"Ich bin ein Berliner" -JFK

(Translation (from German, not Czech): "I am a Berliner." -JFK)

I am a Berliner. I loved Berlin. The city was so different from Munich, so it wasn't really what I had been expecting. Megan, Karen, and I did so much in the three days that we were there. We were a little disappointed that our program had planned Krakow for last weekend so we couldn't be there for the 20th anniversary of the fall, but less than a week later isn't too bad, and there were plenty of exhibits still going on that were dedicated to it.

• We took the train to Berlin. I never realized how much I love trains. It was so much roomier than a plane, and on the way there we had a great little cabin basically to ourselves. I honestly think I would consider traveling on Amtrak in the future.
• Our hostel was not so great. We stayed with some creepy people, but we made it out alive. This was our first less-than-stellar hostel experience, so I'm not complaining.
• Once we checked into our hostel on Saturday we went to Brandenburg Gate. That was where these free tours met. This company gives free tours all over Europe, and you just tip the guide at the end. The tour met at Brandenburg Gate and went to most of the major sites. (When I put the Berlin pictures up, you will see them). The tour guide was from Missouri, and he was very enthusiastic so it was pretty interesting. We got to see the Reichstag, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (its actual name), the former Nazi Headquarters, the parking lot which now stands above where Hitler's bunker was, Checkpoint Charlie, Museum Island, the Wall itself, and a bunch of other things that I don't really remember. The tour was definitely worth the tip we gave him.
• After a great Indian dinner we went to my favorite museum yet. The DDR Museum (no Katie, it isn't Dance Dance Revolution) is devoted to memorabilia from the German Demoratic Republic (East Germany) and is an interactive museum. This meant it was basically like the Children's Museum for adults. We got to try on clothes, play with toys, listen to music, and sit in a Trabi. We had a lot of fun. The best part was that it was open 'till 10pm, so we had plenty of time there after dinner. (If you click on the pictures, you can see them actual size, I think.)
• Sunday we woke up early and went to the Reichstag where they have a giant glass dome, designed by Norman Foster, which you can walk inside. It's pretty cool because (1) it's free, (2) you can see into Parliament through the glass floor, (3) they give you an entire audioguided tour of it, and (4) it's free. Since Berlin is one of the biggest cities that I've been to so far (besides London), it was good to get to see just how large it was from up above.
• We also visited Museum the Kennedys on Sunday, which was actually a very nicely done exhibit all about the Kennedys and their lives. I was pretty impressed with the exhibit; I don't know if we even have something that nice devoted to them in the States. They had a special exhibit for the wall too which was interesting. Later in the day we also went to a temporary photo exhibit with all pictures from the fall and dismantling of the wall.
• Today we went to the East Side Gallery and saw all of the murals that have been painted on a 1.3km section of the wall. It was colorful and interesting, and I'm sorry that my pictures aren't up yet because those are definitely the best ones.
• Today was also interesting because we tried to go to an exhibit we had heard about called Freedom Rocks about pieces of the wall that are now in North America. It was an the Canadian Embassy. After spending twenty minutes having our backpacks and persons searched we were allowed to go in where we found out that the exhibit was ONE ROOM with four TVs. We made ourselves watch it since they had gone through the trouble to search us, but it was pretty poorly done. Only disappointment of the whole weekend though, so I'll definitely take it!
  
• Everyone had been warning me about pickpockets and beggars in Europe, but until this weekend I hadn't really noticed a high amount of either. However, Berlin was FULL of Roma who came up to you and asked you if you spoke English and held out a card telling their story and asking for money. They were so persistent. I haven't seen any Roma in Prague, so it was kind of surprising.
• Berlin is definitely the most modern city that I have been to so far, besides London. Since 90% of the city was destroyed during WWII, and a lot has been reconstructed since the fall of the wall, it is very modern. Unlike Prague, their souvenir shops, stores, and fashion in general are much more modern, so that was refreshing.

After a weekend in Berlin I will agree with JFK in saying that we are all Berliners (not pastries, actually Berliners), because it reminded me the most of an American city, which I attribute to the vast number of Dunkin Donuts that could be found all over.

My Krakow pictures are up, and more pictures from the dads and Berlin will be coming soon!