It Begins

Ok friends and foes, I am in Berlin! I can't believe that I have been away for 2 weeks already. All thoughts of normal life in New York are out of my head. I even forgot the name of the Brooklyn Bridge today. (Obviously I remembered it at some point). Anyways, the 2 weeks in England were amazing. I was with Ginny, my most favorite person to travel randomly through countries with. We managed not to get caught in any of the flooding that was happening, but managed to see mountains, beaches, and everything in between. Suffice it to say that I was blissfully happy for 2 weeks. Details later, possibly (if I don't get lazy). So now ends my very first day in Berlin! I knew the trip got off to a good start when the cute guy I was eyeing in the East Midlands Airport sat next to me on the flight (we got to choose our own seats and he plopped himself down right next to me :) We talked the whole way. This is what I love about traveling on my own, specifically through out Europe. I just end up talking to anyone and meeting some really cool people. He was a Polish Bodyguard complete with muscles and tattoos. Yummy. So then I had to navigate trains to get me to my flat. A Man entered the train I was sitting on and asked me a question in German. I actually understood him, and helped him out! In return, he talked to me the whole trip mostly in German, with English when necessary. I wouldn't say it was the most intellectual conversation ever, but I was proud of myself for just going for it. I got lost getting off of the train, walking around a roundabout not being able to find the street I was meant to be on. Finally a sweet soul took pity on me after watching me walk around in circles for 10 minutes. Turns out I was 1 block away, and the street was not on the map that I had. Funny. After that, found the flat with no problems. My mom was waiting for me inside! The place is perfect. Clean, comfy, everything I need complete with monster sized bathtub and gorgeous balcony! I'm currently in love with the laundry detergent that my host uses. I'm contemplating bringing some back to the states. Slept like crap due to the fact that I was super excited to be here, doubled with the fact that I was sleeping on a tiny air mattress with no pillow because I have just dyed my hair pink and didn't want to dye this guy's pillowcases!
So my mom and I woke up this morning and took a long walk around Kreuzberg, which is the neighborhood we are staying in. OK, I'm in love. So many cute cafes, shops, weird architecture from every imaginable time period and style, etc. etc. Berlin really is green, huge trees everywhere and parks every few feet it seems! Punky boys riding skateboards and everyone riding bikes in the BICYCLE LANES! It's really fun to people watch and to try and understand other people's conversations. We ended the trip with a currywurst (sausage cut into bits and doused with ketchup and curry powder) which is a super popular street food here. Ordered in German of course. Bad German, but i got the point across. We met up with a friend of the guy who's house I'm staying at so he could help me set up my internet connection. He was a super sweet guy, a student from Tehran. Very cute in the European "I wear Adidas and am very sleek" kind of way. Ended the day eating at a German Restaurant on the Spree River, outside of course since it was a gorgeous day. Drank BEER. Georg Pils-Hell to be exact. The Hell part means that it is light, not dark (I think). Walked home passing various monuments, fountains, and churches. None of which are labeled, so the details of them are fuzzy. Must find out why things are not labeled here. Must have something to do with WWII. Now I am comfy cozy in my Berlin Flat. Got lots of German groceries in my fridge and German words in my head. And we're off..................