Guten Tag meine Freunde (:
A lot has gone on since my last post. This past week I was preparing for my final exam of my first course, and it turned out very well. I received an A as my final grade, so hopefully I can keep it up with the other three courses as well. (:
However, before I took my final exam, Susan and I went to Berlin for the weekend. It was ridiculously cheap. We went by bus for only 16 euro, and our hostel was only 25 euro for each of us. We stayed at the City Stay Hostel in Berlin, and I would definitely recommend it. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and I felt extremely safe. It was also a great location, because the Brandenburger Tor was less than a 15 minute walk to get to.
I really enjoyed walking around Berlin. It is a super pretty city, and has so much history. The Brandenburger Tor was super interesting, and I'm glad I got to see it. It is massive, and pictures don't do it justice. After seeing the Brandenburger Tor and the Reichstag Building, which is the huge building for parliament, Susan and I ventured to try and find the East side Gallery. We're not really good with directions, so we just walked in one direction hoping we would come upon it. We didn't end up finding the Berlin Wall, but we did happen to walk by the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe, which is a memorial that covers a vast area, and there are concrete slabs arranged in a grid like pattern, and the the ground slopes downward. As you walk into the memorial, the concrete slabs get taller. I thought it was really cool.
After walking through the memorial, we again tried to find the Berlin Wall. We ended up giving up and taking a taxi. I'm glad we did, because it was was a bit further away than we anticipated. Seeing the East side Gallery is an absolute must while visiting Berlin, so I was super happy to be able to walk along the part of the wall that still remained. The art work was absolutely fascinating. I'll post a couple pictures below. The only thing that wasn't too spectacular was the walk back. We walked from the East side Gallery back to our hostel, and it was about 30-40 minutes. By the time we got to our room Susan and I were exhausted. It was a great trip though, and I cannot wait till I have the opportunity to go back.
This past weekend, a few of my friends and I decided to take a day trip to Köln for Karneval. Karneval is pretty much like a week long street festival, and takes place between Fat Thursday and ends on Ash Wednesday. There is normally a huge parade on Rose Monday, but unfortunately I won't be able to go to it, because of classes. It was still a lot of fun, and I met a lot of nice people. My friends and I didn't really know where to go, and some people helped us figure out how to get to the main streets where the festival was taking place. There were so many people sometimes it was hard to walk. Everyone is also dressed up in costumes, so it made the entire day even more fun. I was a hippie, and my friends dressed in animal onesies. When I return to Germany, going to Köln for Karneval will definitely be on my to-do list.
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| Karneval |
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| Karneval |
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| Susan and me in front of the Brandenburger Tor |
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| Reichstag Building |
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| East Side Gallery |
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| East Side Gallery |
