I entered the UK through Dublin, Ireland and I'm in Glasgow as a general visitor. In order to become a student visitor I must leave the UK and re-enter. It seems strange and annoying, but I see it as a great way to get to see more of the world!
Berlin, Germany is where I ended up for the weekend and there was so much to see and do. The fog blanketed high rise buildings are a great backdrop for a city adventure! My first stop was the Berliner Dom where I attended their evening song service (partly in English) along with a tour of the building. It was late at night, raining and cold so I ventured back to the hotel seeing many museums and shops along the way.
On the first day I ended up, in all places, a natural history museum and on a boat tour. This seems quite fitting. The displays in the museum were wonderful, I could have spent days there! And the boat was nearly empty with perfect views of the sites along the river.
I followed that by walking along the path of the Berlin Wall, which is for sale as small souvenirs. I journeyed up the Berliner Fernsehturm (tower) for a nighttime 360 view of the city.....no fog this time!
I ended the weekend with a visit to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Jewish Museum and the Brandenburg Gate where history is kept alive in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the holocaust and the separation of East and West Germany (ie. Berlin Wall).
I also managed to squeeze in a visit to the Musikinstrumenten-Museum (Musical Instrument Museum) and an orchestra concert at the Philharmonie.
The entire weekend was spectacular and I was immersed in the culture of "New Berlin" as well as the wealth of history in the city.
