Walking the city

After a rest at the hotel (and me temporarily passing out), I grabbed a bite to eat at a little trendy restaurant with Michelle and Marissa. The Germans really like their asparagus, as everything on the daily menu contained it. This was okay with me, as I realized I needed some veggies.

Sunday was a long day. We had a guided walking tour which lasted about four hours. The sites we saw were amazing though. I am dying to go back to Museum Island and look at all the exhibits all the different museums have.

We got to see some Nazi buildings, as well as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. In America, we learn about the Holocaust in almost every history class from middle school on. Meanwhile, in Germany, they try not to call attention to the horrific events which occurred here. The site of Hitler's bunker was apparently unmarked up until a few years ago.

Our guide, Kristen, was able to offer a personal view on the Wall falling, as she was about 9 when it happened, and she lived in the East. We got to see Checkpoint Charlie and ended in "the most beautiful plaza in Berlin" (I am still trying to figure out its name.)

After lunch at a little cafe, we took a long train ride to a lake outside of Berlin. Luckily, the weather had let the sun come through and it was gorgeous and green. We waited around for the ferry to take us across the lake, where there were lots of people sailing. After we got to the other side, we stopped in a scenic biergarten. I'm really enjoying our group, as everyone's got a great sense of humor and is up for having a fun time. We then had a misadventure of switching from a bus to a train to get back to the hotel, but we made it home okay.

We stopped in Alexanderplatz for a late dinner. Here, we found all these rollerbladers. Looking a little more into it, apparently it happens once a month and a drink called Bionade seemed to be sponsoring it. I do not recommend it. We walked around the hotel's neighborhood for a bit after that, had biers at midnight in the lobby to celebrate Jesse's 21st birthday then decided to call it a night.

Today, Stephanie, a TIME Magazine correspondent, came to speak to us and give us some story ideas. I'm really wanting to do a young parent, as we are right next to a neighborhood with the highest percentage of children in Berlin, if not Germany ( I'm looking into that.) Now, we're off to do a bike tour around the city. More on that later.