Rest of Berlin

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...

Off to Budapest and London!

Remember when I was all caught up on my blog? Me neither...
I apologize again but I shall catch up at some point after another wonderful week of traveling. I know what you're thinking. And yes. I will be traveling with Dave again so the Gruesome Twosome will be back in action, this time wreaking havoc in Budapest and London! Woot woot. In the meantime, here's a few pictures of me (and my pets?) at the aquarium this past week.

 He was a little hesitant at first...

I found a friend. 

I know what you're thinking, "wow doesn't that look just like what's been sitting in the Cook's family room for the last 17 years?". Well you are absolutely right!!! The African Clawed Frog, aka Foggy, made the aquarium!! These ones were a bit larger though...but nonetheless Foggy is famous!

HUNDREDS OF FOGGIES!!

Berlin Part 2

It's Sunday, a beautiful day for blogging! I shall start this entry by letting all my lovely readers know that I have participated in Optional October, the not-so-well-known prelude to No Shave November. So, if you see a scruffy man in crocs in some of these pictures, look twice because it might just be me!

We started this day with a lovely breakfast at the hostel. They had some knock off Nutella which was great and this amazing multi-fruit juice that is quite popular in Europe. Apparently it has ten different types of fruit in it! Who woulda thunk it? It is an orange liquid which got me pondering why orange juice is actually yellow. Needless to say, the brain juices were flowing today. We headed off to the headquarters of the GMA, the German Medical Association, to learn about the great progrum they run. Germany's healthcare system is one of the best in Europe despite having not the most satisfied patients. The presenter attributed this to the Germans being critical people when it comes to things like this. Regardless, they have a great healthcare system. Each citizen pays about 7.5% of their income towards paying for their medical expenses, and his employer matches that, creating about 15% of a persons wealth going towards medicine. It's kinda a cross between Denmark and the States. Most of the healthcare system is public but about 10% of the population opts for private insurance to cover more things if they would like.

Anywho, after the overview of the GMA, we headed to Alexanderplatz in downtown Berlin to get some lunch. I wandered off and got a hotdog and some sugar covered almonds, which I'm 74% sure are my favorite food. I've decided I'm going to learn how to make them and they will become my go to dinner party/shindig item to bring. After some tasty nuts and exploring, we headed to BALANCE, a family planning center, where we learned about sex ed, abortions, and general family planning. It was really interesting to see how they teach their kids sex ed, which starts in second or third grade for most. They have dolls that are anatomically accurate, little stuffed animals with the names of various STI's on them, and other toys to help educate them. It was much more informal as it is in the States and it was a little goofy which I thought was good. They stressed that it was okay to laugh, just not at people, throughout everything. Anywho, we then toured their facilities and the operating rooms where they perform abortions. Knowledge bomb: an abortion during the first trimester takes between two and eight minutes! What?!?! Whammy. I had no idea it was that short. Their attitude towards abortions were much more liberal and less stigmatized than it is in the States. They require a couple sessions with a psychologist and a brief waiting period before getting an abortion during the first trimester. It was very interesting to hear about.

Afterwards, we decided to do touristy things. We went to the Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe which was really interesting. There wasn't much information about it, but we heard from someone that it was built over the remains of the headquarters of the Third Reich. It consists of 2,711 concrete slabs that are up to 15 feet tall. They slabs are slightly angled which is supposed to symbolize an ordered city gone awry. It was pretty eerie because children were playing hide and seek and running around in the maze of these blocks of concrete. I still don't know how I feel about it. After that, we walked to parliament which was really cool but you need a reservation to go inside and it was all booked up so we couldn't do that. It has a large glass dome that you can walk around which was really cool. Then we checked out the Brandenburg Gate. Originally completed in 1791, the Brandenburg Gate (go 'gate!) was built as a triumphant arch leading to the city palace of the Prussian monarchs. It suffered considerable damage during World War II and was completely blocked off until the fall of the wall. Today, it represents the "tumultuous history of Europe and Germany, but also of European unity and peace". Thank you Wikipedia!

After a nice photoshoot with thousands of other tourists at the Brandenburg Gate we headed to dinner at this fancy Russian place. Riddles and games of that sort really took off here. Being in Outdoor Education and doing a good bit of hiking I was well equipped for these activities. They lasted all dinner and more. Afterwards, we headed to this little bar that had outside seating by our hostel. We all ordered a drink (naturally I got a white Russian). We played this riddle called Black Magic which is one of the most frustrating things ever. Luckily I knew it. Unluckily, I was the one who took most of the heat when others got frustrated for not knowing it. If looks could kill, I would not be writing this post today because Tuey would have killed me. After a while everyone got the riddle and there was a group hug to make up for everything. Then, the best part of the day happened. Davey and I met a skinny black British fellow named Leroy who was a DJ and was touring in Berlin. He was a keeper to say the least! Davey, Leroy and I  (and sometimes Tuey) played six games of pool. Leroy was unbelievable and we lost miserably. It was the first time I've ever lost six games in a row in pool. We had an absolute blast though, as pool is arguably my favorite sport. Don't worry though, Davey and I got our revenge on Leroy the next night...cliff hanger!!

PICTURES!

I'm not sure what I love more, the Curry and Pizza combo, or the fact that they rent bikes...

Guilty is charged (see crocs)

Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe.

It was very maze like.

The US embassy was on the adjacent block which was pretty cool.

There were a few flowers which were very pretty on various blocks.

Ben, Dayna and Christina at the Brandenburg Gate! My selfy taking skills have gotten a little too good since my time in Europe...

Bear Statue of Liberty!

Parliament. You could walk all the way around that glass dome which was pretty cool.

The back of Brandenburg Gate.

The front of Brandenburg Gate!

Ben and Davey strike again.

And again.

And again, with lasses this time!

We're pretty pretty.

Side view of the Brandenburg gate. Aftershock, only one of the four horses on top of the Brandenburg Gate is the original. The other three had to be restored after World War II.

Green man! Whenever you are lost in a foreign city, follow the green man. He will take care of you. 

The Red Man! It's hard to tell from this picture but the Red Man has a cute little top hat on stands with his arms out. Berlin loves their Green and Red Men as they are different from every other city I've been to. They sell lots of shirts and magnets and other souvenirs with the Green and Red Men on them. It's simply wonderful.

At the Russian place we got deviled eggs with caviar on them. Sounds great, right? Well I have news for you, try Grandma's deviled eggs. These weren't even in the same league as hers. The pancakes for dessert we delightful though.

Riddlin' at the outdoor bar. From left to right: Tuey, Davey, Bonnie, Katie, Me, Mags. What a crew!

The pretty lanterns at the bar. It was such a pretty night!

Here are some photos from others!

America (or Berlin?) runs on Dunkin!

Another fun pic at the Brandenburg Gate.

Ben and Dayna!

Puzzle Ben

Dr. Evil?

What out Berlin, here we come!