east and west

Juice and I spent the last weekend staying in Duesseldorf with our host family. We visited a few local festivals and explored the Rhineside area; I think everyone needed a good weekeend to unwind from all of the daytrips and excursions that we have experienced in these past few weeks. The more local events experienced in each of the cities helped solidify the difference between them; each city in Germany has its own separate culture. In the US, New Orleans and Houston are close together but no one could really confuse the two with a few minutes of walking around. I feel that exact way about all of the cities we have visited in Germany.

-Berlin and Dresden are two of the coolest cities in Germany; I really wish I could have spent more time here over these past few weeks. There is a blend of architecture: much of it is modern and much of it is from centuries past. This makes the cities unique because much of their identity is equally who they were then, before the wars....and equally who they are now, history-rich cities in a progressive country.
-Some of the most beautiful sights in Berlin are at night. While all of us get picture-happy when we are walking around this wonderful place, some of us have been able to see some equally beautiful shots after the sun goes down.
-Although this city is huge, the public transportation system makes getting around easy. I would say that Berlin's public transportation system is equal if not better than that of Paris.
-East Berlin is a lot better than I thought it would be. I pictured something similar to that of the movie Eurotrip when the group gets off the train to see buildings that are falling apart and no one around to talk to.