And Here She Is...

Sat & Sun 28-29. July

We headed out for a quick trip to Berlin. There were several groups from the program going together, so we made quite a few people. The first train we had seats, the 10 minute transfer train we definitely were squished to standing room, and the 3rd, longest train we were on the stairs and floor. The first pick is the first 1/2 of the stairs, there is another set going up to the second level. I sat on the floor next to the door and the group of cyclists drinking Champaigne at 10 am. And no they didn't share.

The second pic is our Hostel. It was pretty nice, and really cheap. Our group took up 6 of the 8 bunks, so we were quite the cozy family. Fortunately, the bathroom and shower is inside the big room, so you share it with roommates (possibly and most likely people you don't know, but in this case not), no need to go down the hall.

Pic 3 is our view out the window of the Hostel. Beautiful eh? Well it should be. It's a painting on the side of a building. We were only on the second floor, and looking out the window was like looking into the streets of New York. In fact Berlin was VERY similar to New York, only everyone prefered to speak German (most people could speak english better than I speak German).

#4 is the Brandenberg Gate....does it need more explaination? It's spectacular. We saw the piece of the remaining wall, it's a bit of a walk from the gates and rathaus. We also visited the new Holocaust Memorial and the University where Einstein attended. We actually had pretty good weather. We ate at the Hardrock Berlin, the only restaurant in Germany that Ice has been served in a drink without asking. And for all of you wondering.... most drinks are served COLD here! No warm soda. It's summer people! No one in their right mind wants a warm beverage. Even beer in Germany is served cold to cool (depending on the kind). I've been told be my new friends that beer was only served warm in the past because refrigeration was so expensive!

The fifth pic is a little bar across the street from two very popular clubs. We decided to pre party there. While we sat, we watched several policecars pull up to each of the clubs and decided that our little bar was perfect. from left to right: Jael, Azia, Felicity, Kathryn and Amanda. Felicity and Kathryn were the other two occupying the free bunks in our room. They are from England and N Ireland. Kick ass accents.

The last pic is me standing at Checkpoint Charlie. I had to Pay 1 EU to stand with the guards and get my pic taken, but that's ok. I also had my passport stamped with the old West and East Germany stamps and the Checkpoint charlie one!!!! wahoo!