Window with a view

Visiting a friend in Jersey City I enjoyed this magnificent view from her apartment at the Hudson river! It seemed almost as I could reach over to Manhattan... Could you imagine to wake up with this view?!

To be a kid...

...and play in the back yard paradise of our friends (swings and trampoline included), the next school day far away! That is what I was thinking watching our kids swinging, jumping and fighting with light sabers. What could be better than having fun with your friends! Maybe having a drink with them...ha,ha 

Thanks Tracey and Tom!

At the US Open

Yes, we were there! And watched Andy Roddick leaving for his retirement... He lost his last game against Del Porto but not the love of the people at the court. It was very emotional, not just for him. So, though I was kind of disappointed not to see Roger Federer, this (final game for Roddick) had a special touch. Especially Jakob was very proud to witness the retirement of a tennis star. 

Surprisingly we were not a little bit disappointed to watch the women play...ha, ha. Jakob even meant their game was faster and more interesting than the mens game. What a compliment! But he was less impressed by the noise they made while playing...

Anyway, another great event in my favorite city!

Ready for the Junior High?

I prefer the name Middle School. It sounds more like something between the Elementary and the High School, there is still some time left to "grown up"... 

I am not ready for the High School, not yet. But I am sooo ready for the school to start again! It's today!

Mission impossible

The lazy days are almost over, at least for Jakob. There will be no more playing with legos for the whole day, no more changing from his pajama for dining out only, no more spending the afternoons with his friends and with light saber fights and no more staying up late (!). The school starts on Thursday, in his case the Middle School.

We survived the orientation day this week and got even "mission impossible" accomplished: to open the locker (all new students nightmare). He is trying to organize his room chaos now, so he can find his clothes, and to clean up his desk - another "mission impossible". But most of all he needs to learn to work again, after almost three months vacation: double "mission impossible"...

I heard something very funny on tv this week: "It's the most wonderful time of the year...for the parents when the kids get back to school! ha, ha.

Olaf and I were already practicing to adjust to this time: with a visit in Eataly in NYC!

Germany in six days

It seems almost impossible... How can we visit our family and friends in such a short time?? For Europeans who are used to have six weeks vacation time in a year is this even harder to understand.  So, our  schedule is always full and we are trying to enjoy every minute. 

I was so happy to see that my grandma who will be 93 next month is still in good healths. We even went  out for lunch together! 

Most of the time we spent in company of our parents, visiting places from our past, and enjoying a lot of good food and drinks together.

Jakob had the time of his life, as usual. His grandparents took him for swimming, to playgrounds and for unlimited "Lego shopping tours". What could be better?! Only playing with his cousin and friends!

But our visit has a bitter-sweet touch...we all know that after the six days we are gone again, far away over the ocean, until the next year.

Ps. Did I mention that at the time of our visit Germany had a record heat wave? No AC, no Fans! The only way to cool down was to put your feet in cold water...

Discovery Eataly

One more trip to the city! Our niece was exploring the downtown yesterday, so did we. Her favorite was the Flatiron Building, ours : Eataly.

Olaf was thrilled to see his beloved "speck" there. The whole space is an amazing Italian dining area.

We, for sure, will have lunch next time there. Unfortunately we could not take home any of these wonderful Italian products, they would not survive the 104 degree outside.

We ourself barely could handle it...I mean both: the heat and going home with empty hands.

The kids did not care, they were discovering something very funny: Olaf's music on his iphone...