Day One

I am very proud to say that I have survived my first plane ride and have safely arrived in Berlin. It was a very long, emotionally and physically draining day. However, I am in Germany and am about to experience a once in a lifetime trip so I refuse to allow any of today’s events to bring me down.

It seemed as if we were never going to arrive in Berlin. Our first plane out of Pittsburgh had gotten delayed after being stuck by lightening. The captain assured us it would be okay after he “threw” on some aluminum tape. Me, the paranoid freak that I am, naturally wanted to cry and refuse to ride the plane. I talked myself out of the paranoia and decided I would be okay. After finally boarding our flight and getting settled into our seats, we were ready for take off. I am so surprised as to how well I handled the flight. I was not the least bit scared. However, next time I will remember to bring ear plugs. Screaming babies are no fun to sit next to for 7 hours.

After our connecting flight to Paris took off, we were finally on our way to our final destination: Berlin. We arrived in Berlin, excited and ready to explore. Naturally, we discover that most of our group had lost their luggage. My worst fears had come true. Many people had assured me it would be okay and I tried really hard not to think about it. We had a full and fun evening ahead of us and I could not let lost luggage get in my way of enjoying Berlin.

All of my worries had vanished as soon as we began our bus tour of Berlin. Although short and fairly brief, we were able to see many vital German buildings and monuments from the bus. We also got out for a small amount of time and explored a very interesting Holocaust memorial. We also got to experience our first coffee shop visit. After a little bit of caffeine, I felt awake and ready for our first German dinner.

We ventured off to Sony Center as a group and ate dinner at a German restaurant. I am an extremely picky eater, however, I truly enjoyed the meal we were given. With a full stomach and heavy eyes, we all went back to our hotel (our very, very nice hotel) and fell fast asleep, dreaming of all the things we would be able to do the next day.