http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Germany , District of Berlin en-us Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:15:52 UTC Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:15:52 UTC Okay so first we'll answer the obvious question why are we in Berlin for 6 days after racing around the rest of the continent Because we can Seriously our intent was to spend 4 nights here and then move onto Hamburg for another 2. However there is some sort of conference being held in Hamburg and every hostel was fully booked more than a week in advance. Thus we opted to spend the rest of o http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-349656.html Hey everyoneThought it was about time I sent through another update. Have just got back from a fantastic weekend away with Olivia in Berlin wow it was amazing Such an awesome place that's for sure. We did a walking tour on the Saturday and saw all the main highlights like the Brandenburg Gate the hotel where Michael Jackson dangled his baby out of the window you say that's a highlight hehe http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-349126.html MONDAY Whew. OK just to let you know I didn't cover EVERYTHING from the tour. I did choose to skip some stops some photos some info just so I wouldn't bore you all to death. That's really just my excuse. To be honest I can't remember enough about all the other stuff to make it worth a post. Should have been taking notes or something rightBut Monday finally came and with that our train http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-345869.html This memorial is to remind us of the consequences of war not only for those considered the victims but for the soldiers and families as well.That's why buried in this memorial is a German solider and a holocaust victim symbolizing that it doesn't matter which side of the warline you're standing on you are affected. http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-345864.html Remember pictures documentaries or stories of the book burning by the Third Reich on May 10 1933Well that was here in Babelplatz.25000 titles were burned. Many were original first editions. Irreplaceable. The titles chosen were pretty much anything that the Third Reich didn't agree with. Books and journals were taken from the university library by students and fed into the bonfires.Today the http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-345852.html WWII is over ... it's the Cold War now. Red Berlin.Eastern EuropeWestern Europe. East GermanyWest Germany. East BerlinWest Berlin. And for an East Berliner life is pretty miserable. You do what you're told to do. You work where you're told to work and when you're told to work. You have quotas you have to meet. And then your quotas are raised by 15 but you get paid the same pitiful wage. Fair http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-345848.html If Em hadn't have told us we would have assumed that the empty corner across the street from some ordinary apartment buildings held any significance. In fact this was the site of Hitler's Bunkers and where he spent his last days.He was hidden away in one of his bunkers as the city was being bombed. To the end Hitler truly believed that they were going to win the war. Hitler was on a concoction http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-345847.html To the other side of the Brandenburg Tor is the Holocaust Memorial ... which unless someone had told me that I probably would have passed by wondering what it was or putting it to modern art.Em explained that there was some controversy over constructing this memorial. For one thing it's only dedicated to the Jews that died and were persecuted rather than to everyone. The point was also raised t http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-344726.html Just a couple blocks from the gate is the Reichstag the parliament building of Germany. It has a seethrough glass dome right above the chamber. You are able to walk up in and around it in a spiral and look down on those making the laws governing the land etc. It's symbolic because the workings of the government should be transparent for citizens to see. Also as the politicians are working an http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-344716.html This is perhaps the quintessential symbol of Berlin. And was actually one of several gates to enter the original city. By the way the word BERLIN is Slavic and means swamp city. It was literally built on a swamp and often stinks like one as wellThe chariot rider was built in the late 1700s commissioned by Fredrick William II of Prussia. It was built as a symbol of peace and the lady had an http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-344715.html SUNDAY It was 19 years ago today that the Berlin Wall came down. How incredible to be here on such a day And the story is even more incredible In fact the entire history of Berlin is fascinating I've discovered that to really truly appreciate a city you need to find someone that thinks that city is the greatest city in the whole world. Spend a few hours with them and you'll begin to agree. http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-344421.html SATURDAY OK my blogging abilities are wearing thin. We'll see how many more of these I can pull out today. We made it to the Dresden train station kein problem without problem and had a direct ride to Berlin about a 2 hour trip. Our first order of business was to find out hostel which took a bit more work since I had gotten directions from a different train station in Berlin not the m http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-344390.html heyyyyso i do have lots of pictures to upload but im slowso please be patientumm to quickly sum up the rest of my time in englandi spent a day just kind of in greenwhichwhere i went to the huge park and the royal conservatory and made a stop by greenwhich universitycause im an uber dorkthennn i got to meet up with jenn pyne for drinks that night as well as maxxs friends who's names i have forgo http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-344114.html Our fav city so far is Berlin It was an amazing mix of old buildings and incredible modern architecture and history everywhere you look. Lots of art and music as wellOn our first day we went on a walking tour about the 3rd Reich. Most of the buildings had been bombed or destroyed but we went to the places where they used to be and our guide was fantastic. We stood above the spot where Hitler com http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-343293.html The tour guide to the Concentration Camp told me about a couple election night parties that were going on in the city if I wanted to try and get in. So I set off around 900 PM to get an allamerican hamburger OKhellip.it was covered with warm goat cheese at my favorite eclectic restauranthellipWhite Trash Fast Food. Its sort of a punk place set in what had once been a Chinese restaurant http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-342704.html Berlin bleibt Berlin. There are still quite a few leafs still on the trees and at the same time Its been a while since Irsquove seen leafs so big The apartment turns out to be quite nice and large in a preWW2 buildinghellip.probably with the original elevator. The kitchen is well equipped with a 2 burner hot plate a microwave coffee maker pots pans dishes and cutlery. The bathr http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-342691.html Keeping a journal has been a great way to refresh my memory about our trip. Our train from Munich to Berlin was delayed pulling into Berlin and so Dani and I had a fun adventure of finding our hostel in the dark. We ate some fresh mozzarella pizza and drank some Beck's for dinner. Our hostel was at the Ostabanhof metro stop on the east side of Berlin. We went on a free walking tour in the morning http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-342232.html Oslo on Sunday is a rather curious spectacle you see around only Middle Eastern immigrants and a significant number of alcoholics. Humans derelicts the latter result of years of protoprohibitionist policy. And the longer I live the most I grew convinced of something forbid something is the best way to push people en masse towards that specific vice.The ferry to Frederikshavn Denmark didnr http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-340307.html Berlin in summaryMost memorableinteresting Berlinrsquos HistorySmells A bit smelly from the canal and sewer drains in the cityWeather Some clear sunny days and a couple of rainy ones cool to start but warmed upDodgy experience Brad getting lost in the early hours of the morningLocal Food We ate Mexican Thai Asian and local once which was fantasticWell here we go again trying to http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-339762.html I woke up at about 7am still onboard the train. The previous night when I looked out the back of our carriage all I could see was the carriage behind us. After I got up and looked again all I could see was railway tracks going by. After a while it dawned on me that we may have lost some passengers along the way. It then all made sense ... I remembered waking up in the middle of the night an http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-337644.html We arrived at Merringdam UBahn Station mid morning it was cold real cold and did our best follow the directions to our hostel. Unfortunately I had forgotten to write to down the address of the place all we had were directions that looked like they were written in German and put through a translation program on the Internet not good. Half an hour to fortyfive minutes later we arrived. The pla http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-337565.html I greatly appreciate the positive feedback about our travels from those of you who receive this travel email. Since travel is so expensive we like many others have cut back a little on our out of country travel. But I was talking last week to my physician about my trip to the old East Berlin during the Cold War days. He thought it would be a good idea to chronicle that event as it is unique http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-336130.html I will add some text but just photos for now http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-336113.html berlin is still great. i love it. it already feels like home kind of.this weekend friends of a. and m. from whv were in town. saturday we went to the subversiv to see just went black and day of the dead. meet some people from back home. which was nice. otherwise another stupid hardcore show with a shoe in my face. hardcore nein danke.also we checked out the berlin bibliothek the other day. it http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-334175.html Talk about perfect timing we entered the airport within 2 minutes of mum coming through customs. she was met with a big hug from josh family reunion. In the cab however carolyn couldnt wait to get out as apparently we smelt alittledont say anything mum. We had a quick catch up before carolyn had a conference then sussed out the area. we quickly found a bar. that night it was the docs versus http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-334174.html Hey Everybodywelcome to my new Travelblog Every Monday from now on here you will get the latest about my trip to and from southamerika..........as soon as i can handle this webpage.For all of us to get used to this random pics from the PreTrip BerlinHamburgAmsterdam.And my directlinkmytb.orgyorubaWell I'm happy and excited so maybe you should to http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-332667.html Fangen wir doch mal mit einer kurzen Tagesbeschreibung anVorgestern hatte die Streckenverteilung ja schon fr den ersten und einzigen Streit der Tour gesorgt aber da Step und ich ja vernnftig und unwissend waren konnten wir uns mit Joschka einigen. Streitpunkt war die Sitzverteilung bei der Einfahrt in Hnow da Joschka unbedingt in Hnow einfahren wollte was ja nicht ganz unverstndlich war http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-331458.html it was very nice with m. indeed. at night i went to the tkeller with n. h. and s. good times.i went back thursday. sat sun mon tue i had night shifts. they were allright.thursday I went to berlin.friday a. and I met with b. h. s. and b. who were also in berlin for the weekend. a nice autumnly walk and a good veggie burger. good times.saturday a. and I went to the kudamm again. stupid http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-331427.html On Thursday September 25 after a couple of days back at Calebs spent resting researching and becoming more acclimated to Europe Chad and I were ready to embark on the next leg of our adventure. We were on our way to Berlin to watch the 35th Real Berlin Marathon where Haile Gebrselassie would attempt to break his own world record in the marathon. Our first stop however would be in the historic http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-330984.html Still in berlin just 1 more day.... http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-329289.html