July was a real whirlwind of a month, partly due to that whole parenthood thing (above: Björn’s one-month-old photo) and appointments with the midwife, the Gesundheitsamt, and doctor, but also partly due to a two-week visit from my parents (who, let’s be honest, really just came to see their grandchild). We may have even overdone it a bit on the planning (at least in the sense that it was a lot for a three-week-old kid to go along with, though he was pretty great with all of our venturing out and day tripping, and definitely in the sense that most days we were sleep-deprived and cranky or grumpy or moody), but it was important to us that 1) we left the house every day if possible and 2) my parents saw a lot and weren’t bored by sitting around our flat for two weeks. Here’s an overview of a few of the things we did:
-Took a train ride out to Oranienburg, where we ate lunch and strolled through the Schloßpark, followed by a visit to Sachsenhausen, where I hung out in the cafe with a hot, fussy baby while my parents and M. did a tour. Later that evening we ate dinner at Burrito Baby.
-Had lunch at Piri’s and ice cream at Tanne B with some long-time family friends visiting their son (who also lives in Berlin).
-Enjoyed pizza slices with M.’s best friend at Ron Telesky Canadian Pizza, took a trip to the hospital to drop off thank you cards and birth announcements, made an afternoon stop-off at a cafe for sweets, and prepared a big salad dinner at our place.
-Ventured out west to Pfaueninsel for a picnic and afternoon stroll.
-Went to the Berlin Zoo (and snagged a yearly membership for parents of newborn babies).
-Rode along the Spree River on a boat trip with M.’s mother. It took us to Charlottenburg Palace and we got out and headed to Rogacki (a famous fish market spot) for my parents to eat. We then hung out in the palace gardens for an hour or so before beginning the return trip.
-Made our way out to Britzer Garden and enjoyed the beautiful landscaping there, before meeting up with T. for dinner at Tangs Kantine that evening.
-Ate a delicious brunch at Schuchmanns, followed by a leisurely afternoon in Alt-Köpenik/Fischerkietz, and a long and fun dinner (with margaritas!) at Chaparro.
In addition to those things, we also went to the Turkish Market, ate pizza at Villa Di Wow, had a visit from M.’s dad, went to the Slow Travel Berlin book launch at Urban Spree, had dinner with M.’s mother and her husband at their place one evening and at Viasko another, ate at a few spots other than those mentioned above, prepared traditional potatoes and quark for my parents, and did a lot of walking around Kreuzberg and the surrounding areas. In short, it was definitely a successful trip.
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