Berlin!!!

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OK so I know I have not written in a few days, it is because I am having such an awesome time in Berlin!! In fact I am staying 2 days longer because I love it sooo much. I made this choice on the first day. I feel in love with this city, it is not beautiful as Salzburg or the country side, however the history is what made me fall in love with this city.

Most of you know how much I enjoy history especially post WW2, and if you did not, well now you do. The great divide in Berlin after WWII of the Soviet occupied area and the West (American, French and the British occupied area) is so interesting. To see how one side of the world lived and then go 20 min and see how the other side lived....is fasinating.

The first day I was here I took a free tour, which means the guide works off of tips. This tour is what sold me. Our guide gave stories and history that was amazing. Then the following day I took a tour of the Red Berlin, where we visited the former communist areas of the city and saw the buildings and heard the stories of how life was for the people who lived in the DDR. This tour was more informative than seeing actual locations. Today I went and walked the major park in Berlin, which I have to say does not compare to Central park in NYC. The water that runs through the park is dirty and the park is much more forest than cut grass. The parts that were cut grass were fenced off....why have a park when you are going to fence part of it off so the people cant enjoy it?? Anyways then I went to have lunch with a friend and then went to a castle where I did not go in but I walked around the gardens which were so pretty and it was free to view the gardens. 😊 And of course I took pictures, but the hostel does not let you have access to upload pics.

So that is a brief snapshot of what I have been up to the last few days, I think on Friday I will go on a another tour to Potsdam which is right outside of the city. On Saturday I will go to Amesterdam for a few days and then back to Cologne and then home on the 30th of June.

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