Berlin - June 17-19 2010

Well - I am behind. I had high hopes, but forgot the whole going to school part of this adventure. Also, it seems as soon as I get to the hotels that cost a pretty penny, I can no longer get free internet access. Very frustrating. However - a quick update on Berlin:

I was very excited to get there and there was a lot I wanted to see. I did manage to get to quite a few, but exhaustion really started to catch up with me. Naps are very important. I stayed in a hostel in a boat that is moored on the east bank of the river Spree. I was comfortable and clean, but a bit overpriced. Also, there were certain moments when the fact that I was never standing completely still was a bit of a problem.


The first day there, I went back to the central Berlin station. Huge. I booked an overnight train to Amsterdam and scoped out the territory a bit more. Later that day, I went on a walking tour of Berlin. That was very interesting - we walked all around - saw many things - Museum Island, the Raichstag, the Brandenburg Gate...Check Point Charlie - known as "Disneyland Berlin" by our tour guide - is interesting in theory, but everything there - from the soldiers to the signs - are fake.

Actually, again according to the tour guide, the guys dressed as soldiers are actually professional
strippers at their day job. Who knows...though some were very attractive. :)


I stood on top of what was Hitler's bunker (it is now a parking lot) and sat in the space between the two Walls - the Death Strip - the changing number of feet of mines, tanks, barbed wire and snipers required to shoot to kill on sight. Just over 20 years ago, I would have been killed for setting foot there. It was strange information to try to assimilate.


The Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe is interesting...a square of different sized pillars - it gets deeper and deeper as you walk through.


The next day, I went to the Jewish Museum - also very interesting. It follows the history of Jews in Berlin since the middle ages. I then - more or less - moved from one cafe to another. Saturday, I wandered. I picked a market over the Holocaust Museum, cheap pasta and a world cup came over a few other options, and an extra gelato over more tours.

Berlin was great - I would have enjoyed time there a bit more if I had come a bit more rested. It felt really good to stay in one place for at least a few days. I was able to live pretty cheaply (except for the hostel), and that was helpful. It is definitely different to both travel and stay by yourself. I had a perfectly fine time and talked to a bunch of really nice people - but started missing friends and easy company and certain comforts. SO - if anyone feels like they really know Berlin, let me know and I'll go back with you!

My train to Amsterdam was supposed to leave around midnight. It did not show up until more than an hour later, so I spent quite a lot of time in the huge Berlin Central Station...it does get a bit chilly. I slept fairly well on the train and woke up to have a very nice conversation with the Scotsman who lived in the Netherlands in my cabin. He was returning from a visit to Prague to see his Russian fiancee and her daughter. Very nice man. Still - best part of traveling is meeting interesting people. And realizing how small the world is: I met a guy on the train from Berlin to Amsterdam from Louisville Colorado.

The school portion of this whole adventure started in the Netherlands...