Jennifer Demartini

Being in Berlin was a great learning experience on historical and personal levels. I got to pick up a great deal of information about the Cold War, the Berlin Wall, and personal history of Berliners.

Last night we went to the top of the Berlin Tower for dinner. Turns out, the restaurant cooks in accordance to airline standards, which was quite the experience.

Most recently, I learned that dealing with Berliners is a bit of a challenge- one of the Fat Tire Bike Tour guides told us that to earn respect, we’d have to put up a mean front instead of always smiling.

Tomorrow is the start of more European adventures outside of Berlin- stay posted!

–Proof that I exercised in Berlin (Fat Tire Bike Tour)

I went on another jog yesterday for some more exercise, and ran to the Volkspark in Friedrichshain, one M4 stop away from our hotel. Running through the park, there were initially the typical children, families, and younger Berliners frolicking or resting in the sun. Little did I know the back of the park was home to a nudist area, the memories of which will live on for years to come.

More and more people seem to be in the hotel lobby every passing night to work on their Soundslides project… I’ve joined the ranks to meet Tuesday’s deadline!

It’s cold and rainy today in Berlin- can’t wait for the sun to come back out!

I made it through the bike tour, with one slight crash at the end that resulted in spilled cappuccino and an angry female Berliner. Blakely, our tour guide, took us through all of the interesting and off-the-beaten-path destinations of Berlin. Kevin and I got the chance to see a squatter’s building, called Kobi, or Köpi by the local Berliners. The people who live there have anti-capitalist beliefs,live in a run-down apartment building and are a topic of conversation all over the world. We got kicked out, but this is one of the pictures I managed to take while inside their compound.

We’re heading out for a four-hour long Fat Tire Bike Tour through the streets of Berlin… I’ll update with pictures if I survive!

My contact interview with one of the Berlin Zoo directors happened today, but went a little differently as planned. The woman who I was initially scheduled with took a holiday and was therefore unavailable. However, the director’s office that I conducted the interview was second to none- it overlooked the elephant sanctuary!

–Brunch in Berlin

–Segway Tours Around the City

–A Mother Resting, a Child Playing

–Abigail in the Light

–Walking a Six-month Old “Puppy”

–Man Waiting for His Wife

…more to come!

Lisa, our tourguide.

Lisa, our tourguide, gestures towards a Protestant church along the riverside in Berlin as two students listen to her presentation. We spent from 11 a.m. till 3 p.m. with her, ending up at the popular tourist destination, Checkpoint Charlie after crossing over from East to West Berlin, and learning quite a bit of Berlin’s and Germany’s history along the way.

Future Berlin Activity!

Berliners and tourists alike face their fears every day down the side of the Park Inn, a building near the Freedom Fountain. Volunteers are tied into a harness with a bungee-like cable in order to repel down the skyscraper. I’m considering taking on the challenge next weekend and debating the 59 Euro cost. I’ll keep you posted on more daredevil acts I find to try around Berlin…

For more photos of and around Alexanderplatz, check out this Web site.