Berlin, The New Love of My Life

This is a really exciting because this is my first full weekend in Berlin with functioning internet! It has been a bit of a struggle on the technology front while I have been here but it looks like I have made it through. Since this is my first entry while I have been in Europe, I am going to try to mention the major events I have been to and places I have gone during my duration here so far.

First off there is the city itself. When I got here I was amazed at the sheer size of the city. From the air it was quite a spectacular site. One of the tallest buildings in Berlin, namely the Fernsehturm, definately was the first thing I recognized from the plane. The other thing that stuck out to me though was the fact that there were not nearly as many high-rises as I had thought a big city like Berlin would have. Apparently this is because in the city center there is a rule that you can’t build any higher than five stories. Although there are a few exceptions, this more or less gives you the picture of what the city looks like.

Then you have the city from the ground. The day after I arrived in Berlin, the FU-BEST program took a river cruise down the Spree River that runs through the city center and historic downtown. I got to see the big sites and landmarks including the Tiergarten, Reichstag, and Chancellery. We also passed by “The pool in the Spree” which I have since swam in. This gave me the overall outlook of the city but to compliment the cruise we also did a walking tour the next day. During the walking portion we saw more of the historic downtown area including the Brandenburg Gate and the State Oprah house. I also was surprised to find out that the hotel that Michael Jackson held his kid out the window at this hotel located in the same square as the Brandenburg Gate. Interesting factoid I thought. Further along in the tour we saw sections of the Berlin Wall. Since the demolition of the wall its path has been marked by a double row of bricks that goes around the downtown area that gives you the idea of where it was and what it might have looked like in the city.

The city as a whole is just amazing and so full of history and culture. I can say that I am very happy that I chose to come here because it really is a unique experience that I’m having here that I don’t think I could have anywhere else.