Off To A Great Start

I could not imagine enjoying myself more. With only five days in Germany behind me, it is still easy to say that this is one of the best experiences of my life. My introduction to Germany began in the Munich airport; I had a four hour layover, so I decided to do a little exploring. Immediately I was impressed by all of the chic cafes and the posh people, and I kept thinking "this is only the airport!" I then ventured outside for a little fresh air, and found an ice skating rink, many booths and kiosks, trinkets and food that smelled wonderful. It was a very surreal experience because I was all alone, in a very unfamiliar place, and could only smile when people started rattling off in German to me, but I loved it.
During our stay in Bonn/Köln, I found the Cathedral to be most impressive. It is absolutely gorgeous, but I found its dark color at archetypal Gothic style to be somewhat imposing and mysterious. However, despite the incredible stature of the cathedral, I found that it is the small things that I have enjoyed the most; little things that I could not predict or imagine until I was walking on cobblestone streets, that are hundreds of years old with thousands of years of history layered beneath them. I love the smell of fresh bread that fills the walkways of Bonn, and the endless assortment of baked good and hot drinks. I was so happy to see half a dozen flower shops set up on New Years Eve to celebrate the coming of the New Year. All the bright colors of the fresh flowers created a unique sight in the dead of winter with temperatures hovering around freezing. And, most special to me was watching the sunrise while running along the Rhine, not something I generally see on a typical morning jog.
I had been anticipating New Years Eve in Berlin since the second I found out about this program, I was extremely excited but also completely unsure of what to expect. The minor glitch of unexpectedly having to take a train instead of a plane to Berlin only added to the adventure of trip and the train ride was rather relaxing and a good time to rest up for the evening that was soon to follow...Never in my life have I seen so many people until I joined the mob pushing their way toward the Brandenburg Gate for the fireworks, music and chaotic of celebration! It was definitely a New Years that I will never forget! And, there is no way that I could enjoy a New Years day as much as I enjoyed the the first day of 2009! I had the pleasure of visiting Chalottenburg palace and gardens. Inside the detail of architecture and interior design was magnificent. I loved nothing more than the spacious rooms, many mirrors, large open windows and ceiling paintings. I have decided that I was born in the wrong time period and that it was definitely good to be queen of Prussia.
This morning I returned to the gardens for a run and it was as if I stepped into a magical story book. I made the first footprints in the freshly fallen snow as I ran through the maze of trees and bridges over frozen ponds. Academically, I found the homeopathy lecture to be extremely interesting. It is an area of medicine that I knew almost nothing about, and while I found some of the ideas difficult to fully comprehend/ belief, I thought the foundation of the subject to be very encouraging, especially these two fundamental beliefs: "the highest ideal of therapy is to restore health happily, rapidly and permanently" and "the force of gentleness is great."
I am looking forward to some adventures and explorations today in Berlin!
-Amanda