Ringhotel Am See Sommerfeld Brandenburg

... morning, before catching our train to Nurnberg. As for beer, we have been stocking up on Beck's Gold, sold at the local variety store for only 0.79 Euro a large 500ml bottle. Delicious, I must say! The public transit is very cheap, and extremely easy to use, so it has served us well during our stay. If you pretend you are confused, you ride for free! Our hotel is near a major shopping district (although, sadly enough, no shopping for me, as I can't fit anything more in my ...

... seeing the Dalai Lama. Yes you read that right. How about I just ended up in the right place at the right time without any planning. I didn't know it but the Dalai Lama was in town today for something and the city was also holding a free tibet concert and stuff. It was way cool. I did get a pic as his car was pulling away. Wow, thats a once in a lifetime thing huh? Berlin is just so incredibly beautiful. The architecture the way thezy have kept greenery even in the ...

... around it out in the open which you can look at as you walk past. On the last night just as the sun was setting I went to the Reichstag, Berlin's parliament building. This was brilliant; again free, I thought it's a really good symbol of what Berlin's all about. It looks very old and formal at the bottom, but sitting at the top is a huge modern transparent dome which you walk up in a spiral to get great views, but also to look down to where parliament ...

... Needless to say, the night was amazing, and Berlin is great! On more travel news, it seems we have agreed to stay in Berlin perhaps for about 40 days or so, before we head to Poland and a rainbow, just south of Krakow! Although of course this isnt set in stone, as none of our plans are, but its seems like the most likly to happen, besides Berlin has so muc to offer! Anyway, enjoy the story, as we are too! (Taking the camera tonight, so expect pics soon too!)

... of Hamburg at yet another service station! We made camp for the night there and settled down. the day was made up of loads of small lifts short distances but at the end we were happy to have traveled and had a good spot for the next days hitching ahead. The following morning we awoke with the aid of the last of my instant coffee, and started the days hitching. After a string of near lifts, Michael pulled up to the station. He was traveling to L ...

... German food-lots of sausage and potatoes, even for breakfast) with a bus tour of the city. We drove throughout east and west Berlin (our hotel is located in east Berlin) and saw many of the major points of interest, such as a remaining segment of the wall, which is now decorated with modern-day artists' paintings. We got out at the new Holocaust memorial. It is fittingly somber and impressive but I was ...

... Sony Center. Yesterday we went for a bike tour with a pretty cool tour guide. A couple of guys we met in Prague told us to get the guide with the crazy long red dreadlocks, which we did. The tour took over 5 hours (although almost an hour of that was at the beer garden... Germans!) and took us to a ton of major sights, making it really worthwhile. We learned a bit of history too, which was definitely a nice change ...

... The era of the last Kaiser was not as long as expected, factual, and more information was really presented on the Wiemar Republic and how it caused the rise of Hitler. And there it was, like that rusty nail that sticks out of a doorway and snags your expensive shirt, grabbing at you and stopping you; Hitler. I slowed and read carefully what was said about him- again, factual, no glossing over the problem. And, as expected, the displays were increasingly grim and depressing ...

... another full of candy wrappers whose contents had assumedly been consumed by visitors, and some kindergarten-style dioramas. The exhibit stated that a German artist had contacted lots of her artist friends and others in an effort not only to create an interesting, interactive experience for visitors, but also to provide the opportunity for the artists to market themselves (many included catalogs of their work). After exiting the museum, we walked around in search of the outdoor ...

... to pow-wow with other than family, nothing personal to all my friends, but if I want you to share my experience, and tell you, and ask you, and plead with you, consider yourself loved immensely by yours truly. I hate being lonely, and I am very lonely having so much fun by myself. I'm thankful I can at least keep up with you in this Journal. I really do hope that all of you take a week of your life to travel with someone special over here, it not only opens your eyes to so many ...