Take A Peake: New Week

I definitely had a restful weekend...on Saturday I went around town with Patrick and Michelle, attempting to utilize the wonderfully sunny weather. On the River Spree there are a ton of beach bars that are literally beach lounge chairs in real sand surrounded by heavily advertised alcohol. They looked much more appealing on my boat tour. On Sunday I had another lazy morning and then I planned and booked my entire mid term break vacation. It was definitely difficult coordinating flights, accommodations, and prices but in the end, we figured it out. I will be going to Rome for 4 days with Michelle and seeing everything I possibly can in that area of Italy and then its off to Ibiza, Spain for 3 days. I'm actually really excited about Ibiza because it's actually an island off of the coast of Spain and is supposed to be gorgeous! And at the end of tourist season, the prices looked gorgeous to me.

And I am super excited because this weekend, Patrick and I are flying to Dublin and meeting up with my aunt! We're going to head out to my family's farm on Saturday where I actually get to meet that entire side of my family. I'm so happy to be able to go but a little bummed that I only get to spend 2 days there. Maybe I can convince them to let me come back and visit for longer at the end of my program in December... :]

Hopefully this week will fly by and Friday comes fast! I am already starting to work on some big projects and papers in my classes so that I have less worrying about schoolwork when all my travels come around. Today after my morning and afternoon classes, I headed over to the DDR Museum, which detailed the daily life in the former East Germany (aka GDR). It was so interesting and I enjoyed spending time there. I know that I mentioned it in passing, but I did visit Checkpoint Charlie. Which is probably one the most touristy things I have seen, it's a little sad. The actual location of the original Checkpoint Charlie has been turned into a beach bar, but an informative historical wall surrounds it. I wanted a picture just of the station, but there was an "actor" there who forced me to pay for a picture. I still feel like it was necessary. And the immediate surroundings of the area are a McDonalds (the fancy one!) and tons of cheap souvenir shops that sell the ugly bags and t shirts.