Blog #2 Alone in Berlin

I have spent several hours alone spaced out over the last two weeks in Berlin (this was written over a week ago now, fyi), wandering around the city, exploring parks, and "being a tourist," going through countless numbers of shops and malls, ranging from clothing and shoe stores to sports stores, meanwhile avoiding all the sex shops that seem to be around every corner.
Yesterday, I went to the Tiergarten Park, just a short ways away and where Barack Obama gave his speech on Thursday (the 24th), this time with just a few less people... by a few less, I mean there was a considerable amount less as there were an estimated 200,000 people who showed up for Obama's rally. The park is simply too large and beautiful to put into words. And the weather couldn't have been better.
During the first week in Berlin, it was never exactly hot out- on the contrary, we were often hit with unexpected rain. There were a few times where we would enter an underground subway with it sunny out only to come out a couple minutes later to a downpour just a few stops down. Yet the weather the last few days has been amazing. A bunch of us even went down to the Wannsee yesterday (Sunday) to go swimming and lay out on the beach. The bright, sunny days have made it ideal for just going out and enjoying the remaining few days left in Europe.
Walking alone in Berlin has been an interesting experience. Germans (and perhaps lots of tourists) are more welcome, talkative, and quizative than the people were in London. What seems like a dozen or two people have asked me for directions- little did most of them know I was usually just as lost as they were and was therefor unable to help them very much. Last weekend, while most of the group was off visiting other parts of Europe, I spent a lot of time just wandering around the city. Though intriguing, I did not find much worth writing about for my "Alone in Berlin."
Instead, I visited the Olympicstadion- or the Olympic Stadium. This was the second time I have gotten off at the Olympic Stadium exit this trip and found it just as deserted as last time, a feeling of being in the middle of nowhere once again fell over me. However, after a short walk over to the stadium, that feeling soon left me. After purchasing a ticket to enter the stadium, I was free to walk around the grounds and immerse myself in the history that took place here 76 years ago. The stadium itself on the inside is very unique considering how old it is. The blue track running around the bright green grass that is home to the Hertha Berlin soccer club gives the stadium a real modern feel to it.
I was glad I decided to come out to the stadium, as it gave me time to reflect on the last few weeks and how quickly it seemed to have gone; yet there has been so much that we have done that it feels like we have been over here for ages. As the sounds of peole swimming in the pool outside resonated in the background, I was able to stroll around the stadium at my own leisurly pace and take it all in. After doing a little shopping in the stadium shop, I was off to return to Heinrich-Heine Strasse. It was nice just to be out on my own to collect my thoughts and prepare myself for the last week of class in Berlin before we have to return home.