On-the-go update: Berlin, Prague, Vienna

Berlin was cold, and when we got in at 5pm it was already dark and foggy. Combined with the heavy presence of history, specifically the vestiges of the Cold War, Berlin felt like the future as imagined by the 80's. Eventually I got to see the city when it was sunny and not shut down for Christmas, and I do like Berlin. As C put it, it's really got that "We've been through crap you can't even image" feeling to it.

Berlin

Then we took a questionable bus to Prague, which took five hours, and spent most of the time on the bus watching "The Big Bang Theory", which as it turns out really appeals to my sense of humor. As for Prague itself, the only way to properly represent it is to show pictures, but I'll have to wait until I can steal photos from my roommate's camera, because she's got the fancy DSLR.

Prague

We then split up and she is making her way back to Toulon, while I took the same bus company to Vienna. My CouchSurfing host greeted me with a hug, and I feel entirely welcome at her place (not least because she offered me hot chocolate!). This morning we went to the Viennese equivalent of a Goodwill, in search of shoes for the Kaiserball tomorrow. Then we met up with her father at the Albertina, to see a temporary exhibit on Michaelangelo, and I also caught Picasso and William Kentridge. It was a museum-y day, as I went off to the Belvedere after, to see an exhibit on VALIE EXPORT's work, as well as Rodin and Klimt, which is part of the permanent collection. I saw "The Kiss" by Klimit. I also saw a Burgher of Calais, but you weren't allowed to climb on it.

On-the-go update: Munich, Frankfurt

We were in Munich for four nights and stayed with CouchSurfing hosts for two nights in Frankfurt. The highlights of each city:

Seeing the treasury in Munich, including jewel-encrusted crowns and swords.

Looking for an ATM from our French bank in Frankfurt so we could make a fee-free withdrawal, looking it up on Google maps, finding it, and walking into the lobby of a fancy skyscraper only to find that it was five stories of office buildings.

Munich, Frankfurt

On-the-go update: Dusseldorf, Cologne, Munich

Hey! Back in Munich for the moment with my roommate C and my friend Ben from school. Thursday morning we flew in to Dusseldorf, stayed the night, took the train to Cologne, and a few hours later left for Munich. Highlights so far:

• Meeting another English assistant from Toulouse on the plane, then a rock band from Boston at the hostel
• Climbing the Dom in Cologne
• Shoveling snow off a driveway for the first time in my life!

Dusseldorf, Cologne