Back to the grindstone...

We've had a great last few days. On Friday night, we attended a reception at the law firm Hogan & Hartson in Potsdamer Platz. As we stepped off the elevator there were waiters with juice and wine greeting us. It couldn't have been more different than reception we attended earlier in the week. They were gracious hosts and we visited with several of the attorneys throughout the evening. The senior partner is an avid art collector, so we toured the office and saw art such as Warhol and Liechtenstein and many famous German artists. I began chatting with one of the partners and he took me to two other floors to see more art, including a tour of the senior partner's office, which was full of fabulous paintings and gadgets. Of course, it was a little lost on me because - while I thought it was beautiful - I know nothing about art.

On Saturday, Linda and I made our way to KaDeWe, the huge department store in the former West Berlin. KaDeWe is right up there with Harrod's in London. On the seventh floor, there is a huge food court. There are little bar/restaurants throughout and you can also buy fish, meat, bread, pastries, caviar, or whatever food item you might want!

In that neighborhood there is an old cathedral that was bombed out in the war. The church is still standing - they have built a modern bell-tower and have tried to preserve as much of the bombed out part as possible.

We then wandered around Potsdamer Platz, where the Sony Center is located, and shopped for souvenirs. We had a great dinner - schnitzel with fried potatoes. We then joined a few other students for a bit, and called it an early night.

Sunday, we caught up on reading for class at the local Starbucks then headed for a tour of the Reichstag. The Reichstag was burned in the 1930s. No one knows exactly what happened but Hitler used the event to gain power - he blamed the fire on the communists. The dome was burned and finally completely destroyed in the war. Today, you can walk up a ramp to the top of it and see much of the city.

We then headed to the Pergamon Museum (this spelling really threw me off because in English it is Pergamum and in Turkish it is Bergama). They have reconstructed the altar at Babylon. There are also many pillars, busts, and oher statues from Pergamom and the surrounding area. The museum has three wings and in one is the Museum of Islamic Art. It is probably the best part. There are ancient rugs, pottery, writings, and other artifacts. It is all very colorful and quite beautiful.

We then did some laundry - in the sink and one of the other students was generous enough to wash our jeans for us. I joined some of the other students for a late dinner near a discotech. Actually, several tents were set up outside and all different kinds of music was blaring from these tents. Several of our professors were there - and they were dancing! It was hilarious.

Today, it's back to school. We have an exam on Saturday. Linda and I only have to pass, but the Tulane grading system complicates things. No more than 75% of the students can score higher than a B-. Of course, that means 25% of the students will get a C+ or lower. Oh, well.

For those of you who studied in Istanbul last summer - I've gotta tell you - this weekend has been deja vu. I'd swear we have some of the same people in our program - Chad (his name is Chris this time) and Allison (her name now is Mary). It's crazy because it seems like I'm dealing with the same people all over again.

We've spent some time with a guy from Venezuela named Eduardo. He's an attorney and he used to work for the government of Venezuela. It's absolutely fascinating visiting with him. I also visited with a guy from Singapore last night - for those of you who don't know - it was a British colony so they speak English and have an Anglo legal system. I guess I'd never really thought about that before.

It rained most of the weekend, and it's a little cloudy today, but at least it's not stifling anymore. I still hope to get my photos uploaded this afternoon - we'll see if it works!

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