, I guess my German was good enough that he gave me two audio tours in German. I asked, if they were in English (Sind Sie Englisch?) He looked at me funny, no... did you want English? Ja... ok... he flipped a few switches, and presto, I have two audio tours in English. Duh. Next time I will ask for two in English (makes sense).

The items in this museum are incredible. Most are real, some are plaster replicas, but most are real artifacts (as far as I can tell from the descriptions)... I choose to believe. So they are real! Anyway, cool Greek, Roman, and Etruscan statues, burial items, coins, and jewelry to view.

The Altes Museum (top)
Stonework (left), Artemis or Apollo (middle)
My favourite of the day. Loved how the stone carver created
such a flowing garment on this woman (right)

Some of you have commented on how well we're all traveling. And for the most part, I agree! However, it does takes it's toll on all of us in different ways. We often discuss how Xander, with the smallest stride, must take a lot more steps than the rest of us when we walk all day. The kids get tired of all the walking and standing (as do we adults). You can see them taking a break below.

The kids taking a break at the café (left) and a statue that we thought looked a lot like Trump (right)

After the Altes Museum, we headed to the Berliner Dom (The Berlin Cathedral) to tour the inside. However, when we got to the ticket area, we found out that viewing was limited, due to services being held. Prices were reduced, but not significantly as viewing was reduced. We decided to not go in and to either skip it or wait until we could see the entire inside (on another day). I think the kids (and their feet) were secretly happy we turned around.

Outside of the Berliner Dom

Ok, so it's 5:30. Decision time. Facts: The Festival of Lights begins at 6pm. But that's "mostly dark" and we want to see the lights when it's "really dark". Also, if we wait, we'll be hungry. But if we go eat dinner, then we have to travel to dinner and then back again, as we really want to see the Berliner Dom all lighted up. But, no one's truly hungry yet.

A  beautiful walkway on Museum Island

We decide to head towards a ramen restaurant, via Alexander Platz (for a last minute purchase at the Galleria before the stores close for the weekend). We arrive. We purchase. We leave. And guess what we see as we walk out of the building... more jumpers! Remember, Kuch mag Alex, ich kann fliegen!?  (also remember that Alexander Platz is also commonly called, "Alex".) Anyway, we see that someone has just jumped and we hope there will be another. I get my camera ready.

Do you remember how I got a photo, but not a video? Well, I forgot to mention that when Venice and I came out of the Galleria, we saw another jumper. I readied my camera to take a video.. and damn it. I took photos again. No video. I really don't understand. So, I'm ready this time, with video.

Only... damn it! It's on photo again. How does it keep NOT taking video? My clumsy hands... or Murphy's Law. I don't know. I don't care. I'm just mad that I didn't get video. The good news is that Chris and Xander got to see the jumper. We had explained it a lot, but seeing it in person made them exclaim out loud... it is that impressive of a jump! Ok, on to dinner (as I drag my "disappointed I didn't get the video" self along).

When we arrive at the ramen restaurant, the line is out the door and we are at least 15th in line. Reassess. Chris takes us to a tapas restaurant. There is no line or wait, but all the tables are reserved. We are, again, asked if we can eat within an hour? Of course! Then come on in! Asian tapas! Yum! They are incredibly tasty and very fast. So we have no problem eating quickly.

With our hour up, we hop on a tram and head back to where we were earlier in the day. Back to the Berliner Dom for the Festival of Lights. Guess who's there at the Berliner Dom waiting for us? Hint: See the middle photo below (lighted Segways!)

An "80s" style-laser show on the side of the Galleria (left)
Segways participating in the Festival of Lights (middle)
Humboldt-University Berlin (right)

The Berliner Dom's 12 different views

It amazes me how, if you just go towards the lighted building, it can seem very crowded, almost too many people to move. But if you go just a few yards farther in, you will almost have an unobstructed view. So worth those extra few yards!

Faculty of Law - Humboldt University Berlin

The Palais Am Festungsgraben (a concert hall) had a few colourful landscapes to add to our visual delights. According to the webpage, "In the context of this anniversary, there is another special illumination: With a call for participation, photographs were collected, combined in an artistic collage and projected onto the facade of the Palais am Festungsgraben. With a little bit of luck you might recognise your own picture…"

Palais Am Festungsgraben

And we ended our Festival of Lights at Hotel de Rome, which featured a "far eastern" style (I would call it "Asian").

Hotel de Rome

One of the big projectors used at the
lighted sights. Pretty cool stuff.

There are a few lights we didn't get to. Thats ok. We saw a lot and enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you Festival of Lights! And in Xander's words, "Why don't more cities do this?"

Day 24: Computer Game Museum

Karl Marx street, on our way to the museum
(you can see the TV tower in the distance)

Another late morning, enjoying the activity of sleeping in (after sleeping in, Chris went for a run, the rest of us kept resting). Sunday, stores are closed. But museums are open, which museum to visit? We decided on the Computer Game Museum, as we figured it would have the most positive "kid support". We were right, the kids were excited to go see (play) the exhibits.

Berlin is beautiful. I'm sure the sunny weather has helped shape my opinion. I'm sure seeing something new, almost every day, has shaped my opinion. I'm sure being a tourist has shaped my opinion. But it's hard to not want to take photos all the time. It is pretty.

Puckman (Pac Man) table game

The kids had a great time at the museum (and so did the adults). Seeing Chris at one of the staged "rooms" playing an old game... I can just imagine this is what he must have been doing, back in the 80s.  I, on the other hand, pointed out a 7 in (or whatever) monitor that was around 12 in (or whatever) deep and said, "That's what I learned to type on!" Kids were not all that impressed. Me? Nostalgic.

I loved playing the arcade games of Frogger, Centipede, and Space Invaders, which was my all time favourite... even if I couldn't clear the first board (out of practice!) The best part, all the games were free, so no need for pesky quarters. On the other hand, some people took really long turns. But if we waited long enough or just went to another game and came back, it seems we all got to play what we wanted, no problem.

There was one crazy game, I had never seen/heard of before (see photo below on the right), called PainStation. It's based on Pong, but you get sensory feedback depending on the intensity of the game (heat, electrical shock or whipping). We watched a few play it, one guy asked Chris if he wanted to play... we passed. Crazy!

Pong (left). PainStation, Pong with pain! (right)

The adults tired out before the kids did (surprise!) But, as the kids wanted to spend some time online with their cousins and friends tonight, we had a nice "carrot" to get them out of the museum and back home. To one of our nicest home meals so far (steak, roasted veggies and salsa - shhh, the kids haven't had the salsa yet....) Yum.

Day 24: Computer Game Museum (Venice)

Hello, It's Venice again!

Today we went to the Computer Game Museum. They had all sorts of cool gaming history. We played lots of games, such as Water Drops (I think thats what it's called) when you can move shadows with magnets. I also got to play Frogger, and I got the second high score! My dad and I played a racing game, and he won every game except one, the computer won that one. But I still had fun playing it. I also got to play astroids, Tetris, and I got to talk to a computer. But the one game I loved was Zork. In Zork you enter commands to the computer such as go west, or pick up sword. I didn't get to play much before moving on, but when I got home I found it online and played to my heart's content. They also had a giant joystick that you could play Pac-Man with (the germans call it Puckman, weird!). It was really fun and cool to go to this museum. I recommend it to anyone who likes computers or video games. All in all, it was really great to be able to play all those retro games.

Asking Eliza questions (Siri's much older sister, who is also snarky)
Venice playing Zork (for a very, very long time)

Day 24: Computer Game Museum (Xander)

We went to the Computer Game Museum today! It was very fun. They had history of video games and lots of classic arcade games like Frogger, Pac-Man, and Centipede. They also had a small area for classic console games like Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog. The small area had a bunch of "half-rooms" that looked like the attic of an old house where somebody would play video games. They also had text-based games like Zork.

Dad playing Space Invaders on a Commodore 64 console (left)
A desk in one of the rooms with cassette tapes and Mad Magazines (middle)
Me playing Super Mario Bros. after waiting a long time for a turn (right)

The Portland Retro Gaming-Con had a lot more playable games and was three times bigger, but The Computer Game Museum was still big. The Portland Retro Graming-Con had more playable games, and The Computer Game Museum had more history.

Day 7: The Basilica and Views

Pigeons!

The new room is louder. Lots of banging throughout the night. I picture the locals opening and closing their shutters all night long, yelling to their partner through their house. In the morning, it sounded like people were dumping metal pipes onto boats (I think it was the metal doors sliding open of the shops as they opened). AND, the new rooms do NOT have an espresso maker (the old one did). BUT, with two bathrooms, we have twice the toilette paper! Not that we ran out before, but it was close, even with the bidet :)

All our shoes were dry, no more squishing around!

After breakfast we headed to Piazza San Marco with breadsticks in our pockets, ready for the birds. If you are a pigeon advocate, please skip this part (as we are feeding them non-bird food and exploiting them for photos). The birds are crazy. They do tend to be able to smell who has food and who doesn't. If you don't, they mostly fly by, but if you do, they land on your arm, your shoulder, your head. I really wanted one on my head, but they wouldn't land there. They did tend to favour hats over plain heads. Their claws were mostly gentle. But, after a few minutes, our arms were a little irritated and we were out of food, so, perfect timing. It was also time for our tour at the Basilica di San Marco.

Alessandro had encouraged us to buy tickets online. This means you skip the line (which is an average of 45 minutes) and walk right into the Basilica. It cost a little more, but it came with a 60 minute tour. Not too long, for those of us disliking these kinds of tours. What was great about it was all the history our guide shared with us (I never would have read as much as she told us, so it was great to hear it all). The tour also allowed us to go into a side room that only tours are allowed to go into. There are absolutely no photos, videos, selfies (yes, it says this), or camera usage within the Basilica. But, in this side room, they close the doors, turn on the lights and we are allowed to take photos.

Outside wall of the Basilica (left).
BabyKiller in the side room (middle).
Our selfie, in an permitted area, over the tile floor (right).

There is a wall in this side room, where they took away the marble wall to see what was beneath it. But they took it off to roughy and took of half of a mosaic wall that was hidden under the marble. They have tried to restore it, but with the salty air, it is futile. Within just the last 7 years, more of the remaining mosaic has disappeared due to salt. So they have closed this room off and only open it a few times a day for the tours.

In this room, there are several items, including three burials and two baptising "baths". One, big tub, is to baptise adults, and the other (seen in the middle photo) is to baptise babies. However, the artist made the "lid" out of very heavy metal and the four doors (so you can baptise four babies at a time) are too heavy, so VERY unsafe to put a baby in there (so we nicknamed it the BabyKiller, not that any babies died in there, but in our warped need to entertain ourselves, this is what we called it).

Also inside the Basilica, our tour allowed us to go into areas that usually cost a small fee (so we paid for it via our tickets). We got to see the sarcophagus of San Marco, himself, if you believe it. Our guide mentioned that it had the Pope's seal on it, and anything with the Pope's seal is above scrutiny (no scientific tests can be performed). And we saw an amazing gold altar piece, the Pala d'Oro. It was truly amazing with the amount of gold and jewels and attention to details. We enjoyed the story of how the Venetians thwarted Napoleon's attempt to steal it by painting a ulgy-false front that he deemed unworthy of taking, so he left it.

After our tour, we were left within the Basilica to roam around at our leisure. We decided to pay a few extra Euros to see the upper level, which included a wrap-around balcony with amazing views of the Piazza.

As is our pattern, after the Basilica, we headed back to the hotel to rest before lunch. Also, backpacks are forbidden in the Basilica, so we needed to go back to pick that up and fill it with water and other items. Chris wondered if we needed to bring rain jackets again, I said no, I thought the weather was going to be ok the rest of the day (foreshadow alert!)

The Rialto (notice the giant building on the right covered
so you can't see the construction going on below it. the
building on the left is also having this done, but it's a little
harder to see in this photo)

After lunch, we headed to Peggy Guggenheim Collection. On our way, we were able to cross the Ponte dell'Accademia, the southern most bridge to cross the Grand Canal. Wonderful vistas and great photo opportunities. A great way to make up for the Rialto being closed. Side note: You can still cross the Rialto, but all the sides are blocked off, so there is no view off of the bridge, and coming in via water, you only see blocked out shops on the water side. Shops in the middle are open for business, and on one side, there is a 10x30 sqft. area where you can take photos off the bridge, but your view is of construction, not waterside restaurants with colourful awnings as it was in the past.

The Guggenheim Collection was more interested to me than the Biennale. I'm reinforcing that I definitely like old art better than a lot of the more modern art. I'm sure there are more artsy defining words to describe what I do like and don't like, but anyway. I did like seeing actual Picasso and Dali pieces. The visiting collection of the Pollock brothers (mostly Charles was represented, but there were a few pieces from Jackson) was cool to see. My favourite ended up being pieces by Vasily Kandinsky, while Xander enjoyed this piece by Picasso.


After the museum (yay, we made it through two museums and a tour on our trip!), we headed for some gelato (of course!) and then to the part of the island that would give us a panoramic view of Venice, from the Piazza all the way to the end where the Biennale is located. More walking, more gelato. More heat. More photos.

On our way to dinner, we figured we'd cut our walking by half if we could take two traghettos. Yay! But when we got to the first traghetto, it closed at 6pm, it was after 6. Boo!

So, more walking it is. Side note: yesterday was about 7.22 miles, and today is about 7 miles. We are deserving of that gelato!

We enjoyed a very lovely dinner. It was a most relaxed dinner, knowing we had seen so much of what we had wanted to do. Xander was feeling much better. The food was good. The atmosphere (a quiet square) was good.

In the last five minutes of our dining experience, a panicked waiter came running from table to table. He got to ours and talked super fast Italian. We looked at him with blank stares. He paused, realising we didn't understand a word he just said, "The rain! It's coming!" He was handing out table numbers on pieces of paper, asking people to bring all their stuff inside, to transfer themselves inside to finish out their meals. We had already finished, so we just asked, "Il conto per favore!"

Meanwhile, we looked to the skies, and yes, they were dark and foreboding. And yes, lightning started (foreshadow "cashing in").

Xander, not a fan of the lightning or thunder, wanted to race home. So we ran through the streets towards our hotel. Just about the time we got cramps from eating and running, the drops started to fall. We were almost home, but then... we passed a self-serve frozen yogurt shop... remember, moral imperative... doesn't matter that it's yogurt and not gelato... must. stop. to. get. frozen. yogurt.

So we stopped to fill cups of yumminess and that's when it really started to rain. We tried walking under as much cover as possible, but... it was wet and our shoes were squishy again.

Day 6: Museum and Rain

Watching the lightning and rain off in the distance, knowing it's coming our way.

We slept through the night, despite the thunder and lightning.

We knew we were in for a day of rain, so it's a perfect day for museums and being inside. After breakfast, we left with a few umbrellas and rain jackets to walk to La Biennale, located on, from what I can tell, what seems to be, the greenest part of the island (so many trees!) There are several smaller buildings on the property, each dedicated to a different country. Just as we go into line for our tickets, the raindrops began to fall.

We are not a big "art" family, or "museum" family, so many of the exhibits we saw were confounding. Very modern interpretations of philosophical concepts. Or too bloody and violent for the sensitive souls. But some displays were cool and interactive.

Denmark's take on sustainability and identity

Weird representation of whatever.
We just liked how it created static in our hair.

On a recommendation,  we were really here to see the art from Shiota, a Japanese artist, who, we found out at the exhibit, now lives in Berlin! So amazing. His art is something we could all enjoy. The message (that we are all connected through time, love, and more) is a concept we can all grasp and appreciate. It was stunningly beautiful.

Close up of some keys (left). A great shot of two boats (photo by Chris).

But, Xander wasn't feeling well. He persevered through Shiota's exhibit, but then we figured we'd better head out. It was raining pretty good now and we had a looooong walk back to our hotel. Just to give you and idea, I normally walk about 6,000-10,000 steps a day (I use a Fitbit to track). On days like today, I walked over 17,000 steps. So, it's a lot of walking, and praise to Xander who made it back to the hotel not feeling the best.

Before the rain (left). During the rain (right).

So, we made it back to our hotel. It felt good to get back and rest. We all took off our soaking wet clothes, got one some dry clothes and relaxed for a few moments. Xander was feeling better. Yay!

BUT... we found a leak in our room! Yes, the hotel is old, but this leak was pretty bad. Water was dripping down the corner of our room and pooling behind the TV, falling off the counter and puddling on the floor. Yikes. Chris called maintenance and, after seeing the leak for themselves, said that they'd move us to another room, for safety.

We packed up quickly, and headed to our new room. The new room had pros and cons. One door into a small hall, then two doors, one for the kids' room and one for ours. Privacy! And because the areas are smaller, the air conditioning seems to work better. But our room is much smaller, and you have to use different keys to the different "second" doors. Kind of a pain. But, we get two bathrooms. But, no bathtub or bidet (which we all tried in the first room, by the way, with lots of giggles and comments). [edit: I am reminded by Venice, that we DID have bidets, doh! and the kids' bathroom did have a bathtub, just not ours.]

And now, it's super late, as we weren't anticipating a room change, and we're starving for a late lunch (3:45pm). Xander really was craving a hamburger, so we went to the Devil's Forest Pub. The hamburgers were delicious. The fries were good too (the kids were not convinced to try the mayonnaise dipping sauce and stuck to the ketchup). And, by the way, the kids were feeling better now that they found a place that serves Shirley Temples (although they were mixed with ginger ale and they have been used to 7-Up/Sprite).

Bridge of Sighs (left). I "heart" Venice (middle). More Bridge of Sighs (right).

By now we were feeling drier and better. We split up. Chris and Xander went hunting for espresso and then back to rest in the room. Venice and I went on a "hedgehog" hunt. She had seen a cute glass hedgehog, but couldn't quite remember where the store was located. We hunted up and down the crazy maze of streets. I am starting to memorise the streets and ways, but it's still so hard to keep the shops separate in my mind (they all look so similar). We finally found the right store and, of course, it's located towards our hotel and only a few streets away (we had been hunting in the wrong direction). So we got the hedgehogs and... got caught in the rain AGAIN. So, we got soaked again. To paint a picture of how wet we got, our shoes were squishing out water as we walked through the hotel lobby.

Due to the rain, we decided to eat downstairs in our hotel. Not our best meal, not much choice. We were ecstatic to not have to put on wet shoes and get rained upon again. But, did you know, it's a moral imperative to have gelato EVERY DAY while in Italy? So of course, we did slosh in our wet shoes to find one more perfect gelato to end our day.

Still so beautiful, even in the rain.