Berlin, Germany 2009

Berlin....the second stamp in my Passport! 

Probably the most exciting plane ride of my life!  I actually had my passport for almost 6 years before I actually got a European stamp in it, so Berlin will always be a big deal to me.

Me at the Reichstag Building.

I still remember the layover in Brussels......I couldn't understand a word the flight attendant was saying prior to take off, but more than likely, it was a reminder that I was supposed to save myself before I saved the child next to me!  It didn't matter......I had just woken up for the first time in another country.

I guess that my assumption of my trip to Germany was that I was in trouble because I didn't speak German.  Quite the opposite!  Most Germans speaks some English, so it was a great first country for me to visit.

Upon arrival at the airport in Berlin, I was surprised that the taxis were BMW's.  I remember saying to the taxi driver. "How do you keep them so clean?  Do you not allow people who have been drinking to get in their car?"  The taxis actually have carpet interior, which is a huge difference from the plastic interiors of the San Diego and Chicago taxis that I'm use to in the states.  I guess that doesn't say much about the time I spend in taxis!

Nicole, Nikkiy and myself 

by a preserved section of the Berlin Wall

 Berlin is an amazing city, and probably the most "serious" of all of my travels.  My friend Julie visited Berlin a few years after the wall was torn down, so her stories were of a city devastated and starting to rebuild.  I guess you assume that what someone tells you is the reality of a current situation.  Not true.  The area we stayed in was very modern, but I could see the memory of it's past through memorials such as "Check Point Charlie" and the cobble stones built into the ground to signify the original route of the Berlin Wall.

Nicole & Nikkiy - Brandenburg Gate

I actually remember the coverage of the tearing down of the wall events broadcast on our television when I was a teenager growing up.  I guess I never really had a full grasp of the events as they truly happened until as an adult I actually stood on the ground where it happened.  Being in front of Brandenburg Gate and seeing the photos and reading the stories of the history brought back a flash of memories of people sitting on top of the wall on T.V. and speech's I can't even remember.  I guess I grew up somewhat sheltered.  These images brought a reality to the difference between my childhood and that of the average German teen that was the same age as me living in either East or West Germany.

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial

With all of the beautiful things that there are about Berlin, there are also the sad reminders of a tormented past.  As a group we always try to include ourselves in the local history and culture of an area, and my travel buddy Nicole asked that we take the time to visit a site north of Berlin named Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.  Although it might not have been one of the top "to see's" on my list originally, it still stands out as the most significant memorial I have visited so far.  The story of this camp is a rather sad and depressing conversation for a cheerful travel blog, so I've linked the camps name to a related website.

I only spent 3 days in Berlin, and all of the sights we saw there were very serious and touristy,  I promise as these blogs go on, they will become more lively and fun!

Of all of the experiences we had in Berlin, I learned one valuable lesson... Don't try to convert an American blowdryer with an international converter....You're going to take out the power on the an entire floor of the hotel!