We basically had a free day today to tool around Berlin. I was the only one who wanted to visit the Pergamon Museum so I set out by myself. It's one of Europe's most famous museums of antiquities. The museum gets its name from the ancient Greek city of Pergamon and when you enter the first exhibition hall, you are surrounded by the Pergamon Altar. It's really breath-taking and quite amazing. Then, there was a special exhibit on Babylon. Entering that exhibit, you walked through the Ishtar Gate. It's made of blue mosaic and features 3-D tiling of lions, dragons and bulls, symbols of Babylonian gods. The exhibit included all aspects of Babylonian life...from their kings and rulers to the tools they used to work in the fields. It's amazing to see the items that belonged to people just like us so many years ago. There was jewelry that had been removed from a grave site that looked fashionable enough to wear today! There were hair combs and games. Stone tablets with the most intricate carvings I have ever seen were actual writing tablets used to record letters from the king. So, I spent several hours there and had a wonderful time. It was getting quite packed by the time I left. I walked around for a good while and then walked back to the hotel. It was a haul but it was a nice walk and a good chance to see different parts of the city.
I don't know what my internet connection will be like in the coming week. I will post as much as I can. In the meantime, thanks for following along and have a great weekend!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
And by the way...
There's been no news on Zeke. The next email we expect to receive is either the email telling us to do the DNA test or telling us we're approved and we can come get him. I fully expect to get the DNA email and so, I wish it would hurry up and get here. The sooner we get started on it, the sooner we get it done, get approval and go get the baby. I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for not traveling until September, just in case. Please pray with me that we get to travel much, much sooner.
Things are winding down...
for our group. We've got tonight and tomorrow before everyone leaves Europe or goes off on their extension travel. I'll be heading to Meerbusch, Germany Sunday morning by train to see two friends I met the last time I was here. They are delightful and I'll get to spend a couple of days there and will be interviewing them for a story I'm doing. Then, it's off to Ghent, Belgium Tuesday morning where I'll be til Thursday. And Thursday, early in the morning, I head to Paris...YAY!! I'm glad Paris is my last stop. I really miss Brad so much and if I didn't have Paris to look forward to...well, I'd probably try to book an early flight home. So, it will be good to be on my own for a week. It's been a fun group experience though clearly some of these people came for the wrong reasons because they just didn't seem to enjoy the official meetings. Most of the meetings were great and very interesting, in my opinion. Oh well. You can't make everyone happy...and that's the "poodle's core!"
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Broadcasters Behaving Badly
So, I predicted this would happen before I left! Last summer, I was in Europe with two other reporters from NPR affiliates and the rest were newspaper reporters. What a great, laid-back group! No one was uptight about anything, everyone was good-humored virtually the entire time. But, this time, with a group of broadcast journalists, it's quite different. It's a stereotype but it's true: broadcast journalists are extroverted, pushy kinds of people. There's a reason that we are portrayed so badly in movies...because there's a lot of truth in this image!
Today, we had a German camera crew with us at Templehof Airport so the TV reporters could get some footage, conduct an interview and shoot stand-ups (the part where the reporter is on camera saying a few lines). The story? Today is the 60th anniversary of the start of the Berlin Airlift. The TV reporters were acting so irritated about the whole arranagement because the tour guide took us around first without the TV crew...The crew was going around other parts of the airport shooting video. The tour guide would start to tell some good stories and they would interrupt and say, "Can we wait to hear this when we have the camera crew?" Never mind that I was recording much of the tour for my radio story. I got bits and pieces of good audio during the tour. Then, we met up with the camera crew. I had to get my mic in on this too but couldn't get it very close to the guy because it might get in the TV shot (again, typical treatment of radio reporters). So, I'm editing my story now and I think I got some good stuff despite the TV reporters being jerks. I mean, I would've pushed back if I felt I really wasn't getting enough for my story but I was satisfied with what I had. And I interviewed the tour guide right before we left, just me and him and I got the best sound of the whole day. All the TV reporters had asked him how he felt about the airlift and he kept saying, "I don't remember how I felt really because I was only 10." I asked him this in my one-on-one interview at the end: "Many Germans talk about how great the airlift was in a nostalgic way. But it seems there are also deeper emotions about it and what it meant to people. Can you talk about that emotional aspect?" Oh my goodness. It nearly brought tears to my eyes. He said the airlift meant he wasn't left behind. That America could've decided to chuck the whole thing and let Russia have West Berlin but the airlift meant he and the others in West Berlin had freedom and "were not left behind." So, in the end, I had the best sound for the day. And I never had to act like a jerk to get it!
Today, we had a German camera crew with us at Templehof Airport so the TV reporters could get some footage, conduct an interview and shoot stand-ups (the part where the reporter is on camera saying a few lines). The story? Today is the 60th anniversary of the start of the Berlin Airlift. The TV reporters were acting so irritated about the whole arranagement because the tour guide took us around first without the TV crew...The crew was going around other parts of the airport shooting video. The tour guide would start to tell some good stories and they would interrupt and say, "Can we wait to hear this when we have the camera crew?" Never mind that I was recording much of the tour for my radio story. I got bits and pieces of good audio during the tour. Then, we met up with the camera crew. I had to get my mic in on this too but couldn't get it very close to the guy because it might get in the TV shot (again, typical treatment of radio reporters). So, I'm editing my story now and I think I got some good stuff despite the TV reporters being jerks. I mean, I would've pushed back if I felt I really wasn't getting enough for my story but I was satisfied with what I had. And I interviewed the tour guide right before we left, just me and him and I got the best sound of the whole day. All the TV reporters had asked him how he felt about the airlift and he kept saying, "I don't remember how I felt really because I was only 10." I asked him this in my one-on-one interview at the end: "Many Germans talk about how great the airlift was in a nostalgic way. But it seems there are also deeper emotions about it and what it meant to people. Can you talk about that emotional aspect?" Oh my goodness. It nearly brought tears to my eyes. He said the airlift meant he wasn't left behind. That America could've decided to chuck the whole thing and let Russia have West Berlin but the airlift meant he and the others in West Berlin had freedom and "were not left behind." So, in the end, I had the best sound for the day. And I never had to act like a jerk to get it!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Back "Home"
We came back to Berlin today and checked into the same hotel where we began our trip. It's nice to be back "home." We are in nicer rooms this time too! It's easy to forget how hard it is to travel by train in a group and with large suitcases. But we made it and our group train travels are over. We will spend the rest of our time together as a group here in Berlin. Now, on to some photos!
Missy poses with a GDR-era car in the streets of Leipzig. (GDR=communist regime)
The light and airy inside of Saint Nicholas Church. It was here that weekly peace prayer services laid the groundwork for revolution against the communists. Amazing what a little prayer can do, huh?
Inside Saint Nicholas Church.
Inside the Stasi Museum (former Stasi prison). These devices were used to re-seal envelopes after Stasi had steamed them open and read them. This was the policy for ALL mail going to and coming from the west.
Stasi disguises. There were even fake noses! Our tour guide reminded us that Stasi informants would use disguises to collect information and ruin people's lives. Let me take this chance to put in a plug for the excellent movie "The Lives of Others." It's definitely a must-see.
My steak dinner at the apfelwein restaurant in Frankfurt. Apparently, apple wine is quite a speciality in the region. We got so tickled when one of our hosts told us to mix it 50-50 with sparkling water or else we'd find ourselves in the bathroom "doing number 2." I said, "I didn't know you had that expression in Germany." She said they don't but she learned it from a previous RIAS fellow from the states. HAHAHA!
Laure, me and Meera. Laure has a little boy who is just over a year old and his name is QUINN! We have laughed and chatted about how my brother has the same name and what an unusual name it is. Meera is from LA and is quite a sweetheart. This was at our dinner in the "ratskeller" where Goethe's Faust is set. One of our hosts told us a funny story about an expression in Germany that comes from Faust. In Faust, the devil secretly takes the form of a poodle and so, Germans say to get at the truth is to get at "the poodle's core." I don't know why but I find this expression very funny!! The next time you're searching for the truth, think about searching for "the poodle's core!!!"
This is me standing outside what's reputed to be the first coffeehouse in all of Germany. We stopped here for a light snack before one of our appointments in Leipzig.
Missy poses with a GDR-era car in the streets of Leipzig. (GDR=communist regime)
The light and airy inside of Saint Nicholas Church. It was here that weekly peace prayer services laid the groundwork for revolution against the communists. Amazing what a little prayer can do, huh?
Inside Saint Nicholas Church.
Inside the Stasi Museum (former Stasi prison). These devices were used to re-seal envelopes after Stasi had steamed them open and read them. This was the policy for ALL mail going to and coming from the west.
Stasi disguises. There were even fake noses! Our tour guide reminded us that Stasi informants would use disguises to collect information and ruin people's lives. Let me take this chance to put in a plug for the excellent movie "The Lives of Others." It's definitely a must-see.
My steak dinner at the apfelwein restaurant in Frankfurt. Apparently, apple wine is quite a speciality in the region. We got so tickled when one of our hosts told us to mix it 50-50 with sparkling water or else we'd find ourselves in the bathroom "doing number 2." I said, "I didn't know you had that expression in Germany." She said they don't but she learned it from a previous RIAS fellow from the states. HAHAHA!
Laure, me and Meera. Laure has a little boy who is just over a year old and his name is QUINN! We have laughed and chatted about how my brother has the same name and what an unusual name it is. Meera is from LA and is quite a sweetheart. This was at our dinner in the "ratskeller" where Goethe's Faust is set. One of our hosts told us a funny story about an expression in Germany that comes from Faust. In Faust, the devil secretly takes the form of a poodle and so, Germans say to get at the truth is to get at "the poodle's core." I don't know why but I find this expression very funny!! The next time you're searching for the truth, think about searching for "the poodle's core!!!"
This is me standing outside what's reputed to be the first coffeehouse in all of Germany. We stopped here for a light snack before one of our appointments in Leipzig.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Briefly...
I've got limited net access in Leipzig. Wonderful city and good times...more tomorrow or Thursday when we get back to Berlin!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Learning about the Taoiseach
Interesting notes from the trip so far:
*The Irish prime minister is also known as the Taoiseach. It's pronounced "tee-shuk" and we discovered this odd, interesting moniker at the European Union this past week. The Taoiseach was at a press conference that we got to attend and the EU prez kept saying this word that none of us knew...it sounded like "t-shirt" or "teacher" and so I googed it. Sho' nuff, the Irish PM is also called the Taoiseach. Who knew?
*My ears get seriously stopped up when riding on a train and passing through tunnels. Yuck! I discovered this last summer but forgot about it until we were on the train today.
*Italian food is good, no matter where you are in the world. Brussels, Belgium has excellent Italian food.
*Germans call dog doo on the sidewalk "land mines." I find this quite funny.
*Germans have what I call sausage balls but they call them something else that roughly translates to "sausage in a bathrobe." So, when I get back, I'll be making "sausage in a bathrobe"...yeah, somehow that doesn't sound too appetizing!
*You don't know how much you love plentiful tap water and ice in restaurants until you're in Europe.
*Soccer (or "football") is a big deal here. I just can't get excited about it.
I'm having a wonderful, fantastic time. We're in Frankfurt for only tonight and then it's off to Leipzig. I hear this city is quite nice. It will be my first time there. I'm enjoying being back in Frankfurt, even if it's just briefly. It's a nice city with lots of international influence. The trip isn't even halfway over. WOW!
*The Irish prime minister is also known as the Taoiseach. It's pronounced "tee-shuk" and we discovered this odd, interesting moniker at the European Union this past week. The Taoiseach was at a press conference that we got to attend and the EU prez kept saying this word that none of us knew...it sounded like "t-shirt" or "teacher" and so I googed it. Sho' nuff, the Irish PM is also called the Taoiseach. Who knew?
*My ears get seriously stopped up when riding on a train and passing through tunnels. Yuck! I discovered this last summer but forgot about it until we were on the train today.
*Italian food is good, no matter where you are in the world. Brussels, Belgium has excellent Italian food.
*Germans call dog doo on the sidewalk "land mines." I find this quite funny.
*Germans have what I call sausage balls but they call them something else that roughly translates to "sausage in a bathrobe." So, when I get back, I'll be making "sausage in a bathrobe"...yeah, somehow that doesn't sound too appetizing!
*You don't know how much you love plentiful tap water and ice in restaurants until you're in Europe.
*Soccer (or "football") is a big deal here. I just can't get excited about it.
I'm having a wonderful, fantastic time. We're in Frankfurt for only tonight and then it's off to Leipzig. I hear this city is quite nice. It will be my first time there. I'm enjoying being back in Frankfurt, even if it's just briefly. It's a nice city with lots of international influence. The trip isn't even halfway over. WOW!
Au Revoir, Brussels!
We're leaving Brussels this morning for Frankfurt, Germany. We'll be there one night. Then, it's off to Leipzig for two nights before heading back to Berlin. The end of the program is coming into view. We will all split up next Sunday. I'll be heading to Meerbusch, Germany to see my friends Rolf and Martina who I met last time I was here in 2003. I'll be there two nights before setting out to Ghent for two nights and will end my big trip with two nights in Paris. Thanks for following along!!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Shoot First. Sightsee Later.
The only reference I saw to the movie "In Brugge" was two movie posters at the restaurant where we had lunch. Having seen the movie, I recognized quite a lot around town, which was nice. It was a wonderful trip! Here are some photos and a short video from today.
Missy waiting for the boat tour to begin. A bookstore is in the background.
Missy on the main market square, just before lunch.
Missy in front of an elaborate church door. There are 21 churches in Brugge. Only 1 Protestant. The rest are Catholic.
Click here to see a new video. It's from our boat ride around Brugge. It's when we go under a bridge that's so low, we have to bend our heads down!
Brugge Booty for Zeke!
Missy waiting for the boat tour to begin. A bookstore is in the background.
Missy on the main market square, just before lunch.
Missy in front of an elaborate church door. There are 21 churches in Brugge. Only 1 Protestant. The rest are Catholic.
Click here to see a new video. It's from our boat ride around Brugge. It's when we go under a bridge that's so low, we have to bend our heads down!
Brugge Booty for Zeke!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Finally! Progress! Photos and a video!
Thought you guys would enjoy the Belgian sense of humor about gas prices!
Missy and Mannequin Pis. (Yes, it's exactly what it sounds and looks like!)
Missy and her new friend Francis, who's also a francophile!
The RIAS girls...a fun and wild bunch!
Click here to see my video from Brussels.
Sorry to say that lots of work, early mornings and a slow internet connection have kept me away from blogging. Anyway, here's lots of fun stuff. We're off to Brugge tomorrow by train. I'm most excited! Ciao!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
A Quick Note
I'm trying to get a short video from last night posted on the web...Will try again after dinner. I also have some photos to share. Today was a LONG day and it's time to eat. More later!!!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Off to Brussels
We're leaving this afternoon by plane for Brussels. I'm hopeful that I'll have good internet in our hotel there. Looking forward to having dinner with our group tonight in the Grand Plaz, one of my favorite places in Europe!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Brad Pwns AFI
Let's Compare
Animation: Brad's pick: Snow White; AFI: Snow White
Fantasy: Brad: Wizard of Oz; AFI: Wizard of Oz
Epic: Brad: Lawrence of Arabia; AFI: Lawrence of Arabia
Courtroom Drama: Brad To Kill a Mockingbird; AFI: To Kill a Mockingbird
Gangster: Brad: Godfather; AFI: Godfather
Romantic Comedy: Brad Annie Hal; AFI: City Lights, #2 Annie Hall
Sports: Brad: Rocky; AFI: Raging Bull, #2 Rocky
Sci-Fi: Brad Star Wars; AFI: 2001, #2 Star Wars
Western: Brad: The Searchers; AFI: The Searchers
Mystery: Brad: Vertigo; AFI: Vertigo
Animation: Brad's pick: Snow White; AFI: Snow White
Fantasy: Brad: Wizard of Oz; AFI: Wizard of Oz
Epic: Brad: Lawrence of Arabia; AFI: Lawrence of Arabia
Courtroom Drama: Brad To Kill a Mockingbird; AFI: To Kill a Mockingbird
Gangster: Brad: Godfather; AFI: Godfather
Romantic Comedy: Brad Annie Hal; AFI: City Lights, #2 Annie Hall
Sports: Brad: Rocky; AFI: Raging Bull, #2 Rocky
Sci-Fi: Brad Star Wars; AFI: 2001, #2 Star Wars
Western: Brad: The Searchers; AFI: The Searchers
Mystery: Brad: Vertigo; AFI: Vertigo
Brad Pwns AFI
Let's compare:
Animation: Brad's pick Snow White; #1 Snow White
Fantasy: Brad's pick Wizard of Oz; #1 Wizard of Oz
Sci-Fi: Brad's pick Star Wars; #1 2001, #2 Star Wars
Gangster: Brad's pick Godfather; #1 Godfather
Sports: Brad's pick Rocky; #1 Raging Bull, #2 Rocky
Mystery: Brad's pick Vertigo; #1 Vertigo
Western: Brad's pick The Searchers; #1 The Searches
Romantic Comedy: Brad's pick Annie Hall; #1 City Lights, #2 Annie Hall
Courtroom Drama: Brad's pick TKAMB or 12 Angry Men; #1 TKAMB, #2 12 Angry Men
Epic: Brad's Pick Lawrence of Arabia; #1 Lawrence of Arabia
Put that in your pipe.
Animation: Brad's pick Snow White; #1 Snow White
Fantasy: Brad's pick Wizard of Oz; #1 Wizard of Oz
Sci-Fi: Brad's pick Star Wars; #1 2001, #2 Star Wars
Gangster: Brad's pick Godfather; #1 Godfather
Sports: Brad's pick Rocky; #1 Raging Bull, #2 Rocky
Mystery: Brad's pick Vertigo; #1 Vertigo
Western: Brad's pick The Searchers; #1 The Searches
Romantic Comedy: Brad's pick Annie Hall; #1 City Lights, #2 Annie Hall
Courtroom Drama: Brad's pick TKAMB or 12 Angry Men; #1 TKAMB, #2 12 Angry Men
Epic: Brad's Pick Lawrence of Arabia; #1 Lawrence of Arabia
Put that in your pipe.
Bed Time
So, it's bed time here. It's so weird to go to bed, knowing things are in full swing in the middle of the day back home.
We fly to Brussels tomorrow and will be there for several days. I'm looking forward to it!
The flip cam is not working. I put in fresh batteries and nothing. So, I don't know if videos will be possible. I believe our camera does videos so I may give that a go. It's too bad I couldn't do videos tonight. We had a fun time. Four of us went to KaDeWe, the big department store and then sat outside an Italian restaurant and had desserts. Lovely!
No new photos for now...maybe some when I blog in the morning.
We fly to Brussels tomorrow and will be there for several days. I'm looking forward to it!
The flip cam is not working. I put in fresh batteries and nothing. So, I don't know if videos will be possible. I believe our camera does videos so I may give that a go. It's too bad I couldn't do videos tonight. We had a fun time. Four of us went to KaDeWe, the big department store and then sat outside an Italian restaurant and had desserts. Lovely!
No new photos for now...maybe some when I blog in the morning.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Brad Loves Lists
So it's time once again for the American Film Institute to roll out its annual list of the top 10 something in American films. Last year they re-visited the top 100 of all time (Citizen Kane, Godfather, Casablanca top 3)..
This year, rather than pick a single theme and run down 100-1.. the AFI decided to break it down into the Top 10 in 10 different categories.
So just for kicks.. here's Brad's predictions:
Romantic Comedy - hmm.. a tough one because there are so many bad romantic comedies.. When Harry Met Sally is probably there.. Sleepless in Seattle too.. if I were a betting man, I'd put $10 on Annie Hall... It Happened One Night and Bringing Up Baby make it too.
Fantasy - A hard one to predict because AFI's criteria is pretty broad: Babe made the final ballot.. but so did Groundhog Day and Harry Potter and It's a Wonderful Life and Lord of the Rings and Wizard of Oz.. I'll take Dorothy 1, Gandolf 2 and George Bailey 3)
Animation - Snow White (it's been the only animated movie to get some AFI love in the top 100 - what can you argue that's better? I'd say Lion King, Nemo, Toy Story, Shrek make the list.. so do Beauty & the Beast, Pinocchio and Fantasia)
Sci-Fi - Star Wars (purists might go 2001 because it's less commercial.. but Matrix is probably top 3.. don't count out Alien )
Western - Boy I haven't seen enough Westerns to really make a knowledgable guess... but I'll say The Searchers, Unforgiven and Shane are all pretty high.
Gangster - Godfather (not even close.. Scarface is right in there..Goodfellas, The Departed, wouldn't be surprised if GFII makes #1. Bonnie & Clyde are there and I'd love to see Heat)
Sports - Rocky (not even close.. Natural and Field of Dreams make the top 10)
Courtroom Drama - I'll go 12 Angry Men or To Kill a Mockingbird (if that qualifies)
Mystery - Hard category.. maybe Vertigo.. then Rear Window.. North by Northwest
Epic - Lawrence of Arabia immediately comes to mind as an epic that doesn't make any other list here.. Gone with the Wind.. Saving Private Ryan.. Schindler's List and Titanic..
Check back here to see if I'm right.
This year, rather than pick a single theme and run down 100-1.. the AFI decided to break it down into the Top 10 in 10 different categories.
So just for kicks.. here's Brad's predictions:
Romantic Comedy - hmm.. a tough one because there are so many bad romantic comedies.. When Harry Met Sally is probably there.. Sleepless in Seattle too.. if I were a betting man, I'd put $10 on Annie Hall... It Happened One Night and Bringing Up Baby make it too.
Fantasy - A hard one to predict because AFI's criteria is pretty broad: Babe made the final ballot.. but so did Groundhog Day and Harry Potter and It's a Wonderful Life and Lord of the Rings and Wizard of Oz.. I'll take Dorothy 1, Gandolf 2 and George Bailey 3)
Animation - Snow White (it's been the only animated movie to get some AFI love in the top 100 - what can you argue that's better? I'd say Lion King, Nemo, Toy Story, Shrek make the list.. so do Beauty & the Beast, Pinocchio and Fantasia)
Sci-Fi - Star Wars (purists might go 2001 because it's less commercial.. but Matrix is probably top 3.. don't count out Alien )
Western - Boy I haven't seen enough Westerns to really make a knowledgable guess... but I'll say The Searchers, Unforgiven and Shane are all pretty high.
Gangster - Godfather (not even close.. Scarface is right in there..Goodfellas, The Departed, wouldn't be surprised if GFII makes #1. Bonnie & Clyde are there and I'd love to see Heat)
Sports - Rocky (not even close.. Natural and Field of Dreams make the top 10)
Courtroom Drama - I'll go 12 Angry Men or To Kill a Mockingbird (if that qualifies)
Mystery - Hard category.. maybe Vertigo.. then Rear Window.. North by Northwest
Epic - Lawrence of Arabia immediately comes to mind as an epic that doesn't make any other list here.. Gone with the Wind.. Saving Private Ryan.. Schindler's List and Titanic..
Check back here to see if I'm right.
A LONG Day
We had four appointments today around Berlin. We started with a breakfast meeting at 8AM and wrapped up with a tour of one of the public TV stations at 4:30PM. This might not sound too bad but consider our jet lag. And the fact that I woke up today at 4AM and did not go back to sleep. By 4:30PM, I was about ready to keel over. When we got back to the hotel, we had free time the rest of the evening. One of the gals in the group and I decided to just go around the corner for some Italian (we had Turkish food for lunch and my stomach was churning a little...between that and the stop-and-go bus ride around town, I was afraid to eat anything too weird for dinner). I felt better after dinner. We walked over to Checkpoint Charlie where I bought a CUTE shirt for Zeke. It says "You're now leaving the American Sector" in about 4 languages. Neat!
Here's a photo of me rolling tape while a member of the Berlin State Parliament spoke to our group at lunch today.
Tomorrow will not be quite so busy and our first appointment is not until 10AM. That means I can definitely catch up on my sleep. It's 9:15PM and it looks like it's about 6PM outside...The sun stays out quite late this time of year in Berlin...very nice to see but not condusive to sleep.
Here's a photo of me rolling tape while a member of the Berlin State Parliament spoke to our group at lunch today.
Tomorrow will not be quite so busy and our first appointment is not until 10AM. That means I can definitely catch up on my sleep. It's 9:15PM and it looks like it's about 6PM outside...The sun stays out quite late this time of year in Berlin...very nice to see but not condusive to sleep.
I will aim to do a video tomorrow for the blog. I'm going to take some of my colleagues to KaDeWe, the gigantic department store with its famous "food floor."
Have a great Monday!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Good Night from Berlin!
It's night time, at last! I will get to curl up in my cozy little bed and have a wonderful night's sleep. It's been a lovely day, perfect weather (a few sprinkles but the perfect temps). I hope to have a good night's sleep so I will feel good and ready to roll in the morning. We have a full day planned. Hope your weekend has been fantastic!
I'm here!!!!
I'm in front of the Brandenberg Gate.
The glass dome of the Reichstag is over my right shoulder.
In Postdamer Platz.After traveling more than 15 hours, I've arrived...and on schedule to boot! I got here a while ago, showered and changed clothes and went with two other gals from our group for a walk around the tourist hot spots in Berlin: Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenberg Gate. I stopped for some crazy good coconut "eis" (ice cream). Yum! I've had my first Coke Light of the trip and am now enjoying the hotel's free WiFi. A few amusing observations:
*British Airways calls its in-flight magazine "High Life." Insert your own punch line. Yeah, I know...it's too easy!
*Heathrow Airport is the most convoluted airport in the world. Every time I thought I had finally "arrived," there was another security check, tram or bus to get on.
*I just can't do the math on pounds to dollars. It's hard enough to keep up with the abysmal euro/dollar exchange rate. So I bought a change purse in the airport with the Harrod's logo on it and for all I know, I paid $75 for it. Just jokes...I don't *think* it was that much...hahaha!
*If you're tired enough, you just don't give a rip how much turbulence you have as your plane lands.
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