Despite sleeping at 4am, I got up at 9am feeling ok. I had
expected to be tired and sleep in late till it was almost time to meet
Wolfgang. Instead, I got up early, went online to update my blog and post the
few pictures that I took.
Then I decided to call my sister, just to check how much it
would cost to make an international mobile call from my German prepaid number.
I tried looking online for the call costs and also wrote to the customer
service centre, to which they said they would reply to me in a few working days
(all this in German, mind you). Therefore, the faster way for me to know was to
call. Result: it costs Euro 0.99 per minute. Not bad I should say. Of course I
don’t intend to call them everyday. But since my laptop soundcard isn’t
functioning properly, this is the next best thing.
I met Wolfgang at 12 noon for coffee. We talked about the
exchange programme, what I am currently doing here, about PAN AP and some other
general things like traveling etc. He seems quite OK but still…intimidating. He
is the BOSS! He mentioned that he always sees me on the laptop at work and said
that I should mix more with the other trainees. Well hello….they are all also
always on their computers; and I DO participate in their meetings etc.
Hmmm….maybe it's becoz I am not in the same room as the others. Well that will
all change next week when some of the trainees move to my room.
So my first sightseeing tour of Berlin happened today; and boy was it fun,
tiring and COLD! I met Clod at the bus stop around 1.30pm and from there, we
took a bus to Hauptbahn Hof, the central station. From there, began our long
tour walk. I really appreciate her taking the time to show me around. The first
place we went to was Reichstag, their Parliament building. Impressive! It was
so cold to be walking outside but what the heck? From there, we carried on to
Brandenburg Tor (Gate), a landmark and symbol all in one with over two hundred
years of history. We also entered the Room of Silence (Raum der Stille). This
room was opened in the northern gatehouse of the Brandenburger Tor. Its opening
was inspired by the meditation room in the UN building in New York . The Swedish General Secretary of
the UN, Dag Hammarskjöld, (killed in an accident in 1961), set it up for his
colleagues and himself. The Room of Silence was prompted by calls from the East Berlin peace movement, and was taken up by people of
differing religious and cultural backgrounds.
From there, we took a walk and on the way, we entered
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin ,
which was impressive; then walked over to another gallery which held a single
monument named Neue Wache, which is a sculpture of a Mother with her Dead Son.
This sculpture is directly under the oculus, and so is exposed to the rain,
snow and cold of the Berlin
climate, symbolizing the suffering of civilians during World War II. A few more
steps and we entered the Deutsches
Historisches Museum
Further down the road and we reached ‘Museum
Island ’ (Museumsinsel), which is the
name of the northern half of an island in the Spree
River in the central Mitte district of
Berlin, Germany , the site of
the old city of Cölln .
It is so called for the complex of five internationally significant museums,
all part of the Berlin State Museums that occupy the island's northern part.
Nefertiti is in one of the museums here. We entered one museum to inquire about
the 3-day pass that we heard about; after getting the information that we
needed, we decided that we will purchase this 3-day pass and then come back one
weekend to go to all the museums.
By then, the weather was too cold and our hands were
freezing. So we headed to Hackesche Hofe, which is a heritage site consisting
of eight communicating, restored rear courtyards. We had coffee and cake at one
of the cafes. From there, we headed to Alexanderplatz, where layer upon layer
of Berlin ’s
urban history is located in interweaving centuries of social, political, and
architectural history. Here, I saw the Fernsehturm (the TV tower that is Berlin ’s highest
building) and the municipal building.
As the weather was getting colder, we decided to head home
and warm up, before meeting up for dinner again later. Clod and her friend met
me at my apartment and we headed to an….INDIAN restaurant for dinner. Lol! Her
friend was good looking :-), but unfortunately not single. I guessed that he
would be in his early thirties and turns out, he's only turning 30 in August.
Lol! That is two German guys so far who I approve of in the looks department!
Lol! The three of us ate and talked for hours before calling it a day.
When I reached my room, I noticed that my hsemate had
changed my bed sheets. How sweet!!
By the way, I did stop by at Madame Tussauds but we didn’t
go in as Clod told me to check out the prices in London and see which is cheaper to go to.
Apparently, the one in London
is better.
Overall, I had a wonderful day although I wished it wasn’t
so cold so I could take more pictures. I am looking forward to visiting the
museums and I hope to take more pictures then!
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