MONDAY
Monday got off to an earlyish start at 9:30, after breakfast at the hotel. We had our first ride in the U-Bahn to Bernauerstraße and the Berlin Wall Memorial. The Memorial site had metal poles showing where the wall was, and rectangular plates showing where the tunnels were. It was very impactful to see where everything actually was, instead of just pictures or descriptions, and even though I didn’t use it, I appreciate how the audio recordings were in English as well as German. We walked to a lookout point over the Berlin Wall Memorial, where we could see for miles around us. The museum that accompanies the Memorial was unfortunately closed, so we got to walk around Berlin. Thankfully, it had warmed up a little by then. We got to split off from the group to eat lunch wherever we wanted, but we ended up all eating at the same restaurant. The food was good, but it took some time to get through the process of ordering and paying, and we actually ended up being a little late for the tour of the escape tunnels, but it all worked out in the end. The tunnel tour was incredible; we got to see some of the surviving tunnels people used to escape to West Berlin and hear some of their stories. The tour guide was very nice, and I could understand most of what she said! We then made our way to the Fernsehturm, which is a restaurant/museum/lookout that’s kind of like the Seattle Needle. We had coffee and cake in their rotating restaurant, where Sara tried to take a panorama that failed miserably. After some time in the Fernsehturm, we walked through Berlin to dinner. There were some beautiful historic buildings and many more flowers than I expected for a city. We moseyed over to dinner in two groups and successfully ordered and paid for food yet again. Zillemarkt, the restaurant I went to, had a very pretty patio with lots of flowers and plants. I split some veggie burgers with Sara, and we made our way back to the hotel to get some much-needed sleep. ~Rexie B.
TUESDAY
Tuesday was our second full day in Berlin. After eating breakfast, we traveled by U-Bahn and by foot to the Brandenburg Gate and the Holocaust Memorial. Both sites were interesting to visit because they are both well-known throughout the world, and they are both important historical monuments. In addition, both are set up in a manner with no gates or barriers that allows people to go up right to them, and in the case of the Holocaust Memorial, in them. After a brief stop at these places, we made our way to the Bundestag, the main event of the afternoon. After going through security to get into the building, we listened to a speech in the room where Bundestag meetings are held, which was very exciting. Later, we got to have a question and answer session with Markus Koob, a member of the Bundestag. This opportunity allowed our class to receive in-depth information from an important politician, including his opinions and stances on various issues. After the session ended, we received books about the German political system and then when to lunch in a cafeteria building in the Bundestag. Later, we went on a river cruise on the Spree, which allowed us to see Berlin from a different perspective. At dinner, we were given the option of where to eat, and the group that I was in decided to go to food stands for a Döner and a soft pretzel. This meal was a great way to experience German culture, as these are two staple products in Berlin food. Our final activity of the day was going to the theater to see a play. This experience was unique for many students, as most do not see plays very often, and even those who do don’t see them in German very often. The play, titled Welttretten für Anfänger, featured a wide array of music, political humor, and action, allowing audience members with different interests to enjoy the play very much. It this point, it was very late at night, so all of the students went to bed quickly after returning to the hotel. Overall, a lot was accomplished today and a lot was learned. ~Matthew C.
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday was our last day in Berlin, and we woke up earlier than usual to go on a tour to the Olympic Stadium. All but two of us gathered in the lobby at 8:15, desperate to get going on our exciting excursion. After sending what seemed like a whole army to retrieve Xavier and Max from their room, we finally headed to the U-Bahn at 8:45. We had a nice stadium tour were we got to see the VIP seats (I got to sit in Angela Merkel’s seat), the locker rooms, and the press room. The entire Olympic Stadium complex was unlike anything we have in the US, complete with many different facilities–the stadium itself, an outdoor swimming and diving center, a track and field center, and many soccer training fields. After that we went straight to the KaDeWe for lunch and some shopping. We got an expensive but tasty meal on the top floor of the department store. After that, we went through the many floors of clothes and accessories, and even got to walk down the street to go to the Adidas and Nike stores. Amidst heading back to the hotel to pick up our bags and leave, we made one final stop in Berlin at a public balcony where we could look at the monkeys in the zoo. Then, it was time to travel to Frankfurt. We had a nice flight and arrived with our host families greeting us and taking us home! It was nice to meet the family and get my room set up for the next few days. After getting settled, I walked to a nearby restaurant with my exchange partner to go watch the Europa League Final. When we got back, it had already been dark for a few hours, and I was not hesitant to get some much- needed sleep. Overall, it was an action-packed day in both Berlin and Frankfurt, filled with sightseeing and the joy of meeting our host families! ~Kenny E.
