Day 4: Return to Tsukiji, Shrines, and Sumo

Today we awoke to a nearly clear morning.  So much so we questioned when we opened the blinds of our room and saw this large mountain straight ahead in the distance.  It can't be.  It was. Mount Fuji. After another workout we would have breakfast again with the masses on the 33rd floor.  But that view today was spectacular and today we got a seat right on the windows.

After breakfast we were off, returning to Tsukiji Market for some food and purchases after our 1 hour speed walk through it the other day.  We were pretty impressed with our navigation skills as we found all the stores we were looking for 1) dashi 2) dishes and 3) chopsticks.  Dashi we got from Dashi Okume a store established in 1871 inside the main market. For dishes we went with some of the traditional patterns like the octopus, fish names, and fish scales from Takizawa Ceramics which  was founded in 1931. Chopsticks were from a store called The Ichi. And Andy was able to pick some of the food he was drooling over the other day, including sashimi of tuna and salmon as well as a gigantic oyster. And sorry Byron and Tina (my gym trainers) I caved and had a matcha soft serve and it was oh so good.  We also returned to the shrine we had visited prior as well as stopped at another on the way back to our hotel so I could add to my book.

A seriously quick turn at the hotel to drop our packages we opted to taxi to the Grand Sumo Tournament located at Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo's legendary sumo arena.  We could have taken the subway but it would have taken 38 minutes and the taxi was only 20.  And it had gotten quite hot with the lack of clouds.  When we arrived it took us a minute to find the entrance as we were confused by all the people standing behind barriers and we would realize they were trying to get glimpses of some of the ranked wrestlers that would compete during the last session.

It was super easy to get in.  When you have your ticket checked you are given a map.  Once inside you were met by people who could take that map and tell you exactly how to get to your seat. The back of the map have the day's bouts and schedule,  Here is also where you could get a program with photos and info about the wrestlers.  We woud make our way to the second floor and our seats.  So seats/tickets...it is like trying to get a campsite in Yosemite.  We had to be on-line when they went on sale and cross our fingers it would not sell out.  We were lucky.  The tournament which is 14 days sold out in the matter of minutes.  We went for seats.  You can get boxes on the floor, but you have to sit cross-legged for hours and generally require 4 person occupancy. They do have swag you can purchase for your favorite wrestler from towels to fans with their faces on them.  The concessions, other than beer and wine, were a bit disappointing.

We had a good laugh when we got to our seats.  It almost seemed like they knew our IP when we purchased our tickets was from overseas as we were surrounded by other foreigners.  To our right Germans to our left Australians. Both luckily had a guide that was explaning things so we picked up some good intel.  As the bouts went on the wrestlers got better and better.  Each bout started with rituals of announcing the wrestlers, drinking of water, throwing of salt, and stomping, but also posturing.  They have 4 minutes to start and they can get to the line and back off as many times as they want during those 4 miuntes. But once it got going it often lasted seconds as their goal is simply to throw your opponent out of the ring or off balance enough something other than the souls of their feet touches the ground. There are also rules about how they can engage with their hands.  We really got into it after a while and was researching the wrestlers to come, their rankings, and more. Ettiquette dictates you sit during bouts, do not whistle, you applaud if wrestlers lock up and make it more than a few seconds as well as when they bout's over, and stay in your seat when a bout is underway.  I think Andy got into it enough he plans to watch the results of the upcoming days.

After it was over we were exhausted and had to walk about 15 minutes to get the subway.  Luckily the wind had picked up and it was very nice.  And we got to walk over some bridges and harbor inlets so that was pretty.  Once off the subway we found Andy some take-out and another 15 minutes of walking and we settled into our room for our last night in Tokyo.  Tomorrow we are off to Hakone National Park.

Day 3: A Full 8 Hour Tour of Tokyo

Today, we decided not to work out although we probably should have since jet lag got us a bit and we were awake at 4AM.  We decided to make coffees...actually Nespressos....I so love international travel and not having to drink weak ground coffee and attempted to watch college football.  After an epic fail we finally got up and headed to the 33rd floor where we would join a large majority of the hotel for a buffet breakfast.  While the Club Level with our previous room was quieter this buffet was easily four times the size and being on the top floor the view was even better. After breakfast a quick stop at our room and we were off to meet our next guide and 8 hours of touring.

Sachi-san was only slightly younger than us with a 18 year old son.  She's has been guiding for 10 years.  We would sit for a few minutes and discuss our day and we added on top of the plans 1) a stop at a 7-11 for pick-up our sumo tournament tickets 2) 2 shopping stops and 3) ramen or something local she recommended for lunch.  With our shopping requests we would reverse our day and in the end we think it was best.

Today we did subway and our first stop was Koishikawa Korakuen Garden. This garden is one of Tokyo's oldest and most important traditional Japanese gardens, dating to the early Edo period/1600s. It was created by the Tokugawa family of the Mito domain and is designed as a strolling landscaoe garden. As you walk around its central pond, the scenery changes intentionally. Little bridges, hills, stones, streams and viewpoints recreate famous landscapes from Japan and China.  I was really excited about the country side which included a rice field that I would learn is planted as well as harvested by a local elementary school.  And the rice is used for their school lunches. After leaving the grounds we would run into a 7-11 and yes secure our sumo tournament tickets.  You can pretty much do anything at a 7-11 from paying bills to yes getting your favorite snacks.

Next we would take the subway to Senso-ji Temple.  It is Tokyo's oldest-established temple and is dedicated to Kannon, the budhha of compassion. The temple began when two brothers discovered the statue of a statue of Kannon in the Sumida River. We started actually scross the street at the Visitor's Center on the top floor so we could get a view of the gate, stupa, shrine, and an entire area the community created for shopping inside the grounds, which seemed a bit strange compared to the very sacred temple areas we visited in Thailand.  After we crossed the street to learn and see all the details of the temple.  Yes, we would do some shopping on the way to the main shrine, including snack of rice crackers and a hot bean paste filled waffle-like cookie that were poured into cast iron molds that contained 8 images from the temple area and cooked over coals.

Next at the temple we would embark on traditions we have done before except in other countries.  The drawing of a stick to determine which drawer to open to pull a fortune.  Mine was good.  Andy's was bad, so he would tie his off to be burnt.  Then we had Andy burn incense to try to erase his bad luck as well as we all went and prayed.  Behind this Budhist temple was a Shinto temple.  Here I would start my Goshuin Book.  Think of it as your passport for temples.  It is a book that is built like an accordian that I would pay 500 JPY to have a beauitful caligraphy done telling the general name of the temple, date you visited, as well as stamps with iconic symbols of the temple. We would now return to the Budhist shrine for me to get my page filled for that one.  We would learn that typically Japanese today who do practice religion practice both...Shinto is for the happy occassions such as weddings where as Budhism is for funerals.

After a quick stop by a store which had Studio Ghibli items we made our way close by and up an alley to Ramen Watanabe for lunch.  Our guide informed us it was one of her favorites.  We would order from a kiosk in the corner and then be directed to our seats around a u-shaped bar.  We all ordered something different and it was all delicious.  And yes, slurping was encouraged.  By the time we were finshed the place was packed and there was a line outside.  Sachi-san definitely picked right and our timing was perfect.

Back on the subway we had a nearly 30 minute ride to Meji Shrine dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meji and his wife, Empress Shoken. This place was very large.  You entered, after bowing through very large gates and proceeded to walk along the left side with hundreds of others through a planted forest at least a 1/4 of a mile until you came upon first a wall of saki barrels on your right and wine barrels on your left, both loved by the emporer.  Further back you came upon a poem on large panels before turning the corner and finding the massive shrine.  It was beautiful.  We would again pray and then make our way for me to get another page done in my Goshuin book.

A quick break at the cafe outside the entrance we would walk about 10 minutes to the teen haven that is Harajuku.  This street was crowded with teens and all the fashion, food, and more that is "it" right now in Japan for that age demographic.  We were on a mission for two things only 1) Liberty Walk which was a stop for our car enthusiast son and something Tokyo exclusive.  I can not share here or I will ruin the suprise and the 2) Onitsuka Tiger shoe store for me as they are very Japanese and much cheaper here than in the US where they often run $200+ a pair. Andy and I both wind up buying a pair.

Sachi-san, our guide, was amazing and we only kept her over by about 5 minutes and we accomplished everything on our list.  Back in a taxi we headed back to our hotel, relaxed a bit, then headed to the 33rd floor for a drink at the bar before heading back to our room to learn about sumo as we head to the Grand Tournament tomorrow, our last day in Tokyo.

Day 2: Tsukiji Market, Sushi, and Teamborderless

Today we officially started with our tour company, which also means changing rooms.  Still a premium room with a balcony and lots of space and all the little extras we do lose access to the Club Lounge, so tonight we opted for beers (this time a Kirin Zero for me) and take-out from the very upscale Azabudai Hills Market.

We were up early again and hit the fitness center.  Andy opted for a swim and I decided to try for lower body and core workout despite nearly 20,000 steps yesterday.  We miscommunicated and I think my nerves took over as we failed to meet for a steam, BUT we both mustered courage to try the mineral baths.  Yep, we did it.  In the nude.  Of course we were both lucky enough to have the gender specific spaces to ourselves at the time of our taking the plunge.  A couple of things to note.  You have no choice but to go in nude.  You can not enter if you have tattoos. Tattoos are associated with organized crime in Japan and you will be denied entry to onsas if you have them.  Often if they are small and you are foreign they might offer you a bandage to cover them. And you shower before entering the bath.  I will admit it felt amazing and my skin was incredibly soft afterwards.  You do wear a towel or robe between the bath and the locker room area.

After breakfast we packed our bags for our room move and went downstairs to check-out and meet our guide.  A lady named Maki-san we found sitting in the lobby with a sign with our names on it. Maki has been a tour guide for years, but generally for Japanese going abroad, but has been doing more locally since Covid19.  She was very kind and ensured we had rain gear in tow and we were off to the taxi stand.  We had declined private cars for public transport to have a real experience, so we thought we would be taking the subway.  But honestly after all the walking yesterday and more on tap for later in the day we did not complain.  She would pay all the fares as they were already included in our trip.  So we were off for about a 10 minute ride to Tsujiki Market. Tsujiki we would learn was originally ocean, but was basically reclaimed/filled in and land in the 1700's. This area has been through a lot including a fire and a earthquake. 

We would start at the Wholesale Fish Market that opens at 5AM and closes by Noon.  No photos were allowed and really she was supposed to do very litte guiding inside, but she managed to sneak in some information here and there.  And wow!  We have been to wet markets in Hong Kong, Thailand, and Cambodia, but this really was amazing and topped those.  The variety and the shear size of things from crab legs to oysters were incredible.

After exiting the market we would take a few minutes to visit our first shrine, a Shinto shrine called Namiyoke Shrine.  This shrine is for the gods of harvest and business so people especially visit hoping to pray for luck in business. The main religions in Japan are Budhism and Shinto. Maki would teach us how to properly enter the shrine area/torri gate with a bow, then she taught us how to pray.  We would have a 5 yen piece and toss it in the offering box.  Then bow twice, clap twice, pray, then bow again before leaving. We would also see the giant Japanese dragons that represent this shrine in festivals.  There are also oddities at the shrine like gigantic stones with the words fish, egg, tempura, etc etched in them that are gift from the market.  I assume to bring them good business.

After we exited to the street we would wonder up and down alleys of the outside market area learning all about dashi (Japanese soup stock) to salted and dried fish.  We learned about the small dishes Japanese use for dining including the famous patterns from fish scales to fish names in Kanji.  We would learn the difference between Japanese chopsticks and Chinese chopsticks.  We learned about tuna and how the red is actually the lower grade with the lighter with more white being the higher.  And oh yes speaking of grade we would learn all about kobe and wagyu beef.  We will return before leaving Tokyo so for now we only purchased some antique dishes.

Now completely hungry we hopped in another taxi and were whisked off to our sushi making class at Tsukiji Sushikuro Ginza.  We would wash our hands and enter the resturant where Maki-san would interpret and we would learn how to properly make nigiri with tuna, salmon, shrimp, and salmon roe. We donned chef coats and paper hats for the full experience. The chef was quite young at 21 and had been training for 4 years already.  He is the youngest at this establishment and therefore his nickname is "Prince."  We would learn which hand to use when pick up the rice, the sushi, and which finger to get the dab of wasabi hidden between the rice and fish.  We would learn exactly how to shape it all and lay it for presentation. We would also learn how to make the traditional Japanese egg dish, Dashimaki Tamago.  It's basically a layered omelette that made in a special rectangular pan and seasoned with soy, sugar, dashi, and other.  It is often served cold in a bento box.  Definitely learning how to make this at home. In addition we had fresh wasabi which was ground from the root on a wood paddle like grater covered with shark belly. Ally would not be happy about this. We all had a wonderful time and Andy impressed everyone with his 100 days of Japanese practice and his ability to read a lot of the menu.  I avoided the alphabet part of Duolingo so I can hear and understand some, but can not read like him. Lots of photos and thank yous and we were in another taxi off to our hotel.

We would check back in to our new room, freshen up, and then make a 20 minute walk to TeamLabs Borderless.  A interactive massive art installation in the Azabudai Hills a large very high end shopping complex.  Just to get to it we walked past Dior, Cartier, and more.  This was an incredible experience as art moved all around you and even through walls and to different rooms.  When we started I thought we would be bored after 30 minutes, but then the experience took over and 90 minutes later and we were still going.  We ended with an interactive ocean once where we created the art of a sea creature of our choice and it was inserted into the ocean on the walls.  We did a shark for Allyson and a turtle for Alec.  We would find them again later swimming down a hallway and out of their "original" tank.

Now nearly 6PM we found coffee from %Arabica a coffee company founded in Kyoto by way of Kenneth Soji, orginally from Tokyo, schooled in California and resident of Venice Beach before returning to Japan to open his flagship store in Kyoto. Then Andy his takeout and we would walk back and finally make it right under Tokyo Tower.  From our hotel it seemed quiet, but it was far from it.  With restaurants, ice cream, and even performers the area was absolutely bustling.  Now time to put our feet up because tomorrow is a full day/8 hour Tokyo tour with a guide starting at 9AM.

Day 1: Ghibli, Yakatori, Nakano, & Shibuya

OK, the goal for Day 1 is to keep moving and not let jet lag get us, so we set our alarms for 6AM with a goal to hit the hotel gym, get breakfast, and make it across Tokyo for a 10AM Ghibli Museum opening.  We slept well and bounced up and ventured down to the basement, which literally is an underground beautiful pseudo mall/convention center with a fitness center as well that is larger than a lot of our full-size free-standing gyms at home.  We would clean our shoes and enter a well-stocked, but crammed fitness area.  Andy and I managed to get in good workouts all be it I had some testosterone happening in the free weight area with bench and weight etiquette failing.  Andy would finish before me and get a tour of the lap pool and the locker rooms that he says were out of this world.

Quick shower and we were off to the Club Lounge again for breakfast which was just like Happy Hour...amazing.  We ate quickly so we could get ready for what our challenge of the day would be...the Tokyo subway system.  Thankfully drinks with friends who had been here before had revealed all we needed was Google Maps and they were right.  It told you everything from train to platform to exits "gate." It even read where you were and told you how many stops until you disembarked. Not to say we still didn't struggle a bit.  Andy was able to use his phone for his ticket, but me, the lone family Android hold-out had to get a plastic card ticket.  And we might have gotten a little cocky with our first ride going well because we broke down and asked for help on our second.  But by the end of the day we did lots of rides and had no more issues.

So let's take a second and talk about one of my loves in Asian countries and mass transit.  I love orderly cueing.  Those exiting get off first while those entering are lined up to the sides of the doors.  This is clearly marked on the platforms, and it makes it so easy.  Also I love the appreciation for elderly in Asian countries.  I saw on more than one occasion a young person give up their seat for an elder.  And clean, yes so far it lives up to the hype.  We did not see any litter anywhere until we reached Shibuya Station which leads to Shibuya Crossing which is inundated by tourists, which I assume are the litter offenders.

We started our day with something that is making our kids a little jealous.  We made a one-hour trip via subway and foot to the Studio Ghibli Museum.  Some know movies like Ponyo or Totoro as they were picked up by DreamWorks.  Our family has been watching for a very long time and find the art and the characters absolutely endearing.  So we wandered through this space which we found truly to be a museum as you learned about the craft behind the magic.  Definitely for adults and not children.  Kind of like the Disney Museum in the Presidio of San Francisco.  

Here's where I put AI to work for us next.  I had plugged in our itinerary with several suggestions from friends and had it fill in our free time.  ChatGPT would take us on a pretty walk across Inokashira Park to  Iseya Koen Store.  Here we would have our first meal, shoes off, and cross legged on the floor.  It is a renowned and historical yakatori (aka charcoal grilled meat skewers) that involved meatballs, pork cartilage, chicken liver, and more. It was packed with locals so we knew we had it the jackpot. All of it was delicious and I was pleasantly happy to find a NA Sapporo available.

Back on the subway we were off to the Nakano Broadway to see if we could find some anime swag for our adult children and house sitter.  After about an hour of popping into different shops and having no luck, we gave up and headed back to the subway and decided to knock off the famous Shibuya Crossing.  This station was insanely busy, and this is where we saw our first trash and homeless. Homelessness would be a topic of conversation for us this evening as Tokyo is a city of 14 million people and their last homeless count in January of this year was only 506.  However, many factors contribute to this.... 1) Housing - they have a ton of very small (including capsule) housing units that are affordable to keep them from sleeping on the street 2) Culture - they live by a norm of don't create disorder which means don't inconvenience others and don't leave things behind which leads to 3) many are hidden in the 24 hour manga and internet cafes or on the riverbanks obscured from view.

Shibuya Crossing was quite a site, but having been to Times Square as well as Picadilly Circus in London well it didn't hold the awe for me as it might for others. And yes we did the "scramble" where all the lights go red and you can go right across the entire intersection.  It is known as the busiest intersection in the world with as many as 3000 people crossing on the red light which happens every 2 minutes.  We decided to go check out one of the mega department stores, so we hit Don Quiote.  Referred to as "Donki" this was Target meets Japanese Bazar.  We wandered a few levels but quickly got over whelmed...and well we had been hoofing it around Tokyo now for 7 hours and were getting exhausted.  A few souvenirs in hand we headed back to our hotel where we managed to stay awake and the Club Lounge for another happy hour dinner and back to our room for a second piece of cake.

But wait, before I sign off I must tell you about the continued service at this hotel.  When we got back to our room.  We found all of our electronic cords had been wound nicely and tied with gold twist ties.  My book had a beautiful bookmark lying on top.  Workers would come by our room with ice and chocolates and at the lounge this evening one of the staff would chat with us and present us with origami tiny birds.  Again, in awe.  

ChildLESS on the Go

Andy and I just discussed this one on the plane.  We have only done two trips without one or both of our children that lasted more than a night or two since they were born. First to Costa Rica, which ended slightly early when our daughter needed an emergency appendectomy at 5 years old. And a second was a long weekend get-away to Jackson Hole again when they were quite young. But here we are the oldest has now graduated college and just moved to San Diego and the youngest is a sophomore in college, so we decided it was time.

So earlier this year we discussed what locations were still on our bucket list.  Japan was up there near the top for both of us, but after an exhausting start to this year I knew this was a trip I didn't want to plan the details for.  I wanted most of that lift done for me.  So we went back to our company we used for Greece, Unforgettable Travel and we found their Essence of Japan trip.  At first, we were super excited as it was affordable, but in the time, we took to make our decision the price increased substantially.  We learned they had been repricing all their trips due to a rise in costs, but we went for it.

We managed to get our flights non-stop from SFO with miles and even managed an upgrade on the way over with premier points.  Meaning we spend way too much on our United credit card.  Unfortunately our flight was delayed nearly 4 hours leaving San Francisco.  Little did we know you cannot fly a plane with a broken lavatory and that door to that lavatory must be able to close properly and lock and it was not. The first door they brought did not fit and when the second door arrived and worked then there was issue in the cockpit requiring maintenance.  Finally on our way they made up some time, and we arrived 2.5 hours late.

We were met by a lovely lady who meets travelers for extra cash and her only job was to hand over our train tickets and some other bits of paperwork and get us to our car.  We had read this was coming, but most who don't speak English have a tablet and use translate functions to communicate.  As was with our driver informed us, we had a 40-minute drive to our hotel. This is probably the trip of all our travels thus far we have not researched substantially, so Andy was scrambling in the van to learn about tipping because he had just pulled very large bills from the ATM.  Thankfully we would learn this is a non-tipping culture.

Our hotel is the Prince Park Tower Tokyo.  Which is aptly named for its location by Tokyo Tower.  Built in 1958 and inspired by the Eiffel Tower it does indeed have antennas to broadcast tv and radio.  We booked two nights additional to our tour and Andy splurged and got us a Premium Club-level floor.  I don't want to know what it cost.  He claims it was a good deal.  But it caused mass confusion at the beginning as he had canceled a "work" reservation and booked this and for some reason it had now gone through and we now had three reservations.  The front desk was very confused and the trainee who was shadowing got a learning experience.  Before it was all said and done, we had 4 people working on our reservations.  After 20-25 minutes to get us checked in we were on our way with a "cake" arriving at 8PM.  Not sure if the cake is normal or it was an apology for the long check-in.

The room is amazing with an incredible view and as we always find in Asia incredible decor.  And as friends have told us, they are also incredibly stocked.  Not just your normal toiletries, but I mean ALL your toiletries.  Razors, hairbrush, and so much more.  As well as robes, slippers. monogrammed towels.  After checking it all out we headed to the Club Lounge on the 32nd floor for drinks and a happy hour buffet which was plenty to make a dinner.  An amazing buffet including mini coq au vins, fish, shrimp, cheeses, fruit, canapes, and much more on top of a fully stocked bar, beers on top and by the bottle, and numerous wines to pick from.  So far Andy's good deal was paying off.

Back to our room we enjoyed our cake looking out our glassed-in balcony with coffee from our Nespresso machine.  The cake was not just cake, but also fruit and macaroons.  We put half in the fridge for tomorrow. A quick shower to wash away the travel, melatonin on board, we climbed into bed with a goal of hitting the gym in the morning.  Fingers crossed we sleep through the night and start the 16-hour time difference.

2025 Europe Trip Outtakes

So I try to instill this, especially, in my children...life is not all Instagram perfect.  So I thought I would wrap this trip up with some of the bumps in the road during this trip...or outtakes.

• 
  
  I took a really hard fall in the streets of Brussels walking from the train station to our hotel.  Luckily I had on a skirt, so I did not rip or bloody any clothes, but I had massive road rash on both knees.  And my left knee is still scabbed over all these days later and for the first time in my life I took ibuprofen for pain for a few days.
• Do not put your Underground/Metro ticket with your cell phone as Alec learned.  First time an agent helped him through the exit.  The second time we just pushed him through the turnstile with Andy.
• All Underground/Metro ticket systems are not created equal.  We had a good laugh that every time we tried to buy 3 one-way tickets in Brussels the path to purchasing those tickets on the kiosks was different each time.  Sometimes we could purchase 3 in one transaction other times we had to purchase them each through a separate transaction.
• Picking up our rental car in Brussels turned into an adventure as it was all set to German and it would take us a good hour and figure out how to change it to English.  In the meanwhile we muddled through and used my phone to decipher the onboard navigation and eventually get it all changed over.
• Night one camping at InTentsGP for the Belgium Formula 1 race we had a couple of drunk Brits try to enter our tent after the pub/bar closed.  Scared us, but ultimately, we all had a good laugh.  In their defense all the tents look the same minus a little number tag at the entry...and probably even more so drunk and in the dark.  We even came back blurry eyed from breakfast one morning and sat down outside one tent and started to eat and finally realized we were a row off.
• 
  Formula 1 Grand Prix morning was a downpour.  We literally walked 45 minutes in the rain to the track.  We did have rain gear, but our shoes were soaked and would remain so until the end of the trip.  "It smells a bit like feet in there" - Alec's line after attempting to dry his shoes with the hair dryer in Cologne hotel bathroom.
• "Do you have any toilet roll (aka toilet paper)? became the common line in the port-a-restrooms at our campgrounds for the Belgium F1 race.  I may or may not have dripped dry a few times.
• 
  
  Chips (Fries), Beer, and Water is the breakfast of champions when the catering tent is too full due to the downpour for us to even get to the cereal the morning of the F1 Grand Prix.
• Thank goodness my husband is an engineer...I am not sure I would have remembered that bars is another way to measure air pressure/PSI and jumped on Google to do a conversion to air up our tires properly in Germany.
• While driving in Germany it took us many exits to figure out Ausfahrt means exit and wasn't a very large city with a lot of exits.
• Returning our car in Cologne was a 20 minute adventure...first as we sat at a garage entry point with a gate we could not figure out how to open and then we looked left after several minutes to see an open entry right next us. Then we totally missed the small Hertz key drop box and wondered around a bit before finding it and dropping our keys without the proper paperwork and crossed our fingers it would go well.  It did.
• Andy had to block people on numerous flights who tried to push their way past us and others to be the first off the plane. Always keep in mind different cultures handle personal space differently.
• A lot of doors push inward in stores versus pulling out.  Once I stood trying trying to decipher a store sign in German as I thought it was closed to find yes, the door opened inward and it was just operator error.  I am sure the sales team inside was having a good laugh.
• But on the other hand motion sensored self-opening doors were also a lot of fun and caught us off
  guard and became an inside joke as we are in the midst of watching Andor and proved to be a little jedi power humor.
• I will never see these people again and my love of hats proves helpful....when we realize I should not have brought my US travel hair dryer or straight iron.  We eventually bought a small hair dryer before leaving London and a UK to EU converter for it to find no easy place to use it camping AND IT RAINED A LOT, and then we had hair dryers in our hotel rooms the rest of the trip.  You are welcome to whoever finds the unused hair dryer and my Lonely Planet Germany book in our hotel desk in Berlin.
• After years with a retainer Alec nearly lost it three times on this trip.  Two times in the morning when he wasn't quite awake.  Both times we were able to retrieve it from the "rubish"/trash.  The third took a phone flash light and scouring the plane floor.
• Leaving SFO late on a Friday night is still a challenge....from it taking an hour+ to get our luggage to it taking nearly an hour to go a couple of miles to get over the Bay Bridge at 11PM thanks to normal traffic as well as the Grateful Dead's 60th show that had just wrapped in Golden Gate Park. 

All of these unexpected bumps make us better travelers.  They make us more patient travelers and people, children, parents, spouses. It makes you ask others for help and/or to slow down. Along with all of these there were lots of pleasurable bumps from an impromptu dance party in Brussels to watching England's women football (soccer) team win the Europe Cup with a bunch of Brits in a pub.  None of it we would trade.  We have always been a family who prefers to spend our money on experiences versus things.  And not all of those experiences quite pan out the way you envisioned, but they all create memories that will last a life time.

Final Stop - Berlin

Up early we had a 7:45AM train to Berlin from Cologne.  We used the German Railroad, U Bahn, which was very nice.  Even nicer than the Eurostar, except we did not have a meal.  We did wind up with free beverages though due to a delay part the way through our trip.  We arrived in Berlin about 1.5 hours late, which was fine by us as it put us closer to our hotel check-in time.

The train station in Berlin was HUGE so much so it took us a bit to figure out which way was which to secure an Uber.  It took about 15 minutes to get to our hotel, a chain we used a fair amount overseas when the kids were little, Novotel.  This was the Novotel Berlin Mitte, located within a couple minutes’ walk of the famous Museum Island.

I had planned most of the trip, so I put Andy in charge of the afternoon and then I took over dinner.  For the afternoon we would head over to the island and to a museum tucked pretty much underground along river, the DDR Museum.  This museum was mostly hands-on exhibits where you learned the history and the lifestyle during the German Democratic Republic - The Wall - The Stassi - and much more.  It was very crowded, but we took our time and soaked it all in.  It covered everything from the standard political and governmental aspects to education, home life, vacation, shopping, environment, and economy.  We stood in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living room of one of the apartments that people were allotted under the regime and then in a cell where people were locked away for the smallest of things. It was all very surreal

After we were done, we grabbed a quick ice cream, as we had skipped lunch, and were planning a good dinner.  A easy 5-minute walk back to the hotel Alec hit the gym and Andy, and I hit the hotel bar for a cocktail.  Our dinner this evening was about a 15-minute walk to the amazing Zur Gerichtslaube.  We opted for one more truly authentic German restaurant, and this one did not disappoint.  It is ranked #80 on Trip Advisor out of 9445 restaurants in Berlin.  This place was wonderful.  The Gerichtslaube (courtyard arcade) was built around 1270 in Gothic brick style and was repeatedly remodeled over the following centuries. Originally built in the Middle Ages and primarily used for the often extremely gruesome administration of justice, the Gerichtslaube (courtyard arcade) has had various functions over the centuries until it finally became a restaurant in the 20th century. We opted for outside seating as the weather was beautiful, and it was very lively.  This time both Alec and I got schnitzel, and the boys tried the beers made just for this restaurant.  The service was also very good.  We didn't finish until nearly 10PM, in typical European dining style.

The next morning we enjoyed a buffet breakfast at the hotel.  Very plentiful as it should be for 25 euros.  Then we had a 20-minute walk to meet our guide for another Get Your Guide booking.  This time it was a 4-hour tour entitled "Berlin: Discover Berlin Walking Tour."  We knew with a very cheap price it would be more crowded, but the reviews were quite good.  Sure enough about 20 people tagged along with our guide Eran (who was Israeli, but got to Germany via... Isreal --> US --> Amsterdam...fell in love with a German --> Germany...divorced, hated his IT job, loved history, so there you have it ...a tour guide). 

We crammed a lot into our 3.5 hours (given a 30 min break for snack, etc).  We visited Museum Island and learned all about the buildings and their former intentions.  We also re-learned most of the buildings are replicas as 90% of the city was destroyed in the war.  We saw bullet holes everywhere.  We stood at the site and saw the memorial for the famous 1933 pro-Nazi book burning.  We visited Checkpoint Charlie, the most famous of the east west crossing points. A little further and we came upon one of the three stretches of the Berlin wall that is still standing.  Less than 5-minute walk from there and we stood on the parking lot which covers the cement filled bunker where Hitler, along with several others, committed suicide.  I will admit I prefer the way Germany has chosen to note these historical places.  There are simple placards with information in German and English.  There is nothing big about any of it...while they do not wish to forget, they also do not wish to create larger scale markers which may be more inviting to those who still support the teachings and ideologies of Hitler and the Nazis.  

It was very poignant to go from there to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.  Made up of 2711 dark gray slabs that are the exact same length and width their heights all vary...getting taller towards the center and shorter on the outsides.  They also are set in rows that undulate as well as slant.  They also are placed such that only one person can walk through on their own.  You cannot walk side by side, only single file.  Our guide had us walk through and talk about the experience on the other side.  It "felt like drowning," "felt like being buried," "alone," and so on.  It was definitely a very powerful and thought-provoking piece.  We ended at the Brandenburg Gate. All along our tour our guide had photos of the various sites put to use in Hitler's speeches, parades, etc.  It was so strange to be in such a place.

A long and emotional day we returned to our hotel after a little shopping and packed a bit before heading out to Rotisserie Weingrün.  Another top rated restaurant #112 in the city, this place was more California in style, and the food was amazing.  All of our meats...chicken, steak, sausages were cooked perfectly.  I enjoyed black truffle mashed potatoes...the best mashed potatoes I have ever had (sorry Grams).  And the cocktails, wine, and beer selections also did not disappoint.  An incredible meal to end an incredible trip on as the next day we would head home via a stop in Frankfort.