Friday!!

My day started again at 9:15 with a German class. Our professor was a lot more engaging today. He drew several pictures on the board, the vast majority of them including beer. We joked around and spoke up a bit more. My little ice ghost made another appearance.

We learned a bit about German political parties, and also participated in an activity where we tried to hear and pronounce the difference between "v", "pf", "f", "w", and "ph", which all sound fairly similar in German. I have learned quite a few things during these past two intensive German classes, but none of them are related. The emphasis seems to be less on learning grammar and more on speaking about Germany, with the professor correcting our grammar and giving a quick lesson if we make any mistakes. It's a pretty unconventional class style.

For lunch, a little group of three of us went out together (myself, Christine, and a girl named Victoria). We've started to form our own little circle. There was a nice Vietnamese place not far from the center, so I enjoyed a noodle dish. The glasses were really small though.

In general, meals eating out are about as expensive as they are in

the US. Sometimes a little cheaper (a whole lunch for 7 Euros), but it's not super noticeable. Non-alcoholic drinks are very expensive here. A glass of water can set you back upwards of 3 Euros. Coffee is actually one of the cheapest beverages at some places!

After lunch, we went to a Turkish market. It took us a bit of time and many train transfers to find it. When we finally arrived, the place was incredibly crowded. Vendors were selling everything imaginable, from fresh fruits to candies to fabric to jewelry. It was hard to take it all in as we weaved through the crowds. I wanted a bit of everything!

I ended up coming back with two crates of raspberries and some strawberries for under three euros. Yay! I'm in love with raspberries, and they're usually so expensive. It might be fun to come here for produce, but the market is only open on Tuesdays and Fridays until 6:30. And I work until 6! :(

After the market trip, we took a bus tour of Berlin that IES had arranged for us. I don't know how our giant charter bus fit down the tiny little alleyway in front of our building. It was a small miracle.

Our first bus stop was a piece of the Berlin wall. I thought it would be boring since I've seen pieces of the Berlin wall all over (there's one in Wichita in the Museum of World Treasures). However, we got to see the wall from another perspective. Originally, there was a secondary wall in front of the Berlin wall. In between the two lay no-man's land, or the death strip. Here guards patrolled, tripwires were set, and trained dogs waited. Provided that you could get over the first wall, it was almost impossible to cross those few feet of land safely.

Reminders of Berlin's chilling division are present all over the city. There's a stone path marking where the wall once stood. Pieces of it are everywhere. Soviet-built concrete structures are sandwiched in between more modern ones. There's so much history here, and the city's relationship with its past is fascinating to me.

The next stop on our bus tour was Museum Island. There is a natural island in Berlin, formed by a fork in the Spree river. Berlin used to be home to the ruling family, first of Prussia then of Germany. However, after WWI, they were evicted and stripped of their titles. (Which sounds really terrible for them!) Anywho, the family dedicated Museum Island to sharing knowledge with their people.

(Below - How an East Berliner would have viewed the Berlin wall through a crack in the secondary wall)

My favorite part of Museum Island was the Berliner Dom, or

Berlin Cathedral. Built with the intention of rivaling St. Peter's Basilica, this church was the royal family's official place of worship. However, this church is protestant. Featuring a stone carving of our friend Marty on the front and a Lutheran Rose stained glass window by the door, I felt right at home! Sadly, one tower was under restoration, as tends to be the case in Germany. I'm going to have to come back when I have time to tour the inside. It looks absolutely stunning.

To the left of the Berliner Dom is the Altes Museum, or Old Museum. As I'm sure you can guess, this is the oldest museum on the island. The Old Museum contains many ancient artifacts from Greece and Rome. The building itself sustained pretty heavy damage from the war. You can see bullet holes in the columns and off-colored patches where bullet holes have been covered. Actually, these features are present on many historical buildings here in Berlin. During the last few days of WWII, fighting occurred in the heart of the city. The scars of history are still present today.

Just a bit behind the Old Museum is the New Museum (how creative), the Old National Gallery, and the Pergamon Museum. There is an elegant covered walkway in front of the Old National Gallery, and a large garden courtyard with a fountain that sits in between the three museums. I wanted to explore a bit more, but we were on a scheduled tour. Apparently, you can buy weekend passes for all the museums here. I'll have to do that sometime when I have a free weekend and I'm not traveling!

(Below - The first four images are of the Berliner Dom. The rest are the Old Museum)

The New Museum has Egyptian pieces. Interestingly, it was almost completely destroyed during WWII. The museum today was built from a combination of new material and pieces of the old building. The columns, for example, are much more worn and damaged, since they came from the original.

The Pergamon is Berlin's most popular museum, with stunning ancient artifacts including the Pergamon Alter and pieces from the Eastern world. The Old National Gallery, of course, houses paintings and sculptures.

(Below - The covered walkway, me (look guys I'm actually in Germany surprise!), the Old National Gallery, Statue of Frederick William IV, Courtyard in front of the New Museum)

After wandering around museum island, we headed to the Brandenburg Gate. Wow. Never seen that one before. The bus let us off and then went to find somewhere to park. Unfortunately, two students were still on the bus when the doors closed, and they ended up having to run across a busy street to meet us!

The tour guide showed us some pictures of the gate at various points in history, so that was interesting. There were some more six-seater conference bikes wandering around.

We drove past Checkpoint Charlie, where Americans could pass from West to East Berlin. Our guide told us everything standing there today is a replica, including the famous "You are now leaving the American sector" sign. I'm sure some of you who visited Berlin when the wall was still standing actually got to walk through the real thing.

Next, we paid a visit to the Reichstag, or German parliament building. It has a giant glass dome on top, and we'll be touring that later through IES. I'm very excited for that! In front of the Reichstag, there is a beautiful grassy field. I think it would be nice to have a picnic

here if I ever have free time and the motivation to pack a lunch! :)

The last stop was the Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas, which you've probably seen pictures of. We didn't get off the bus so I wasn't able to get any, but we do live right by it. This is the monument for the Jews murdered during WWII. It consists of hundreds of grey stone slabs all placed at different heights and slightly different angles. It's a very abstract piece. I'll be passing by it every day if I choose to walk to work.

Finally, the tour was over, and we were allowed to head home. Christine, Victoria, and I were quite hungry. The rest of the group was going out for late-night drinks, but I am not one for nightlife. (Guess I picked the wrong city!) Instead, we went and enjoyed spaghetti carbonara at a nice Italian place. All of us ordered the exact same thing without consulting with each other beforehand (great minds think alike!) It was delicious but I ate too much bread! ;)

When we got back home, I crashed onto my bed. One more day of class, and then I finally get a break! :) Guten Nacht!