I arrived in Berlin a week ago, after an unplanned 24-hour minibreak in Chicago. I'm sorry it's taken me til now to post this, but technology is always complicated and continues to be a challenge! Anyway I'm going to make an effort here to bring you all up to speed on what I and my compatriots have been doing this week in the capital city of Germany.
Here's a picture of where I'm staying ... it's a sublet near Rosethaler Platz in the heart of Berlin. It's a truly fabulous location and a gorgeous old apartment, complete with, as you can see, a balcony! The only strange thing about the place is that the bathroom floor is covered in white, loose gravel. Hmm.
First activity in Berlin, on Sunday morning, was watching the Berlin Marathon (one of the world's 5 biggest!) with my cousin and good friend Jeff. The weather has been absolutely wonderful since I arrived - hot and sunny! It's a nice little respite before we dive into the cold of fall and winter. I have my gloves at the ready.
Here's a shot of the winner, who was running for a new world record, just before the finish line. He unfortunately didn't break the record, due to a "headwind" on Potsdamer Platz, but he still finished in about 2 hours and 5 minutes, and he didn't even look like he was working hard as he completed his 23rd mile. Amazing!
Walking through the government district, I got my first photos of one of my favorite aspects of Berlin - architecture! I love the way modern and classical architectural styles are combined in new ways in this city.
Next activity on Sunday was going for a walk around the Gruenewaldsee with Nadja (throwing the frisbee) and Winnie (chasing after it - she's the one nearer the water). This park is a really great off-leash park and it was really crowded with puppies and owners ... it was so fun to watch them having a good time in the water! And a beautiful place to go walking as well.
Afterwards we went and had dinner together with Nadja's husband Olli. Don't they make an adorable family?
The next evening was my birthday, so Nadja and Olli made me a beautiful and delicious cake. I am so lucky to have such great friends! Yum yum. And yes. I'm 28. I know. Getting up there. I have to act mature now.
On Tuesday I met up with my Seattle roommate Kristin, whom I haven't seen since August. She's been studying German in Berlin for the last month or so, and it was so awesome to see her! We had some ice cream and went shopping at H&M (for those of you who don't know the wonders of H&M, think of a more stylish and varied Old Navy). A completely indulgent afternoon. :)
On Wednesday we had our first day of class. I led a little walking tour through central Berlin, and we stopped at Bebelplatz to see the monument to the Nazi book burning that took place there in 1933. So far everyone seems to be enjoying learning lots about Berlin and walking a ton, not to mention filling out millions of German forms and getting different sets of documents together each day to do different random administrative things. Good job, guys!
Here we are at another midday sugarfest with Kristin - those of you who know her will know all about her sweet tooth! It is really nice to be hanging out with her - it's like having a little piece of home with me here. We both miss all of our roommates in Seattle and are looking forward to seeing them again in January!
Okay, here is one of the things about Germany that I love the most. This entire set of groceries, including: 1 box Barilla pasta, milk, 2 bottles of sparkling water, 2 cartons of yoghurt, 3 little puddings, a package of vanilla wafers, tomato sauce, bread, 3 pears, 3 heads of organic garlic, a chunk of brie, 6 eggs, a Ritter Sport, a zucchini and a red pepper cost ... only 12.43 Euros! I love this country.
Yesterday we went to the Berlin Wall Remembrance Site, where you can still see a portion of the wall and death strip as they were. There are Zach, Sam, Kristin and Evelyn peering through the crack into what used to be the restricted area.
This morning I had coffee with Jeff at my favorite cafe, Barcomi's ...
It was good. I have to admit to you that it is actually owned by Americans and has New York-style bagels. But it's still good, and they serve coffee the Viennese way, with sparkling water. So it's cosmopolitan, let's say.Being in Berlin is fabulous. The only thing missing is Chance. He is at home doing Economics and Maths and important Things for Which You Need Lots of Books. I suppose I ought to be doing things with books as well. Next week ...
Until then, tschuess und liebe Gruesse aus Berlin!
