Berlin, 19.05.2016 Botanical gardens in May

Berlin, 22.05.2016 The bike shed

It was really a big project, and we had a lot of friends helping with setting it up: Daniel, Hungchi, Antje, Max and Henrike, along with our neighbours Tobias and Peter. And finally, it is finished: the bike shed in our garden.

Berlin, 10.06.2016 Do it yourself!

Funniest machine we ever owned: a Tiefziehmaschine. I have no idea how to translate that, pull-down machine? Tobi guesses vauum-moulding-machine. Acutally, it is used to produce important plastic parts, i.e. the lid of yoghurt containers. Anyone in need of using such, send me a message! (I checked leo, and it translates as "vacuum thermoforming machine")

Bad Sachsa, 11.06.2016 Harz

Our 2016 getaway with the Grimme family. Most of us had never been to the Harz before, a rural region with lots of stories on witches flying around the Blocksberg, the famous mountain meeting point on first of May. We tried the summer sledge, watched a show with birds of prey, and walked through the fairy tale forest.

Berlin, 19.06.2016 Tegeler See

Mia participated in a school project named "Berlin bag". We got a green bag containing all kinds of information material, presenting tourist attraction sites as well as city tours and curiosities. She had to choose a place to visit, take pictures and present them to her class the week after. We chose to visit the promenade next to the Tegeler See, up north, and I was impressed the place looked exactly as I remembered it to look like in 1990 - we even rented a swan boat and pedaled across the lake surrounding a small island.

Berlin, 26.06.2016 Biking tours

Tobi and Moritz did two biking tours, the second one being 65 km long.

Berlin, 27.06.2016 Girls party

Mias teacher suggested two parties at the end of the school year to enhance the feeling of belonging together - one for boys only, one for girls only. The best part of it: the girls had to pair in twos and prepare something to eat for everyone. Mia and Alina chose Sushi and most of us just loved it!

Berlin, 28.06.2016 Tobis crew...

...right outside the new office space in Wedding.

Apeldoorn, 02.07.2016 European Championship

I never watch soccer unless it is Germany playing in either the World or the European Championship. I don`t know anything much about it, but I enjoy a match if it is as exciting as a crime movie, and this time it was even more exciting, to watch Germany play against Italy in the Netherlands with Mascha and Dirk. I really had forgotten how it feels like - and thank the whole team for that event.

Apeldoorn, 03.07.2016 Apes

The next day, we visited some monkey park, and it was the first time I saw monkeys and humans interacting. Even though it was mostly animals searching strollers for any kind of food... The little girl in the first picture did not really enjoy having a monkey on her head, but still though beautiful to watch. At least, the animals could chose on interacting or not interacting. And they mostly had huge areas where they could stroll freely as they wished.

Amsterdam, 03.07.2016 Lucy

It`s been six years, and I missed her so much. She has been visiting her sister Sarah, who lives in Amsterdam with her husband Steve and their daughters Nina and Holly, and I am actually so happy that she did and that I took the opportunity to come by. There are certain people you adore as friends, and enjoy so much as having as neighbours. And at least I manage to keep a spot open in my heart, and write now and then, and even though it is not as much contact I would like to keep, it is more than one could ever ask for with Australians living on the other end of the world. One day, I will took the journey through Taiwan and visit you, and I hope it is going to be soon!

Berlin, 09.07.2016 World War II debris

We hadn`t met Stephan at least for a decade, so were happy that he visited us with his girlfriend Silke for a summer weekend. After touring Berlin's vast centre we explored one of the World War II relicts in Humboldthain - the Flak tower (short for anti-aircraft tower). Even though blown by the French after the end of war, parts of it remained intact and were made accessible to the public by a local association. Scary to watch, and what a big waste - to built such a colossus of architecture to last only six years... On Sunday, we visited the Liebermann Villa to counterbalance the historic heavy weights.

Berlin, 21.07.2016 Growing

While we grow only a little older each day, our kids grow taller! Kilian, Luka and Sonja visited and we spent a great afternoon chasing Pokemons in Fischtal.