May Day

Berlin in the springtime is outstanding. We wondered this week whether we should try to go somewhere on this long May Day weekend, perhaps to Dresden or Leipzig, a day trip kind of place, so we could say we’d been traveling. But the end of the week snuck up on us (the long part of the weekend coming at the BEGINNING, instead of the end, like we’re used to) and we hadn’t planned anything, so we stayed.

Local hero Christian took us climbing today. We herded the kids out of the apartment at the remarkable hour of 10:20, only shortly after the promised 10:00. It being May Day, we promptly (as in outside our door) came across two other families out to do something outside with their kids. This gave the distinct impression that this is kind of like a Memorial Day in Boston. Everyone has the day off, except the train workers, and the weather is awesome, so everyone is out and heading for the riverside or the woods or grilling or whatever, as long as its outdoors.

Anyway we met up with Christian out by Grünewald, to the west of the city. Still in Berlin, but as he said, the great thing about Berlin is that even when you stay in the city you can still get out of the city. To get to the climbing wall, we had to climb up and over Teufelsberg (Devil’s Mountain), one of the many hills created by piling up the rubble left over from the destruction of the city at the end of WWII. It’s difficult to believe that this is a man-made hill when you’re actually on it; its size alone suggests it has to be natural, and the fact that its sides are covered with trees makes it feel wild. The bricks and bits of concrete that poke through into the path do make it clear that something else is going on, however, and Katy even spotted some pieces of old china. An archaeologist’s dream!

The climbing wall, a multifaceted structure set back in the woods, had a pretty good crowd. Christian hooked us all up with harnesses and ropes and gear, taught some knots, set up some top ropes, and we spent most of the day climbing, belaying, and generally getting good and tired. Everyone had some success, everyone tried something that was out of their comfort zone, and we all had a great time. We ended the afternoon exhausted, proud of ourselves, and not at all disappointed to still be in Berlin. Thanks Christian!

Dinner at a Biergarten, near the zoo, put the finishing touches on a terrific day. Dining outdoors, where we could be silly and loud and not have to be on our best manners, made for a relaxed and fun evening. We made it home on the S-Bahn, bathed dust, sweat, and sunscreen off all the kids, and popped them into bed. I suspect they’ll all sleep well tonight.