We walked into Potsdam today, where I bought a few things to bring home for Emma and the kids. I was paricularly on the hunt for a small toy figure of Sandmaennchen (the Sand Man, in traditional German culture, a character thought to sprinkle magic sand in children’s eyes, making them rub their eyes and eventually fall asleep) for our youngest, Tristan. He became a cult figure in the days of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), where he was a favourite children’s fixture on TV, marking their bedtime. He was retained following reunification and remains a firm favourite today with a new generation of children.
Following a walk around town, We picked up Peter and Susi’s children from Kindergarten and then caught the train home. Having failed to find a suitable Sandmaennchen figure in town, we headed to the out-of-town Stern centre, where I managed to get exactly what I was looking for.