Dusseldorf

Isabel works at the annual tennis tournament in Dusseldorf for a full week each May, as do her mother and father.  Therefore, no one is left to care for Moritz and Niklas.  Isabel asked Sabine if she could borrow me for the week.  We arrived late on a Thursday evening and work started Friday morning.  In addition to Moritz and Niklas, the cousins were staying at Grandma's as well while their parents went to Barcelona for the weekend.  My mom managed five so I figured I could manage four.  Luckily, there were always two people around.  One usually cared for the baby while the other played with the kids (I spent most of my time playing soccer, inside and out).  It was much easier than expected and all the kids were wonderful.  I took the three kids and the baby to the horse stalls down the road and when I said "Stop!", they all stopped.  It was absolutely perfect.  

The tournament actually started on Sunday, which is when the cousins returned home and when everyone started working.  Moritz and I got to enjoy two matches at the tennis club, America vs. Germany and France vs. Sweden.  I cannot remember ever viewing a tennis match, despite the fact that I have watched many matches on tv.  It was just as exciting and even better under the warm sun!  Moritz is the same age as Max and Tom but much more advanced in the area of sports.  He knew when to clap and when it was out (which can be confusing for singles as the court is set for doubles as well).  He sat still in my lap without complaining.  He much prefers to watch sports than kid programs.  

The next three days I spent at the house with Moritz and Niklas.  We played more soccer, visited the horses, completed puzzles, read books...  It was much like a normal day but with a new set of boys!  I haven't been around a baby in quite some time either which was exciting, especially since Niklas is a perfect baby.  He loves to watch everyone.  He is nearly 6 months old and he just sits and enjoys the company of others.  When there is no one around or if he gets bored, he just needs to be relocated and he is happy once again.  Absolutely perfect!  It was a little dangerous when he wanted to be around Moritz and I whilst we played soccer as Moritz has a hard shot.

On Saturday, Isabel's friend met me in the city and showed me around a bit.  Then she left me to shop for the rest of the afternoon on my own.  Dusseldorf is the shopping capital of Germany.  It has a unique shopping area and it was nice to be in a city once again.  I love Heidelberg but I am a city girl.  On Tuesday night, Isabel's sister invited me over to her apartment for dinner with some of her friends.  She prepared a vegetarian friendly dish in my honor!  After dinner, we watched Germany's Next Top Model.  It was great fun drinking wine in the company of Janina's. friends  They all arrived at separate times and they all commented on how well I spoke German once I introduced myself.  As language acquisition is the main reason that I am in Germany, I was pleased!  Everyone I met was extremely nice!

I took a train back to Heidelberg on Wednesday afternoon as I had to catch a flight to London on Thursday evening.  The tournament continued through Sunday but Moritz went with his cousins to Holland which made it a little more manageable to shuffle Niklas around.  It was a wonderful surprise vacation!