These are a few of my favorite things!

It's a rainy Saturday here in Berlin, so I thought I would take this opportunity to share a few of my favorite Berlin things so far! In no particular order......

1. Breakfast! It's a big deal here, and not just on the weekends. Most places serve breakfast until 2 or 3 pm 7 days a week. A typical breakfast consists of fresh bread and rolls, a soft boiled egg, assorted cheeses, assorted meats, fresh fruit, and some sort of herb spread. YUM!!!!! I'm a big fan of the big ass breakfast!

2. The Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedachtniskirche. It is the remains of an old church that was bombed in 1943. It sits admist the part of Berlin that to me is most like times square (in that it is central and touristy) But the church is so beautiful, and you can see the places where the bomb did it's damage. It's an amazing monument smack in the middle of commercialism.

3.. I mentioned it before, but the Berliner Dom. It's just freaking gorgeous.

4. The Berlinische Galerie. An art museum near to my flat that houses the works of Berliners from every artistic period. You can really get a sense of the city from the works of these artists (Otto Dix, Max Lieberman, Kathe Kollwitz etc.)

5. The lack of any skyscrapers here. I just never feel like I'm in a big city here. I can always see the sky and consequently never feel claustrophobic.

6. The architecture! So many different styles, so many odd shapes and colors. I never know what to expect when I turn a corner. I even love the grafitti that is EVERYWHERE.

7. Everyone rides their bikes everywhere. I'm so jealous.

8. The fact that it's OK to drink beer here at any time of the day or night. On the subway, for breakfast, in a beer garden, wherever and whenever you want. No one gives you a sideways look.

9. There are trees and parks everywhere! People's balconies overflow with flowers, ivy covers many buildings, you are never far away from nature!

10. It's cheap here! Not 3rd world country cheap, but I'm not totally breaking the bank and still doing everything I want to do.

OK, that's enough for now. There are so many other things that I am enjoying about this city (including watching Little House on the Prarie in German) and so many other thing to explore in the coming weeks!