Zu Heiß. Too Hot.

95 sunny degrees. No A/C.

I will try to remember the heat when it’s February here and we’re freezing. But until then, we are trying to cope.

It was actually quite lovely at 7:45 this morning when I rode my bike to Jiva Mukti for a sixty minute yoga class in English.

Riding back, I stopped at a traffic light on what used to be a spot where the Berlin Wall had been.

{Double row of grey square bricks shows where the Berlin Wall once stood}

I love the history in Berlin. Once the boys are in school, Dave and I plan to explore it more together.

{sweaty boys in the waiting room of our doctor’s office}

Dave and I had initial visits with our new doctor. Mostly to get referrals to a physical therapist and an osteopath, as well as recommendations for other specialists.

She recommended I come back by October, once the stress of the move wears off, and get my blood work done. And to check my Vit D level. My friend Sarah advised me that some people supplement during the winter to help with their energy levels. I’ll take all the help I can get. Thanks for the tip!

{waiting room at the doc’s office}

{entryway to the building where our doc is located}

{hot and cranky at Spreegold}

We stopped for a late lunch as we were all cranky. Pancakes and bacon were promised to the boys. Dave and I had halloumi burgers.

After lunch, Dave headed home to work while I took the boys to the Schönhauser Allee Arcaden (mall) to cool down in the A/C. Luckily, this cool spot is only two blocks from our apartment.

{Gelato in the air conditioned mall}

After a quick gelato and some scooting around, we went to a toy shop where the boys picked out a lego set to assemble together.{in the Lego section at Spielzeugland – toy land – toy store}

They settled on a Minecraft set and we went home for them to work on it.

{Lego Time}

It was magical watching then work together on this project. Isaac was in charge of procurement, while Ben was the builder. I hadn’t seen such teamwork since we’ve arrived.

{finished LEGO set}

Since they had settled in, I went looking for a few wardrobe additions since I had purged over half of my clothes before the move.

While reading a Berlin based fashion and design blog, I stumbled across a store that looked promising called &other stories, the upscale brand by the H&M group with designers in Stockholm, LA and Paris.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.elle.com/fashion/amp16592683/and-other-stories-stockholm-paris-los-angeles-atelier-interview/

I had scoped them out online and was eager to add some more fashionable pieces to my wardrobe. Two hours later, I walked out of the Hackesche Markt store with a blouse, a skirt, shorts (designed in Stockholm) and a dress (Paris). I hope I like them tomorrow as much as I do today.

{&other stories dress I bought}

I then met the boys and our friend, Axel, at Ousman’s Tochter (daughter), an upscale Turkish tapas restaurant.

Axel and Dave met through their work and the boys and I met him in February when we were in Berlin. His playful spirit immediately attracted the boys, so they were excited to see him again.

{Axel and Isaac at dinner}

Dinner went late, so we headed home and desperately got the boys to bed before a meltdown.

The meltdown came from me when we discovered the refrigerator door had been left open, requiring a major purge and clean out.

With the heat adding to the stress, we finally got to bed late.