Day Two:

I must have gotten the best sleep ever. After 48 hours of traveling, the greatest gift anyone could have given me was a bed. The morning started well. Breakfast was down in the lobby with an assortment of food such as eggs, fruits, rolls, yogurt and different meats. It was very delicious.

The plan of the day was to venture to Freie University for two lectures with Dr. Elfriede Fursich. The two presentations she had set up for us were “Current German Media Landscape” and “Influence of the media on the German People during WWII and the fall of the Berlin Wall.”

Taking Berlin’s metro system

Dr. Fursich met us at the hotel with our tour guide, Loraine, who gave us a lesson on German public transportation. In Berlin, there is the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn, they are part of a metro system. It was fairly easy to understand after learning what to look for. The first time on the S-Bahn and U-Bahn was fun. The doors to the bus aren’t automatic and you have to push a button for the door to open. Plus it is very clean and well organized, which is vastly different from Philadelphia.

When we arrive to Freie University, the town was different from the city. The town was more of what I was expecting Berlin to look like. The place was very calm and peaceful with nice homes and apartments tucked in between different bushes and plants. In a word it was beautiful.

Dr. Fursich led the way to the university. She first took us to the cafeteria for lunch. It was like be at an orientation for college, which is basically fish-out-of-water syndrome. Being in the cafeteria was different not only was this the cafeteria filled with a bunch of hungry students, but all of the menus were in German and no one really spoke English. Despite feeling out of place, I managed to find a sandwich and small salad.

After lunch, we were given a tour of the university. The building by itself was mind-blowing. The architecture of the building was incredible. The library is called Phiologische Bilothek. The building’s shape reminded me of a Beehive. It was unique and inside was amazing. My only regret is that I wished they allowed pictures of this unusual building.

The lectures given were very informative and provided information that didn’t even occur to me such as the different theories the German media follows under. Another was what happened to the media after the reunification of Germany. It was such a pleasure to get first hand information.

After Dr. Fursich’s lectures we were given free time. This time was when I learned how to master the art of Berlin’s metro system. I guided our group across Berlin. I really just wanted to know how to use the metro system in case I got separated, but it worked out for our group. The group I was with went to a little pub for dinner called Stadtklause and we order schnitzel and potatoes. This place did not have anyone who spoke English but with the help of Andrea we were able to order. The food was filling and enjoyable.

We then went to Alexanderplatz and Potsdamer Platz through the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn. We really wanted to go to this festival in Hermannplatz, but we couldn’t find it. By this time we decided to check out the nightlife of Berlin by going to one of the clubs Lorena suggested. We chose Tresor.

We planned on taking the U-Bahn there, but it was closed. We had to get two taxis to get there but it was worth it. I have to say I did have “me moment” where I tripped over the curb going to the cab, it was slightly embarrassing, but I trip all the time.

Tresor was a disco club. It was truly the opposite of what I though German Nightlife was like. It was really easy to just join in and have fun.

I can’t wait for tomorrow!

Carson

Remember this: aluminum tape is an aggressive pressure-sensitive acrylic adhesive. It is flexible, UV and crack resistant.

Day 1:

I can’t say this trip has started off smoothly. Our group arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport on time for our flight to Paris, France. It was on time, but with one minor problem: it was struck by lighting.

Now I’m not sure how to take this news seeing as my trip from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh  by bus was delayed two hours, which made a six and half hour trip a nine-hour trip. I can be a bit superstitious – especially when the same thing happens twice in two days, and more was to come later.

The pilot for our damaged vessel told us that the damage was fixable. The lighting strike had left a plate-sized hole in the nose and the damage inside remains a mystery. The plan to fix the damage escaped our pilot but said – get this – aluminum tape. The tape would be used to patch the hole.

Just getting out of Pittsburgh took a bit of time. Our flight was schedule to leave at 6:35pm; however, with the repairs and aluminum tape our flight left at 8 p.m. and we were soaring the skies by 9 p.m. The flight from Pittsburgh to Paris was very good. I slept the entire way so I can’t say I had any problems or was aware of any – (best way to travel and prevents jet lag).

We did miss our flight in Paris to Berlin, Germany, but that’s rule number one when traveling: be flexible because these things are never in your control. Besides, I would rather have the engineers take 2 hours to fix the problem properly than a half fast job where a more serious incident could happen.

CDG Airport in Paris, France

Paris via airport was interesting. I was able to see many people going to their allotted terminals and the different shops. It is vastly different from Pittsburgh International. The airport is very modern and it was cool to be hearing other languages besides English.

Thankfully this flight to Berlin had not suffered from any lighting strike damage. There was, however, a 15-minute delay because there was a medical emergency on the flight prior to ours. This flight was a quick jump taking only an hour and a half to get to our first destination for our International Media class and once again I fell asleep.

Our arrival to Berlin was the final leg of our travels for the day – or so I thought. The delayed flight in Pittsburgh discombobulated the itinerary of the day, which skewed the day’s events A.K.A our luggage was lost.

Between missing our flight and the entire hubbub of taking a new flight, nine people in our group did not get their luggage. Cue the panic! After the moment of dread had passed, an easy solution was found. We had to stop at the baggage claim. All in all it has been eventful getting to Berlin.

After we finished with baggage claim we proceed with our very late tour. The important thing to take from this is that Berlin is gorgeous! This city is a wonderful combination of modern and old world feel. There is a deep appreciation for the environment and for the natural landscape.

I confess I’m already half in love with the city and I’ve only seen a few highlights   from the tour bus – but I know that this city is one of a kind.

For dinner our group went to a beer garden called Lindenbräu. The food and beer were amazing. It was just wonderful to sit down and have real food, but the best part about dinner was our luggage was found, which means between now and tomorrow I’ll have my things back.

The past 48 hours have been an adventure already with; one flight missed, two fights delayed, some aluminum tape, and some lost luggage, but in the end we shared a good meal and we got to Berlin…eventually.

It’s been a great first 48 hours and I can’t wait for the rest!

Carson