Thursday, December 3, 2015

Juliet in Berlin!

Hi! I'm Juliet, a third-year studio art major, and I'll be sharing with you a bit about why I chose to study in Berlin, and what I've learned since being here. First, my older sister moved here about 5 years ago, so coming here for a sisters-abroad adventure has always been a hope of ours. Also, during a visit two years ago, I came to understand just how incredible this city's strange mix of histories is.
The arts scene here is a well-known and beloved feature of Berlin. The blend of cultures is also unlike anything I'd seen before. I expected to be eating mostly bratwurst and pretzels while here, when instead I found Turkish, Sudanese, Italian, or Ethiopian restaurants on every other street. For being the capital, Berlin is probably the least typical city in Germany. It's much less traditionally German than  Munich, for example. Nevertheless, its unique character draws visitors from all over the world. There is much to be seen and much to do; there are spacious green parks, music halls, museums of all kinds, and grand opera houses. I knew I'd need to come back.

Berlin's most recognizable and most beloved symbol, the Brandenburg Gate

Our first weekend in Berlin, there was the Long Night of Museums, in which many of the 175 museums here stayed open until 2am! You could see as many as you wanted with an 8 euro ticket. These are some friends from the program; I'm on the far right

The Hamburger Bahnhof Museum for Modern Art

The TV tower was built in East Berlin to be seen as a sign of technological superiority over the West Berliners

Our mensa, or cafeteria