Europe Day Two- Berlin

Berlin, Day Two: 6/11/13

What I love about this trip is that we're so busy, and all we do in one day feels like what we do over a period of several days. Thinking back to all we did, it seems like we've been here forever. Today we got up at 6:50, only managing to sleep about 4 hours. Mack went to sleep before Jess and I, but that's not a shock. We were so tired but then we started talking about boys, and you know how that goes. For breakfast, I had fruit, Nutella, and a croissant. We took a guided tour of Berlin on the bus. We saw some amazing things- Berlin is a beautiful city! More industrial then how I pictured, but still captivating. We first stopped at the Holocaust Memorial. Wow was that neat. I love how the artist made it so it's up to you on how to interpret it. I bought a delicious chocolate cookie as a morning snack because I thought I was going to die of hunger. We then walked down the street to the Brandenburg Gate. I love the architecture of all the old things! My favorite thing/place had to be the Reichstag. It's grand and elegant, but also modern and official looking. After the guided tour, we went to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. I really enjoyed that. I loved the breakdown of Picasso's Guernica, one of my favorite paintings. It was also really cool that I already knew about some of the things, like Solidarity. Afterwards, we broke off into small groups for lunch and free time. I went with the Sticks, Mack, Maddison, Jess, Alex, Maddie, Maya, Karina, Kori, Peter, Jimmy, Matt, Brenden, and Jack. We got lunch first, and I had currywurst. Oh my gosh it's soooo good! And it's something I could even make at home! We went to the 1936 Olympic Stadium. Hitler was in power when it was constructed and it was so obvious by the architecture. We were all pretty jealous when we learned that the pool was now open to the public. We then traveled on the U to the Topography of Terror, a museum about the Nazis and SS. All very cool. I don't know why I'm so fascinated by the Holocaust, but I am. Right outside the museum was part of the Wall, so we went out to explore that too. Afterwards, we got gelato and did some souvenier shopping. I got postcards and a magnet. Brenden read us some of his hilarious High Notes. It was such a picturesque, Hollywood moment- a group of teenagers outside a European cafe, eating gelato, laughing in the afternoon. Ugh I love it. We then went to dinner, which was quite the adventure. At one point on the U, the Sticks got on before us and the doors shut with them in the car and us outside. Mind you we were lost, in a foreign city. The look on everyone's face was PRICELESS!! They made it off though, thank goodness. We eventually got to dinner, late, but there. We had authentic German schnitzel and it wasn't too shabby. We planned on going on a riverboat, but all the boats were closed so we found a little bar by the river to sit and relax at. We went back to the hotel and Jess, Mackenzie, and I didn't go to bed until 3:30 because I told the most amazing story. I mean seriously, it was perfect. We finally all crashed though. I wonder if the rest of the trip will be like this- really late nights and early mornings. Oh well, we brought Mio.
#myfeetaregoingtofalloffbytheendofthistrip

getting ready is teamwork! ha, this sort of stuff lasted, hmm, a day?

morning selfies in berlin

one lens mack

it's a new day in germany

beauties on the bus

gov building

Reichstag <3

Holocaust memorial (ps- like the guy with the mullet?)

#modelstatus

aren't we so cute?

gettin' artsy

my day was made because of this sign

brandenburg gate

1936 olympic stadium

stolen from mack <3

hot stuff- stolen from mack <3

aren't we hilarious?

just swimming at the olympic pool, what?

i've got so many pictures on the bus/train/subway

part of the Wall

oh gosh, life's rough in Germany. haha! stolen from mack <3

oh maddison.

how's that cookie riley?

just me and my besties in berlin

xo
Hannah

Europe Day One- Berlin

Ahh, today marks the beginning of the European Series here on Hannah's blog. I have lined up around two weeks worth of posts about my trip to Europe, tips for traveling to Europe, and my favorite memories of the trip. I'm so excited to share it all, and hope this is a great way for me to remember it all! Throughout the trip, I kept a travel journal to help me remember all the details. Hope you all enjoy!

Berlin, Day 1: 6/10/13

Today was the day I've been waiting for forever! We met at DIA at 2:45, said our goodbyes, and went to security. It was not the usual security, but international security and you know what sucks about that? You don't get to ride the train after you're done:( It was all very adult-like. Jess got patted down hahaha! Anyways, we went to our gate and got some pre-Europe fuel aka Panda Express. We then took pictures and videos like fools but what else is new. We got on the plane and I sat next to Mackenzie and an old lady. It was very tight but we made do. The TVs were awesome and I watched Identity Thief, Modern Family, and Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23. They had dinner which was mediocre- some pasta, salad, a roll, and a brownie. After dinner, I fell asleep for about two hour, and when I woke up, we only had about two and half hours left! I walked around and talked to Jess, who  luckily did not get sick. Then breakfast was served, but I only had the fruit, cheese, and crackers. Finally, we landed in Frankfurt. It was surreal! We were in EUROPE! We walked around, completely oblivious to anything anyone was saying, and struggling to understand signs in German. We found a gift shop and bought German chocolate- the best! We got on the next plane, where I sat next to Jess. It was a short hour ride, so we played Monopoly. When we landed, it took forever to get our luggage, which made us very stressed that it was lost. That would not make for a happy Hannah. We met our tour guide, Agnes, and went to our hotel. Our hotel was in the heart of Berlin, the Ibis. Jess and Mack were my roommates. We took 15 minutes to settle in and then went on out first walking tour. The highlight of the tour was the Berlin Wall. The art on it was so neat, and fascinating to all of us. Finally after an eternity, we went to dinner. It was the worst dinner of the entire trip! We were over an hour late, and I was starving, only to find a mini buffet of chicken McNuggets and overcooked veggies. When we got back to the hotel, we feasted on our snacks. After some talking that went to about 1:30am, we fell asleep. The eight hour time difference was sort of hard to adjust to, but we were so fried from all the traveling and being awake for over 24 hours, a bed never felt so good.
#europe2k13

so freaking excited. I was up at 3, 5, then 7

gotta have a bathroom pic

we have so much stuff

nikes on our feet

how jess gets her feet on the window sill

pre-europe fuel

the most entertaining thing at the airport

hello friends

hour one on the plane

hour five

i love european money

friends on an airplane

we made it to frankfurt!

at the train station before our walking tour

the train (and bus) were made for sleeping

east side gallery

The infamous "Brother Kiss" more info here

it was a long day

friends in frankfurt!

the end of a VERY long day

xo
Hannah