Berlin: Oct. 2nd - 4th

After a 5-hour train ride, we arrived safely in Berlin, the capital of Germany. We arrived in the Main Hbf (central train station) and was instantly in awe of its architecture and size. All main lines ran through this station (U-bahn, S-bahn, and the high-speed trains). Our hostel was located in East Berlin which was located by many of the city's popular sites. After checking in, we walked around on the main street, Friedstrasse. We browsed around in the Dussman, a 3-story book and music store and where Liya ended up buying a book, The Traveler's Wife.

This morning, we got up and had an all-you-can-eat breakfast in our hostel. We relaxed for a couple of hours before participating in a 4-hour free walking tour of Berlin. It was great tour. Our tour guide, Theo, was born and raised in Australia but has lived in East Berlin for the past 4 years. Theo was a very passionate guide. You could tell how much he loved this city, the art, and the history. The tour was very insightful and we ended up seeing most of the major sites. The major sites we visited were the following: Remnants of the Berlin Wall; Berliner Dom (Great Protestant Church); Museum Island; The Memoriam for Fallen Victims of War; a University where 29 Nobel Prize Winners taught or were educated at); Hitler's Bunker; Berlinger Tor (The Gate); The book-burning square where Hitler burned 20,000 books that weren't acceptable in his eyes; The Holocaust Memorial which took up a whole square block (an amazing piece of work...we both had an overwhelming feeling in our chest when walking through it); Opera and Concert Halls; Check Point Charlie, and the Soviet TV Tower. We also came across Hotel Adlon near the Berlinger Tor where Michael Jackson famously dangled his baby, Blanket, off the balcony.

Berlin is an amazing city. It is full of tremendous history. Many great intellectuals, artists and architects have influenced this city and its people.

Tomorrow, we head to Hamburg (another big German city) where we will stay with family friends through the weekend. We hope all is well back in the States! We are always thinking of our loved ones back home! Cheers!