Chapter 4: Plotting and planning
A not so secret side effect of moving to a random place, say Germany for example, is becoming the local tour guide, travel agent, hotel, hostel and bed and breakfast to anyone you know or sort of know who decides they might want to visit your location of choice. I take this role with pleasure, but never with as much pleasure as when showing my family around Germany, because I want them to love it, or at least like it, or at least not be miserable.
Fortunately, before my parents visited Berlin, I had a good dry run with my brother. Together we analyzed each and every detail of Berlin, to figure out how to orchestrate the ideal visit for our parents. It began with meeting them at the airport with pretzels in hand (links will soon be available to my father´s pretzel blog entitled "twisted"). We continued to eat pretzels, basically as meal substitutes, at least once a day. I attempted to show them all things in the near vicinity that could be considered both pretty and old - downtown Dresden, the palaces and Dutch quarter in Potsdam, and a personalized tour of the New Synagogue - Centrum Judaicum. I also showed them just enough of the grit of Berlin to get a feel for the local color without inviting the American notion of certain danger/gang violence (sometimes graffiti really is just an art form, mom). And, of course there was a healthy enough dose of history and historical analysis offered by moi , for the entire experience to be deemed, "kinda like a week long field trip with Rachel".
After too little time, we were off to London to see J and O, and to look in on some art...
A not so secret side effect of moving to a random place, say Germany for example, is becoming the local tour guide, travel agent, hotel, hostel and bed and breakfast to anyone you know or sort of know who decides they might want to visit your location of choice. I take this role with pleasure, but never with as much pleasure as when showing my family around Germany, because I want them to love it, or at least like it, or at least not be miserable.
Fortunately, before my parents visited Berlin, I had a good dry run with my brother. Together we analyzed each and every detail of Berlin, to figure out how to orchestrate the ideal visit for our parents. It began with meeting them at the airport with pretzels in hand (links will soon be available to my father´s pretzel blog entitled "twisted"). We continued to eat pretzels, basically as meal substitutes, at least once a day. I attempted to show them all things in the near vicinity that could be considered both pretty and old - downtown Dresden, the palaces and Dutch quarter in Potsdam, and a personalized tour of the New Synagogue - Centrum Judaicum. I also showed them just enough of the grit of Berlin to get a feel for the local color without inviting the American notion of certain danger/gang violence (sometimes graffiti really is just an art form, mom). And, of course there was a healthy enough dose of history and historical analysis offered by moi , for the entire experience to be deemed, "kinda like a week long field trip with Rachel".
After too little time, we were off to London to see J and O, and to look in on some art...
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