The week started out great with a phone call from our real-estate agent. We got the place that was number one on our list from the showings the week before. The flat is exactly what we wanted. It’s just steps away from the city center, the Kiez is full of shops, cafes & restaurants, and has plenty of wonderful options for Logan’s schooling. The building is new and as such so are all the finishes in the flats themselves. We have a beautiful terrace that will be great for our new BBQ and will provide a nice escape during the long summer nights. All of our views point towards a small courtyard and expose some beautiful Berlin centric buildings. We are very happy with our decision. The next step is to furnish the place and get it ready for all our stuff coming from America.

We didn’t have much time to celebrate because on Tuesday Chad headed to London for business. One if his first responsibilities is to evaluate all the current contractors and agencies Wooga is using. The trip was short but full of character. It’s mind boggling that an over night business trip means heading to another iconic country and not just LA to SF. The group stayed in Chelsea right next to the famous Football (soccer) stadium and had the opportunity to explore some local cafes and restaurants. London food has come a long way since the fist McNeill experience over 20 years ago when Chad’s brother asked for more red sauce for his dry pasta and was told, by the waitress at the local dinner, “…the cook says you have enough.” Quality and hospitably has improved dramatically.

On the walk back Chad noticed a dome structure so we all walked over to check it out. As it turns out, this was the Gendarmenmarkt. The Gendarmenmarkt is arguably Berlin's most magnificent square. It is best known for the architectural trio composed of the German and French cathedrals (Deutscher und Französischer Dom) and Schinkel's Konzerthaus (concert hall) which together form one of the most stunning ensembles in Berlin. The "domes" refer to the domed tower structures erected in 1785 by architect Carl von Gontard. They were mainly intended to add stature and grandeur to the two buildings.

Gendarmenmarkt’s name derives from Prussian regiment of Huguenots soldiers. The square dates back to 1700, part of King Friedrick I's plan for Friedrichstadt, an emerging new quarter of Berlin, where the recently expelled French Protestants or Huguenots had settled following the Edict of Potsdam in 1685 which granted them asylum in the Prussian capital. The name is in fact of French origin as "Gens d'arms", which was a Prussian regiment consisting of Huguenots soldiers. - Source Berlin.de. Logan and Chad tried to climb to the top of the German tower but the stairs only went up about a third of the way. The French tower was closed as was Schinkel's Konzerthaus (unless you were on a tour).

After we got back Chad went back to see Marco at the camera store and bought a 28mm Minolta refurbished lens. Chad asked Marco if he remembered him. To which Marco replied, “…but of course, the American.” Chad and Marco are becoming fast friends as Chad has two more lenses on order from Marco after the visit. Click Here to see the store's webpage.

On Sunday we went to the local park with the dogs and they ran around and played. Berlin has a wonderful dog culture where most dogs are trusted off leash. This is possible for Maya but not for Georgia since Georgia’s instincts are terrible and she would walk into traffic given the opportunity. However, the local park is huge and has a bunch of dogs running in the middle. Afterwards we headed North/West for lunch and to scope out a furniture store that was scheduled to be open. While the furniture store was closed, the trip wasn’t a total loss because we discovered some of the best Iranian food we have ever had at a local place called Akko.

This coming week expects to bring us similar excitement as Doreen and Logan fly to Frankfurt for Fasching (Carnival) and to see Oma and Opa. Chad is staying in Berlin but plans to do a bicycle tour of the city now that he got a GPS on his bike. We can’t imagine what the weeks adventures will bring but we will report back next week.