The Fall of the Berlin Wall

Guten Tag!

That’s about the extent of my German so far and I don’t expect it to get much better than that. So, It’s been over 3 days in Berlin so far and everything is good. The city has been pretty lively and vibrant over the past few days, even though the weather does not make it seem that way.

Last night (well, yesterday morning your time) all the events marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall took place. The city seemed to come alive for the event as it had a festival like atmosphere. There were food stands lining the street next to our hotel and there were even carnival rides and carnival booths around. The street right outside our hotel was also lined with huge blocks set up to look like Dominoes. During the anniversary event these blocks were knocked over one by one like a huge line of dominoes. They stretched almost a kilometer and all the fan-fare and hoopla for the event was centered around them.

All the blocks were painted and decorated with various themes, most of which were centered around unity and the breaking down of barriers. They provided a bright spot on this somewhat dark and dreary day. I was able to get out there that evening and hit up some food stands (the currywurst was awesome), grabbed a brew (yay, beer!), and enjoyed the festivities.

Otherwise, everything else was pretty good. The people on the trip were all enjoying themselves and we have spent a good amount of time over the past three days exploring the city.

So, until next time. Goodbye (I haven’t learned that one in German yet….sorry)!

-Brendan Rimitez