Walk, Walk, Walk. Stop.

Alex from Discover Tours led us by many of the cultural sites along the Spree River and Unter den Linden. After seeing the Brandenburg Gate and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, we continued on to Der Reichstag building, where the dome's walkway provides a 360-degree view around the city. The omni-present TV Tower can be seen throughout Berlin.

A break along the way included a bakery stop for this strawberry-kiwi pastry.

By the end of the day, six hours of walking and walking and listening took its toll. At the top of Der Reichtag dome, Maura and the two Rachels had to lean back and take in a view of the roof. Then it was on to find Bus 100 and head back to the Transit Loft Hotel.

Great Day for Bike Tour



Saturday was warm and wonderful for an 8 to 10 mile bike ride throughout the city. In addition to riding by the East Side Gallery where 1.5 miles of original Wall still stands, our guide Sam from Fat Tire Bike Tours took up down to Templehof air field. The airport, significant to the Berlin Airlift, closed in 2008 and is now a multi-use park for the city. Alex Catalano and Audreyanna Loguerre were among those who got to ride on the former runway.

Here's the group standing in front of a preserved section of the Berlin Wall. From left, front row: Sydney Lindell, Alexandra Sanchez, Maggie Powers, Lisa Frimberger, Audreyanna Loguerre, Kiva Ebert. Back Row: Prof. John Freeman, Rachel Jones, Phillip Nunley, Alex Catalano, Maura Friedman, Emily Stanton and Rachel DeLoach.

Excitement on Day 1

So it's Day 1 of my study-abroad trip...we're on a bus going from the airport to the hotel and come to a situation with stopped traffic and police everywhere, including a sharpshooter. What could we do but haul suitcases off the bus and shoot photos? A line of black limos left the Adlon Hotel and all was well again. Guess this guy was perimeter protection, along with the circling helicopter. Later we did normal activities, like get a Rostbratwurst at Alexanderplatz. It was a first for Kiva, Maggie and Sydney.

Getting ready for the trip

This is the placeholder for the UF Berlin Journalism study abroad course for May 18-31, 2012. See updates here and student blogs (at right >) starting about May 19.