Exploring Berlin

At the Botanical Gardens
With Dinos in the Natural History Museum
Aquarium
Jellyfish at the aquarium
Palace
Humboldt University
March 17, 2010
Happy St. Patricks day! Ok woke up and got breakfast and got the room ready for class. People came and we had class for about an hour and a half. After that I had lunch in the room and got on the internet for a bit.
At 1pm I was ready to go and we headed out and got the bus to Charlottenburg. We then took a tour of the palace. The rooms are designed like a French palace. So took get to another room you have to go through the first one. Much of the palace is restored due to the bombing in WWII. A few piece in different parts are original. The ceilings had elaborate paintings on them. But they chose to not try to restore them because there was very few pictures of them.
We then walked the part that Fredrick the Great used. It looked like marble but it was all plaster work. It was really cool. I had the audio guide but it was hard to follow and would have taken twice as long to finish the tour. I picked up some postcards afterwards to send to people. After that I waited outside until the rest of the group finished.
We then walked behind the palace to the gardens. They are neatly trimmed gardens. In the distance I could see the trees growing more wild. We then tried to walk to the picnic building but it was already closed. So we headed back on our own.
I stopped at the thrift store with a few people. I was able to find one long sleeve shirt. Tomorrow I still plan to go shopping since it is really hard for me to find pants. I was getting hungry as always.
Clay and I had Korean BBQ because no one else wanted to. It was really good. We had pork and beef. Kinda pricey but it was worth the price. Then headed back to the hotel to use the internet and write postcards. Later in the evening I headed out with some of the group and went to a bar and had a drink to celebrate St. Patrick's day. Everything is very expensive, even the beer.

March 18, 2010
Free day! So was up early and had breakfast. Started by myself and then more people showed up. During that time I asked about seeing a performance today. So it was decided to go. Almost everyone wanted to go.
I then did some laundry and finished my travel essay. That I had a light early lunch.
It was shopping time! Me, and a few of the girls headed to H&M. I found a pair of pants and long sleeve purple shirt. I was unsuccessful in finding a watch but I should be fine I think. I then headed to Starbucks for coffee and free internet. Its cool how they do it here. If you plan to stay they give you a mug of the size. Such a wonderful idea because it saves on waste of paper cups.
Then headed back to the hotel and finished more work. I was getting hungry so I headed out for food. I stopped at a store and ended up finding a cute pair of purple heels. I also got a hat that is cute as well as warm. I have a whole new outfit now. I then got fast food Chinese. It was ok, I met Denny and a group on the way back.
At 7pm we headed to the concert. I took the underground, railway. We then got to the theater and it is just beautiful. I know I use that word a lot but it really was. In the main area high up were the different Greek and Roman gods. Underneath were the busts of famous composers and musicians. We were in the choir loft but still had good sound. There was a few pieces I did not know but they did play Vivaldi and Mozart. During the pause there was drinks. I shared champagne with Sigrid. After the pause I was able to change seats to the side and was able to see almost everything except for some violins that I had seen before. That sound was awesome! There is a pipe organ and on the other side is Greek columns that are white and gold. The concert was very nice and I am glad that I went.
We then walked towards the Holocaust memorial. I walked through it and it was very emotional. The ground looks even but its not and it was not what I was expecting and made me a little uncomfortable, scared and sad. It is supposed to be uneven and changing because all those had to deal with the confusing ups and downs that was happening to them. There are blocks that look like coffins starting almost flat and getting taller.
We then walked to the Gate and saw the place that the Berlin wall was. Finally we caught the bus. We got off and were going to get another one but it was faster to walk. I ended up by myself but I have been very confident and unafraid of anything happening. It was also nice to be able to go off alone and not worry because most of the time people do not know I am a foreigner. I have a new trick now too. If someone tries to speak English to me and I don’t want to I can say I don’t speak English in Spanish, the only Spanish I know, and then they will leave me alone I think.
Anyways made it back to the hotel. Cleaned up and took a shower. Shirts dried but not my socks or pj pants. Anyways supper tired and going to bed.

March 19, 2010
I was up early and it must be due from getting up early that my body is getting use to it. We had class but it was very short so that we could do different things. We took the underground to an art gallery.
We saw some paintings and drawings about Humboldt s travels and some of his own drawings and letters to the artists. It was interesting. We got on the 200 bus and headed to the museum that has the Egyptian stuff.
We couldn’t get in. This time we were told they only have so many group tickets and you have to call ahead to get them. So didn’t get to go in again. Oh well it wont kill me for not seeing it. We grabbed a bus and headed for lunch. For 3 euros I got a Vietnamese box of noodles. It was right next to a train station. There was a memorial there for the trains that went in and out of there. It was trains of life and trains of death. During WWII they were used by those to go about everyday life as well as taking people to there deaths. Really sad while eating..
Took the underground to the Natural History museum. It was cool but most of the top floor was closed. All the fossils were on display. The dinosaur bones were cool.
In the evening I went to a concert. It was Mozart’s Requiem along with a piece from Bach and another person. I enjoyed it very much. It was different from the requiem I sang at Hiram. This one was much darker and intense.

March 20, 2010
Today was a free day. I was up early and planned to go rent a bike and bike the parks in Berlin. Well scratch that because it is raining today.
I made a lunch and then got ready to go to the aquarium instead. I went with Anh. We walked all the way to the Zoo Aquarium. First we stopped and got umbrellas at the Euro store. I am trying to put color into what I have and wear so I got a dark green umbrella.
At the Aquarium we got student priced tickets. The regular price is like 12 euros and we got it for 9 euros. The aquarium was nice. It wasn’t very big. Most of the tanks were small ones with the fish in them. They had lionfish, puffers, boxfish, cowfish, clown fish, triggerfish and much more. They also had freshwater fish. They had some really big fish from South America. Oh in one tank was a electric eel and then one of the larger tanks had a green moray.
The sharks were in small tanks and it made me sad and angry. They had a sand tiger shark that had to be over 6 feet. It was huge and had no room to swim. There was nurse sharks, leopard sharks, black tip reef sharks, and guitar sharks. On the top floor was reptiles.
In the big area was turtles and crocodiles. The one was huge and I felt bad that it had such a small space. I am not an animal activist but at least give it room so that it can have some space away from people. I went back down and saw a whole bunch of Jellyfish and some deep sea fish. They were called flashlight fish. On the bottom of their eyes are these lights that they use for a variety of things.
After the aquarium I looked at some boots but didn’t find any, which was a good thing in the end. I took the 200 bus and got off at the park. Then I walked the park. In one of the ponds was a nesting swan. I snapped a photo at a safe distance. What I really wanted was to find a place quite but it never happened. In one area I was walking behind the zoo and was able to see some birds, Llamas, camels and ostriches.
I was then out of the park and had plenty of time on my hands so I went to the train station to get my ticket. The ticket from Hamburg to Paris was twice the amount I had planned for! It was 93euros, which is about 126 USD. So know I have to figure out what to due with less then 500USD for the rest for the rest of the trip and still have to pay for the hostel in Paris. I need to remember that God will provide. I did have enough to get a bell from Berlin.
When I got back to the Pension I found out that David, Sigrid and Denny were going to go to hear a choir at the Kaiser Wilhelm Church. I went along and it was a boys choir from England. It was very good and the organist played excellent on the pipe organ.
After that I got dinner with the professors. I got a beer and the lady asked if I wanted it opened and I said yes. Then as she was opening it she stopped and asked my age. I told her but I was laughing because that was the first time I have been asked since this trip started. All in all not a bad day.

March 21, 2010
Another free day. Was up by 7:30am to have breakfast by 8am. At 9am I went with Denny, and two of the girls to the Dome cathedral to have church and listen to the choir again.
Grabbed the 100 bus and made it in time. It is a beautiful Lutheran church that was rebuilt after the war. Of course I couldn’t understand much because it was all in German. I did sing along with the songs. At the end of service Denny told us a little about what the sermon was about. Then headed back to the hotel.
I then made lunch and worked on a few things. Then headed to starbucks for internet. I got more stressed because my future roommate wrote and told me the college didn’t have my deposit. Ahhhh! I hate that things cost so much here!
Was going to go to a concert but I was stressed and didn’t feel like it. I was trying to distress myself but it wasn’t working. Becky got me to relax by helping with fish id in photos.
We then headed out to get kebap. We were able to distress for a short time. Then we got pastries. we talked and laughed the rest of the way back to the hotel. Good distress time.
Then I worked on stuff and felt much more relaxed

March 22, 2010
Last day in Berlin. It was breakfast first but I had a hard time waking up. Also I wasn’t very hungry today. We had class from 9:30am to about noon.
I had lunch in the room, since I still had bread, peanut butter and jelly leftover. After that I got ready to go to the Botanical Gardens. We took the underground and then the S bon to the gardens.
They are gardens that have a variety of plants. The first section we stopped at had a whole bunch from the US and most were like what grows in Ohio. It was really nice. Also the sun was shining and it was very warm out today. We walked towards the hot house/greenhouses. I lost some of the group so I started to go through them myself.
I got some wonderful pictures. There was cactus in one area that I started at. There was also tropical and it made me feel back in Thailand. A lot of flowers blooming. In one area was a variety of birds. They were singing away making it feel like spring. After going through the houses I walked outside and enjoyed the sunshine. I felt like I was in something like the Huntington Library Gardens. If I had known this was so easy to get to I would have come on my own earlier, but then again today was the perfect weather.
Then got back to the street I am staying on and went to the post office. I got stamps and then walked back to the hotel to put them on the postcards. The Pension staff was really nice and offered to put it with their mail so I wouldn’t have to walk far to send them. Then I grabbed my laptop and headed to star bucks for internet. I got a few things done, like classes for the fall. I also got to talk to Nee-san, Erin.
I then went back to the Pension and started packing since I cannot due it last minute or I stress. I guess that is a good and bad thing lol. So now all packed up and relaxed. I just have my prompt 3 to finish and then the blog when my group gets together. So mostly caught up on work. Oh and some observations need to be done but I am not feeling so stressed now.
Tomorrow its off early to Norway.
March 24, 2010
Now in Tromso Norway. Its cold with lots of snow on the ground but I like it. The place staying is a cute little hotel. It allows us to cook our own food because it has a full kitchen. I cant wait to explore the place. 2 more weeks of the trip left and then 2 weeks after that in Paris and London.