Cleaning house

I ended up deleting a whole lot of old posts on this blog, in case you were wondering where they went. I'll be focusing more on my travels here, which is fine, because that's where it was going anywhere - I only seem to blog when I'm abroad and want to share those experiences.

Ich bin ein Berliner

I can't really say it, in truth. Obviously not - I've only been here two weeks. But I've enormously enjoyed my time in Berlin, and spending this morning just walking around Friedrichshain I cannot help but revel in the distinct personality of the place. It's an enormously interesting city, Berlin, and I've definitely fallen in love with it. Perhaps it was just because this morning it was snowing - big heavy, fluffy flakes the size of 50c coins that cover the grimy streets and make everything seem so perfect, but it's truly an amazing place.

I am going to miss it very much, but I'm taking home with me some incredible memories. The view from the Reichstag, both out across the city and its many landmarks, and into the German parliament, a symbolic testament to the German people's desire for a more transparent governement. The view down Karl Marx Allee, and the majestic (if somewhat dire) rows of imposing Soviet-style apartments. Frankfurter Tor is beautiful as well - I am genuinely saddened that I did not get to see it in the summer. Walking through Babylon's Ishtar Gate, beautifully restored at the Pergamon Museum, or standing in awe in front of the Market Gate of Miletus. Walking along Brandenburg Gate, tracing the path of the Wall to Checkpoint Charlie (which is itself somewhat unremarkable) and reading up about the storied post-WW2 history. And perhaps one of the most fundamentally profound experiences I've ever had - Sachsenhausen concentration camp, a monument both to man's unbelievable barbarism and tenacity in the face of extermination.

It's been a most excellent trip.