Berlin Germany 8/13/12~ Es ist noch nicht aller Tage Abend.

Here are a few pics of Berlin..I will write more. And add more pics but i'm on call tonight. The phrase, it just means that it is not over until the evening. I liked it. Ciao for now.

 

We left Paris in the afternoon for our luxurious ride on Easy Jet. We got to the airport in France a few hours early. I made phone calls and read. I also measured my suitcase to make sure my carry on still fit in the bin. Phew, it did! I did start to notice my fellow travelers that were sharing a suitcase were now contemplating buying their own. I had to pay extra, and that's the price I paid for bringing too much! My arms were feeling it. After we finally checked in and got our bags in, we made it through security to stand in another line to wait to board to Germany. It was so bizarre! As we stood in line, the airport did not announce when your flight departed. So it was up to you to watch. We are in line standing what seemed like over an hour. There was this big hush, then all of a sudden this huge stampede of people were coming at us! What the heck? Is what we were thinking...then all of a sudden we were in a full sprint. RUN!!! Our flights had changed to the opposite sides. We were in line for a flight to Argentina I think. So with all that commotion we all naturally lost our front spots in line. Its first come first serve. So we were in the back of the plane. Easy Jet reminded me of Southwest but way cheaper...I like to call it Ghetto Jet. And thorought the flight they would announce different things for sale like travel tours, transportaion..drinks snacks , etc. We did buy the transportation. Which was a good thing.  We had to take a bus into Berlin and then take the subway.

 

One of us in the group actually lived in Germany when her family was in the Airforce. So she spoke a little. But the subway system in Germany was so confusing. On top of the fact that I didn't speak German. My thoughts on Germany. Well..first I think parts of it are beautiful. And I am glad to have seen a part of the country hopefully my Dad saw. I don't think that I personally would have made a trip to Germany had it not been for going on this trip. So I am grateful for that. But where we stayed was what I would like to call "downtown".  Our hostel..was on top of a bar. So that sums up the accomodations. But we tried to stay budget friendly. But ack!! I learned alot on the free walking tour, I learned alot about the Holocaust. I think I need to watch Schindler's list. I have been making a mental list of all the movies that I need to see when I get home. Moulin Rouge for Paris,  A Hard Day's Night for London...and so on. I loved the atmosphere. In the heart of the city it looked almost futuristic to me. And the public relies heavily on public transportation and bicycle transportation. Bikes were everywhere! The weather was perfect. The food was fantastic. I was surprised. I had only ate german food once at the Alpine Village. So it was so good to have german food..in germany!

 

 

I didn't catch a pic of our hostel above the bar, but we stayed right across the street from this building.

 

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 Found this after landing at the Berlin Airport. :)

Holocaust Memorial

A piece of the Berlin Wall....

Tiergarten, in Berlin

I even had one sip on non alcoholic, German Beer...It. Was. AWFUL! The food however,  was amazing.

 Check out the family bike...isn't that cool?

 Me and Elizabeth :)

 KaDeWe..is this mecca of shopping in Berlin. Think Macy's...Harrods. I wish I stopped.

Pottsdamer Flatts. I enjoyed saying that.

 

This is the Hotel Aldon, famous for Michael Jackson dangling Blanket over the balcony.

I saw this on our walking tour. Loved it.

Me and Julia inside the Holocaust Memorial

 Our tour guide did a great job.

Brandenberg Gate

A portion of the Berlin Wall

 This is a picture in glass in the sidewalk in front of a holocaust muesuem.

I learned from my tourguide that this picture is depicting unity among the German people while the extermination and order to collect thousands of Jews was taking place. This was to say to the public everything is fine. But it wasn't.

I'm not sure...this may be the sight of Hitler's bunker..or the area surrounding.

This is the President's house...flag was up. That means he's home. :)

Berlin was also laundry day. We hiked a mile or two with our luggage up to the laundry mat. Unfortunately for me...I was late getting there and everyone else was finished. So my clothes didn't completly dry in the dryer...I was hoping they would dry on the way to Italy. To be continued...
Auf Wiedersehen!!



Aug. 12th- London Calling!

I only have a few pictures since my camera died..only temporarily. The battery died! Some pics I did get were off of my phone, but I didn't know how many pictures my phone could hold..so here's what I got.

First we had to get up SUPER EARLY. To walk to the train station..in the dark. And we made it! Yeah! I was thinking of that song Five o Clock in the mornin...

Just a little excited to board....EUROSTAR! Which is a highspeed train to London. Did I mention its the last day of Summer Olympics?!? Whoops! We planned that well. ;)

The boarding station. AAAHHH! I think I was looking forward to London more than anything.

:D

We got kicked out of the Abbey..before we ever even got in! :(

Rode this big Ferris Wheel.....Called the London Eye!

Saw part of the London Marathon....HOLY COW!!!

When we boarded the Eurostar..we went backwards towards London..or we were facing the opposite direction. The other thing about the train was that it somehow went under water through a tunnel. I still don't understand that. All I can say was my ears felt pressure..but we couldn't see water beforehand I just felt the pressure in my ears like I was underwater. It was really amazing. We were there in less than an hour and a half! To be in London felt surreal..and you could feel the excitement of the Olympic games, especially since it was the last day. Since a lot of the roads were closed and you couldn't ride that famous double decker bus..we did the underground subways again. And we survived..I didn't know if we would. But we did great. When we got out, I fell in love..with London. Its so beautiful there!! So green..and we truly had a beautiful day, the weather was perfect. Standing on the grounds of Buckingham Palace was absolutely amazing. There were cameras everywhere of course to film the London Marathon..which happened to be the last olympic event I think. We walked around saw beautiful rivers and greenery..not to mention flowers..and the Buckingham Palace Guards :). We ate in a real British Pub, you put your order in upstairs in the bar then went to eat in the basement area where the dining was. They were all watching the olympics of course. I was impressed by the waiter carrying food down stairs. I would definietly not been graceful, LOL. My fish was as big as a plank. They did not serve it on newspaper. It was yummy. We walked to Westminster Abbey afterwards...it was Sunday and we were not dressed in dresses..they knew we were tourists and wouldn't let us in. So we walked away dejected, and I bought souvenirs instead. I continued in my tradition of salt and pepper shakers..with the matching red phone booth. I loved it. I loved the whole atmosphere. We actually got to see part of the marathon, as we were standing near the Parliment..and Big Ben. Oh, I hope I can get the pictures soon! Anyways, we were stuck with what seemed like a million people..but it was the most amazing feeling to be apart of the crowd for an event like this. I had a couple tears in my eyes. We crawled our way down the bridge, and made our way down to the London Eye. I thought it would be a good thing to do since our time in London was limited and all the traffic..we had some amazing sites. The pod held about 10 people and took about 20 minutes to go around the whole wheel. We did end up riding a double decker bus towards the end..and we made our way down to the train station.

The train station....and the olympic rings.

 

But Choose the Right....

 
Hyde Park..where the concerts were for the closing ceremonies.


We ate British food at a real British Pub. I had Fish n' Chips. The green stuff? Smashed Peas. :/

I LOVE LONDON! These are part of the gardens by Buckingham Palace. Gorgeous.
Big Ben!



I think this was along the route of the marathon. See the flag? Thats atop Buckingham Palace!

I couldn't have asked for a better travel buddy! Thanks Mary Ann for coming and for helping me with some of the pics!

I was waiting at the train station...MaryAnn was playing the piano. I found out that my friend Jessie had passed away on Saturday night. I felt so bad that I couldn't be their to say goodbye. But I had seen and talked with her before I left on my trip. And Jessie did want me to have fun and see Europe. As much as I cried and grieved that night, I resolved I would enjoy and savor the rest of this time on the trip, because you never know how life is going to end up. You have to Find Joy in Your Journey.

God Be With You...Till We Meet Again.

As I discussed earlier my best day..I realised something. First of all, I was nine hours ahead.As I had what was for me my "best day" Jessie, was preparing to leave.The happiness and excitement I felt in London ..I felt a presence with me that day. I like to think it was Jessie. I didn't know until Sunday night, and I grieved..but not for Jessie, her body is whole again and free of pain and I know that we will all be reunited. <3 class="separator" p="p" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">

Paris- Aug. 11th Continued...Reboot.

This is a reboot of my last post. Too many things I've added. Merci!

After spending the afternoon at the Eiffel Tower...it was time to make our way back.

 

Some sights along the way...

 

Which leads me to another famous landmark we hit.

 

The REAL Moulin Rouge!! :)

A little scandalous..but we had to stop!! I mean, we were in PARIS!!

 

More to come...

 

Here's a little clip of MaryAnn adding some virtue to the Moulin Rouge

  :)

This is where she stuck it. The Moulin Rouge is actually a supper club/cabaret.

But you know...I couldn't  resist.

Then..after our escapade to the Moulin Rouge. We stopped at a French Bakery..and then got on the last bus. It wouldn't be a trip for me to have an I'M LOST!!! Moment right? :)

 



We thought we were heading to our landmark, Gard du Nord. But, alas...we're not.

 

\

However when we went into yet another french grocery store for water...I did find fry sauce..ahem, American Sauce.

Which Way Do We Go?!...Follow the Light- From StarChild. ;)

But we got here...Hooray!

We capped off our day in Paris with a french meal..

We managed to order from the french menu..sort of. But we did well.

 

 Truly my best day. So Far...

 

Therapy.

Today I feel alone. I felt like whoever I tried to call,  I couldn't. And that's ok.  I get it.  But gosh, I wish I could just have some random conversations with my Mom and Dad right now. I love my friends, but its your close family who you look to for reassurance that its going to be ok. I'm scared..and I'm frustrated right now. But, I do know that the Lord is mindful of me. But today it is hard...but you know what? Tomorrow is a new day and i'm so thankful for the blessings that I have been given. I just need to practice my faith more. I'm working on that.

I love this song...especially in the middle.

 

"If you are Lonely, Please know you can find Comfort.  If you are Discouraged, Please know youcan find HOPE. If you are poor in Spirit, Please know that you can be STRENGTHENED.  If you feel you are broken, please know that you can be MENDED."  - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland



WOW. I just stumbled onto this quote from Elder Holland from my Pinterest collection. I needed this. Sorry if this is not a very happy post...but its a good post for me.