Blogs from Berlin, Berlin, Germany, Europe
May 23rd 2012
Hey everyone! I write to you via the ICE train from Rotterdam to Berlin, which is about a 6 hour journey. Unfortunately, there is no wi-fi onboard this train so I’m writing this entry on Word and will post it once I can access some internet. The flight over here was mediocre, the on-demand movies were mildly entertaining, but I felt hungry throughout most of the flight. Apparently, United Airlines feels that a croissant and some fruit alone is suffice for breakfast, so that was a bit of a letdown. Once we landed in Amsterdam we were greeted by Ruud, Arnaud, and Bert. It was great seeing Ruud and Arnaud after 6 months, and in the case of Bert it had been 18 months. Aside from the fact that we weren’t in Austin, it felt like ... read more
May 9th 2012
"Hilfe, das passt niemals alles in die Taschen!" waren unsere ersten Gedanken beim Zusammenstellen der Kleidung. Doch nach mehreren Auscheidungsrunden im "Klamottencasting" gab es den Durchbruch und die Lösung auf Gewichtsprobleme. Wir haben einfach ein zusätzliches Gepäckstück gebucht, was erstmal zu grundsätzlicher Entspannung innerhalb der Jury führte. Nun ist alles verpackt und die Kofferschlösser sind auch schon dran ;-) Lieblingskleidung, Lieblingsschuhe, Gastgeschenke und, und, und... Noch das Handgepäck zusammenstellen, dann kann das Abenteuer beginnen. Wir sind gespannt und werden weiter berichten.... read more
April 24th 2012
Emily and I got up early on this morning and went to the lounge to have our free breakfast! After we ate all we could in the little time we had, we just walked across the street and were at the airport. It was a very nice change of pace compared to taking multiple forms of public transportation and rushing to be on time. The flight was only about an hour, and then we arrived in Germany! We took the train into the city, but it was a leap of faith more than anything. In Belgium we at least knew a little French, or everything was translated into English, but in Germany everything is very foreign. Luckily, we made it into town and easily found our hostel. One of my new friends had recommended it, and ... read more
April 24th 2012
Today was a very relaxed day. Emily and I got up and had our free breakfast at the hostel. It was actually very good for a hostel breakfast, and had more than just bread and tea. Then we went to the last non-commercial art gallery in Berlin called Tacheles. It was more like abandoned buildings filled with graffiti. There were people in some of the rooms painting and with set up art exhibits. It was very interesting and cool. Some of the art was really great, and the whole gallery overall was very edgy. After, Emily and I made the 45-minute journey to a concentration camp on the outskirts of Berlin. Although it was very cool to go see, it was a very sad and somber day. The atrocities that were committed seemed even more real ... read more
Checkpoint Becky- Lessons Learned from Berlin
Published: April 14th 2012Europe » Germany » Berlin » Berlin
April 10th 2012
Hello Everyone! Sorry it’s been a while since I sent a blog, it’s been a pretty hectic few weeks for me, but as always in a great way! I’ve been putting in lots of overtime hours because I love my internship so much. However, it also gives me less down time (which I’m not used to having much of anyway haha). Last week my boss asked me to represent our organization at a meeting on climate change. I was very honored. The meeting was about 20 people representing organizations such as DARA, EEA, UN, ICSTD, etc. I was easily the only person under 30 years and the only intern there. I felt very privileged and definitely outside of my comfort zone which was great experience to have! The organization DARA is trying to methodologically break down ... read more
March 31st 2012
Guten Morgen from Berlin! Arrived by train to Berlin, Germany on Wednesday, March 28th, Overview: Nice weather when we arrived, but the next day (touring day) was cold, cloudy and windy with the threat of rain all day (even had a few sprinkles here and there. Initially, we were planning on doing another Segway Tour, but it ended up that we opted for another ‘Hop on, Hop off’ bus tour like the one we did in Vienna. We arrived at our hotel in the late afternoon, the Crown Plaza which is the only well-known hotel on our journey. The hotels in Vienna and Prague, and the ones we have booked for Rome and Barcelona, are less known and we booked them more for location and historical/character appeal. I must admit, it is nice to actually have ... read more
March 13th 2012
I have decided not to make any plans for the last day in Berlin. This day will be free. My roomates and I will use this day to go to any place suggested by locals or other travelers we have talked to throughout the previous two days. I feel when people travel they get caught up in the "tourist" attractions and forget to actually dive in and experience the culture. I am hoping on this last day my roomates and I can discover the hidden, not so main stream, treasures of Berlin. We will travel "wherever the wind takes us" so to speak. This could be the most educational day yet!... read more
