Happy Sunday! I know I am waaayy behind in blogging. I’m actually two whole cities behind. Oops. Here’s what you missed: 

Berlin is an interesting city and actually the first city in Europe I have not enjoyed. The city is too big and chaotic. It also feels like an American city because everything is so new. 

Our hostel had a cheap breakfast which we took advantage of and loaded up on carbs and fruit cocktail (a favorite of the hostel managers apparently). We took public transportation downtown and stumbled upon a…Dunkin Donuts! While it is no Tim Hortons it satisfied the craving for donuts. 

Another reason I didn’t find Berlin all that welcoming was the lack of banks anywhere. Alison and I were constantly on the lookout and although we thought we spotted one, when we went back to find it ithad disappeared. We finally asked our tour guide who guided (heh) us in the right direction. He said his theory on the lack of banks is that the German government wants its citizens to be fiscally responsible and therefore don’t give them a lot of opportunity to access money. He was British so he may have been full of bologna. 

While searching for a bank we found the U.S. Embassy, and the French, British, and Czech Republic (which looked like a space ship). All of which were near each other. 

We did another free tour and learned a lot about how the city has been basically rebuilt since WWII and continues to change. Leen, our guide, said she had heard a Berliner say that Berlin is the city that is always building and never built. Which seems to be true. There was construction in nearly every part of the city we visited. 

Although the wall dividing the city is no longer erected there is a line of bricks in the road that demonstrates where it would have been. It is interesting to think about how a city so devestated from a World War would then immediately be forced into another change with no opportunity for recovery. 

As with all things, there are two sides to every story and I truly feel like the guides in Berlin told the story fairly and accurately. As I said in a post on Facebook, history must be present for the future. Monuments and memorials are a good first step in teaching and reminding us all about the perils of hate and discrimination. 

In the afternoon we went on an Alternative street art your which was really interesting. I learned about the culture of street art and how Berlin embraces (or despises) the scene. Leen spoke a lot about the gentrification that is happening in West Berlin. 

We met a girl from California and enjoyed trading travel tips for the remainder of the tour. Thanks Liz! 

We had burgers for dinner and went to bed early (that was a lot of walking!). 

Tomorrow is another tour and Musuem Island!