Silvester in Berlin

I am currently in Berlin. I am staying with my dad's college roommate, Duane, in Berlin. I was here for New Year's (which I have recently learned), called Silvester. Here during Silvester, people set off fireworks, cracklers, sparklers, etc. Berliners like to drink glühwein, beer, and sparkling wine. They eat döner kebabs, apple strudel, pastries with numerous fillings. Fillings include chocolate, a mixture of 4 fruits, banana, cherry, egg nog type cream, etc. Yesterday, I walked around East Berlin and saw the Brandenburg Gate, a Holocaust memorial, Reichstag, Potsdamer Platz (Sony Center), Unter den Linden (Under the Linden trees), Hackesche Hoefe (traditional courtyards development), the Bebel Platz (underground library commemorating the book burning), the New Synagogue and many museums. Last night, I was in West Berling and saw the ruins of the memorial church, Charlottenburg Palace, and the Schinkel Pavillion (where a nymphomaniac queen had a balcony so that her lovers would not have to see each other). I went back to Brandenburg Gate to see what happened during New Year's. It wasn't much. I had a beer (because I'm in Germany and that's one of the things that you have to do), but still, I don't like the taste of beer. Still, it was my first legal New Year's. There was a band (but they weren't very good). At 23:00, live coverage began there, but I had left about an hour before because it was quite boring.

Germany is a lot of fun. Today I went to the Jewish Museum. The museum is about Jews in Berlin from the mideval times until the present. It was a very interesting experience.