Keep on rollin'

Hi everybody, it's me, Aaron.

Yesterday, Julie and I hit the road a little later than we thought, but we did manage to catch the 2nd bike tour of the day since it was right across the street from our internet cafe. We both love doing tours by bike since you get to see so much, and you even get a little exercise. BTW, Fat Tire bike tours is a great company that makes the trip fun and energetic. Good times! (and no, I didn't get anything for that little plug.)

Side note: If zou see the letters z and y mixed up, itäs because this kezboard has them switched. The apostrophe is in the wrong place too. And donät even get me started on the '@' sign.

We managed to squeeye in a great deal of the citz. Alexanderplatz, the TV tower, the wall, Brandenburg gate, the chick on a stick, and of course, a biergarten tucked away in a big central park called Tiergarten (plus lots more). We learned tons about how the city is basically bankrupt from all of the rebuilding that started with reunification, and saw firsthand many of the unfinished construction projects. We saw the Bundestag (Germany's government buildings), as well as the German equivalent of the White House.

The bike tours are great because you zoom through the city just like many of its inhabitants. Berlin is FULL of people who ride around, seriously catching Julie's interest. Also, apparently around some areas like Potsdammer Platz and the area where Hitler's underground bunker was, there is a HUGE surplus of apartments. The tour guide mentioned vacancy rates around 80%! I love watching real estate, but we haven't happened to find an open house just yet.

Berlin has definitely been amazing so far. When we came here, I thought I would get to see some the history of the Holocaust and Third Reich first hand, and we definitely have, but I was surprised to find so much more going on. Berlin has been in the center of so much recent history, it's almost overwhelming!

For instance, I'd totally forgotten how Berlin was really at the forefront of the Cold War. We rode past Checkpoint Charlie and got a great history lesson about how the wall sprang up overnight to stop everyone from leaving East Berlin, which was approximately 7000 people per day! I found it fascinating to discuss the separation of the city and the country and how it strongly reflected the views of the allies who split up Germany after WWII. Seeing some parts of the wall that are still there as a memorial and seeing WWII damage on some of the buildings from Russian and German rifles in the battle of Berlin really hammers the points home - Berlin has been a focal point of recent history.

All that history and "heavy stuff" really doesn't stop Berlin from being a beautiful and pleasant city, and I highly recommend a visit if you have the time.

Next time from Berlin,
Aaron