I have now passed a MAJOR milestone in my life. I have officially finished my classes at Royal Holloway for the year which is neat, but what is really cool is that I have now (hopefully) finished classes as a student for life. It is exciting to think that the next time I return to classes it could be as a teaching assistant or professor rather than a student sitting in a desk. It feels good to have them completed, though I am spending the greater part of the months of April and May in the library typing my essays for them.
On a different note, I have recently returned from an 8 day vacation in Berlin, Germany with my dad. We decided back in the fall to meet each other once my classes finished (as now for the rest of the program I am doing independent study) and since we both share a love of history and seeing new places, I suggested Berlin. Now, I have been to Berlin two other times but both were whirlwind trips and so I really loved the idea of a slower paced visit to the city. My dad had never been to Germany before and so was up for it.
The thing I love about Berlin, and Germany, is how easy it is to be there. People are friendly and kind, have great English skills, public transportation is phenomenal, and I look like everyone else. Trust me, after living in and visiting places in Europe where I stick out like a sore thumb, it is nice to blend in. Plus, I finally felt like I was in the land of tall people and was thinking if I ever wanted to find a boyfriend in Europe who isn't 5 foot 6 I'd better move to Berlin.
 |
| Our apartment |
 |
| Schloss Charlottenburg |
 |
Outside the Brandenburg Gate
|
We spent the week doing all of the touristy things and even took a guided bike tour around the city which was one of the best tours I've ever had. We took things slowly though still managed to stay out until about 5pm each day enjoying the museums, beautiful vistas, and memorials that Berlin has to offer. Surprisingly, Berlin has very little to offer in terms of German food or restaurants. Apart from the Currywurst and sausage stands, most of the food in Berlin is of Asian decent. Vietnamese, Indian, Thai, Italian, and vegetarian restaurants are bountifully abundant in the city and we enjoyed eating out as well as cooking in our apartment in Charlottenburg.
 |
| Berliner Dom |
 |
| Painted portions of the Berlin Wall |
It is undeniable that an aura of a dark history looms over the city's sites and it is hard to escape some reminder of Berlin's nazi and communist history. Sites such as the Berlin wall fragments, the Holocaust memorial, the communist era TV tower, and even street signs indicate what the city used to be like. While it is interesting to visit and learn about Berlin's sordid past, the city's new generation of citizens breath new life into an increasingly cosmopolitan place. Berlin has much in common with cities like London and New York as multiple languages can be heard on the streets and immigrants from all over the world seek out a better life. It is significantly cheaper place to live than other big American or European cities and as a result is a haven for musicians, artists, and writers. It is a place that is truly up and coming and I would recommend to everyone to put Berlin on your radar as a place to pay attention to in the future.
 |
| Holocaust memorial |
 |
| Division of East and West Berlin |
 |
| On the bike tour |
 |
| By the berlin wall |
 |
| Enjoying flammkuchen at a biergarten |
 |
| "Tripping stones" reminding us of residential holocaust victims |
 |
| Inside the Reichstag, the parliament building |
 |
| The wonderful S-bahn train stop near our apt |
