In FAITH We Go: Oh, Berlin!

I can't believe how vastly different Berlin is from everywhere else we've seen so far in Germany. It's full of character- big city, rough, full of history and strife, with a bold and diverse population. The streets are covered in graffiti and young people are everywhere, and it's suddenly not hard to believe that it was only 23 years ago that the Berlin Wall came down, ending years of brutality. It's an exciting place to be and I find myself feeling tender for this city, hoping to see a bright future for it.

It is SO great to have my best friend and her hubby here! I feel so lucky!! We picked them up with beers waiting for them in the car....because, well...you CAN! They were very amused. Our old Victorian apartment is funky and huge, and we were giddy the second we walked into it. As soon as we unloaded and rested for a while, we walked to a Sudanese/African restaurant called Nil, where they had delicious falafel wraps and vegan dishes DELICIOUS. Luckily there was still a Christmas market for Laura and Nich to see, so we ventured over for some Gluwein and crepes :) It was beautiful, but unfortunately a lot more commercialized from the ones we saw previously.

Highlights of the trip so far include:

- Deutsches Historisches Museum/ German History Museum This country seems to have been in war after war and then Berlin gets hit with the wall in which people are literally trapped. So crazy to me. This place is full of fascinating history which helped us all understand history that is just so deep and complicated.
-Best veggie burger EVER at BBI International (Berlin Burger International) and incredible Belgian waffles at Kauf Dich- don't worry, Laura and I worked out :)
-East Side Gallery, an approximately one mile long section of the wall with over 100 paintings by artists from all over the world as a memorial for freedom
-Berliner Dom: gorgeous dome church
-Day trip to Dresden which is full of stunning architecture (and supposedly Hitler's ashes in the Elba river) and the quintessential town of Pillnitz

And by the way, given that everyone sets off insane LEGIT fireworks here, on New Years Eve, there are truly fireworks going off in every direction from every direction. The few days leading up to New Years Eve, people were testing them out and it honestly sounded like bombs or guns going off....as silly as it sounds, it kind of felt like it created the feeling of living there during war.