Friends, Memories, and History

     Here I sit, on a quiet Saturday morning in Berlin, waiting for the world around me to come to life.  A wonderful breakfast of a few different kinds of breads from the bakery just down the way, was choice to start a fairly packed day.  I have attached myself to the liking of different breads, as it is common tradition amongst German culture.
     I last left off with Verona, where I started off with not knowing much about the city, to adding it to the list of places I would love to go back and visit.  It grabbed my attention more than I had imagined it would, and brought me to want to explore it further.  I didn't get enough of chance to see everything the city had to offer, but did walk about the more well known parts of the city.  Included in that was the House of Juliet, which was hard to imagine that I was standing in a setting of such an inspiring and well known story that everyone has heard.  The Arena was also another spectacular sight.  Similar to the Colosseum in Rome, but on a slightly smaller scale.  Also, the view of Verona atop the hill where the Roman theater sits is breathtaking.  Quite a workout to get to the top with climbing hundreds of stairs leaves you with a spectacularly rewarding view of the horizon and the cityscape.  I did not have time to find any vineyards, so that is my motivation and reasoning for return someday.
     On to the next country, I flew to Düsseldorf, Germany to visit a friend I hadn't seen in over two years.  It was good to make connections again,  and was nice to once again have someone local to point me in the right directions and guide me through the city. 
     I am thoroughly convinced that I have tried just about every kind of traditional German food, so many in fact that I couldn't even begin to start naming them all.  I have also had a nice tour of Düsseldorf, Cologne, and Münster, each having a unique array of history and people.  We spent some time in Düsseldorf, where Lukas attends the university, meeting new people, trying new foods, and seeing new sights.  I had watched a German soccer game, took part in a party with the medical students after a local soccer game, and apart from anything I had done on the trip thus far, I sat through a Sonography class with Lukas, which being in Germany, was respectively all in German.  However it was still interesting, but still reassured me that I have no desire in medicine.
     A friend of Lukas picked us up after class, and gave us a ride to Münster, where Lukas grew up.  We stayed with his family in a small suburb town just outside of Münster, and aside from being next to a big city, it reminded me a bit of back home.  There were actually fields and farms around, which I hadn't seen since my departure, and it was just a nice local village where everyone knows everyone.
     I am in Berlin for the weekend, with a list of about 20 things to do and see.  On that list is to go down to an area of town, where they hold the largest public viewing event for soccer in Germany, and watch Germany play in another game of the world cup tonight.  Just a bout 12 hours ago, I was at the top of the TV tower in Berlin, which put me at 680 feet above the ground.  A spectacular 360° view of Berlin, a 5 star restaurant, and high priced drinks were amongst what you would find in that giant glass sphere.  But it was worth the wait to watch the sun set over Berlin.
     I plan on visiting some of the city and countries past this afternoon.  The Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, and the Topography of Terror for starters.  A history that I do not believe many Germans are quick to boast about.