Spree

Ok, so, I cant type much as i am supposed to meet people here soon. I am in Berlin and we made it safely on the train overnight. We got to our hostel which is right across from the train station and napped and walked around our part of the city for the day.
For class this morning we went to the Brandenburg Gate. It was integrated into the former Berlin wall. there are still pieces of the wall to be found in the city. After the Tor, we walked to the Holocaust Memorial that was built three years ago and brought in 10000 people per day. It covers an entire city block and is bascially a site of prisms set in a grid. Their heights vary, thereby makijng you feel small and alone when walking through it. The fact that some columns are sinking and leaning adds to the effect. The concrete that was pored has an anti spray paint glaze to keep off tagging. apparently the company that makes the stuff tested it on the prisoners in the holocaust so therefore donated all of it in atonement. we went to many other places and saw the TierGarten and other parks around it. We spent lunch time at the Sony Center, which is actually a beautiful building and apparently is amazing to see at night, I will find out later. At the end of the afternoon we went on a boat ride through the city on the Spree. Its amazing to see all the architectural modifications the city has done in the short time since reunification. Astrid said there are parts of the city that she doesn't recognize from just 4 years ago. The ride was fun and calming after all the walking of the day.
Sorry for the short post, maybe i will add more tomorrow.