On November 8, day 2 of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall, I did the unthinkable - took a break from Berlin Wall-related sightseeing! It wasn't by choice - my Cultural Orientation in Berlin course was meeting in the eastern part of the city to learn about Berlin's industrial past. We learned that in the 19th century, Berlin was actually a heavily industrialized city, and was known for being...

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It's perfect that my latest post was about the Berlin Wall: two weekends ago, all of Berlin partied like it was 1989 - it was the 25th anniversary of the day the wall fell! The occasion was marked with a neat art project that made for some fantastic photos, so I had a great time. Before we get there, though, some updates. I've been super busy, as usual! It's the time of year when I'm trying to compile internship applications...

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To wrap up our most recent weekend, I suggested going to the Berlin Wall Memorial, which I had read was one of Berlin's most highly recommended attractions. Plus, it's mostly outdoors, and the weather was once again awesome. So to the Berlin Wall Memorial we went!  If you are getting the impression that a lot of the tourist attractions in Berlin have to do with the Berlin Wall and the division of Berlin, I would agree...

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Last Saturday, Berlin was miraculously blessed with awesome weather for what will probably prove to be one of the last times for the next 4 or 5 months. I knew it was time to head out and grab some sweet shots. Destination of the day: Charlottenburg Palace, first built from 1695-1713 as a summer residence for the Prussian Queen, Sophie Charlotte. As far as palaces and castles go in the city of Berlin,...

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Last week started just like every other week for the next few months will - a meeting with my tandem partner! Tandem partners are a great way to practice your speaking skills. You simply find someone whose mother language is the language you want to practice, and who wants to practice your mother language. Then you meet once a week and speak for an hour in one language and an hour in another. I successfully found a super nice...

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Back with more updates! Lots is going on, as usual. Since my last post, two additional courses have started up - handball and German!  Handball is one of two sports classes I'll be taking this semester (the other is ultimate frisbee, which starts this week). While the sport is pretty much nonexistent in the U.S., lots of Germans are either handball fans or players, including one of my host brothers. I had no idea what...

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