Home, sweet home

After an exciting 1.5 weeks out and about in Europe, we made it to Berlin, our final destination for the next few weeks (apart from a few trips here and there). We took the train from Erfurt on Thursday and met my parents in Berlin at the station right thereafter. We got into Berlin's new, ultramodern and huge station that was just opened a few months ago (we hadn't seen it yet). In that respect, much has changed here... Berlin is an eternal construction site and evidence is visible everywhere. Much of the city is being built anew and much is being redone still, almost 18 years after the fall of the wall. Lots of construction is being done in the area around the former "nomansland" (between East and West) and especially where the government resides. We have only driven through downtown Berlin so far, but on Monday or Tuesday we will dive right into the main drags of the city, revisiting where we lived and studied and hung out. Lots of pictures will follow then.

In the meantime, we've spent our time eating and talking and sleeping and reading, enjoying the familiarity, comfort and warmth of my parents' house. It's great to be pampered, and to feel the spirit of unconditional love and care that makes home home. Being back feels like a good mix of change and stability, in us, in my family and the environment.

Other than that the G8 summit has dominated the news since we 've been in Germany. Every night we heard and saw more about massive anti-globalization demonstrations, anti-Bush demonstrations and demonstrations for a more just distribution of goods in the worlds, especially Africa. Bob Geldorf, Bono and German singer/ songwriter Herbert Grönemeyer were present to give concerts and to help all those who went out into the streets and who camped outside the premises for days to draw attention to the all too urgent environmental issues and the vast discrepency of ressources in the world.

While I wish we could have been there for some of the action and protests during the G8 summit, we might take the opportunity to enjoy the gorgeous warm weather at the Baltic Sea (another one of my childhood favorites, as it was the one and only sea most East Germans could easily and regularly reach during their summers) for a day or two. It all depends what we feel like. That's what's beautiful about vacation...there is no pressure to do something or to get somewhere on time... Time doesn't really matter.