Boyntons in Berlin!

John and Court came through town for a week before heading down to Italy with the Wooster group. Here are some pics from that fun week!

Cody's Einschulung (Elementary School Entrance Ceremony) is a huge thing at the Grundschule. Jasper and his class plus others helped out to welcome the new first years.

Cody onstage with his class.

Cody and his "buddy" (Taran) right behind.

The Zuckertutte (Kid's Cone) is full of candy and toys. Lovingly prepared by mom.

Heading to Bayerischer Platz to the Goldener Stern, a classic Bavarian restaurant. 

Few days later, when the sun came out, at a playground in Mitte in front of a multi-story grafitti art project.

Late summer picnic at Sean and Jen's!

Cody loses something.

Right before classy lunch at the KaDeWe: Wittenberg Platz.

Fancy dinner at the 1930's-built Funkturm!

Showing Nana and Pop-pops how to get around the dreaded U-Bann.

Tierpark in the Fall

The Tierpark (Animal Park "Zoo") is the DDR's answer to the West Berlin Zoo. When the Berlin Wall went up, the Berlin Zoo ended up in the enclosed Western end of the city and the East was left without a zoo. So they built the Tierpark for the people of East Germany to overshadow the one in West Berlin.

It's the largest zoo in Europe, although that is sheer size, not animal species. The place is a forest park cut by rivers and fields that has animal enclosures as a secondary consideration. The Berlin Zoo is animals with trees scattered around, while the Tierpark is countryside with animals here and there. At one end is a stately manor house surrounded by formal gardens, statuary and water features.

Back in DE

I came back a few days early as Cass and the kids stayed on in Eagle Crag, then went down to Rhode Island to see Rocky and Colleen.

Being suddenly back in Germany it initially felt like being on vacation in Europe. I did a bunch of Jay-interest Berlin stuff:

Moss overtakes the rail lines in the Gleisdreieck forests.

This is the rubble of a former switching tower. One of the cooler train yard ruins in Gleisdreieck Park. And then unfortunately one day it was pulled down in the name of...? Not sure why they pulled it down. 

I did a long ride along the old Berlin Wall trail from Frohnau back to Mitte, one of the longest stretches of the 90-mile circuit that I haven't covered  yet. They've made a bike trail out of the old DDR jeep road that the soldiers used to ride up and down.

This photo (1989) of the wall and a guardtower.

Same vantage point today. The guardtower somehow survived the bulldozer, it is one of 4 or 5 that are left around the former Wall route.

Ghost train station Siemensstadt, just west of Moabit neighborhood. Closed in the 60's during DDR times and still carries shell holes from the war.

Then Jani and I tried to go to Hamburg for our big Euroeyes Cyclassics bike race, but the trains broke down and we sated our sorrows with some Berliner Kindl.

Wall infrastructure on Zimmerstrasse.

Martin Gropius building, also a trove of bullet holes.

On the day we were supposed to be in Hamburg, we did a big northern loop outside Berlin instead. Here are some more scars in northern Berlin on our way out of the city.

An old Trabi in a small town on the route.

Forest roads are really wonderful to ride!

Finished up the ride at Bornholmer Strasse, one of the first crossing points in the confusion of November 9, 1989. Today, bits of the wall survive in behind interp signs. 

Then the family came back! Yay! I bought some Lederhosen to celebrate.

Cody's Einschulung

Today we celebrated Cody's entrance into first grade with the German celebration called Einschulung. He will join Jasper at the same school - just in the classroom next door.

This day is a big deal in Germany - a rite of passage that is recognized by a ceremony and party. The 20 entering first graders were welcomed by songs, poems and dances by the 4th and 2nd graders as well as a warm and thought message from the principal. And then they met their 2nd grace buddy and spent a little time with their new teachers in the classroom. We topped it off with lunch with family and friends at a little bistro nearby and the opening of the iconic "Zuckertute" (a paper cone filled with sweets, school supplies and little toys).

Summer Post Part III: Eagle Crag

Part three of the summer trip took us then Northeast from Ohio to Upstate New York to Eagle Crag Lake to the Merrill family camp.

Cessna 402 from BOS to Saranac Lake

Ok, it was a tad bumpy. Here we head into the clouds.

Yay!

Much of the week revolved around assuring adequate water supply for pump guns.

Old Glory over the lake

Love that everyone has their own little camp cups.

Captain Ruby takes out the yacht.

Water Battles against the fierce Amanda lake spirit!

Coffee and German grammar. Morning's off to a good start.

And then we climbed up the mountain near Tupper that isn't Mt Arab. I forget.

The Guide Boat!

Kept banging my knees on the oars!

There will be growlers involved.

Classic dock party!

Jasper on oars, Cody on the rear .50 calibre.