Bear hunting in Berlin




You have probably noticed the pictures of Pal and Hatty with various bears.  The bear has been a symbol of Berlin dating back to the late 1200's.  The tradition of the "Buddy Bears" began in 2001 and are now visible all over the city inside and outside.  They are found in front of restaurants, businesses, embassies and in hotel and bank lobbies throughout Berlin.  We have enjoyed "hunting" for these bears as we walk, ride in the car and on buses around the city.  Here are a few of the bears we have discovered:  

East Berlin Bear depicting the TV Tower and
Brandenburg Gate

   

Hyatt Hotel lobby bear



Driving School Bear



Little known fact: One of Hal's family nicknames (mostly with Patty's siblings) is - "Mr. Bear" so photos with bears are a natural! 

Which is the real bear????

     

           "Study Buddy" Bear in front of a university                                         Berlin Hyp Bear

 

 

                      Sitting bear -dressed in blue
                   (better than sitting bare!)                                              Kyrgyzstan Embassy bear

Patty's favorite - Baby Bear

 

                                     



Hotel Mondial Bear        



Hotel Air Berlin Bear



Picaso Bear                                                              Sparkasse Bear

Zelitos Greek Restaurant Bear

Hertz Rent-A-Car Bear

                            Well, that is probably more than enough bears for now but you will very likely be seeing more of the bears of Berlin in the future as the hunt continues!

 

 

Trip to the Temple, Thanksgiving & Weihnachten

Trip to the Temple

Last week we were asked to drive our little blue Opel to Schwarzenberg to make a trade for a newer model (same exact car - color and everything - but a new model).  The church rotates the fleet of cars assigned to the mission and it was our car's turn to be rotated for a newer model.  Schwarzenberg (3 1/2 hours from Berlin) is just an hour drive from the Freiberg Temple, so we decided to spend the night in the temple apartments so that we could go to the temple the next day. We attended the 2 morning sessions.  It is always a spiritual uplift to be at the temple and renew covenants there.
 

 

After our temple sessions we went for lunch to a delightful restaurant  - Schwanenschloesschen.

The restaurant is situated on the picturesque pond that greets you as you come into the little city of Freiberg.

 

 

The food was delicious!  Authentic German food - the best we have had since coming to Germany.  I ordered the Sauerbraten (German pot roast) which was served with rotkohl and potatoes and Hal had a wonderful chicken dish which was served with noodles and carrots.

We drove home on some of the less traveled back roads and passed through the little village of Frankenstein - so of course we had to stop for some pictures! 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving day, we went to the mission home to join with the office elders, assistants, Pres. and Sister Kosak and the senior couples working in the mission office.

 

The food was a very traditional, American Thanksgiving menu - complete with green bean casserole and pumpkin and pecan pies. Everything was delicious and of course we ate way too much!

 

 

Weihnachten - Christmas in Germany

Christmas is truly Germany's biggest holiday with decorations, Christmas concerts and Christmas markets which open November 25th.  During the Christmas season, most every city and town has a Weihnachtsmarkt ( Christmas market) and Berlin has over 60 such markets.  We went with our friend Susan to the Potsdamer Platz market last Friday evening.  Smells from a variety of foods fill the air - there are booths for crepes, waffles, glazed fruit, grilled sausages, roasted nuts, candies, German pastries etc. etc.  There are also many little booths with German handcrafted items, toys, scarves and many other gifts.  With the Christmas lights and decorations, these outdoor markets have an almost magical feeling and appeal.

                                      

 

 





 

 

 

 That same evening, we visited the lobby of the Ritz Carlton to see the gingerbread creations there.  The display behind us is of a mountain and the village below.

 

The big attraction was the gingerbread re-creation of the Berliner Dom Cathedral.  The photo doesn't do it justice - it truly is a work of art.  The small photo above on the right shows the real life cathedral.

 

 

 The LEGO displays and beautiful  lights at the Sony Center across the street from Potsdamer Platz

 It is amazing to see all that can be made out of LEGOS!

 

 Weihnachtsmarkt at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Platz

One afternoon on our way home from grocery shopping we passed through the Christmas Market just up the street from our apartment.

 

 

We love the German Christmas pyramid decorations!



Thanksgiving Dinner (1 week early) and our District of Missionaries

Last week we prepared Thanksgiving Dinner for the YSA.  We fed a group of 57 including the 8 missionaries in our district (they helped us serve that evening).  We began preparing early in the week so that we could have everything ready on Thursday.  We are still learning how to prepare for so many and it seems we have excitement and challenges each time we cook - but somehow the meals turn out well.  ( I am convinced that Heavenly Father blesses the food so that it all tastes good!)

Our menu:

Turkey and Stuffing

Potatoes and gravy

Mixed vegetables

Rotkohl

Homemade Rolls

Pumpkin Pie dessert squares, peach and cherry crisp

 Like our ward - YSA is an international group representing from many countries.

 

 They are a grateful bunch and easy to please!

 We grow to love these young people more each week!

The cooks eat too!

Our district of missionaries - we are all dressed in white for the Mission Christmas pictures.

I am glad we took this photo because with the latest transfers - we will loose 3 of the missionaries in this group.  We will however, gain 3 new missionaries on Tuesday!

 

)

Our International Ward and Mission Tour Multi- Zone Conference

We are in the Tiergarten Ward in Berlin.  Our meetinghouse (a 4-5 minute walk from our apartment) is surrounded by the embassies of many foreign countries.  Our Sacrament Meetings are translated into both English and Spanish with headsets available.  We have members from over 20 different foreign countries and we love the diversity and getting to know people from all over the world - this enriches our lives.
Here is the list of countries represented in our ward currently: Germany, Spain, England, France, Norway, USA, Bosnia, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Columbia, Philippines, Cambodia, Russia, Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory coast, South Africa, China and Equatorial Guinea. 

October 19th, we attended a very special baptism for a new member of our ward - Jesus Edu from Equatorial Guinea - the only Spanish speaking country in Africa.  Jesus left his homeland and came to Berlin to live with his sister who is also a member of our ward.  Equatorial Guinea has a corrupt dictator controlled government and is ranked as one of the "worst of the worst" for human rights violations. 

Jesus' baptism program was in Spanish and translated into German and, even though we didn't understand the words of either language, the baptism was a most spiritual experience.  The Spirit speaks a language that all can understand. Jesus said that he came to Berlin seeking a job and found the true church of Christ.  Jesus and his sister are now the only two members of the church from Equatorial Guinea.



FHV - Erntedankfest
Relief Society - Harvest Festival
October 23, 2013
The sisters of our ward gathered for an evening of sharing talents, socializing and enjoying good food.

 
Some sisters shared their musical talents with songs and even a dance and other sisters brought handicrafts and artwork to share.

It was fun to see the variety of talents that the sisters of the ward have.

We enjoyed a wonderful variety of treats with German pumpkin soup, African rice dishes from Nigeria and Ghana, south American fried bananas, Russian fruit bars, and German pudding with honey to name a few.

It was fun to get to know the sisters of our ward better and to learn of their talents.

 

I love this picture of the Russian girl making friends with the little Nigerian girl! 

 

 

 

Mission Tour Multi-Zone Conference - October 31, 2013

 With General Authority - Elder Patrick Kearon and Area Authority Elder Christian Fingerle

 

It was a wonderful conference with messages that were inspiring and uplifting.  We felt reassured that we are a part of the hastening of missionary work.

It was thrilling to join with 165 missionaries in singing in German "Called to Serve".