Not So Native: Eureka Europe: Part 1

Eureka Europa! 26 years after my birth I finally made it to Europe. Hallelujah.

Lui and I spent a few weeks in Thailand as tourists and then made our way to her hometown of Berlin, Germany. But this was only the beginning of a European extravaganza that left me edified and impressed with the history and beauty of Western civilization.

We spent 9 weeks in Europe altogether. Much of this was in Berlin; the other time consisted of traveling to various cities in northern Italy and a trip to Paris, France. All told, thousands of miles (or kilometers) traveled by plane, bus, train and automobile. No mode of transport missed in this Eurotrip!

First up were the sights of historic Berlin: museums, tours and some fine German hospitality. I met nearly all of Lui's family: parents, sister, uncles, cousins and, of course, Oma -- Lui's beloved grandma. Berlin is a highly organized, practical and surprisingly quiet city. The area of Berlin comprises 350 square kilometers while it's population is only 3.5 million.

I had the real privilege of getting an "insider's" tour of the beautiful city Lui grew up in and knew so well. And with some helpful tips and recommendations from her mom, I saw and experienced the best of what Berlin had to offer.

A delicious bratwurst in Alexanderplatz, the center of East Berlin.

Playing in Dem Tiergarten.

Brandenburger Tor, a very iconic spot in the heart of Berlin.

Some shots of "Museum Island", a very famous area where many of Berlin's 170 museums are located.

In one area there were pillars riddled with World War II bullet holes.

The Schloss Charlottenburg, only 5 minutes from Lui's house! It was April so the weather was still quite cold, especially coming from Thailand!

Hanging out with the iconic Berlin Bear. He's EVERYWHERE!

One part of Berlin I absolutely loved, a side I don't think I would have otherwise seen without Lui, was the impressive graffiti art. We checked out an abandoned train station and an old factory in East Berlin.

Somewhere in the middle of our stay we visited Lui's sister, Lydia, in a small college town called Halle, about 2 hours from Berlin. We spent some time hanging out with her and her friends. I was so impressed at how well German students speak English. They would go about their conversations in German until I started talking, then all of a sudden everyone would just seamlessly switch to near-perfect English. Not bad!

Me and Lui's sister.

Drinking Mexican Corona's in a German restaurant...what?!!!

My favorite German word.

Me and Lui being a little expressive at a cute, little coffee shop on a cold German day.

Back in Berlin, nearing the end of our European trip (Italy and France will be covered in Part 2), Lui's parents invited us on a day trip to Potsdam to see a little of Germany's royal history. Potsdam was the residence of Prussian Kings and German Kaisers until 1918. One particular residence, the castle of Sanssouci, is the largest World Heritage Site in Germany. And that was the very first castle we visited.