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I apologize if some of you were dissapointed with Nick's last post- explaining his problems with post cards. I just read it and feel like I need to do some updating on where we are.

We arrived in Germany with no problems. And we soon learned the harsh reality of the western world... everything is expensive. We took a train from Frankfurt to Bielefeld for about 150 US dollars. ouch. Luckily we got to stay with my childhood friend Matt. Matt is playing professional soccer at Bundisliga side Arminia Bielefeld. Not bad. His apartment was very nice and we took full advantage of it. We played a lot of playstation, did laundry, watched movies, slept in, and ate meals that actaully satisfied our appetites. We also bought some new clothes- we weren't at all prepared for the 50 degree climate change from India to Germany. Basically we recharged our batteries and planned out the next and last phase of our journey.

Bielefeld was a really cool town. But in about half a day we had seen all there was to it. This wasn't at all dissapointing to us as the point of staying there was to relax and prepare for the rest of the trip. For the touristy stuff we went to Berlin. Matt hooked us up with his Mom's friend Jim who lives in Berlin. Jim's penthouse apartment downtown was amazing. Jim's hospitality plus his partner Frank's travel stories definitely enhanced our Berlin experience. They let us borrow thier bikes for the day so we could get around the city. Probably the coolest thing about Berlin is how new it is. During the war it was practically reduced to rubble by the allies (YEAH!), and once the Berlin wall came down and the city was completely capitalist (HELL YEAH!) it was open season for all the best architechs in the world to create anything they could imagine. And they did. There are some amazing buildings all over the city. There are still glimpses of Berlin's crazy history around the city. For instance, in the middle of the biggest shopping district a church was left standing as a memorial to the war. Only half the church was actually standing as the rest of it had been destroyed, as the evidence is still very clear. Parts of the Berlin wall are still standing, as well as the original "Checkpoint Charlie" the gate between east and west in the american sector.

It was all cool stuff. The best part of Germany was probably the wieght i was finally able to gain back after our journey through Asia. And not having to haggle with someone any time you want to buy something! It has been a good change of pace. Stay tuned for stories from Prague, Austria, and Italian miracles.