The continent of Europe is so wide, mein herr...

So I'm back from my Berlin trip with Mikki. I was initially ambivilent about travelling to the hauptstadt of Deutschland, not for any specific reason other than I didn't know much about the sights there. It wound up being an incredibly pleasant surprise!

We left for Deutschland bright and early on Saturday morning. First stop: Dresden, a beautiful city not far from the Czech border, where we spent the afternoon. Much of it was destroyed during WWII, but there's still a beautiful restored city center. First on our agenda was to visit the giant Ferris wheel, which is visible from the bahnhof. Talk about a posh amusement ride -- the cabins are equipped with air conditioning and piped-in music! Unfortunately, we got shoved into a cabin with a group of three people, one of which didn't seem to be wearing deodorant, so it made for a less-than-pleasant viewing excursion. After that, Mikki went off to visit some museums. Having visited Vienna recently, I'd had my fill of artistic masterpieces for the time being so I choose to cross the river to get some paroramic shots of the historic center. After that, we fought the crowds to visit the Frauenkirche, which just re-opened last year after a multi-year renovation to restore it to its pre-War spendor. It was beautiful, of course, but it felt...too "new," and for good reason. We finished up the time in Dresden with a bratwurst and beer in the local beer garden before hopping the train up to Berlin.



So that brings us to Deutschland's hauptstadt. Let me just say...it is totally unlike any other German city, and the difference is apparent as soon as you enter the hauptbahnhof, which is a stunning, multi-level combination of steel and glass...also featuring restaurants and shops. The rest of the city is similarly contemporary. There are maybe a handful of historic buildings, and even many of those had to be re-built after 1945, so they feel brand new. Some buildings are STILL being re-built! If I had to compare it to anything, it would be Los Angeles, actually. It's REALLY spread out and there's no hauptplatz or anything like that.

TO BE CONTINUED...