Tim and Milenda visit Berlin

We were so excited waiting for Tim and his fiancee, Melinda Nixon, to arrive at Berlin Tegel airport on Wednesday 29 June. I baked chocolate chip cookies, Craig cleaned the apartment, we made a run to Grafenwoehr to stock up on groceries and we were then ready for their arrival. What a blessing to have our son come and visit us here in Berlin. Tim came a year ago just after our arrival, and now he is visiting again with Milenda. They arrived on schedule, after a trip first to Greece for Tim to propose. There they visited the Harding University Campus at Porto Rafti where he spent one semester. Since they arrived at dinnertime we took them to our favorite non-German restaurant called Tex-Mex which is located under the Friedrichstrasse Bahnhof. They offer good steaks, reasonable prices, and friendly service. The weather was perfect so we sat outside to eat and visit.

Thursday morning we set out to show Milenda some of the Berlin sights here in the Mitte District. We saw Checkpoint Charlie and then walked over to the Topography of Terror Historic Site by the former Berlin Wall. Our walking tour next took us past the site of Hitlers Bunker, before stopping for lunch by the Holocaust Memorial. We went into the American Embassy and met my co-workers. Following this we headed up to Pariser Platz and visit the Berlin Filmmuseum and learned alot about the history of German Cinema and Television. Of course there was a large section on Marlene Dietrich. After a full day of walking and touring we were ready to go home and spend the evening inside.

By Friday morning we were ready to head out again. At this point we thought we would visit the palace and grounds at Charlottenburg. This is always a beautiful sight as well as learning the German History of the buildings from the 17th to the 19th centuries. The European palaces of that period just have nothing comparable in the USA. We also enjoyed a good German lunch there at the Brauhaus across from the Palace grounds. We came back home then to await the arrival of Tim's high school friend Anthony. Anthony Alegria has been in the Air Force now for 7 years and lives at Kaiserslautern, Germany. Since we had last seen Anthony, he has acquired a wife, Mandi and 2 young children Anthony and Ryan. They were anxious to drive to Berlin and also visit Tim and meet Milenda. They all arrived in time for dinner which I prepared at home for all. What a treat to have two willing young ladies to help in the kitchen. Milenda and Mandi are an inspiration and example to all the other 20somethings around the world. Little Anthony at 3 and Ryan at 15 months were a delight and such well behaved little guys. We all had a wonderful evening together.

Saturday morning we arranged to meet the Alegria Clan at AlexanderPlatz as we knew the little boys would enjoy the Lott Model Train display and the rest of us could visit casually. It went well and following that Craig and I said we needed to go home and get ourselves together as we were planning to leave for London on Sunday afternoon as soon as Tim and Milenda left. So we came home and let the young people stroll the AlexanderPlatz Mall some more. Following a break we then had a Reichstag tour scheduled for Saturday Evening. By then it was pouring down rain, nevertheless we all met up and enjoyed the Reichstag Tour. By then Little Anthony was asking to go see the trains again, so we know the little guys definately enjoyed that effort! After the tour we went to the Brauhaus next to the Brandenburg Gate and enjoyed another German meal together. We walked back to our apartment and the Alegria's took their tired little boys back to their hotel. We enjoyed sharing Tim and Milendas visit with this delightful young couple. It is so rewarding to see Tim's friend, from 7th grade, now a man doing a great job serving our country and loving his family.

We were so thrilled Tim and Milenda could stay and worship with us at the Berlin Church of Christ at Breitenbach Platz on Sunday morning. This group of Christians are a vital part of our life here in Berlin and we wanted to introduce our son to our friends there! Following the worship service we couldn't linger very long as Tim and Milenda had a plane to catch. We drove them out the Shoenefeld Airport to catch their plane to Hungary. We just had enough time to check them in and grab a burger at the diner in the lobby. We wish them well as they headed off to spend the next week working with a youth camp in Szolnok Hungary. We are so proud of Tim that for 2 years now he has dedicated a week each summer to this work with the youth of Hungary.

We love you Tim and Milenda and thank you for visiting us. We wish you well as you continue your journey and then back to Colorado to plan your wedding. We will definately be there!!

Now for the photos!!