The long overdue Berlin finale commences. Let's get to it!
We woke up, had another tasty hostel breakfast and headed to Charite, a university hospital in Berlin, where we learned a bit more about the Berlin healthcare system. Afterward, we meandered to a lovely restaurant where we all ate together and made afternoon plans. A bunch of us headed back to the hostel to rest up and play a little pool before our trip to the Center of Anatomy. Unfortunately there were no Leroy sitings this afternoon, but don't worry, he'll be back. The Center for Anatomy was an opportunity that I would never have been able to experience in the States. We listed to a brief lecture from Dr. Gregory Wulczyn about the history of the center, which is over 200 years old. Then, it got real.
We all put gloves and lab coats on and went upstairs to see three cadavers, each showing a different aspect of the human body. It was like nothing I've ever seen. Dr. Wulczyn walked us through each of the bodies, describing what it was showing and asking us questions about certain things. It was so cool actually seeing it in person, rather than a textbook or online. There was also a station dedicated solely to the brain, with various parts of the brain highlighting certain features. Another station had all the joints in the body. A third station was comprised of dozens of skulls, each cut slightly differently. I thought the coolest one was a cross-section of the head that started at the corners of the mouth and went all the way up to the eye brows. We then had a half hour to walk around to each section and further inspect what particularly caught out eye. It's really hard to describe what it was like to look at and touch cadavers, but I'm really glad I had the experience. And, surprisingly, all 29 of us handled them well, with no one getting nauseous or passing out.
After the Center for Anatomy, we followed our fearless leaders, Mama Z and Amira, to the Ritter Sport store in Berlin, which, for those non-chocolatiers our there, is an amazing German chocolate brand. They had a mini museum inside about the history of it, including a nice little mouthwatering video clip about the chocolate's production. They also had a station where you could make your own chocolate flavors but unfortunately it was closed because we got there towards the end of closing. But, we still had plenty of time to spend $25 on chocolate. And I would do it again in a heart beat! They had a winter seasonal flavor called Gebrannte Mandel which was the best candy I think I've ever had. So if you see it in any stores buy it! It's chocolate with sugar-coated almonds inside. 'Twas simply delectable. Then, eight of us, Davey, Tuey, Danielle, Macky, Mags, Christina, Dayna and me went to a thai restaurant which was absolutely delicious. On the walk back to our hostel, we picked up a few bottles of wine and enjoyed them on the patio of our hostel. Then, he emerged, the famous Leroy Roberts, back for more pool! Davey and I jumped at the opportunity. After a humiliatingly poor performance by the both of us the night before, we had a pep talk and got to it. We beat him and his girlfriend four games to one! Our biggest fans, Mags and Tuey, reluctantly stayed up with us to cheer us on, as it was quite late at that point. I don't think we would've played as well without their support. What team players! They are just the best. Anywho, I had a little pad thai left over that Davey and I ate after our victory with Ritter Sport wrappers as spoons. I could not have asked for a better day!
The next day we had lots of time to explore before our train ride to Poznan, Poland. We decided to conquer to Berlin wall first. Check out my post dedicated solely to that to see some cool pictures! After that, we were recommended a cool thrift store by our TA. On our way to the thrift store, we came across the most magical site I've ever scene...Mustafa's Kebab stand. Yes, that's the place of the "best kebab in Europe" according to my TA. Davey and I couldn't resist. Words cannot describe the euphoria that my mouth experienced with each bite. Knowledge Bomb: Mahmut Aygun, the inventor of the Kebab, was Turkish but invented the kebab in Berlin! Kapow! Unfortunately he passed away three years ago, but his legacy lives on. Oh, and the monstrous kebab was only 3 euro. What a glorious meal. I'm seriously considering buying a kebab cooker for my kitchen when I'm older. Anywho, after that, we checked out a thrift shop that was recommended to us. Davey and I checked out some things and I ended up purchasing a nice red flannel and wonderful t-shirt with a super-grandpa on it that said "Have no fear, Grandpa is here!" I just couldn't resist. We then meandered back to the hostel, gathered our stuff, and went to the train station. Off to Poland!
Pictures!
This is the Charite building. Notice the bizarre barbed wire-like structures in front of the windows. Knowledge bomb: that's because they took the exact design of the hospital from a hospital in New Mexico! That window covering is built to protect the building from sandstorms. Whammo! What a funny thing, especially since sandstorms in Berlin are few and far between.
Some Charite art.
Davey and I experiencing our first double decker bus! We riding high to say the least.
This sandwich was actually called Das Beef and was absolutely amazing!
Tuey was such a sweetie and gave Davey this flower. Unfortunately, she then lost in her first time playing this game odds (I shall explain it in person if you all ask) and had to eat the flower, which was quite the chuckleful site. Needless to say she was not happy but you have to respect the rules of Odds.
The Center for Anatomy conference room. We weren't allowed to take pictures of the cadavers, which is probably for the best.
What a cool miniature car!
The beautiful Berlin sunset.
A double helix of Ritter Sport bars! A dream come true.
The delicious innards of various Ritter Sports.
The face of the beautiful restaurant.
Quite the representation of pad thai! All eight of us ordered pad thai...I felt slightly ashamed all getting the same dish but it was just so delicious we couldn't resist! I think it's safe to say that none of us regretted it either.
Self timer outside of the thai restaurant. Left to right: Davey, Tuey, Mags, Macky, Christina, Dayna, Danielle, and me.
Goofy second pic!
Two beautiful ladies: Mags and Christina. Warning: this is why you never give your camera to girls...
Macky and Mags.
Mags
Mags in her natural element...
Again...
Mags and Macky
Again
Is that Mags behind that bush? You know it!
You guys know the drill.
A wonderful closeup of Macky.
Back to Berlin. What's the German experience without a huge Mercedes logo?
This is my new favorite word. Don't mind Danielle's swatting hand. Try to say that five times fast.
The best kebab place ever!
Pay no attention to the random guy looking at the camera. This is the biggest meat stick I've seen in Europe. The guy working said he could make over 1000 kebabs with it!
Cloud Nine.
A true work of art.
Photos from others:
Davey and I (well primarily me...) got a little carried away at the thrift store. I was quite close to purchasing these. Unfortunately, they are still at the thrift store.
Leroy! We totally should have gotten a picture with him, but Mags snuck this one in during our game. You may ask what we're doing here. Well, Leroy and his girlfriend were questioning my choice of footwear. The nerve right? I therefore required, by the rules of the Croc himself, to explain every detail, including jibits, of the croc and how it rose to the top of the shoe pyramid. I think they responded pretty well to it.
Davey and I were pretty excited about Mustafa's. What I would do to go back...
Davey and I talking strategy. And yes, this led to a huge victory over Leroy.
I swear those are someone else's green Crocs and large sums of Ritter Sport chocolate...
Look at those beautiful faces! Mags and I did the same exact face without knowing it...