A couple of weeks ago, Matthew and I took a weekend trip to Berlin. The primary reason for this journey was to see the Berlin Philharmonic. This historic orchestra plays in a concert hall that was later used as a model for the Sydney Opera house. Needless to say, the acoustics are BOMB.com
Here's a sneak peek at the building. More pictures to come later in the post........
On the way to Berlin, which is a 6 hour train ride, Matthew and I stopping Cologne, Germany. There were really only 2 events worth mentioning on this 2 hour detour. Number one: I paid to use the bathroom room, walked in, went to the bathroom, and walked out, but the man guarding/cleaning the bathroom was laughing at me and telling me something in German. It was only after I walked out, perplexed, that I realized I'd used the men's public restroom instead of the women's. Whoops. Matthew got a good laugh as well. Hey, when you gots to go, you gots to go.
The second thing worth mentioning about Cologne was the lunch we had! We ate by the river at a cute Italian restaurant. My meal consisted of Ewe's milk cheese atop a fresh salad.
Matthew ate Spaghetti Bolognese- such a classic. Would you look at that face... Oh he's also styling his new awesome original European button-up short-sleeved shirt.
Surrounding our quaint and delicious lunch were two tables full of loud, possibly drunk German men who were sporting lots of soccer paraphernalia. They were entertaining, to say the least. We heard a few poorly sung German songs before our meal was over.
Don't worry, I've captured it on film.....
Here are a few more pictures of Cologne:
This is the Dom cathedral.
The Dom
Inside the Dom.
The Rhine River.
Later that day we arrived in Berlin via my new favorite train station. 
Isn't it beautiful!? It's also 6 stories tall. With multiple delicious cafes. Including the one-and-only Starbucks. Don't be deceived, Starbucks is much better in Europe than it is in America. Mmm fresh.
After walking out of the station, we were bombarded with herds of soccer fans. Yes, Germans are very passionate about soccer! They had multiple humungous screens set up throughout the city where people were congregating to watch Germany win the game! PARTAYY.
Shortly outside of Berlin lies the famous city of Potsdam. Matthew and I spent about 3 hours walking around Potsdam's Sanssouci Park, which is the home of multiple BEAUTIFUL palaces.
This was such a special treat. When I was a child and dreamed of being a princess (as every little girl does), I pictured myself in a palace much like this.....
Or this....
Or even this.
This last one is the one-and-only Sanssouci Palace. It was built as a summer home for Fredrick the Great. Great ol' Fredrick. I would pretty much love to have summer home like this. Or any home for that matter. It is so majestic. What amazes me the most is that most of these palaces were built by hand. They didn't have machines back then!! It's beyond impressive.
Matthew and I also climbed to the top of the Orangery Palace to take some sweet pics.
It was a bit sunny
Windmill in the background
that's the coolest ceiling I've ever seen
The Orangery was our favorite palace. The park was just so pleasant. It wasn't very crowded, which was refreshing. The forest just felt peaceful and relaxing.
This is a spiral staircase inside the Orangery. I love it.
Outside the Orangery
Vines
Side view of the Orangery
This was the "New Palace" that Fredrick the Great has built a few years after his Sanssouci was built.
Beautiful!
Sanssouci Park is not the only thing Berlin had to offer. We also got to see Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin wall. I spent almost an hour reading all about the history of the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie while Matthew perused the area and read a few paragraphs here and there. Oh he also drank an Americano (rare find in Europe)!
Matthew drinks coffee while straddling the Berlin Wall. YOLO (you only live once).
The wall of history.
Checkpoint Charlie.
Berlin Wall
And now on to the main event. The Berlin Philharmonic! We grabbed some dinner before the concert. We went to a delicious restaurant called Ristorante Essenza. I recommend it if you're ever passing through Berlin ;)
Mmm Rocket cheese.
We walked over to the Philharmonic. The building is covered in gold paneling, which is radiant in the setting sun!
It's always entertaining to ask some random person to take your picture. I'm pretty much over trying to blend in as a European. I'm a tourist and that's that. Annnnnd yes, I'm American. Don't judge.
It is a magnificent concert hall!
We also asked someone to take our picture inside (which I found out later is prohibited)
Whoops. Doesn't he look so good!?
Music is so powerful. It is moving, engaging, profound, and genius. I feel Jesus so close when I hear music like this that was created with so much genius. These musicians (we heard Smetana, Martinů, and Dvořák) composed exactly what they were feeling and experiencing. If you haven't heard it before, listen to Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9. It will amaze you!
I like Germans. They are louder than the Dutch, which helps me to blend in a little bit ;)
They also have a rich music history and national history. This country has so much to offer! I'm thankful Matthew and I got to experience a small piece of it.
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