Day 2 and 3 (Berlin, Lubbenau, and Cottbus)

Hey everybody!

Our last day in Berlin was a lot of fun. We woke up and went over to Fan´s to meet for breakfast. She took us to a great little cafe by her apartment called Cafe Alibi. Afterward, we went to the Tacheles House. Fan suggested it to us and it was pretty cool. The building used to be part of one of the first shopping districts in Berlin until after WWII. When Berlin was split into East and West Berlin, the GDR made it into an administration building. When the wall came down, the building was going to be demolished, but, instead, it was left empty. After some time, squatters moved in. They were all artists and they turned it into a building that they could live in and use as a studio. The government tried to kick them out by saying the building was condemned and not safe to live in. They said the squatters must fix the building up if they wanted to stay, not thinking that poor artists would be able to afford to fix it. But the artists somehow raised the money, made the required changes, and were allowed to stay. There is still some fighting between the government and the squatters, but for now the building stands and is quite popular with tourists.

Today was a great day. Except for the fact that Kendra woke up sick :( But nothing 12 hours of rest couldn't fix! We stayed at Anne's uncle´s cabin last night in Lubbenau. The place had an out house and no phone lines. It was right on the Spree (the river) with fruit trees and berry bushes all around it. It was very remote and Anne assured us it was fine if we went skinny dipping. So we jumped in the water, raced to a bridge down the Spree and back just as we exited the water and put on our clothes a tour boat full of people went by. Karin and I looked at Anne and she just smiled.

Today Anne's mother took us on a boat tour down the Spree and we were able to see all of the small cottages and gardens. It was beatiful and relaxing. The Spree starts in the area where the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland meet. As it moves towards Berlin, it splits into many different parts and converges before arriving in Berlin. We went through a part where the Spree was split and if you didn´t know where you were going, you would surely get lost.

We had lunch at a little resturant with "the best fish in town" and it really was amazing fish! They had a selection of sea fish as well as local fish from the Spree. We chose meals from the local fish. Karin had the Forelle, which was essentially river trout. Anne had the Quark, which was a milk based soup - kind of like sour cream, but better. Kendra had the Zander, a local white fish. Yummm! (see the pictures)

Then we went on a walk eating apples and plums off the trees we passed. When we got back to the cabin and played SKIPBO!!!! And we´re not sure if it was jet lag, or food coma, but we each had a nap, even after such a long nights sleep. It was lots of fun.

Later that afternoon, Anne's mom drove us to Cottbus. where we had dinner, looked at photos, and played at the play ground at Anne´s old elementary school. We came back to the apartment and Anne´s mom made us an ice cream dish with fresh blueberries, strawberries, and bananas. It has been a great couple of days and it´s definitely time for bed.

This time we have pictures!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/golobgirls/BerlinDay1?feat=directlink