It is quite amazing how many "second winds" I have gotten throughout this trip already. Probably a sign that I should slow down a bit but it's so hard when I have to choose between the Brandenburg Gate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburg_Gate) and a nap.
We arrived today into Berlin, Germany after a long 6.5 hour train ride. The weather and the German terrain were beautiful all the way here but the train made a stop about every 45 min. waking everyone up so my iPod got a lot of use.
Upon arriving into Berlin I am starting to see my nerves easing up a little because as we arrived (3:45 p.m.) and having not secured a couchsurfing host yet (which we eventually did) and needing internet to search for a back up hostel...we decided to eat first instead. Great idea because we had some amazing genuine German brats and local beers. :)
Not really knowing where we were going, we jumped on a bus that everyone seemed to be taking (buses are so much better than metros for first time visiting because you get to see the city and not the inside of a stinky old metro cars).
We decided to jump off the bus whenever we spotted the Brandenburg Gate and eventually pawned some internet off the nearby Starbucks. Reading about all the Brandenburg Gate really made me realize how little I knew about Berlin and especially the Berlin wall (I was only 4 when Reagan said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" and today stood in that spot).
I read up more about the Berlin wall at the Checkpoint Charlie Museum (http://tinyurl.com/nn7rld, http://tinyurl.com/myl2r9) and headed back over to the Brandenburg Gate to visualize what I just learned. :)
The couchsurfing host we have for tonight is so great. There are actually 2 other couchsurfers here; one from Washington state and the other from Iowa. They're quite interesting. Aimee left for OKC yesterday and Doug will be here through Berlin and one day in Prague. Then off to Milan.
I should have some more videos coming soon but a few have already been posted, thank you everyone over at Newsok! I'm having lots of fun writing and taking all these videos. Just hope I can keep it for the next 2 weeks!
Gotta go, we're all about to have a tooth brushing dance party in the hall.
Great reports, Casey. Thanks for all the detail in links. This is totally fueling my wanderlust and adding places on my "list of things to see". Be safe and keep having a blast!
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