Above picture: looking down a portion of the Berlin Wall that is still intact. We are currently in the wonderful, German capital of Berlin. This city is really cool. There is so much history here and yet it is so modern in some parts. I find the two parts to be perfectly juxtaposed. But before I get too much into Berlin, I do need to mention the city we stopped in on the way to Berlin called Hamburg. Its a bustling city with two lakes- an inner lake and then the big lake. I really wish we had stayed in Hamburg rather than Hannover. There was so much to do and see in Hamburg, and we just didn't have time for half of it. I did however finally find a starbucks in Hamburg, so I was able to get my soy vanilla latte, and all was right in the world. I also got to see Kevin Barche!! Man I miss that guy. He is graduating next week (they have like 14 yrs of high school or soething absurd like that) and he will be going to university in Hamburg next year. I asked him if he was still sailing since I knew he won a couple of world championships before he came to the US and he told me he had been advanced to olympic sailing! I feel so privleged to know an olympian, haha. He was so sweet though- he drove almost an hour just to hang out with me for 30 minutes. So sweet. =) After Hamburg we got on the bus and came to Berlin and we took a tour of the Volkswagen plant. This place was MASSIVE. I don't even remember how many miles it was, but it would take 3 weeks to just tour the whole facility. Touring- not seeing everything, just getting glimpses. Its nuts. Our tour guide drove this little VW convertible thing and we all sat in a tram that was made exactly like a VW car. It had the seats and silver painted exterior, it was so cool! We toured the Golf part production area and some 98% of the production is automated so you have these machines spinning around and flipping things over, and moving like crazy. It was like being surrounded by freaking Transformers. I really enjoyed the tour. After that we went into the middle of Berlin and visited Checkpoint Charlie. This is where the allied forces had set up camp in the middle of Berlin. The signs and everything were still up, it was nuts. We went to the former Gestapo headquarters and saw torture chambers. This was depressing. We also got to see a portion of the wall that was still intact. It was so bizzare! Its hard to imagine a wall dividing an entire country, but this was still up when we were born! I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. We are going to do some more touring and Katie and I are going to the Holocaust Memorial. On a lighter note, Katie and I both felt crappy today so tonight we stayed in and order room service. We had two massive trays of food. It was amazing. We both got potato soup and then I got a salad and Katie got a burger. It came with a loaf of bread and oil, butter, and green gooddess. YUM-O. I don't exactly feel better, but I am content with the way in which I pigged out. Go me. I think I'm going to call it an early night tonight. I have loved this trip, but I am ready to go home. I am ready to see my friends and family, my little boy- Cooper, my Sandy, Pucky, and Bunny. I cannot wait to have mexican food, and ranch dressing (not together of course), I am so ready for my tempurpedic bed and my huge bathtub. Man I am excited to take a bubble bath! I can't wait to stop living out of my suitcase and I really can't wait to eat the Belgian chocolates I have been toting around for 2 and a half weeks, but promised that I would bring them home to share. Gosh. Its been good Europe, but this American gal is ready to head back to the land of the free and the home of the brave. Sweet southern comfort is calling me home to Charleston!
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