I am way behind on this blog. I have found it difficult to spend time at the end of the day to reflect. Most times when I start to wind down from the day in a few minutes I am exhausted and quickly fall asleep. I am on my way to Florence now but still have some thoughts on the pervious cities I have visited. 

I love Berlin! It is probably up there in my top 5 European cities. There is just so much to do there. There are museums. Five of them are on an island. One of which had a gate from Babylon which was crazy to think I was standing in front of. I visited four of the five and was exhausted after. There is also tons of history about the World Wars and the Cold War. Seeing the remnants of the Berlin Wall was surreal. Although I was too young to remember, the wall was up during my lifetime. It’s crazy to think how different the city was during that time. 

I went on a free walking tour that someone I met on my travels recommended I do. I am glad I did it. Ther are several places I would not have visited since they aren’t labeled. For example, during the tour we were standing in a parking lot which seemed to have no significance. But in that area was where Hitler’s former bunker used to be. Crazy!

Even though I loved the city my first experience there was very stressful. I got off the train and then didn’t know how to get from the station to my hostel. I didn’t even know how to buy a metro ticket. I couldn’t read the signs or even figure out the pictures. I was getting more freaked out and frustrated. Eventually I sat down and calmed down. This was bound to happen on my trip and I knew eventually I would get where I needed to. I took a breath, found the ticket office, and eventually made my way to my hostel. Even with the frustrating start I didn’t let that affect my experience in Berlin. It eventually became one of my favorite European cities.