March in Berlin is freezing cold. I'd never consider going there when the temperature is 5ยฐ, and certainly wouldn't take Shira and Maya with as it's too cold to walk around.
But one day in late February I did just that, I bought three tickets to freezing Berlin.
It was an exciting day – I went to an International Tourism Exhibition in Tel Aviv and came back extremely exited. I felt there like Alice in Wonderland.
After the kids went to bed, I read through all the brochures I got at the exhibition and read online…
I have a passion to visit every country in the world. This exhibition gave me a chance to come up close with countries Iโve never visited
They say everything starts with imagination – Oh what a rush my imagination got there!โฆ ๐
I clicked on some link and saw this headline: ITB Berlin – The World's Leading Travel Trade Show.
โGood morning darling, remember I promised that next year Iโd take you with to that place I was at yesterday? Well I have a surprise for you…โย ๐
The following week we were on a plane to Berlin.
ITB Berlin takes place annually in March. During the time of the event nearby accommodation prices sky rocket, so I was very lucky to find a room for 37 eros a night through airbnb. I admit that finding this deal was near impossible.
We stayed in western Berlin, 3 minutes walk from Kurfรผrstendamm boulevard – a fantastic location!
We arrived two days before the show opened. Despite the cold, we didn't miss an opportunity to visit the zoo, which we enjoyed very much. Itโs not too big, nor too small, itโs just right. It sure wasn't packed. ๐
There were many roofed structures where we got warm along the way. Shira became friends with a hippo, it seemed they both liked each other. ๐
The next day we went to Legoland – what a great place!
Shira and Maya played around from opening to closing. (Itโs best to buy tickets online as it is considerably cheaper there.)
At the end of the day Shira suggested weโd return here tomorrow and skip the travel show till next year. The girls had so much fun here.
โLetโs make an agreement: weโll go together to the show, and if we donโt have fun there, weโll come back to Legoland, I promise.โ I said to Shira knowing well that I might miss my dream eventโฆ But experience taught me that if Iโm excited about something, my children usually follow, so I was hopeful we all enjoy the exhibition. ๐
At the entrance Shira watched with delight the spectacular Mongolian dance. She was a little disappointed when it ended, but the smile returned to her face in the first pavilion where she got a Russian โBabushkaโ doll and some chocolates. ๐
I offered her a game – to learn how to say โHelloโ, โHow are youโ and โThank youโ in the language of the country that gives her presents.
โSpasibo!โ thanked Shira the Russian representative for the gifts. ๐
Next to Russia we found Kazakhstan with a traditional dance show, and next to them was Bukhara with dried fruits and traditional bread.
In the next pavilion were even more surprises, this time from Central and Southern America.
โHola amigo! Como estas?โ Shira called joyfully.
In Columbia the girls received balloons of pink dolphins who live in the Rio Negro river. We also participated in a photo shoot for an article about the ITB.
โGracias!โ ๐
In Suriname we got a kind of peanut snack. In what language should we thank them? Suriname is in South America, so I thought they speak Spanish, but it turned out that the local language is Dutch.
โDankjewel!โ ๐
We moved on to Haiti where we had fun with drums and traditional rattles. In Haiti they speak French and Haitian.
"Merci!" ๐
We made a โcigarette breakโ and had a cocktail in the Dominican Republic. ๐
Than tasted Portuguese pastries – yummy!
We had a carnival with Guatemala, Panama, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. ๐
Met a Chula from Bolivia and had our picture taken in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is the only Democracy in the world that doesn't have an army. Iโve been wanting to go there for yearsโฆ
Another game we came up with was to recognize countries weโve visited by their flags and tell one memory we have from there.
โHereโs Macedonia!โ Shira called with excitement โwhere we met Ilinka and Mariaโ (the family that hosted us in the village).
โMalta! Thereโs the Maltese Crossโฆ There are 3 islands, I don't remember their namesโฆ We went on a big boatโ.
โHungary! We went to a circus in Budapest.โ
โMom, look, here is Israel!โ ๐
Saโid from Bahrain babysat Maya while I traveled to Egypt and Shira stopped in Lebanon for some falafel.
An utopia of world peace! Isn't it? ๐
The Turkish Airlines stewardess gave the girls toys that are handed out to children during flights.
โTeลekkรผr Ederim!โ ๐
We washed down the Lebanese falafel with a Catalonian fruit shake, a spicy German ice cream and Churchkhela, a traditional Georgian sweet.. ๐
We were even welcomed in Iran and Pakistan with our Israeli passports. ๐
In India we had a henna tattoo.
We spent three days in at the ITB.
โMom, what an amazing playground our world is!โ Shira summed up. ๐
Before the flight back home we walked around the city.
I dream of the day when the whole world will be open to everyone just like this travel show, when weโll be able to go freely and safely to any country, and welcome all travelers in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem…
They say everything starts with imagination – and I can absolutely imagine that! ๐
