Hooorah for Berlin!

Welcome to my posting from Berlin :) I've been here for a few days now, and I have to admit....I rather enjoy being in a big ol' city again. The first night here, a group of us from Princeton (Rachel Marks, Leigh Ann Smith-Gary, Allen Taylor, and I) all bounced around the subway system. We went to a few parties all dressed up and enjoyed the abundance of candy pumpkins and halloween peeps. Yay! On Sunday, Rachel and I wandered around the area near her apartment and feasted at a nearby cafe for brunch. It was quite lovely. Then yesterday I went on a marathon walking tour of the city. I set out around 10:15 and arrived back at Rachel's around 5 pm! I walked from her area in the NE corner of the city (otherwise known as the Prenzlauer Berg region) and walked through some market areas to the Berlin Cathedral. It was awesome because you could go all the way up to the top of the dome and stand outside and look around the city. Then I walked down Unter den Linden, which is one of the more famous streets that leads to the Brandenburger Tor. I walked through the Tor and down the next long street till I got to the Siegesaeule, which is a Franco-Prussian monument built between 1865 and 1873 to signify the unification of Germany. Then I went through the Animal Gardens to a larger bustling area known as Kuerfurstendamm. It is in western Berlin, so by then I had been walking for a real long time. But I met up with two other Fulbrighters and spent a bit of time with them. Then I meandered back to Rachel's via subway. We made yummy grilled cheese and tomato soup. It was great! Anyways...now it is Election Day 2004. welcome to indecision. We are still trying to figure out where we will go to watch the madness, but it will be interesting. If you haven't checked out some of John Stewart's latest additions to the Daily Show online....do it! They present the election in a great way. Hope you all have a super Election Day!