When we arrived on Friday we were pretty beat and ended up just going out for dinner. We went to a great Indian restaurant that was located in former East Berlin, not too far from Alexander Platz. On the way to dinner we also saw the hotel where we will stay in April for the yearly Fulbright conference, and it looks like it will be a great place. After we finished dinner we started to walk back to the U-Bahn station and unknowingly came across the building where the German Fulbright Commission is housed. Like any good tourist we all posed in front of the sign for an excellent souvenir photo.
The next day was Steven's Birthday, and in true Steven form the entire day was dedicated to him. :) I think Germany might now have even made November 3rd an honorary holiday in his name! We began the day by touring the East Side Gallery in former east Berlin, and it was definitely an incredible experience to see the amazing works of art painted on the last remnants on the Berlin Wall. It is hard to imagine that not even 20 years ago, few Westerners dreamed of one day setting foot in the East, and today it is a reality. Although many of the divisions between East and West still exist, steps are slowly being taken to remove the last vestiges of the wall that are now largely emotional and economic rather than physical.
After checking out the East Side Gallery we made our way over to the Brandenburger Gate and the Reichstag. I had an idea about what to expect from the Gate because I have seen it in several photos, but the Reichstag was completely unexpected. I don't know why I couldn't recall any photos of it, but the central building and the surrounding area were absolutely incredible. The way in which the Reichstag incorporates old and new architecture was spectacular, and the modern buildings around it just seemed to fit. I am definitely glad I had the chance to see it. Unfortunately we did not go inside, but it gives me one more reason to head back.
We then walked over to the Holocaust Memorial which was also amazing. The memorial was very simple yet complex, and consisted of hundreds of identical rectangular boxes of different heights spread out over an acre or so of land. The boxes are so high and the ground so uneven, that one can literally see nothing of the outside world as he/she walks through the memorial. It is a pretty cool effect. After having a cup of coffee we decided to head back to the hostel and rest up, since we knew we had a long night of celebration ahead.
The club we ended up going to was quite fun, although the theme of the night was 80's. Now don't get me wrong, I love my 80's music, but in Berlin the clubs stay open until at least 5 or 6am, and 6 hours of 80's music is just plain dangerous. We all had a great time dancing though, and were completely wiped out when we returned home around 5:30am. We only slept until 10am, and it was definitely not enough time to fully recover. 
After we finally left the Hostel we thought we would attempt to see some museums, but the day turned out to be bust since the museum we had wanted to see was closed for an exhibition change. Instead we walked over to Potsdamer Platz and enjoyed the "Snow Village" they had erected. Steven and I slide down a man-made snow hill on inner tubes and then enjoyed Gluehwein, Bratwurst, and roasted almonds. Not bad for a fake Bavarian Village in the middle of Berlin if you ask me. After that we walked around a few more sites before we crashed out with some coffee and then decided to make our way back home. I guess we just weren't as young as we had thought, since we were all dead after not getting a good nights sleep.
The next day, Monday, we made our way back home and said goodbye to Berlin. Berlin is an incredible city, and as I mentioned before I am truly looking forward to going back because there is so much more to see.
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