Tennis

There is a tennis club that is about 20 minutes by foot from our house.  Eddy starting taking lessons there two weeks ago.  They have 8 outdoor courts.  During colder weather (November - March) they cover four of the courts with a bubble.  We have applied for membership for next year (2018).  However, there is a waiting list and so we may not get in.  If not, we will keep trying.  In the meantime, Eddy can take lessons until the summer season.  He plays twice a week in a group with German kids.  The coach speaks English, but Eddy has already picked up some language skills from the other players in his group.  Way to go Eddy!

Inside the bubble.

Bubble and outdoor courts.

The tennis club clubhouse is an old villa.

Entrance to the club.

Walking home after a lesson.  Tennis courts are behind the fence.

Subway stop across the street from the club.

Houses in the neighborhood.

The tennis club is in the township of Dahlem.  Eddy standing in Dahlem town center.

Spreewald

We spent today in the Spreewald (Spree Forest).  It includes low-lying areas in which the Spree River meanders in thousands of small waterways through meadows and forests.  It is a unique landscape about one hour south of Berlin. Besides the beautiful nature, there are also a number of historic villages as well as old, traditional farmhouses situated along the waterways.  The Spreewald is a preferred region for short holidays, especially for Berliners.  Numerous quiet hiking and bicycle tracks lead through the beautiful countryside. In addition, the area can be explored by traditional barges or canoes.  We chose to cycle through the countryside, stopping here and there to experience the beauty around us or at one particular moment...to climb a haystack.

Out starting off point was the village of Lubbenau.

Making our way through the village.

Historic Lubbenau.

Leaving the Lubbenau and heading into the countryside.

Spreewald waterway.  Traditional barges line the banks and are covered up for the winter season.

The best way to experience the area is by barge.  It is similar to floating through Venice on a gondola.

Lost in a farm field.

Historic Shloss (castle).

Spreewald is known for pickled cucumbers.

Pickled cucumbers are available sour, with herbs, with garlic, with mustard - the choices are almost infinite!

On one of the many bridges that cross over the waterways.

  

Birthday Celebration

Although we celebrate our birthdays every year, some are more significant than others.  Turning 12 is definitely a big one.  Eddy had specific ideas about hpw he wanted to celebrate this birthday.  He wanted to go to a "fancy" dinner, so Mom and Eddy went to Vivaldi, a beautiful restaurant in the Schloss Hotel which is a former manor on the edge of Berlin's largest wooded park, the Grunewald. 

At the hotel entrance - no, we did not arrive in that Bentley.

The fancy dining room...

Fancy drinks ...

Fancy chocolate mousse dessert

Reason to smile: chestnut mousse with blackberry sauce

Relaxing with a full tummy on the lobby couches...

The birthday celebrations continued on the weekend with bowling, and enjoying the awesome fall weather.

This  is how you throw a strike; look at the form and concentration!

After working up an appetite with bowling, we headed to Eiershale (Eggshell), our favorite local restaurant.  The fall weather was beautiful and we ate alfresco.  

Since it often gets chilly as the sun goes down, German cafes and restaurants have blankets for their customers!

The day ended at home with cake (Orea ice cream!) and presents. 

Sparkling grape juice and a glass of Prosecco for Mom and Dad to celebrate their accomplishment