Coming at you from Berlin's Tegel airport at a big transition point in this trip, as I'm about to leave the Western world behind and fly to India. Turkey is the only place in Asia that I've ever visited until now, so I'm sure I'm in for some major culture shock as I experience the East for the first time in earnest. There's not much more to say at this point until I get there and dive in.
For now, let me recap the past couple of weeks, which I realize I've neglected to do.
For the past week I've been in Berlin. This was my second time to Berlin, and I remember that my first impression was so good that I subsequently kept referring to the city as my favorite in the world. And I think it's fair to say that it continues to hold that title. There is so much going on in this city that it's hard to be bored (although to be fair, I've never visited during the notoriously bleak winters). From art to history to sport to music to clubbing to politics to cafe culture and more, the options are vast. Despite how much was going on, though, on this trip I had to keep a pretty low profile. Because I'll be mostly off the radar for the next three months, there's lots of busywork to take care of, such as paying bills, closing out my Denmark project, researching the route for India, and more. So much of the week was spent hunched over my laptop, taking advantage of reliable internet access while I still could.
That said, I did get to enjoy some good times in Berlin. My first hostel was in a forest on the western edge of the city, which was unique. I felt as though I was back in outdoors school. The owner told me that the forest has wild boars that come out at night, but (thankfully?) I never saw them! I also sampled a lot of German beer and ate plenty of kebabs, which obviously aren't traditionally German, but they've become so ubiquitous through Middle Eastern immigrants in recent years that they've now become traditional. I also made sure to check out some historical sights, such as the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate, and the Holocaust memorial--all of which I'd seen before, but I wanted to refresh my memory.
My project in Denmark ended smoothly and on time. Following the submission of my paper I went to the north Zealand part of Denmark to camp for a few days, which was a lot of fun. Sunny, sandy beaches weren't in my mental image of Denmark prior to this trip, but that's exactly what I found up there. Overall it was a great way to relax after finishing my paper.
And that brings us up through today. Be sure to take a look through the photo slideshow I posted a few days ago.
At this point I am assuming that internet access will be hard to find and unreliable in India, plus I'm downsizing to just a tablet, so I think it's fair to expect fewer updates going forward. But don't forget to check my tweets. It'll be much easier for me to make some quick tweets than to type out a long post for the blog. Stay tuned!
For now, let me recap the past couple of weeks, which I realize I've neglected to do.
For the past week I've been in Berlin. This was my second time to Berlin, and I remember that my first impression was so good that I subsequently kept referring to the city as my favorite in the world. And I think it's fair to say that it continues to hold that title. There is so much going on in this city that it's hard to be bored (although to be fair, I've never visited during the notoriously bleak winters). From art to history to sport to music to clubbing to politics to cafe culture and more, the options are vast. Despite how much was going on, though, on this trip I had to keep a pretty low profile. Because I'll be mostly off the radar for the next three months, there's lots of busywork to take care of, such as paying bills, closing out my Denmark project, researching the route for India, and more. So much of the week was spent hunched over my laptop, taking advantage of reliable internet access while I still could.
That said, I did get to enjoy some good times in Berlin. My first hostel was in a forest on the western edge of the city, which was unique. I felt as though I was back in outdoors school. The owner told me that the forest has wild boars that come out at night, but (thankfully?) I never saw them! I also sampled a lot of German beer and ate plenty of kebabs, which obviously aren't traditionally German, but they've become so ubiquitous through Middle Eastern immigrants in recent years that they've now become traditional. I also made sure to check out some historical sights, such as the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate, and the Holocaust memorial--all of which I'd seen before, but I wanted to refresh my memory.
My project in Denmark ended smoothly and on time. Following the submission of my paper I went to the north Zealand part of Denmark to camp for a few days, which was a lot of fun. Sunny, sandy beaches weren't in my mental image of Denmark prior to this trip, but that's exactly what I found up there. Overall it was a great way to relax after finishing my paper.
And that brings us up through today. Be sure to take a look through the photo slideshow I posted a few days ago.
At this point I am assuming that internet access will be hard to find and unreliable in India, plus I'm downsizing to just a tablet, so I think it's fair to expect fewer updates going forward. But don't forget to check my tweets. It'll be much easier for me to make some quick tweets than to type out a long post for the blog. Stay tuned!
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