Europe 2012: Berlin

We have felt an outpouring of blessings when it comes to Alex's career this year.

He recently found out he'll be promoted to manager (congrats, babe!). AND, in May he was sent to Berlin, Germany for an International Executive Services global conference. In fact, he was one of only four United States accountants selected to attend! WOWZA! 

Here he is next to the KPMG logo in Berlin.

Of course, I wanted to go too ...

so we schemed up a crazy way for me to meet him there - and then we'd travel around and see a few places! This trip was made possible by family. My parents and Alex's parents and Mommy Kasey Stumph took the children - three days each. I can't thank them enough. After many different emotions, and priesthood blessings, we embraced the opportunity and I hopped on the plane ...

Now, I have hundreds of photos. So, I'll post just a quick selection here.

 After I arrived, feeling jetlagged and carsick from the taxi ride to the hotel, we took a stroll to Victory, then passed through the Brandenburg Gate (above) and ended in Gendarmenmarkt Square. Then we enjoyed eating the art of chocolatiers at Fassbender & Rausch (pic below). Um, delicious! And just the wake up I needed.

We walked the city and ended up in front of the Reichstag.

The next day was Mother's Day. We heard Gail Halverson, "the candy bomber" speak - in English! He was visiting from Arizona. He spoke of WWII, of kindness, initiative and the importance of children. It was heart-touching, and the absolute perfect way to begin the day we had alotted to Holocaust history.

Next, we grabbed a fresh sandwich near Check Point Charlie.

Then followed the wall and huge, informational posters to the Typography of Terrors museum.

We read for hours.
Thankfully, we found a bench where we could rest our feet and listen to some info too.

So many thoughts stick out in my mind ... Would I have folded my arms when everyone around me heiled Hitler; knowing full-well that I'd probably be put to death for doing so? How would my mothering change, if I lived during that time? Would I risk my life to hide Jews? If I were a Jewish mother, how would I protect my children? How did these people do it?
My heart aches and cries for them.

Me by the wall.

Then we walked to the Memorial of the Murdered Jews. Hundreds of concrete blocks, of a variety of sizes, line the space. The blocks are shorter on the outside, and as you balance on the uneven ground towards the center, the blocks begin to tower overhead until you're consumed by their coldness. As we walked through, we lost each other once or twice. It was easy to feel lost, powerless and consumed by concrete. I wasn't sure what I'd think about this stop, but it left an impression. No matter how tall the unwavering, heartless towers climbed around us, we could always look up and see light.

Our last stop was an tour of the inside of the Reichstag. A symbol of the German's current, transparent government. It offered great views of the city, and an enducational audio tour.