First, it has this great park called Stanley Park , located on possibly the finest piece of real estate in the city - a big, triangular peninsula on the edge of downtown. We spent a leisurely afternoon strolling the water’s-edge boardwalk at the deserted tip of the park - basically just bouncing from bench to bench. Soenke took unusual pleasure in observing the activities of nearby sea planes: “look babe, that one is taxiing for take-off”; “look babe, here comes the approach”; “look babe, check out that landing”; “look babe, there’s another one taxiing”. And so on. Don’t get me wrong - I wasn’t complaining - we were sitting on the most well-situated bench in the park, with a view over the water of the Hong-Kong-like Vancouver downtown, plus a view of snow-capped Whistler Mountain and other interesting stuff. To top it all off, Sophie was quiet. I was in vacation heaven.

In particular, I enjoyed Stanley Park’s selection of totem poles, native to British Columbia. I am somewhat astonished that I managed to leave without any photos, because they were truly spectacular.

A major highlight of our trip to Vancouver was FINALLY MEETING MY FRIEND MARNIE. Marnie is especially known in our home for a delightful pre-baby package she sent which included - among other juicy things from my fave Lush store - a soothing lavender “pregnancy” spray (or something to that effect), which Soenke believed was to be used while I was in labor. In the middle of an especially painful contraction, he believed that he would vigorously spray me with this little bottle full of fragrant liquid, and magically the pain would subside. I applauded him on his willingness to consider alternative pain-relief methods to, say, an epidural, however we left the atomiser at home on May 22, 2007.

So, Marnie met us at our hotel with a very revved-up Sophie on hand, and deftly navigated us a mere 100 meters down the street to a cool “aqua bus”, which whisked us across shimmering waters and under a very modern bridge to a neighborhood of hip bars and restaurants. Thankfully, her chosen restaurant fully understood the danger of “revved up” babies, and served us a fabulous fish ensemble (and some awesome B.C. wine) in record time, before the meltdown occurred. Interestingly, on the aqua bus back, Marnie handed me a single Canadian dollar coin - informing me it was called a “Loonie”- which came in INCREDIBLY handy the next day when we needed some coinage for a parking meter (we had never bothered to change US dollars into Canadian… bad lazy travelers!).

In addition to a visit to Vancouver’s famous aquarium, we enjoyed a few laps up and down the famous Robson shopping street and a notable stroll through the world’s most AWESOME health food grocery store (called “Capers”). It was a quick trip, but well worth it.

Photos follow:

At the beach in Vancouver:

We wondered about all the feminine men around this beach, but then we understood:

What the heck is “busking” ???

Off to the Vancouver Aquarium!

And a small video of Sophie not paying the slightest attention to dolphins swimming just behind her:

The city of Vancouver itself (photo courtesy of Marnie, who has an awesome camera)

Marnie and I check out the aqua bus:

Marnie’s artsy shot (that’s what we call manual focus issues… easily cured with some sepia tone ):

Marnie’s very cool arsty shot, sans user problems:

And finally, here we flee the fine country of Canada at a veritable snail’s pace… in line at the U.S. border en route to our next adventure!…

For those not familiar with the spectacular Butchart Gardens, they are 55 acres of pure OOOH-LA-LAAAA! Their location was originally the site of a limestone quarry and cement factory owned by Mr. Butchart, but once the limestone was all gone, his smart-thinking wife filled in the quarry with topsoil and started planting flowers. Over the years, the gardens were expanded and became ever more lavish. Today the Gardens are a Canadian National Historic Site, and have over 700 varieties of plants and flowers displayed during the year. They also have tasty places to eat and a fabu gift shop!

From what I could glean, Sophie’s favorite part of the gardens were the wide-open lawns, where she was freed from her stroller prison to chase butterflies and eat grass. I personally enjoyed getting trapped under the trees in the Japanese gardens when a surprise shower hit. The gardens have buckets of umbrellas stashed all over the gardens, so you are never wet for long.

It was here in the gardens that I really began to unwind on our roadtrip….

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Photos:

Sophie charms us with her “mommy, why did you wake me up so early” supercrank face the morning of our garden excursion:

View of the Butchart Gardens:

I recognize that I look completely ridiculous with both this hairstyle and this hat, but….

Soenke shelters our girl during a brief shower:

Without a baby:

1. Pack M&Ms
2. Stock up on great 80s CDs (Spandau Ballet and Thompson Twins come to mind)
3. Hit the road

With a baby:

1. Pack several days worth of baby food, diapers, baby wipes, and several emergency pacifiers
2. Pack Baby Mozart CDs and beef up your lullaby repertoire
3. Identify all possible purchase points for whole milk
4. Organize a variety of toys and books in a dedicated “entertainment suitcase”
5. Book really big hotel rooms (suites, preferably) along the way with enough space for luggage, stroller, toy suitcase, baby bed, and baby play space
6. Map out driving itinerary that keeps baby in car for no longer than 60 minutes at a time
7. Contemplate laundry options while en route
8. Reserve very big car with age-appropriate baby seat
9. Scope out child-friendly activities in all cities of destination

By the time we landed in Seattle, we were seriously rethinking “Roadtrip 2008”. But when we laid eyes upon our rental SUV – a hefty conglomeration of orange sheet metal that P-Diddy himself would be proud to drive – we knew the trip must go on.

Day 1 - Anacortes:
Arrive in SEATAC airport and head northbound. Soenke almost crashed our Diddy-mobile trying to get a closer look at the huge Boeing Field, visible along the west side of Hwy 5. After 90 minutes of LA-quality traffic we broke out into wide open highway. A rest stop, a few impressive Cascade mountain sightings (Glacier Peak, Mt. Baker) and 26 lullaby renditions later, we rolled into Anacortes.

Anacortes is a truly happy, lazy fishing town on Fidalgo Island. I suppose its main claim to fame is the daily ferry connection to Victoria, BC. I love Anacortes. It has a main drag with a historic, artsy district, several top-notch grocery stores, and a slew of cheap motor inns. You can also park your yacht in the marina or kayak with the orcas. If I had unlimited wealth, I’d have a vacation home in Anacortes.

But back to our trip – we rolled into the Anacortes Inn just in time to witness the afternoon cheerleading session in the motel swimming pool (?!). In response to our request for a “child-tolerant fish restaurant” the gal at reception directed us to Randy’s Pier 61… where we discovered genuinely happy staff, really good crab legs, and a great view. I waxed nostalgic watching the sun set over Puget Sound, and Sophie kept us loudly apprised of the ongoing seagull movement around the exterior of the restaurant.

Day 2 - Victoria:
At 7am sharp, we were queued in the ferry line at Anacortes ferry terminal. It was foggy, cold, and I had packed exactly one long-sleeved shirt. We dined in our car on a luxurious breakfast of store-bought bagels, cold cuts, and stolen spoonfuls of Sophie’s fruit-in-a-jar. Thankfully, the sun broke through during the ferry ride, and we were treated to a visual feast of nature’s bounty – rugged islands, sea birds, deep blue water, and fluffy clouds. Sophie did not seem to take pleasure in this portion of the journey, and we were very relieved when she conked out in daddy’s arms.

Our arrival at Sidney on Vancouver Island was met by very serious Canadian immigration officials who seemed to find it unusual that we had a variety of citizenships in one auto. After assuring them that Sophie was, in fact, our child, we were allowed to cross Canada’s hallowed borders. I promptly got us lost, but with only 2 roads out of Sidney (both leading to Victoria) we eventually found our destination.

The Chateau Victoria is most assuredly the finest accommodation we booked on this trip. Our suite had a panoramic view of Victoria’s inner harbor, the backside of the Empress Hotel (and a beautiful backside it is!), and the outer water approach of the ferries and cruise ships. Soenke and Sophie quickly amused themselves watching the seaplanes take off and land from the harbor while I took a nap on the most comfortable hotel mattress I have ever had the pleasure of reclining upon.

With a successful travel day behind us, we were feeling perhaps unduly euphoric about our baby/road-trip combination, and made the ill-fated choice to dine at the hotel’s fine top-floor restaurant overlooking the city. The entire meal was spent trying to keep Sophie from removing the tablecloth (and all its contents). We took turns tag-teaming her so that the other could quickly eat. It was, well, an exhausting and expensive learning experience. Interestingly, our adjacent tablemates were German.

Thus conclude Days 1 and 2 of Roadtrip 2008.

Photos:

The Seattle skyline…

Rest stop #1

Our rapper-mobile:

The views from/of Randy’s Pier 61

Waiting in line at the ferry terminal:

Views from the ferry:

Sophie and Papa, in various stages of wakedness:

A short video of the view from our Chateau Victoria balcony:

The weekend began a bit inauspiciously with a 5-hour drive to Berlin (normally taking only about 3 hours) in pounding rain and sprinkled with several “entertain the baby” stops. The urge to maximize one’s German autobahn experience fades dramatically with a little sweetheart in the back seat, so we lounged in the right lane and let the speed demons whiz by. Our waterlogged spirits were lifted upon arrival in our 19th floor rented Berlin apartment - it provided an awesome view over the city and was fully stocked with 4 happy family members ready to dote on Sophie.

Here is a pictoral presentation of the weekend:

Prior to hitting the road on the afternoon of July 4th, the 2 Americans in our house show their patriotic spirit:

At the apartment in Berlin…

While Opa entertains Sophie…

…the two very mature Einfeldt brothers spend some quality time together.

Sophster is decked out in her freedom garb:

As a memorial to Russian-supervised days on the “wrong” side of the Berlin Wall, here is the old pedestrian traffic signal from East Germany:

You would not believe how much time is spent in German metro stations trying to figure out the ticketing program (every city is different, of course):

Happily ticketed and validated, we wait for the next U-bahn train:

Sophie’s very first experience in a subway:

We took a Stadtrundfahrt (city bus tour) like real tourists… here we pass by the famous Potsdamer Platz:

…and a piece of the Berlin Wall:

A gratuitous tourist photo at Checkpoint Charlie:

Sophie makes friends everywhere…

You NEVER really leave the American sector…..!

The Berlin Rathaus (town hall):

Old meets new:

Hey, what’s Condi doing in Berlin?! The Amerikafest comes to the Pariser Platz (behind Brandenburger Gate)…
(actually it was just a video)

A view of the Brandenburger Gate:

The new US embassy opened this weekend to much fanfare (hence, the Amerikafest). Unfortunately, no regular humans without high level diplomatic clearance were allowed to in:

Here at a biergarten on Under den Linden (the famous street of East Berlin) we enjoyed a “Weisse Berliner” which is a beer with some fruity green syrup added - actually very refreshing. These flags flew overhead, which I thought was apropos:

Later, Soenke’s dad selected a very - ahem - interesting traditional German neighborhood restaurant, with a menu hailing from the area of Thuringen (a region in central Germany). Soenke ordered the mouth-watering schnitzel…

…and my gulasche was even more appetizing (gulp…):

At least I know now that I will never have to take a culinary tour through Thuringen!

I also had a nice video from our apartment balcony, but it seems to have disappeared.

All in all, a very delightful weekend !

It depicts Sophie discovering the wonders of our “boom box” - in particular, the tape deck opening/closing mechanism. Soenke filmed her when he realized that every time she got the tape deck closed (and, at the time, didn’t know how to get it back open) she would burst into tears.

You will be pleased to know that Sophie has since become a mechanical genius when it comes to tinkering with (better, sabotaging) our electronic equipment. If I can’t get the DVD player to work, I just call her over and she has it up and running in no time.

On this particular stint Soenke had an entire day off which we spent in the scenic harbor town of Bremerhaven, located about 40 minutes from Bremen on the North Sea. Bremerhaven was a big point of emigration from Europe (usually to the USA) back in the early 1900s and is still a major port…I think one of the most important in Europe.

I was so absolutely thankful to get out of the office and house that Bremerhaven possibly felt more magical to me than I would have expected. The weather was spectacular, and we arrived at very low tide which made the mudflats sparkle. Soenke parked right next to one of the locks in the harbor and we spent some time watching them open and close, and all the water rush in and out. We then visited the “aquarium”, which had only a few fish, a lot of seals, and some other water-related land animals. But with a 1-year old in tow… EVERYTHING is totally interesting. Sophie just loves observing every living creature and is chock full of curiousity.

We followed that successful activity up with a one-hour boat tour. This clearly interested mom & dad more than Sophie. Our little harbor boat was a mere speck compared to the giant freighters in the harbor. The narrator informed us that the biggest one we saw, when it passes through the Panama canal, has less than 1 meter clearance on either side. There was also an interesting drawbridge, a dry dock or two, and various shiphands who were willing to return my wave (much to Soenke’s embarrassment - “babe, we don’t wave at the shiphands!”). I was interested in the endless line of Mercedes being loaded on a ship bound for Singapore… and at the rows upon rows of American cars that had been offloaded from another ship and were awaiting customs clearance. Interestingly, there was a huge number of pickup trucks - something you NEVER see in Germany.

On the way back to Bremen, Soenke introduced me to the wonders of gas station ice cream. Normally, I enter a gas station solely for the purpose of purchasing fuel and the odd bottle of water. But this time, I went with the spirit of youth and shared Soenke’s cola popsicle. I was surprised to learn how young and happy a popsicle can make a girl feel, and would highly recommend the experienced to all tired working moms.

Back in Bremen, Soenke showed me the Schlachte pedestrian-only street lining Weser river. We dined gratefully on Mexican cuisine at a restaurant popular with the flight school guys (who occasionally get thrown out of the restaurant for excessive beer consumption).

And so, I conclude this brief report with some photos of our excursion (be sure not to miss the videos on my previous post):

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En route, Sophie is wiped out by all that milk drinking:

Loitering about the harbor:

This new building bears a suspicious resemblence to the Burj al Arab in my beloved Dubai:

We visited the aquarium, only to find that there weren’t many fish involved:

We then hopped a harbor tour. Our boat was next to this, which seemed to bode well:

Big big boats in that harbor:

I think this one is a tugboat:

This site was a bit unnerving. Our little tour boat was really small and low to the water:

Later, back to Bremen for some people watching along the Weser River while downing some decent Mexican food:

This photo doesn’t do it justice, but the Schlachte is a nice promenade street along the river, lined on one side with biergartens and the other side with restaurants:

Back in the parking structure, while at first I scoffed, the little lights above each parking spot are actually handy when you turn down a very long row (saves you a wasted trip down if there are no spots):

We went on a harbor boat tour that ran a bit long due to a giant freighter blocking our return, so I had to devise clever ways of entertaining our bored daughter. Coins tossed into empty bottles did the trick!

Soenke was familiar with a Mexican restaurant called “Enchilada” which is popular with his flight school students, so we made a beeline there. Little known to us, it would be the most peaceful meal out we’d had with Sophie in ages. God bless raisins!:

Across from our hotel was this park, where hungry ducks chased us down for our leftover “broetchen” (morning bread rolls eaten for breakfast in Germany). Sophie thought this was AWESOME:

Moments later, dressed in her party dress, the groggy birthday girl smiles for the camera:

And guess who came to help the Sophster celebrate her one-ness?????????

Our dear friend and Sophie’s adored “B-Oma”, Brigitte, hosted us with a lavish lunch and homemade birthday cake:

We girls “don’t wanna work, we just wanna bang on the drum all day!”:

Time for a birthday party! Sophie’s 2 grandmas made all the cakes:

Mom brought the decor all the way from So Cal:

Opa and Grandma help Sophie try out her new wheels:

Oma lends a hand too:

Sophie’s guests relax before the cake is brought out:

Soenke’s Aunt Elgard always looks tres chic!:

Here comes the cake!

Mommy tries to quickly extinguish the candles before Sophie’s quick hands make contact:

Aunt Lena shows Sophie her new Lufthansa jet:

Time for the birthday girl to eat her sugarless banana cake! (bleah!)

Here comes the first bite…

Not so sure about that…

Ok, we think we like it!

Sophie’s great grandma comes by for a chat:

The gift table looks festive:

Jochen and Sabine (Soenke’s aunt & uncle) help distribute the gifts:

Sophie is not sure what to do with gift wrap…

But she does know she will be looking cute in her new outfit!:

Sophie adds to her baby fine china collection:

No, it doesn’t rattle!

Here come the summer pool supplies!:

Sophie is now a high-flying a Disney shareholder (with her fancy new stock certificate!)

A sporty and chic new car seat!

Soph takes a ride in her new “bollerwagen” (complete with airbags!)

And finally, sun-seeking guests take the party outside to our new (in-progress) terrace:

Thank you to all who called, emailed, wrote, and participated in Sophie’s big birthday! She’s not exactly sure what all the fuss was about, but sure did enjoy being the center of the universe for a few hours!