Je vais à Berlin

This is a little late, I've been behind in posting but I've been on vacation from school for the past two weeks for La Toussaint (All Saints Day). It's the school system's Fall break. It's been really relaxing to have two weeks off but I'm ready to get back to school tomorrow.

I went to Berlin with my friend Ali to meet my sister, which was my first time in Germany! Thankfully, my ever so organized sister (who took German in high school and was quite helpful for translating) had day plans for us so that we could make the most out of our trip. The first day we did a walking tour around one of the larger parks of Berlin (including the Brandenburg Gate) and then went to see Checkpoint Charlie, a portion of the Berlin Wall, and the Museum of Terror. I think I realized I'm more of a history nerd than anything, it was really interesting to draw comparisons from previous history classes and actually put them into context. On Tuesday, we went to the Memorial to the Murdered  Jews of Europe and the Field of Stelae and walked around a different neighborhood with shops and went to a restaurant for lunch that's menu was based on all potato dishes. I got potato pancakes (in honor of my mom, of course, who loves potato pancakes!) and split a potato casserole with my sister. Then we walked around some more saw the New Synagogue and some other historical Berlin buildings. Wednesday, we went to the Bauhaus Archive, which was quite interesting and reminded both my sister and me of our grandmother's furniture and kitchen utensils. Thursday, before Ali and I left to go back to Paris, we walked around the East Gallery (part of the Berlin wall which had been painted over) and sampled some of Berlin's finest pastries (delicious, and GIANT).

The trip was really great (the beer was excellent and will be missed), and seeing my sister was a huge stress reliever, but Ali and I were both missing Paris by the end and just wanting to get back home. After unwinding from the trip, I took this week to catch up with all the girls who have been travelling to various places and also being "those Americans" who celebrated Halloween (which the French do not do). We got some awkward giggles and glances on the métro on the way to the bar in our costume, but it was for the sake of tradition, so we didn't mind so much. 

Jusqu'à la proche!

FWOTD: Allemagne (Proper Noun): Germany