Prost! - Berlin, Alemania

Although my German could use a little work, I was able to navigate the big city of Berlin with the help of Kurt Eggebrecht.  Kurt is studying in Kassel, Germany, this semester so we thought it would be fun to meet up for a weekend in Berlin.  Maybe it's the fact that so many German, Irish, and Scandinavian immigrants came to Wisconsin, but Germany reminded me of home.  I tried a lot of new foods in Berlin, including schnitzel, currywurst, and a doner kebab.  The entire weekend was a whirlwind of sightseeing.  It is said that one of the best ways to experience the city is to just walk around, which is exactly what we did.  I'm going to list all of the sites with a brief comment or two about each (with a little extra dedicated to the Berlin wall):

- Berlin Wall aka "Iron Curtain": constructed in 1961, this wall separated West Berlin from East Berlin and East Germany.  The barrier consists of a series of walls, barbed wire, anti-vehicle trenches, and guard towers.  It was made to "protect the people of West Berlin from the side that had not been fully de-Natzified," but in reality it was really to prevent a massive emigration.  Hundreds of people attempted to escape and many were killed while trying.  In 1987, Ronald Reagan challenged Gorbachev to tear down the wall and demolition of the Iron Curtain began on November 9th, 1989.
- Neue Synagoga: a symbol of the previously thriving Jewish community in Germany
- Fernsehturm: a unbelievably tall TV tower intended to be a symbol of Berlin
- Neptunbrunnen: Neptune fountain...in the fountain, the 4 women that surround Neptune represent the 4 main rivers in Prussia
- Rotes Rathaus: Red City Hall
- Marienkirche: Church of St. Mary in the plaza of Alexanderplatz.  This medieval church began construction in 1270, is the 2nd oldest parish church in Berlin, and is still used for worship today.
- Museumsinsel: Museum Island - a collection of 5 impressive museums and a small island located within the Spree River of Berlin.

Berliner Dom

- Berliner Dom: the Berlin Cathedral is the largest/most important Protestant church.  It was constructed during the high renaissance period in Baroque.  This cathedral was probably my favorite building in Berlin because its roof is made of copper and thus has that green color to it, and it is located on the edge of the Spree River (a very pretty location and I loved how the river and its channels ran throughout the city).
- Humbolt University
- Unter den Linden: a boulevard lined with Linden trees
- Brandenburger Tor: The Brandenburger gate is a monument of of great importance to Berlin.  This landmark was once a symbol of a divided city.  Visitors would climb to the top to catch a glimpse of the world beyond the wall that separated East and West Berlin both geographically and politically.  After the wall fell in 1989, the Brandenburger gate was transformed to a symbol of unity.

Brandenburger Tor

- Tiergarten - a large inner city garden similar to Central Park
- Check Point Charlie - this was the best known check point between the East and West during the Cold War.  It became a symbol for the war, and represented freedom for many.
- Reichstag - The parliament house of Germany (Berlin is the country's capital).  The entrance reads "Dem Deutschen Volke" = dedicated to the German people.  The part that stands out the most in this grand government building is the huge glass dome at the top.  The dome used to be open to the public, however it has been closed for the last year due to terrorist threats.

Reichstag

Lastly, my friend Sheila is studying abroad in Germany this year and was nice enough to have us over to her apartment both nights.  The first night we took the S-Bahn (metro) to her neighborhood and explored the area, and the second night we got to meet a couple of her friends from school, which was very fun.