Dad takes on Berlin!

This past weekend provided me with the following challenge: How does one condense all there is to experience in Berlin into three days? My father flew into Berlin for the weekend and in addition to showing him some of my favorite things about the city, we also wanted to do somethings that were new and experience them together.

Some highlights of the weekend included:

• Museums and Art: The Pergamon, the Jewish Museum, c/o Berlin (a photography museum), Zentrum Judaicum, KW (a modern art museum), and gallery hopping on Auguststraße
• Sights and activities: the East Side Gallery, the Neue Syngagogue, hiking to the top of the Französische Dome, Gendarmemarkt, Alexanderplatz, the Brandenburger Tor, walks down Unter den Linden, and the Staatsballet's rendition of "Oz: The Wonderful Wizard,"
• Shopping and restaurants that are not normally in my 12 Euro/day budget (a.k.a, all restaurants with entrees over 8 Euro - a.k.a all restaurants that actual people would want to eat in).
• Plenty of time to chill/walk/ride the S-Bahn with my Abba.

The fact that my Dad had never been to Germany before made it that much cooler to be able to share with him some of my favorite things to do and the more interesting things I've experienced. It was interesting, though, taking on the role of tour guide rather than tourist. It was exciting to know where we were going and how to get there without looking at a map. It felt good to be able to talk about a certain memorial, event, or museum because I had already studied, seen, or discussed it. It was surprising to me how proud I felt to show off Berlin as "my city" - but it was a really good surprise :)

I'm now entering the last weeks of my program and will be on a plane back to California in about 25 days. Being with my Dad definitely made me realize how much I miss my family and friends, but also made me think about everything I have grown to love about Berlin. I know that I'll be ready to come home, but I also know that some day over winter break and many times in the years to come, I'll be itching to take the U-Bahn to my favorite cafe and watch the streetlights come on over Friedrichstraße. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I don't really see my "two lives" (Berlin and San Francisco) as mutually exclusive in the same way that I did a few months ago. In the same way that my upbringing and friends in the Bay influence my life Berlin, so too will my experiences in Germany permeate and tint my adventures in San Francisco and beyond.

I wish that all of you could come visit me here, but having the Pops was pretty darn awesome.

Here are some photos of the weekend:

Dad in front of Humboldt University - where Max Planck taught :)

The Ritter Sport factory!! $.79 cents/bar? Make your own CUSTOM bar? HELL YEAH.

Just chilling.

East Side Gallery