update July 24

Friday, July 24, 2009
It has been a while but here is another report from Germany. The few days on my own in Potsdam went by fast and in great anticipation Daniel finally arrived in Berlin where I picked him up by car. I was hesitant to drive to the airport but conquered this as well and finally could hug my son again. We had a great time with a family pow-wow meeting up with my niece, nephew (the chef) and getting to know my great-nieces. Such charming kids – that they just put a smile on all our faces all the time.
Then Daniel and I were lucky that another friend let us stay at her apartment – yet on another charming lake – before we set off for Berlin, Dresden, Wittenberg – the Lutherstadt and ultimately Munich. If you decide to explore the former East Germany states of Saxonia, Dresden is a must. It is so historic you feel like in Florence.
The famous Semper Opera offers tours and we were fortunate to sit in a rehearsal of Porgy & Bess by the New York Harlem Theater company. They are one of the greatest successes here in Germany. The Dresdner Zwinger is the one of the famous gallery’s – all 17th, 18th, 19th century art. Amazing how this stuff survived all the political changes over the hundreds of years.
In Munich we took a walking city tour and Daniel went to see the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial on his own.
The days with Daniel were too few but at least I enjoyed every minute with him. Flash backs included when I tucked him in the car seat and drove him all over the autobahn. And now: he is the driver, with such ease and comfort. I loved it.
We parted in Munich and he took the train to Frankfurt to return to LA while I drove the 550 km back to Potsdam.
Now I am in the second apartment, located right in the middle of town in a fully restored “Hollaender Haus”. It is basically the top floor of a private home. You go out of the door and there are little shops, restaurants, café’s and shopping. My little place on the lake the one with the naked people) is only 20 minutes walk and I went yesterday, catching a dry spot in the day.
This is what is really not so fun: Maybe you even heard in the US about the strange summer her. Showers, thunderstorms, hail, huge down poor’s day after day. Then in between just wonderful hours of sunshine. People are pretty frustrated and for the tourists it is not fun either.
But – I am finally online and can work during the rain and hope it will get better.

Tomorrow is the big day for Potsdam. It is called “Erlebnisnacht” – the entire town is closed down for an music, art and food festival. Hopefully the weather will settle down by then.