We had showed up the week before without a reservation and were turned away, and now we know why. Amazing coffee, the best charcuterie/cheese plates in town, and killer cakes. Worth a visit for sure to Pakolat.
Kai didn’t take a nap again Sunday (a scary trend), so instead of just heading to the playground we jumped on the bike and cruised across town to the zoo. In the past, I wouldn’t go solo to the zoo with Kai. Too far to travel without a stroller, and too difficult control both an energized Kai and a stroller at the same time. But in principle, the bike could work. And it did (although Kai did decide opening my backpack on the way home and threw out my German coursebook twice — unfortunately, I only caught him the first time.) The thanks you get as a parent, even after a chocolate ice cream cone.
While our McDonald’s experiment failed miserably, the 1st May (Labor/Workers Day here in Germany) hot dog was well received. Kai is definitely right — I am done with fast food too.
A safe journey and then we had the full house — all the grandparents and Wolfson-Yamamoto grandchildren together. We all enjoyed a great dinner together at our favourite haunt Herr Rossi. While they say with new children 1 + 1 does not equal 2, we managed to pull this one off just fine.
While Teo is big news, his older brother is dazzling all of us as well. We’ve been hitting the streets a lot to give mom some space, and it’s been a lot of fun hanging out in Berlin, trying new dining options, and exploring new parks. Even at home, we are settling back down into routine of bath, books, and bed. Yesterday Kai was so exhausted he was asleep before 10pm for the first time in a week. Hopefully the trend continues!
Every year we try to have a special meal on Valentine’s Day, and there have been some fantastic ones (we were discussing that Gilt was still the most special, maybe because we had just found out that Kai was coming). This year without much intensive research, we decided to try Facil in the Mandala Hotel. It is strikingly beautiful design, with fantastic service, and food that was delightful. It was a great relaxing time to spend alone — a luxury that will become rarer in the days ahead.
Wow. What a fantastic experience. We decided to take one last voyage before heading into the the baby zone (and even needed a note from the doctor for Chika to fly!) But it was worth it. We haven’t taken a trip alone since Taiwan in the summer, and Istanbul did the trick. We had a great hotel, a great local guide (thanks Huseyin!), and an incredible city full of great history and great food. I can only dream about our next trip for a while.
A few weeks ago, I decided to let Kai help make our fish for dinner and he enjoyed it so much I started looking for other “hands on” projects for us to do together. I remembered I had bought a pizza dough mix and thought this could be really fun. And it was. Although we had a great time making the pizza, Kai wasn’t a complete fan — although he did love the crust and ate up all the crusts from half the pie. Not a complete victory, but for a 1st time I’ll take it.
I had a craving for McDonald’s (it had been a late night out), and since I was taking Kai out for the morning I thought why not give in and let Kai enjoy. Chika even gave the green light so we were all set. But then things didn’t go as planned. First he rejected the french fry. Then the french fry dipped in ketchup (although I do admit the German ketchup is a bit more bitter). But then in the end he finally rejected the cheeseburger.
I can’t complain being the father of a 2 year old that eats broccoli, spinach, etc. but is not seduced by McDonald’s (or even pizza for that matter). But I was kind of hoping to have one of those special first moments together.
We decided to enjoy the oasis of having just Kai and added the bonus of Momoe our au pere joining to enjoy a sensible holiday abroad. We had the good fortune of our friend lending us her flat in Hampstead — a very pleasant area north of the city, with nice parks, bakeries, and shops — plus some free tickets from our BA miles, so we were almost there for free. It was a great trip for Kai, who got to explore 3 museums for kids, plus the Winter Wonderland amusements in Hyde Park, plus the local playgrounds of course. And the parents got to eat lots and lots of good food and catch up with some good friends. And a little shopping too. Now feeling ready to tackle the new responsibilities of 2013.
