Exploring Europe

After the headache in Paris... we took a fantastic train ride to eastern Europe -- Berlin, more specifically. We made sure to get reservations for a "couchette," since the train left at about 8:45 pm and arrived no less than 12 hours later in Germany -- we thought we'd try to get to sleep. Well, as luck would have it, we were stuck in a small room (and I mean small), with 6 beds (3 on each wall stacked up on top of one another with about 24" in between. Awesome. Actually, not awesome. It was hot (not to mention putrid) since there was marginal ventilation and we had the pleasure of a true Frenchman riding in our car. Sick. Next time I think we'll just go for the seats.
Once we arrived to Berlin, exhausted, we dropped our stuff off at the hostel and decided that since we had the whole day ahead of us we might as well make the most of it. In the last two weeks we'd spent more than our fair share on bus and walking tours, emphasis on the walking part, and thought it was time for a change. So we met a group for a 5 hour bike tour of the city. That did turn out to be pretty awesome since we got to see almost everything important in the city, and didn't have to walk anywhere (Thank God). I guess what surprised me most was how modern everything was -- and our guide told us that the government has been pouring money into East Berlin since the Wall came down in 1989 -- there are still cranes everywhere because of all the construction.
We visited Tiergarten Park area, a section of the Wall still standing, Reichstag (which we went in to see the next day), Checkpoint Charlie, the newly opened monument to the "Murdered Jews of Europe," which just so happens to be meters away from Hitler's bunker. Overall the bike tour was a blast and a great way to see the city.
Our guide assured us that although the Neo-Nazi Party still had support in recent elections, it was nothing to worry about. But on Friday evening, Jenny and I witnessed a Nazi/Skinhead/Punk/Aryan extremist march right along the street from the comfort of our hostel. While non-violent, it was disturbing enough to encourage us to leave the following day.
I am glad that we got to see Berlin, and experience a bit of what it really was and is, as hard as it is to conceive of "modern Communism" for a democratically-biased American. No doubt the divided city built character for the citizens and community alike -- it's neat to see Berlin rebounding from the years of oppression. Makes me hopeful for the situation in Northern Ireland.