So, it’s a day to celebrate – I just had my first photo published by someone other than myself.  About a month and a half ago, I noticed a calling for photos that had to do with ‘timelines’ on the TVs on the U-Bahn (subway) in Berlin.  I submitted my photo, and Christmas came and went, and I had assumed that my photo had not been selected for display.  A couple of weeks later I got an email, saying that my photo was selected to be shown!

So, in order to celebrate, Mel had the great idea of going to a breakfast place, which actually is right below where I lived for a month when I first came to Berlin on exchange years ago.  It was packed full, so the waiter offered us an espresso/coffee on the house if we wanted to wait outside until a table opened up.  We turned on the outdoor heater, wrapped ourselves in some blankets and enjoyed some caffeine before heading in to the crowded, however delicious, brunch buffet and clinking glasses of fresh-pressed orange juice.

So, remember that musical family that had us to their house a couple months ago?  This time they invited us to a full out concert with about 200 people in the audience, and their older son played as well.

They started off by playing all together, with the mother on piano, father and oldest son on viola, daughter on violin, and the youngest one on the cello.  Words really can’t describe how wonderful they all sounded, especially considering the oldest of the children was 12.

They played in this beautiful old villa, which was originally built for a family of four, then during/after WWII it was occupied by the French and used as a barracks followed by a culture house.  It was then given to the state to perpetuate the culture in the area, went through some tough financial times, and then was bought by a group of people living in the area to keep this project going.

They switched between duets and solos, where the parents usually played with their children for support, but we were also lucky enough to hear a couple of solos from the father, who plays in the Berlin Symphony.

After a wonderful classic on this sunny Sunday morning, the five of them graciously accepted some roses and bowed at the applause of the audience before them.  As the person sitting next to me said, “What a great way to spend a Sunday.”