Day 1 - Berlin

‘Twas a long and exciting day. We said our goodbyes to our parents and departed on our flight to Frankfurt. Although the time went by quickly on our 9 hour flight, nobody seemed to be able to catch a wink of sleep. As a result, when we arrived in Frankfurt we were very tired, and hurried through the airport to make our connection flight to Berlin. Though this flight was way shorter, we spent a little more time in the Berlin airport waiting for Elena to arrive from France to join our group. We spent the couple of hours feasting on bagels and Burger King (which we realized was arguably very un-german) and immediately began to recognize the jarring lack of air conditioning. But these experiences only made us bond closer and made the time more fun. Finally, when Elena arrived we took a bus to the part of Berlin close to the famous Ku-Damm where our hotel is located, and began our treacherous journey there. Treacherous you wonder..., well we came to realize the difficulties of rolling suitcases on cobblestones, and carrying them up three flights of stairs, all the while in a state of drowsiness. 💪However we got to our rooms and were grateful and very happy with our new spaces. After a quick rinse and getting settled, we got ourselves ready for some exploring. As a group we were put to the test by finding our way around a bus, subway and train station (doing an outstanding job if we do day so ourselves). We traveled to the Brandenburger- Tor and got to see the Reichstag Building from afar. We also wandered through the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe which was very moving. Afterwards, we got an early dinner at Vapiano’s, and then headed back to the hotel for an early night in. All in all, although the long day’s situations may seem stressful at first glance, they were fun memories that we will all be grateful for, and helped us grow closer as a group. Day one was definitely a success.

-Written by the girls of Room 2 (Taylor, Elena, Taylor, and Mary Claire)
(Pictures to follow once we get to better Wi-Fi connection )