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Europe » Germany » Berlin » Berlin
June 17th 2006
Published: June 17th 2006
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As my title suggests I know now the entire public transport system and can navigate my well around the greater Berlin area on my own very well. As I have not updated very recently this will be quite a large post.
Tuesday the 13th: I headed out early in the morning to Berlin by myself. I saw Alexander Platz, the Berliner Dom, Pergamon Museum, Bradenburger Tor (and the huge soccer ball that is currently in front of it), the Riechstag, the Jewish memorial and Potsdamer Platz. I got a feel for the city and spent a lot of time just wandering and laying in the many parks that dot the city. Berlin is so green because during the time of the wall, many parks were made and trees were put up in order to distract residents from the walled in feeling. Now it just makes the city so beautiful and sooooo green.
Wednesday the 14th: Went into the city to meet up with some boys that are here whom I went to grade school with. But because their cell phone died, I spent a couple hours just walking the Fan Mile looking for them. The Fan mile is the street that goes down the center of the Tiergarten which is (I believe) the biggest park in Berlin. It's been closed off to cars and now houses a whole bunch of beer and food stands, a ferris wheel and quite a few huge TV screens to watch the different world cup soccer games on. I finally got a hold of the boys and we decided to do the fan mile again that night as Germany was playing. Soccer is huge in Europe and the world cup is huge, and right now there is so much German pride everywhere. So when Germany won the game in the last minute, the fan mile went absouluty crazy. If one person yelled Deustchland, the rest of the crowd chanted it back. Everyone was singing and dancing (and drinking like crazy) and it was so much fun to be there.
Thursday the 15th: I went into Berlin to give the boys (Nick and Paul) and Pauls Dad and little Brother my expertise (ha!) about the city and getting around. We went to the top of the TV tower which is where I realized how much I really do know about the city as I was able to point out so many things and explain them. We then went to the Jewish History Museum which was a little boring but we played a whole bunch of games of hide-and-go seek in this memorial type place outside.
Friday the 16th: Steffi took me out to Potsdam which was very cool as there are many old palaces out there. It once again made me notice the difference between Paris and Berlin. Paris is so focused on having everything gilded and showing off as much money as possible where Berlin is much more quiet about money and shows it in much more discreet ways. Comparing this place with Versialles is a perfect example. Stepping on the ground at Versailles right away you can see all the impressive things and are blown away by how much money was spent on it. But walking down what seems like a simple green park area at Postdam and you look down a random hedgeway and see another grand palace at the end of the hedge that you never even knew was there.
I love Paris and I love Berlin, and I'm really loving just being here and soaking it all in. I wish you were all here to experience this with me!

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