Berlin layover (pt 1 of 2)

We decided ahead of time to do a 3 day layover in Berlin on our way home.  One of the reasons for this was to have some time and space to grieve & decompress before we returned.  On one hand, I was eager to get back -  I was missing our boys a ton.  On the other hand, I really did need some time to process without the looming details of The Move over my head.  The time in Berlin was SO good for us.  We stayed with some new friends - they allowed us to crash there and the freedom to be on our own.

The highlight of our trip was meeting up with a friend of ours from Vienna.  Her family is in Potsdam and she had returned home, so we met up for the day and she showed us her city and her home. (You should know that all of these pictures were taken on the same day - notice the crazy changes in weather.)

We started off walking up to the top of a summer palace (Belvedere auf dem Pfingstberg) for the aerial view of Potsdam.  As we were headed up, we could see the clouds moving in.

By the time we got to the top, we had a quick glimpse before it broke loose.  With the view we had we could see all the patches of rain - very cool.

and it hailed...

Meike & I once the worst had passed

Seriously - this was 20 minutes later

Then we headed up to another beautiful site Sanssouci.  It was lovely to walk and talk.  Getting to spend the day with our sweet friend was wonderful and getting a tour of her city was a great bonus.

Then we had the opportunity to spend the evening with Meike's family.  Her mother is a Pastor at a local church Französisch-Reformierten Gemeinde and has presided over this community since before the Berlin Wall fell (Potsdam was located in East Germany).

Inside we took the opportunity to sing some German Hymns together.  

The acoustics are beautiful.

  

Dan even got to play a little bit on the Baroque Organ. 

We spent dinner together at a local restaurant and had the most lovely and memorable evening.  They were very open and candid about living in East Germany and some of their answers surprised my Western cultural views.  I felt that in some small way, I was a first-hand learner that history is written by the Victors and isn't always as accurate and exact as it might seem. 

I can't express how much we enjoyed our time with Meike's parents. 

They are such wise and warm souls and I understand more fully why Meike is as kind, generous and delightful as she is. A truly perfect day - despite the weather :)

berlin post will have to wait until later... but it was pretty cool too!