Shenanigans Crossing Borders

This might sound crazy

recent posts

about

  • Jumbo Fries – Extra Dick

    New Year, same old!

    1/1/26 (in German that’s read as 1 of January, 2026), we had a quiet day, cleaning the house, taking a small hike around town, and then back home.

    On 2/1/26, we had new snow!

    Meet sir fatsalot! A snowball-turned-into-large-representation-of-a-cartoon-character. The girls spent a fair amount of time outside making this “creature” and we were happy with the results.

    We also decided today was the day to visit the library. Turns out, they have an English section, and so we scored some books to read, a “learn German in 30 days” for JP. For 5 euro, we get unlimited access for three months to their online books, and can even take books home. Completely worth it!

    3/1/26 was quite an experience in Wurzburg, and JP had a bit of an epiphany about Jewry in Germany. The community is super tiny here, even though there’s over 300k people that live here. The synagogue is part of a museum that was rebuilt to help people learn about the atrocities of the Holocaust, as well as provide a communal space for the Jews of the region. On shabbat and holidays, there’s a small minyan, led by a mostly Russian and Hebrew speaking rabbi. We were lucky to meet a wonderful person, Alex, who is fluent is 5-7 languages, and translated between Russian, Hebrew, German, and English. We enjoyed a lovely kiddush, and they even had freshly made sausage and salami! I think Romanian could take some notes

    As for JP’s epiphany, essentially, his experiences in Germany have felt somewhat like we’re visiting a museum, looking inside, but the synagogues and communities we visit aren’t like some historical relic in a museum. For example, in Wurzburg the building is relatively new. The actual room where the service is held feels old, and may be a reconstruction of what existed 80 years ago. What was also fascinating to JP is that most German Jews were quite assimilated to German life by the time the Holocaust occurred. They were similar to what Americans might refer to as modern day reform Jews. This isn’t a slam on anyone, just an observation that the level of observance amongst most German Jews was quite low before the holocaust. Finding kosher food in a place like Wurzburg or Nuremburg wasn’t so easy, nor very sought after. We’ve been told that the communities back then weren’t keeping strict kosher, so the need for kosher meat, wine, bread wasn’t enough to keep a kosher butcher, baker, or store in business.

    And this is where the museum reference comes into play. In Wurzburg, JP had the sense of a museum because this isn’t what communities are like back home. And he wasn’t expecting them to be like home. He wasn’t even sure what to expect. But the sense of having a synagogue supported by the government (without interference) is kind of a weird vibe. The people were lovely, the service was perfect, but there was something that was slightly off (JP’s words). 80 years after the war, a country that obliterated the Jewish population has deemed it essential to not only invite Jews back, but to financially support Jewry by providing security and funds for establishments, it’s an interesting perspective. JP basically feels like we’re observing people who are observing the rituals, but there are few people coming back (most young folk leave for Israel or larger cities or other countries). So, visiting these facilities creates a sense of looking in on the communities that existed, but aren’t growing again, and are kind of like being in maintenance mode. Preserved for the future to see what it was like, but not in a way that is replanting the destroyed forest for new growth, just a well maintained garden. 

    In the end, we loved the experience and look forward to our next visit!

    Sunday we can stroll around the city, found a new playground (this also had a zipline, and a little hut that JP barely fit in), but again, most places are closed. For dinner, we added a bag of Jumbo Fries, Extra Dick (see photo at the top)

    Don’t judge.

    Monday found us taking a long walk back to the city’s big grocery store, Edeka. We scored some essentials, got some snacks, divvied up the load, and headed back home.

    By Wednesday, JP took some paperwork to the government office to apply for registration (first step he needs to do before applying for his visa).

    Then we headed off to Wurzburg for some activity time. Elyce took the AAs to try and find LazerTag (sadly you have to pre-register,and also must be at least 14), so they found some sculptures and a yarn store.

    JP and Vered found the city’s climbing gym and spent some time bouldering!

    JP also submitted all the paperwork to hopefully get his visa!

    Hopeful all of this effort will pay off and we can stay longer than 90 days in the Schengen zone.

  • You’re a firework

    An early morning walk, the last of 2025, led JP through a field, past windmills, into a vineyard, along the town’s hospital’s helipad, past a frozen fountain, and up to a wild rooster. These walks really do cover a lot of random things

    Being New Year’s Eve, everything is open until about 1400, and though stuffs will be closed Thursday on the first, everything will be back open on Friday, so no 4 day weekends this week!

    After breakfast, we took a family stroll, exploring more of our city. This time we discovered what people call Dracula’s grave (spooky?), the leaning tower of Kitzingen, a marker of distances to the next towns, the barrel jester, a red phone booth free library, and made our way across the river.

    Fun fact, the official name of this city is Kitzingen au Main, which translates to “Kitzingen on the river”. The river (is called the Main River) is pretty wide, and it runs all the way to Frankfurt, and keeps going to a bunch of other cities. JP has a dream of getting a boat and just moving up and down the river, exploring the country by boat.

    JP had the fancy idea that we should walk over to the airport (other fun fact, it’s a former military airport, and doesn’t seem to be used for anything commercial). On the way, we found the largest grocery in town (Edeka), and we took an indoor tour to get a sense of how this compares to the stores by us. It is massive, the bacherei (bakery) is stocked, there are lots of choices, and many sections just for cheese.

    From the store we traversed past a WWII memorial, and through open fields. Ultimately, we were cold and wanted to start making our way back to the house. Incidentally, we found an RV with a logo matching Vered’s t-shirt (photo op!). We headed back home to warm up and eat some food.

    The fireworks themselves are something to actually talk about. Like the playgrounds and many other facets of European life, fireworks on this evening are an exercise in self-preservation while open-jawed astonishment in the bevvy of flammable, explosive materials people wish to detonate in close proximity to each other. 

    And all this on top of a bridge!

    Simply put – New Year’s Eve is like living inside of a fireworks display. Leaning over the sides of the bridge, or holding up rockets in their hands, or using empty bottles in the middle of the road, everyone was lighting off fireworks. Some were tossing explosives into the middle of the street, others threw them into the river. Roman candles, sparklers, whizbangs, twirlers, fountains, poppers, zipping magnolias, flying dragons, and myriad other whimsically named fireworks were on full display.

    And yes, they might even fly at you.

    Caveat emptor!

    Sometimes a rocket flew into the crowd. Someone tossed a popper at the feet of others. Another burning top spinner lit up right near a group sitting for a smoke. Dads and moms, sons and daughters, boyfriends and girlfriends, gaggles of teens and tweens, Russians and Germans, North Africans and Ukranians, everyone was anticipating and participating in the biggest winter event here!

    And wow, there were a lot of people!

    And at midnight, every church bell, every tower, every horn, every firework, everything contributed to the cacophony that meant the new year had arrived. This was the demarcation of time between the old year and the new. 

    Auld Lang Syne

    JP & A1 stayed on the bridge and watched while the others moved away and more toward the main strip. When the bells tolled, bats flew from the belfry, and the people of the city mingled and cheered.

    What a rush.

    Now it’s late and we’re exhausted. Happy New Year. ‘Cause, baby, you’re a firework, 

    come on, show ’em what you’re worth, make ’em go, “Oh, oh, oh”, as you shoot across the sky

  • Trials and Tribulations

    Pre-dawn frost, JP walked the dogs up a steep hill, seeking out the local putt-putt facility and indoor basketball court. With a lovely walk, a hilltop pre-dawn view of the city, and a quick run through the woods, JP returned for a quick bite, then we headed out for Nuremberg.

    It’s a holiday week, and the trains are packed! 

    Arriving in Nuremberg, a friendly local gave us some tips and off we went.

    Leaving the station, we crossed into the old tower, stopping in a metal smith shop, and then off through the cobble stone streets. 

    Someone in our family <sarcasm>HAD TO</sarcasm> stop in the Lush store, just to see if it was different from home. Needless to say, JP might’ve kept on walking.

    We also found an Ikea? Yay…

    The facades of these gothic churches are absolutely stunning. The ornate etchings, carvings, and motifs were so beautiful. All handcrafter, and laboriously  set in place by craftsman who probably never had seen a piece of safety harness, ever!

    Cruising through the early morning markets of this city is quite a delight. Most of the holiday street vendors are still setup, so there’s fresh hot nuts, candies, fruits, veggies, shawarma, pickles, cheese, and many other vendors.

    We passed through a bunch of market spaces, and a town square. Crossing a quiet river, and viewing a boat full of life and death.

    Our hope was to visit the Toy museum and City Dungeon Museum. Sadly, the Toy Museum is closed on Mondays, and the Dungeon Museum requires advance registration, and if you want the Englisch tour, it is scheduled to start at 4:30p (just a tad too late for our schedules).

    Just up the hill from the Dungeon Museum is the Nuremberg palace. Let’s go!!!

    Whew, it’s a slog to get up this steep hill.

    One would think, this is steep, i need a rest. But no, the jawas saw boulders at the base of the entrance to the castle and decided that they needed to boulder. In plain shoes!!!

    And even at the top, you have to climb more just to get inside the castle.

    Alas, we made it to the top of the palace, took in the view of the city, and decided it was time to eat some food.

    Looking for a vegan place, JP found the Katzentemple. Yes, a vegan restaurant dedicated to cats. Sadly, we did not have a reservation, and right now this town is packed, so we had to find a different place to eat. Don’t worry though, we’ll be back!

    En route to another vegan restaurant, we happened to walk past JP’s most exciting place: A Piano Store. 

    Mind you, this is no ordinary piano store. This is a Bechstein piano store.

    Only pianists and piano aficionados would understand. 

    Essentially, this is like finding a gold mine when you were searching for potatoes. Po-Tay-Toes!

    Like, yeah, we get it, JP, you like the piano Mr DriveByPianist. It’s amazing, and let’s enjoy it, but peeps are hungry.

    Moving on, we grabbed some food at a non-descript joint, tea at Tee Gschwendner and JP picked up some pipe tobacco.

    The parts of Nuremberg that we visited are old city, and there’s a lot of history here. We know the city became internationally famous for the Nuremberg trials, however we did not feel we needed to revisit this part of history quite yet.

    We did discuss the war, the history, and the ease in which a country slid into fascism. But these topics are also a bit deep for the Jawas, so we had to dial it back and find other topics the girls could discuss, like food and school.

    Back to the train and home in time for work and school. Another day, another kilometer walked.

  • Confection Infection

    In JP’s opinion, one of the best ways to get acquainted with a city is by taking advantage of early morning dog walks. Fresh, crisp, cool air, sunrises, hidden trails, cityscapes, unmarked paths. All great ways to build a sense of direction and a mental map of the town. Honestly, the city is decently sized, but you can pretty much walk from one end of it to the other in about an hour.

    Since today is Sunday, there’s not much open. If we hadn’t mentioned it before, this part of Germany seems to shut down when it’s Sunday. Restaurants and transportation are open, but everything else is closed. 

    Soooooo, since everything else is closed…Did someone say Confectionary museum?

    Ever wonder what an old world candy maker was like?

    Up until now, neither had we. 

    Though, to be fair, if you remember the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,  that candy-making scene was a core memory unlocked. That scene with the workers making candy, Dick Van Dyke accidentally calling all the dogs in the neighborhood, made me think I knew everything about candy making. 

    It turns out, there is some exquisite, if not superb artisanal craftsmanship that led people to have incredible looking (and tasting) confections. And Kitzingen may have been the epicenter of some German confections that went back hundreds of years.

    Elyce found the Conditorei Museum and Bakery, and we set out to explore, learn, and taste what the fuss was all about.

    The museum is actually easy to miss. It is above a bakery. The original bakery used to belong to the Conditorei family, and the exhibit was paid for and installed by the son, who recounted stories of sleeping upstairs in the flour room, or exploring the different implements of baking.

    The history of the desserts, pastries, meringues, cakes, cookie molds, religious significance, etc, was lovely to read through. The building even retains the original wood beams and flooring. 

    With a lovely visit overworking our systems, we felt the only proper thing to do was sample the goods. 

    Ooh la la mon cherie! 

    Er, I mean

    Wow, super. Der Küchen ist lecker!

    Sated bellies, we returned to the playground to burn off those excess calories. JP and the girls played on the tilt-a-whirl. We all did a little exercise routine

    Elyce got to bounce

    And then home for a late lunch.

  • Quiet as ein Maus

    We arrived in Kitzingen on Christmas day. 

    Frohe Weihnachten (Merry Christmas)!

    We are now in Bavaria. An area of Germany where people are known to either be warm, welcoming, gregarious, and out-spoken (how JP sees them). Or, conversely, loud & overbearing (how Elyce sees them). Either way, our family should fit right in.

    As Elyce is mostly concerned about the fact that our family has 2 volume settings: Loud and louder, this town may be a challenge.

    Our home for the next month is in the “tiny” town of Kitzingen. This place has a population of approximately 24,000 people. There are schools, public transit (from city to city, but not really inside the city – it’s so small, you can walk from one end of town to the other in under 30 minutes), libraries, groceries, a hospital, wineries, ping pong training facilities, and even indoor swimming pools, but sadly, no bowling alley (it permanently closed a while ago).

    We arrived relatively early in the day, got into the house, unpacked, and almost immediately decided we needed to get out and take a walk, so JP mapped us to the Alte (Old) Synagogue. It’s approximately 15 minutes of walking, and you’d think we just asked the youngest two girls to rip out their toenails and climb Mt Vesuvius. Oh, such suffering!

    But we walked through a town we didn’t know, and managed to find the synagogue relatively easily. It helps that our host left us a package of tourist maps, and in all of them they have a notice for the Alte Synagogue! So I guess that’s a tourist attraction? 

    A little bit of research shows that Kitzingen had a decent Jewish population of about 450 people, up until Kristallnacht, when everyone had either left, or were deported. The synagogue itself was burned down, and the only part that remained was the foundation. In the 1990s, the city pooled resources and rebuilt the synagogue, though it is now used as an event space and museum. The design is lovely, but being Christmas, nobody was home to let us in.

    There’s a cute little playground and the Main River of Kitzingen right behind the building, so we let the girls play for a while, JP and Elyce sat by the river and talked to random strangers about the Bavarian lifestyle, how everything is closed not just today, but tomorrow as well.

    From the river back to the house, we explored a little more, and then decided, since it was Christmas, we needed to eat some Chinese food. Jumping back into our car, we drove to Wurzburg, a city of approximately 130,000 people. It’s a mere 17 minute drive, or 20 minute train ride. However the train station is a 15 minute walk, and the train only runs once an hour. 

    In Wurzburg we found an authentic Chinese restaurant. The waitress/owner/matron barely spoke German, and Lord Google’s translate feature was better at helping us converse in Mandarin! After a delightful meal, we headed home for a good night’s sleep.

    Friday is interesting because, now that we’re in a new town, even though JP gets to work local hours, we need to prepare for Shabbat, get acclimated to our new environs, and make sure we are ready to go offline for the next 25 hours. Elyce made challah that looked more like cake but tasted just like bread (we didn’t have enough of the ingredients and everything was closed.) Being in new places and bringing our own food, and cooking and keeping kosher, we eat a lot of vegan food, and have to prepare for whatever home we’re in. Staples like rice, pasta, vegan chicken schnitzel, and plenty of veggies are what sustains us!

    Saturday we celebrated the caboose leaving single digits, and joining the double-digit gang! That’s right, Avital’s now 10, and boy does she act like it! We took a nice long walk today, meandering through the city, crossing the river, finding plenty of churches, and discovering a fun little park with inground trampolines, a few swings, a large metallic disc like thing that spins until you fly off old school playground thingie (Elyce’s words), and some outdoor workout equipment (rings, pull up bars, parallel dip bars, etc). We burned off some steam, then headed back before the sun set.  There’s a literal 5 degree (Celcius) drop, which you noticeably despise, as soon as the sun starts setting. After the sabbath ended, we decided we needed to get out and celebrate the caboose on the loose. 

    Avital wanted Pizza, and so we found the cutest, most German-like (exposed wooden timbers, thick wood and iron door, German patrons) Italian restaurant. You step inside and it’s a world apart from the Germany outside. Sure, it’s Germany on the inside as well, but this felt like an authentic Italian restaurant. Only after we ate did we learn that the owner is from Sardinia, and her son, also works there. Now we have a place to visit on an Island in Italy!

    Solid entrance:

    Candle lit dinner, music, people chattering, dogs (allegedly they are allowed inside – though we were told this is strictly a Bavarian thing). Soda, beer, water, pizza, pasta, cheese, salads, this place was gut-bustingly good! After dinner and the bill settled up, we were speaking with the owner about our travels. JP switched to Spanish, and the owner and JP spoke for a solid 10 minutes. She offered us shots of Grapa, and we stayed much longer than the girls wanted to (they were starting to drop). 

    And to be clear, the town has a statue of a man choking a frog

    Making our way back home, dogs walked, Jawas cleaned, we passed out!

  • Felder, Burgen und ein TIE-Fighter

    Lützelbach is a tiny town, population ~6500, spread out through a lot of land. Our host has several ponies (Flint and Merlin) that our girls met, groomed, and rode. The house is on a main thoroughfare, with a grocery ~100M away, an elementary school directly uphill (and it’s not an easy hill to walk up), and that’s really it. There are maybe 3 restaurants in the whole town. It honestly feels no different than a tiny Italian villa, hidden in the folds of the foothills of the Alps. You only see the town as you drive through the single lane main road. Not a single traffic light exists here. Just people living, working, eating, and moving at a different pace.

    The first morning we needed some groceries, and discovered a new (to us) store, Lidl. It’s basically like Aldi back home (3 aisles, everything stocked in similar fashion food on the outside aisles and the center has some home goods). We actually wanted more produce, and found an adorable town nearby (Miltenberg). We found free parking near a church, and walked through the town, down cobblestone streets, past bakeries with incredible odors and breads, and enjoyed the old world river town.

    On our way back to the car, we discovered an old Jewish cemetery right by where we parked. We were simply looking over the hill, when someone in our family saw a headstone with Hebrew on it. We walked closer and it turns out, there had been Jews in the area since the 13th century!?! Lord Google’s Translate handled some of the headstones that were over 200 years old! It’s a Jewish custom to put a rock on a visited tombstone, and we wanted to do so here. Unfortunately the grounds were locked, so we spent a few solemn minutes looking around and reverently discussing the history of the community.

    Did we mention the hills in the town? These stairs spell disaster in reverse.

    Back at our house, we learned that our host had purchased all the buildings that surround the courtyard, and it’s one of the few buildings that survived from before the war. Up another hill is a great apple (Apfel) orchard, where Darth and Inqueue got to run free (leashed to each other). Avital met some young ladies who groom and ride the ponies, and offered her an opportunity to ride. Actually, all the Jawas were offered a chance, only Avital took them up on it.

    The nighttime silence and stars are so beautiful out here, albeit a bit chilly.

    When we left the US, we did not pack winter gear, because, well, go back to the other post about packing in tiny suitcases. Sadly, it’s still winter here. And after a week in Berlin, we’ve decided none of our clothes are enough for winter.

    Except JP’s fleece, which is amazingly warm. So. Not. Fair!

    We decided it was time to go to a 2nd hand clothing store and find jackets/coats, so we drove to Frankfurt. It’s just an hour away, so let’s go!

    What a different world when you get into a big city after spending a few days in the country. Parking is an issue, lots of people everywhere, and traffic galore.

    But we got to a thrift shop, scored some deals on coats, and every femalé got something warm to wear.

    We explored a little more of Frankfurt, drove past the Offenbach synagogue, and stopped briefly at the kosher restaurant, but decided it was too expensive, and we had plenty of food back home. The restaurant itself is part of a squash court club, in what we (back home) would probably call a JCC (or similar). It even has a bakery, but the bakery was closed. We snacked in the parking lot, then headed back for food and so JP could work.

    Don’t mind the Tie Fighter parked outside our town. Happy Christmas Eve Eve!

    News flash, parenting can suck!

    This evening also became a bit of a turning point with our children and their feelings. Vered has been pretty decent at communicating. However Avital does not have a solid enough vocabulary, and both she and Ayelet lack the emotional intelligence to communicate their frustrations. Instead of talking, we often get a lot of yelling, belligerent attacks, and meltdowns.

    Tonight was the first time we slowed things down and had a long, open-ended conversation about feelings, missing friends and beloved dolls, and just the overall concept of this adventure. Avital was very sad to not be able to talk to her friends. Ayelet expressed her frustrations as well about not having a chance to talk to her friends or siblings or cousins. So we started setting up FaceTime dates – and will continue to do so if anyone wants to chat (yes, even you, the person reading this post. Don’t say, “yeah, yeah, i’ll send a message later”. Put down the post, send us a message, and we’ll schedule it. It’s that easy. And don’t worry, the post will be here to pick up right where you left off).

    That kind of emotional endeavor takes a physical toll, and everyone passed out (except JP, who works late nowadays).

    Christmas Eve, and what should some Jews do? We found a time to go find a castle, eat chinese food, and watch a movie. Actually, we didn’t watch a movie, but we did see a castle! And we found Vietnamese people who made adequate vegan Chinese food¡ The castle is actually now a residence, but en route we also found a beautiful home with a lot of antlers on it, and a massive garden across the street.

    Because Christmas eve is tonight, pretty much everything closes up by 1400. And because we are going to Bavaria tomorrow, we need to buy enough supplies to last us 3 days (Thursday and Friday everything is closed for Christmas, and we won’t shop on Shabbat). The goal here is to make sure we get through the Oregon Trail and don’t die of dysentery. Funny, we also have to play Tetris again tomorrow, with all the extra food, dogs, children, and luggage…sigh.

    Another “tomorrow” problem.

    And now that it’s tomorrow, JP parked backwards on the street, we loaded the car, and got on the road before checkout time (a new record).

    Kitzingen, here we come!

  • Pony Express

    Sabbath the way you want it!

    Ever been a stranger in a brand new city, not knowing anyone, walking around, no cell phone in site, four people expecting to be wherever you’re leading them to, any minute?

    Ok, most people don’t know that feeling

    But if you’re JP, you’re not most people…and getting lost in a city is what you love doing.

    Seriously, how the heck does he just figure out a city, walk around, and know where he’s going?!? So aggravating!

    Last Shabbat (our very first in a city where we basically knew nobody) and he kinda figured out where we were having dinner and got us there (only 1 small missed street). However this Shabbat all he did was write down the street name and know that it’s about an hour walk away…

    Address? Nope

    Name of the synagogue? Nope

    Cross streets? Nope

    Yup, that’s JP for you <sigh>

    We managed to get out early and walked through some of the loveliest (and probably most expensive) parts of Berlin. Luxury stores, exotic cars, fancy clothes! It’s like a cold version of Rodeo Drive. Eventually we got to a street corner with a sign that said a synagogue was 450m away. 

    Great! 

    A sign! 

    On a bent post!

    Gah!!!

    Standing in the cold, without a device, 3 whiney children who just walked almost an hour, and no real idea where we were going. We saw a random stranger approach, shifty-eyed, unsure what this loud, un-German family was arguing about in the middle of an intersection.

    Mr Shifty Eyes slows down, makes eye contact with JP, JP asks, “Excuse me, where’s the synagogue?” The other guy stops for a second, and says, “Which one?”

    HA! Hold the phone. We just found a rando guy who was also going to shul, and miraculously met us at a street corner, right when we needed some help. 

    Ok, pragmatically, Elyce saw a group of security and police about a block away, and was sure that’s where we should go, but combined with our new found friend Meir (from Azerbaijan), and the cops, we got to shul! 

    And wow!

    The front door is the most non-descript entrance (just a wood door – you wouldn’t even notice the bullet-proof glass). The cops were a bigger tell. Just past the main building, you walk out into a courtyard, and holy beautiful synagogue out of nowhere sensation…

    Services are traditional (men in the front section, women in the back). JP got an aliyah, and we were invited to the after-service meal (kiddush) to celebrate the bar mitzvah. The girls made fast friends with some kids, and almost brought one back home with us. During kiddush we went from the corner table being mostly by ourselves, to being a raucous group of folks enjoying ourselves to the end. The famous shohet rabbi (from Israel, overseeing the ritualistic kosher slaughter, leading the sephardic services) joined us, gave blessings galore to everyone (especially us), and we had a marvelous, warm, and engaging experience with Israelis, Germans, Azerbaijanis, children and adults. So amazing and endearing.

    Back at the apartment, right after shabbat we packed, then went out to pick up the rental car. We picked the largest vehicle that wasn’t a van, so we got a station wagon that promised room for at least 5 large luggage pieces. 

    But holy mother of albanian apple juice makers, how’re we gonna fit all of our luggages, mammals, and food, into this vehicle?!?

    That’s a Sunday problem. 

    Deep breath, we’ve got this.

    Oh wait, it’s now Sunday morning and we’re playing Tetris in a BMW station wagon. Everyone except JP was going to have no extra space for our 5+ hour drive. 

    Our first stop is at a gas station / rest area, where using the facilities costs 1€/person, but you get a voucher to spend in the station. Most amazingly, even the “fast food” was served on real plates with real cutlery…we had our own food we ate by the car, but it’s just a whole level of different.

    Next stop: Kassel, home of the Brothers Grimm, and some of JP’s former co-workers, including Torben, who was in highschool when JP worked with him (he’s now in university). We learned history, walked the market, caught up on our lives, and saw Santa fly across the city square and shoot off fireworks! Then we had all-you-can-eat sushi (it’s technically 15 rounds, and each person can only order up to 5 items per round, and the clock resets every 10 minutes, and you only get 3 hours). We made it 8 rounds.

    Parting ways, we left Kassel and a few uneventful and cramped hours later, we arrive in Lutzelbach, our home for the week. 

    Talk about a tiny town. But it was perfect, relaxing, and our home is a pony farm!

  • The Circular Economy!

    A new day, a new adventure.

    Today we visit the legendary Botanischer Garten. Even though our children believe we were born before Great Grandpa Kurt (GGK) worked here nearly 100 years ago, it just goes to show we have aged well. 

    Our guess is GGK would have been thrilled to see how this Garten is thriving. Especially with how beautiful and calm it is, even in the winter.  It is home to an almost completely extinct palm tree. So many wonderful plants and flowers to see, smell, and learn about. They even had a waterfall, banana and coffee bean trees, trees that have gourds that can explode and project their (insert promiscuous word about asexual reproduction here) over 100 feet. No doubt, GGK would be proud to know the family has some “roots” in this place.

    (Photos mostly by Vered)

    If I could walk 500 hundred miles, I absolutely would not ever consider doing it with these little human beings. OH MY GAWD. They never stop whining about the cold, their feet, their ears, the next book they want to read, some statement about 6/7, or who they’d rather meet, Olivia Rodrigo or Taylor Swift. GAHHHH

    By now, if you hadn’t guessed, we  were walking again, but this time we had a non-tourist activity planned. Yup, we’re not on vacation, we actually need to eventually buy shoes, underwear, hats, coats, socks, etc. Thank the spirits we found a mall near the Garten that had children’s shoes. A1 & A2 got some new sneakers, and on the way out, we (JP as usual) was overly excited because they have a public piano in the mall!

    Elyce was humored as the sign on the piano reads:

    As Elyce often does, whenever JP sees a piano, she surveyed the room, people watching while he played. Elyce is an incredible people-watcher. If there were a sport for people-watching, she would take platinum (she’s that good). And for those who don’t know, JP’s been playing the piano for approximately 40 years (remember, according to our children, he’s already over 100). And with a degree in piano performance, and piano at home on a  bluetooth remote controlled drivable platform, you know JP loves to perform. So here we are, sitting in an open eating area. A few people saw him go to the piano and slightly tensed up, expecting someone who can barely play. 

    To be fair, JP isn’t small, walks like a lumbering bear looking for a tree to scratch his back on, and wears a hat that everyone thinks he stole from Indiana Jones. 

    Oh, how wrong they were…

    One woman visibly relaxed, slowed down her lunch, and seeminlgy enjoyed the performance. After a few scales, JP jumped right in, and the whole environment of the room warmed up immediately. 

    Were the girls bored? Who cares!

    Elyce loves hearing JP play the piano, and JP loves playing the piano. For us, that’s a win! We’ll definitely look for other free pianos to play.

    A fun little addition to our trip is all the open air markets we keep finding. Back home we’d call them Chrikindlmarkts. It’s like asking Chinese people what they call their food at home…Here, folks just call them the Markt. Gluehwein, roasted walnuts, farmer’s stands, clothes, silly tchotchkes, etc. We got some fresh fruits and veggies, then headed home for work and school.

    While we toiled away, Elyce made her most delicious ever latkes, and some incredibly tasting challah.

    Our next day’s lesson: CIRCLES! Specifically, how to walk in them. 

    We stepped into a lovely Markt outside of Bahnhof Potsdam Station, and right across the street are remnants of the Berlin Wall. 

    The girls had never really heard much about the Berlin Wall, so this was a great way to learn about the division, history, and causes.

    And most of the remaining wall pieces are covered in chewing gum. Used chewing gum…gross!

    Leaving the wall, we met a 2.25M tall bär,

    and then walked to the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe. 

    This monument is a bit disorienting. It looks like just large blocks of concrete. Hundreds of them. In rows and columns. Evenly spaced. But when you walk into them, you notice that the ground isn’t level, and the further in you go, the taller the blocks become. After a while, you are completely below the street line, no sunlight, no wind, just blocks. Rows and rows of blocks.

    The sensation is intense, the feeling somber. Most people are very serious. Most people take this solemnity, and walk quietly. 

    Then there’s JP (as usual) making light of a dark situation, by helping A1 & A2 to stay occupied and use up some energy. They played a little, trying to get around each other. Thankfully Elyce and V walked away.

    We did get in line for the museum entrance, but were told by the folks that work there, the exhibit was very graphic, and probably not for anyone under the age of 13. 

    Even so, everyone gained some level of respect for the horrific history.

    Of course, nothing helps a dispirited group more than food!

    We promised the girls we would go to the vegan donut shop our random solo-travelling Portland friend told us about. Turns out they are kosher as well! 

    AND delicious! (Elyce procured a 2nd one just for herself for later)

    To find this place, we had to backtrack back from the memorial to the Berlin Wall remnants. We walked past a spy museum, the upside down museum, and a few other odds and ends, before it.

    Talk about a circular economy! because from the donut shop, we wanted to see the Reichstag Building (Parliament), which was, you guessed it, back past the memorial.

    However, another motto of Elyce’s, “When in the capital of a state/country, one MUST stop to see the capital building!” The girls noticed that Germany’s capital building also has a round top just like many of the capitals in the USA. But what’s cool is Germany’s has a glass domed top, and it looks like you can walk through it.

    Leaving the Reichstag, we visited another playground, this time in the Tiergarten. Again, another zipline. This time JP rode it as well! 

    Another full day, but the week was not done!

    The Jawas and Elyce headed to the Berlin Zoo and Aquarium. 

    During this lovely visit, 2 animals cemented their place in our list of favorites (see the photos):

    1. Heavyweight Unicorns 
    2. Pandas

    There were loads of other wonderful, vibrantly colored birds and animals to be seen. 

    While the aquarium was cute, we didn’t spend as much time there, instead focusing on the zoo and its list of animals. 

    (Photos mostly by Vered)

    And what’s more amazing than visiting another city, is finding a 4th cousin of Elyce’s that she is pretty sure no one in her (immediate) family has met before. Cousin Amos and his family were wonderful, warm, welcoming and such a joy to spend time with. What a wonderful hanukkah celebration, indeed!

    The children all got along and had a great time, despite language barriers. Everyone was sad when we had to leave. Hopefully we can continue to build a relationship with our newly re-found relatives over many more years. Thank you for welcoming us to your home! 

    (I forgot to ask if adults faces could be seen, so until permission is granted, you get some fruit!)

    On Friday, we made a stop at the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market). 

    Ok, guilty, you figured us out. 

    We have visited a few, and hope to visit a few more, before they close for the season. This one was near Alexanderplatz and had a Ferris wheel and a carousel. Roasted peanuts, walnuts and churros were enjoyed. 

    And, who’d’ve thunk it? Elyce was actually convinced, somehow, by the great G-d almight (and  a bit of coaxing from our girls), to ride the Ferris Wheel (IYKYK).

    Back to the previous mention of playgrounds built to help children gain quick lessons in fortitude and fall avoidance planning. We found trampolines built into the sidewalk. Of course we had to try them, but there was not as much bounce per ounce as one would expect.

    Oh well, back home for the super earliest Shabbos of the entire year: 15:35!

  • Ready Player One

    Yogi Berra once said, “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical”. 

    And Vince Lombardi even went so far as to say, “Winners never quit, and quitters never win”

    And a wise man (JP) once said, ”Only users lose drugs”

    While most people would call it quits after walking all over the northern part of Berlin, attending 2 parties, eating a fair amount, and singing Channukah songs in Brandenberg Tor, we still needed to eat something. Say one thing about us, Baders don’t quit.

    In search of some food, JP (as usual) found a lovely vegan asian place. We were the only family in there, and everyone seemed to be on a date. The space was warm, the adult beverages were delightful, and the food was delicious. Amusingly enough, a single patron who sat right next to us in the middle of our meal, started chortling during our conversations. Turns out, this guy next to us was hilarious, solo traveling from Portland through Spain before going back. We shared stories, and he strongly recommended a vegan donut shop (where he had come directly from because they close earlier than the restaurant). We parted ways, but not before taking a pic of his phones’ pic of the donut shops name (we’re so living in the 21st century). 

    Back home, JP walked th dogs and everyone went to sleep! New level unlocked: Berlin Channukah!

    As one day leads to another, our adventures continued. The next morning marked the first day we would use the public transit system. To prepare, we did like all other adults, and turned to YouTube to find some random video explaining how. With all the buses, trains, and walking about, this was going to be very useful.

    Armed with more addresses to visit, we ventured out to see where Elyce’s Grandmother Ruth (AKA Great Grandma Ruth, GGR) and Great Uncle Walt (GGRs brother) lived at some point in their early childhood. Unfortunately, the girls were peaking in their incredulity and cruelty towards each other. The biting, fighting, kicking, screaming, yelling, name calling, taunting, flim-flamming…GAHHHH! Even on another continent this stuff never ends.

    (And people say we’ll miss this stage?!?). 

    Sadly, all of this bickering took a toll on Elyce, and she lost it.

    To be honest, we know we are not teachers, and we are dragging our children through the childhood streets of deceased relatives. People that our children never met or knew (but were named in memory of). A major reason we came to Berlin was to explain the significance of being here: being in a country that wanted to rid itself of Jews. The significance of our family being here, alive, and thriving. The emotional roller coaster of dealing with these girls and our purpose, it hit a point where trying to explain this emotional weight hit a boiling point. Maybe the sentiment got through, maybe it just hit a brick wall.

    The point being: sigh!

    Between Ruth’s youth home and the place where she was supposedly born, we meandered through a park with a playground. 

    Full stop!

    We found a park with a zipline. And not one of those dinky little 3 meter ziplines. No, this thing had about 50 meters of cabling (that’s approximately 164 freedom units for y’all). It even swings when you get to the end, your momentum sending you back halfway!

    Seriously, though, the playgrounds here are amazing, and built for you to earn your toughness. For example, the perimeter of one swingset/jungle-gym area was lined with cemented rocks. Sure, they’re smoothed down a bit to lessen the strike, but make no bones about it, these playgrounds are meant to help you learn quickly about falling.

    Thankfully, nobody in our family tried learning the hard way how to not fall, and we continued walking and discussing if we thought Grandma and Uncle Walt used to walk these roads with each other, what they might have done, what it was like in the late 1920s.

    Before we left the playground, JP noticed a bridge which crossed over to the cutest little island. The island was devoid much beyond a restaurant, walking trail, and what looked like a playhouse.

    Eventually, despite all the whining, complaining, and horrible suffering our children endured, we made it to the house where Walt (probably) fell from a clothing line (while pretending to tight-rope walk). Family legend has it that he broke his leg from this accident, which caused a permanent limp. We scouted the house out, peeked into the backyard, and left.

    After torturing our children enough with their own family history, we decided it was time to have some fun.

    Did you know Berlin has a Computer Game Museum?

    Neither did we.

    But we sure as heck were gonna visit it.

    Nostalgia city here we come! Who remembers paperboy? Tetris Arcade? They even have one for people 18+ years of age. 

    Seriously.

    And no, you dirty-minded fool, it has nothing to do with that.

    This one is a tabletop game, with a knob and a button on each side. But the game’s objective is to see which player can withstand being electrocuted. 

    You read that correctly. 

    Quoting Wesley of The Princess Bride, “To the Pain!”

    Turns out, feeling old, revisiting core memories, seeing setups that completely reminded us of our innocent childhoods plugged into Ataris, NESs, PS1s, etc. A replica video game hall, bedrooms and living rooms setup like just how we had them as kids, WHOA! They also had lots of different interactive exhibits explaining the history of different consoles and video games. This place was awesome! 

    Maybe it helped that the girls’ next school cycle covers coding, so maybe it was a little more interesting for them, or just that they got to play videogames. (One could hope, right? RIGHT??)

    All this done and back to the apartment before 3p, so JP could start working.

    Welcome to our new routine.

  • The Big Middle Finger

    The saying goes something like, “A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step”.

    And then there is the saying, “One does not simply walk into Mordor”. 

    Either way, we just traveled a crap ton. A metric crap ton. That’s far.

    And voila! We are here, in Europe, chilling on another continent. 3 children, 2 dogs, 2 idiot adults (your narrators, present company included), it is real, it is an emotional roller coaster.

    The AirBnB is working for us, the contact people are very responsive, the location is great. We are near some Embassies (North Macedonia, Haiti, Ivory Coast), train and bus lines, shopping of all kinds but the neighborhood is relatively quiet. And it is perfect. 

    Arriving on a Friday (instead of Thursday because of that involuntary layover), we decided we should just go out for dinner! So we signed up for dinner at the nearest Chabad house. It wasn’t such a long shlep (just a mere 40 minutes walking, in the cold, down streets we’ve never been on), and did we mention JP wrote the directions down, but because it’s the sabbath, we were completely offline, which also means no phones to get directions. Well, JP’s internal geopositioning satelite was pretty spot on, but his directions didn’t know that what he listed as a street was actually a sidewalk. So we missed a turnoff 1 block from the Chabad, walked a block out of the way, then started asking random people for help. They helped us, we met more people going to/from various synagogues, and finally made it to dinner. The rabbi, who coincidentally is from Postville, IA and has never seen Star Wars, was very lovely. They even seated us all with him and his wife (we got cute name placards). Another wonderful person we met was a woman who also reclaimed her citizenship and did a lot of family research. She was very helpful with contacts for people we might need (lawyers, insurance brokers, doctors). 🙂  After eating too much hummus, trying to talk in German, Russian, Hebrew, Yiddish, and English, the girls dragged us out of there. Our new found friend explained a shortcut that shaved 15 minutes off our walk home.. 

    Shabbos we (some of us) slept in, except JP (as usual) who woke up and took the dogs for a 4a walk – or maybe it was 7a? We don’t know because our apartment doesn’t have a clock (the one we brought instantly died the moment we plugged it into the outlet). Also, the sun doesn’t rise here in Berlin until after 8:15a this time of year. It was dark, dogs got walked, birds chirped, JP drank cold instant coffee…

    Aside from playing games, taking a relatively nice walk (it was warm in the sunlight, chilly in the shade), there was nothing major to report. Since there is not a lot of daylight, maybe 8 hours a day, shabbat also ended just after 4:30p. Soooo early, we should go explore? Nope, off to bed everyone!

    Our first tourist day in Berlin, we ventured into the community in search of Elyce’s Great-Grandfather Kurt’s home. This was where he lived, practically until he was married. Honestly, it was cool to walk everywhere, but it’s a very urban environment. Unlike other major metropolitan cities we have visited and/or lived in, Berlin does not conform to a grid-pattern. There is no rhyme nor reason to the street/block patterns. You could go for a walk, turn right 4 times, and end up in a different neighborhood.

    Thankfully, the essential Maps del Gøøgle helped us find our way. We found Indiana, a church that looks like a toaster, and cars parked on sidewalks.

    Once there we tried to envision what the street or the building might have looked like, because this place was way to clean to have survived a war and look like this.

    With firsthand knowledge of where our family’s roots were, we ate a lot of dried mango (seriously, 2KG of dried mango for just 19 euro is a pretty sweet deal, pun intended). Since we sat so long in transit, now we got to torture, er, build character with our children. We walked a good hefty 6KM (~3.75 freedom units for y’all back in ‘Murica). Our destination was a return to Chabad to begin celebrating Hanukkah with a kids party. 

    This Chabad has so many vibrant colors all around.

    This party was lit. Live music, free drinks, lots of people, sufganiyot (jelly donuts), wax hand mold making, candle decorating, an inflatable obstacle course, and some game about grabbing light (JP did really well at this). The girls ran around, made wax molds, made new friends, and basically had a great time. It was amazing being surrounded by a community that was once 100% decimated, and is now thriving. 

    And if you thought the day, filled with walking, sugar donuts, and games, wasn’t enough? Well, check it out, we got to attend a “private” ceremony at Brandenburg Tor (Gate) for the community-wide public lighting.

    *Please note: This was a mixed emotional state. That morning we had learned about the tragic attack in Sydney, Australia. Do we attend or stay away?

    We were told security was already going to be heightened and after the attack it was increased.

    Elyce fretted while JP remained laissez-faire. We decided to go.

    And there is no mistaking it was the RIGHT thing to do.

    There was a lot of security around the area: barricades, fences, officers, a single line to get into the main area. It was a lot., yet we never felt scared. The US Embassy and the British Embassy surrounded most of the area. The Rabbis did a wonderful job (although we understood none of what was said in German or Hebrew). But the memorial to the members of the Sydney community was moving, even in a language we don’t understand. 

    Watching the rabbis dancing on stage, singing, getting lifted in a boom to light a giant channukiah. The entire spectacle was awesome! The girls said it was really loud, but they also complained about being cold (right up until a rabbi walked around handing out sufganiyot). To Elyce, the sight was amazing, but to be honest, the sound was muffled (I guess hearing loss has its benefits).

    What’s incredible about all this? Everything about this moment meant so much to Elyce:

    Standing there, in the center of the capital of a country that wanted to rid itself of her family because of their religion.

    Standing there, as a German citizen

    Standing there, with the next generation.

    Standing there, in opposition to terrorist attacks around the world against us.

    This was the big middle finger to the ones who tried to kill us. We survived. Let’s eat!