Ich bin ein Berliner

at heart. No, I'm not a jelly donut, but I really really really liked the city. (And I'm exhausted, so this post might not make much sense, but I want to write it anyway)

I'll try not to ramble excessively as to everything I did, but Berlin is just cool. It has so much history, so many stories, and it's still evolving - parts of the history are hundreds of years old, but a lot of it is still developing. Friday was the eighteenth anniversary of the fall of the Wall. I was alive for this very important part of history.

But anyway - onto the highlights of the trip. I had Friday to myself and my friend Jordan joined me on Saturday. This weekend was probably some of the worst weather I have ever experienced, and my supposedly "heavy duty flip resistant" umbrella is now completely bent and broken. During my first half hour in the city I stopped in Starbucks (I REALLY miss American coffee) and went to see the Brandenberg Gate. I attempted to balance my Gingerbread Latte, camera, and umbrella while fighting the fierce wind and rain, and somehow amidst the chaos my camera stopped working. Completely.
I have no pictures of my weekend after this point, and only have Jordan's pictures.

We did all the typical Berlin stuff - Brandenberg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the big cathedral, Potsdamer Platz (a square where the Wall went right down the middle, and it ended up being differently developed on either side - weird!), Topography of Terror, Jewish Museum, currywurst, and other stuff. And it snowed - TWICE!!! It was amazing.

Friday, on a whim, I went to Symphony Hall to see what the odds were I could get a ticket for that evening's Berlin Philharmonic concert (one of the best orchestras in the world). Not only did I buy THE last ticket, but I also was able to observe another orchestra's rehearsal in the hall - I just walked up to a violin player as she walked in the building, and asked if I could come listen. So I shared the hall with two other "audience members" and listened to a fantastic rehearsal.

Then that evening was the actual Berlin Philharmonic concert. Seeing as I bought the very last ticket, it was fitting that I had the seat farthest away from stage in the whole hall. I literally watched the first half standing up, because I couldn't see the stage if I sat, and watched the second half sitting on the floor looking over the balcony. It was totally worth it. They played Mahler 10 - amazing! I definitely had never before heard an orchestra of this caliber, and I was blown away.

So guess who was sitting in the flute section of the orchestra....none other than Ms. Jones-Reus (the flute prof at UGA)! Erin had told me she would be in Berlin for a while, but I had no idea if she still was here. It was so exciting to see her - not only because it was great to see someone I know playing with the Berlin Phil, but also because I was thrilled to see someone I know. Because I had been backstage earlier that day and knew how to get there, I convinced the security guard to let me in after the concert to find her. She and I sat and talked for a while, and she introduced me to some of her friends (that's right - I got to hang out with members of the Berlin Phil!). The whole evening was totally a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

And for now, that's all I got. It is so cold here right now - it snowed Saturday, it snowed today, and it's supposed to snow for the next three more days. The ground is still too warm, so none of it is sticking, but the high every day is about 35 degrees. I have never been in consistently cold temperatures like this in my life, and my body is exhausted from keeping warm and just wants to hibernate - plus I'm tired from a very busy weekend.

Oh yeah.....and go Dawgs! Way to beat up on Auburn!