I'm here!

Woohoo first post!

So I am safe and happy in Berlin. Getting here was an absolute mess... missed flights, sleep deprivation, temporarily lost passport... but I am finally here and glad that I am :)

I arrived in Berlin around 3pm (Berlin time) on Friday, March 23rd. Unfortunately I missed the orientation meeting that I was trying so hard to make... It seems like everything is going to work out anyway though, and I might be able to attend a make-up orientation later in the week. My luggage did not arrive with me... I had to go to the Lufthansa lost & found and file a report. After doing some currency exchange, I bought my first public transportation pass, one-way, and took a bus to the nearest S-Bahn station. I got on the S-Bahn and rode it to a stop very close to my hostel (http://www.generatorhostels.com/en/berlin/). I got to my hostel, checked in and paid (only 119€ for a week, pretty good!). I went upstairs to an empty room and fell asleep at around 8pm.


Woke up at 6am Saturday morning (I am currently on an old man's sleep schedule). At around 7am a very nice young man from Greece named Kostas (not sure if that's how it's spelled) checked in and we chatted for a little while before I went downstairs to retrieve my luggage which had been delivered during the night (yay!). After bringing it upstairs I went back down to breakfast (I was told breakfast would cost €4.50, but I haven't been asked to pay so far and I've eaten it twice). Bread and nutella.... mmmmmmmmm


After breakfast I spent some time on the free WiFi here and then took the S-Bahn to the Brandenburg Gate. It was really only after coming out of the S-Bahn station and seeing this gorgeous landmark that it finally hit me: I'm in Berlin!

I had gone to the Gate to meet up for a free tour of the city. This was a walking tour that would end up lasting about 5 hours, including a 20-minute or so break. All I can say is that it was awesome... our guide was named Seb, a very informed dude that had lived in Spain, France, and Great Britain before moving to Berlin. He was very entertaining and somehow knew about Humboldt State University's (the CSU) reputation as a stoner school (I found this hilarious). You can find a list of all the places we visited about halfway down the page here: http://www.newberlintours.com/daily-tours/free-tour.html


Here are some pictures I took during the tour:


Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Das Konzerthaus in Gendarmen Market (in case you were wondering what das Konzerthaus translates to, it's the Concert house).

 Here I am in front of the main building of my new University, Humboldt University Berlin.

 One of my favorites, the TV Tower. Built by East Germany.

After the tour, our guide led us to a pub. I enjoyed some beer and currywurst there and met Alejandro from Mexico and Marlene from Oxnard, CA who had been on the tour with me. They told me they were going to the East Side Gallery (remaining section of the Berlin wall that has been painted by artists) and invited me to come along. Unfortunately it was their last day in Berlin, but I thoroughly enjoyed viewing the East Side Gallery with them. Thanks to Alejandro for this picture:

After this I went home and fell asleep at 8pm again. Woke up this morning to find that Lucas, a very nice 26 yr old from a town near Bangalore, India, had moved in over night. He is currently working for an information technology company in Hamburg and was visiting Berlin for the weekend. We chatted about the differences between Germany, California, and India over breakfast. He checked out after breakfast and now I am writing this!


I'll do my best to keep this updated, bye for now!