Landschaft Park

Although this was our first really field trip with the students, it felt like our first.  We has a chance to start to get to know them a little. We toured an old steel mine that has been turned into a park.  It was really interesting.  It rained on the 4 block walk back to the train and the boys, Bruce, and I got soaked because, of course, we were the only ones NOT prepared for the weather.  We had one umbrella for the 4 of us. 

Old steel mining stuff now a park.

 The students.  There were two groups: us and a group from North Carolina.

 Gardens in the old steel containment areas.

 Playground. Mark and Andrew LOVE these bouncy things which are at almost every German playground.

 BIG kid slid.  The students loved  it.

 Sean helping Mark dig in the sand.

 Andrew trying to figure this thing out.  He has some engineering qualities, I think.

All and all it was a great, but exhausting day.  Come to think of it.  That can sum up just about all of our days here.  As I type this, it is Thursday night in Berlin.  Bruce was telling the boys a bedtime story and then I heard silence.  All three of them fell asleep before he even finished.  What an adventure this has been for us.  I'll try to keep plugging away at the blog.  I have about 5 posts in progress, but I, myself, am usually exhausted by the end of the day.  I wish I could have kept up the journaling as we go.  Just an FYI:  Today we visited the Concentration Camp.  The boys didn't go.  Arianna took them to Legoland.  I'm not  sure  if I'm going to write about it.  Bruce didn't take any photos.  I wasn't sure how it would feel being on the grounds where so much evil took place.  I was surprised that my emotions were very mixed.  I felt a deep sadness at times that brought me to tears, but there was also an emptiness as well.  Not sure what that emptiness was.  As we walked from place to place, all I could  do was pray the Hail Mary continuously.  That was all I could think to do.  I prayed for those who were killed, but I also think that, at first, I was praying for protection from evil.  But I never felt evil, just that deep sadness and emptiness. 

OK, I am trying to keep this chronological so I'll go to bed after, yes you guessed it, what was a great, but exhausting day.