Holiday Inn Berlin-Esplanade

... sitting in the freezer left by someone else and sat there laughing a lot, sort of amazed that we were still getting along so well after spending a month together!

Friday, June 19th was our last day in Mosbach. We got up at 5:30am and shared the responsibility of cleaning that disgusting shower and then tried to pack up all our things so that we didn't have to come back and pack anything after work. That was the only day during our stay that we didn't end ...

... walking through the pristine parks and gardens, and hearing all the escapades of various Frederick Wilhelm's. My favourite building was the Chinese Teahouse.

The Gemaldegalerie had an exceptional collection. Our favourites were a portrait of Rembrandt's lover, Hendrickje Stoffels, and the famous Woman in a Bonnet by Rogier van der Weyden. And of course, the Dutch Proverbs painting - the painting consists of more than 100 ...

... ticket had said 1:40 check-in and I took it on its word. If tickets can have words that are more than....words. Anyway, long trip to Berlin. Have a I mentioned how great Tegel Airport is??? You get off the plane go directly through a passport control which is just for your plane and you're in an arrival lounge just for your own plane with a baggage caroussel right there. Like in 15 minutes you're walking out the door from an ...

... at the front desk of my hostel, explaining that I couldn't determine if the film I wanted to see was in English because the site was entirely in German, the thin blonde guy who was a character right out of a Bourne Identity movie says, 'Vell vee awr in cherminy'. Berlin is safe, mature and confident. Partiers do so with an air of sophistication and maturity. Although much beer gets consumed and drinking on the streets or in ...

... I'm also an incredibly disorganised person who does things at the last minute. In a rare moment of boy scout like preparedness, last night I packed up all my ****, even putting out the clothes I am wearing today, and managed to be in bed before 11pm. When my alarm went off this morning I actually got up instead of hitting the snooze ...

... And still they make them build in the spot with the Goddess of War, holding German insignia, standing there reminding them of just exactly who their daddy is. The French, for their part, design their thoroughly modern and effortlessly stylish embassy in a theme that is clearly reminiscent of a building sandbagged and with gun emplacements (click the photo to enlarge). Touche. How can you not enjoy Berlin? Little elements come out everywhere. While I am ...

Down to the business end of the Uni year, with half my exams over. Just one oral exam tomorrow and then wait to collect my marks. At the moment I´m trying to figure out the cheapest and best way to get across to the other side of Germany before Sunday to celebrate Carnival with my host family, the Daubers, that I stayed with in 2000. They are freaking awesome so hopefully that all falls into place. Only like 10 days ...

... why it had a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy theme, but it was pretty new and one of the best hostels we'd seen on the trip. The next day firstly we had to get our paperwork together to apply for our Brazilian VISA. Not as convoluted as the Russian VISA but pretty close on the amount of paperwork and supporting documentation we had to provide. Paying the fee we hoped in a few days time we'd have a VISA sticker inside our passports. With the ...

... done my first semester here in Freiburg and have a two month break. I still have one essay to write (in German), but it is not due until the end of April - they are quite lax with the due dates here. My next two months will be quite busy - I think that I will be in Freiburg for maybe ten days altogether until school starts back up on April 24. Next Friday 3. Josh and I leave for Rome. We get back on the 8 and then my parents arrive on March 10. We will ...