Kicking off 2010 in Berlin!

From Salzburg we made our way to Berlin to celebrate 2010.  Berlin was... different.  Not different in a good or bad way, just different than other cities we've visited.  The city felt raw and alternative.  You could feel the tension, angst, and pride of recent growth and change in the air.  It was amazing to be in a city with such a strong and recent history.

Berlin was cold and gray the first day we were there; which kind of a set a tone for the city.  However, that night it began snowing and made everything seem so much brighter and lighter.  The snow continued throughout the rest of our trip, and it was so pretty!  It definitely made the holidays feel more like the holidays and made us think of Chicago.  At the same time it made me realize how lame we've become because it was only in the 30s and we were FREEZING!

Maybe expected, but our favorite site was the wall.  From a historical and artistic perspective, it was pretty cool.  Plus it had just been revamped to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall so everything was in great condition.  We also really liked the Jewish Museum; you could easily spend an entire day there.

On New Year's Eve Eve we went out with friends to a new 'trendy' restuarant with awesome food.  The restaurant was definitely trendy, and we think 90% of the trendiness was due to the quirkiness of our waitress.  Thank you Andrea & Inga for such a fun night... hopefully we'll be able to return the favor in Barcelona (or Montanna) sometime!

On New Year's Eve we decided to cook a huge Mexican feast.  I know, Mexican in Germany... but honestly I don't think we could eat anymore potatoes or schnitzels if we tried.  We also went on a pub crawl (Bier for Joe, Riesling for me) through Nikolai, the old city center.  Then we checked out the NYE action at Brandenburger Tor... supposedly, the biggest NYE gathering in the world (yes, even bigger than Times Square).  Lots of fun!  Happy 2010, everyone!!!

Click HERE to see the full photo album.