June 1- Being able to sleep on transatlantic flights is a myth isn't it?

So I arrived in Berlin! No death or plane evacuation needed! There was that whole somewhat terrifying change of planes in Frankfurt, but luckily all of the flight people spoke enough English to at least say 'Terminal A'. I had the aisle seat during the flight from Philadelphia to Frankfurt, so while I didn't get to see as much of the scenery, I also didn't have to wait for someone next to me to get up so that I could go pee. So I think I got the better end of that bargain. Unfortunately I didn't really get a chance to sleep on the flight, which means that when 4am came around for those on the Eastern side of the US, it REALLY felt like 4am to me. No matter what the sky looked like outside the plane (it was a really pretty sunrise with a mix of blue, pink, and orange by the way).

After getting off my flight to Berlin, I was pleasently surprised that my luggage had survived the three plane transfer to Berlin, one of the fears that kept me awake for my 8hr flight. I even met both of my friends outside (after about 15min) and Lian had gotten her luggage and Aaron had found us both. Yay! We then got a taxi from the airport back to his, and his roommate Ashley's, apartment - which cost about 35 Euro, but all of us deemed it appropriate since it saved me from lugging a suitcase, large duffel and a travel tote across two metro buses and God knows how many stairs.

Three flights of stairs later, Lian and I's luggage was safely stored in Aaron's room and he kept his promise to keep us awake until at least 5pm so we would acclimate to the time change better. We took the rest of the morning and afternoon and travelled around Berlin. We saw some great architecture and even better greenery. We saw such memorable places as Brandenburg Tor and a monument to the Soviet soldiers who died during WWII. Still, it's not too often that you see a humungous national park smack dab in the middle of city - but people should do it more often. It's really very relaxing. It's amazing how much Berlin looks like any other big city. In the mall, you can't tell the German shopper from the American, and the only the German signs reminded me that I wasn't home. For lunch I had a Dooner, which is this mix of meat and veggies stuffed in a pita pocket. Very filling for only about 3 Euro.

But here's the deal - Aaron doesn't have wireless, so no telling how often I'll be updating. When I do I'll make sure to deviate by day and try and post pictures whenever wacky and hilarious. Who knows, this could even be your inspiration to take a European holiday of your own.