Berlin Berlin Berlin, you make my head spin

Aw Berlin, what a wonderful trip! I'm just going to preface this entry with: I will definitely be going back before my year abroad ends! Anine and I flew to Germany last Monday and were greeted at the airport by her cousin and his girlfriend. Unfortunately their window decided not to roll up just minutes before we arrived and the 30 minute car ride was a bit chilly with the -5 degree (that's celsius and about 20 fahrenheit for all you americans) wind blowing through our wool coat cover. After stuffing ourselves with a good old fashioned Chinese-German meal...it was the only thing opened...we poured ourselves a glass of wine and soaked in the kitschy apartment complete with a "Psycho" shower curtain, orange zebra statue, and astro-turf covered oven. The next day we set out to see some sights stopping at a Christmas market along the way. The city was covered in Christmas markets featuring artisan creations, music, candy, LOTS of delicious German food, rides, toys, and of course, Gluhwein. Gluhwein is the German's version of mulled wine and is spiced to perfection. You can even opt for a shot of rum or amaretto to top it off--and trust me, this is the only thing that will keep you from freezing. Touring through the snow covered city was a dream. The Brandenburg Gate and numerous other architectural wonderlands lined the city and kept us wandering for hours with no nod to our ice covered toes. Hearing how epic the nightlife of Berlin was we defrosted and headed to Icon. The club looked like an electro cave with a great DJ's and even better drinks (and SO cheap) unfortunately it was empty...we took some advice from some of the employees and headed to the club Cookies. It was an epic call as it was filled just right...not packed. With 2 rooms and 3 bars you could opt for hip hop or techno and the lights were phenom. The energy and the crowd were also fabulous so we danced the night away before crashing out again on our air mattress. The next day we woke up a little too late to do much sight seeing so we went back to the christmas markets and ate instead. A good choice I'd say. Then onto a pub with Anine's cousins before checking out another bar. We strolled over to the Absinthe bar and tried a few firey drinks...yep we lit the sugar on fire and the whole she-bang ha ha but don't worry, that absinthe's legal ;) After trading cabs with some other drunk tourists we were on to another club. This time we went to Watergate. The setting was amazing as it was over a river with ice floating on top and a huge "Universal" light up sign on the other side. Not to mention the gorgeous bridge over the river. The panoramic windows made the perfect space for an electro club and we finally stumbled back to Anine's when her cousin was headed to work...oops;) Our last day and Berlin was completed with a trip to Hakersham Markt (I'm sure that's spelled wrong) for some more sightseeing and Christmas marketing. We finished off our day with an amazing dinner of German sausage, homemade potatoe salad and of course wine:) After our bellies were full we headed to an Irish pub and Anine had the Swimming Pool...a highly recommended teal drink made with cream...you must try. Even though our flight was semi-early the next day we just had to go out again. We trekked on to Weekend this time which had been recommended in an article by Paul Van Dyke. It was on top of a 15th story building and you could look out the window while on the couches that lined the walls and see the whole city. Apparently when the weather's nice they even open the roof top. The music was good but the crowd just didn't have the same energy and we were over the tourists so headed back to Cookies. It was a choice well made and we winded up heading back around 6 again...yikes. After two hours of sleep on our air mattress (which would leave one person on the floor when the other got up) we leapt out of bed and headed to the airport. Hungover and dragging our suitcases through the snow, we had to sit through a 45 minute train ride to the airport before realizing that our flight was delayed. Fortunately only by fifteen minutes...or so we thought. After waiting almost 45 minutes to scan our bags through we were stuck in limbo and weren't allowed to go through security until our plane was ready to board. Everyone looked like refugees lying in this "limbo" area and we were trapped for an hour with no bathroom or food. I left our "zone" and snagged some sandwiches learning when i returned that i would have to wait in line again to get through to Anine. NOT...when the security card wasn't looking I scaled under the tape and nestled back into our spot on the floor. After what seemed like forever I asked security when we could board and guess what CANCELLED. Deciding we were too hungover to wait in line we took the train back and napped. In order to leave the next day we took a bus to Lubeck for 3 1/2 hours where Anine's family lived. The most amazing German family made me food, food, and more food before my flight back to Milan the next day. I'd say the trip was a success after a million pounds of sausage and gluhwein...I'll definitely be heading back in the Spring to see what this ALL night partying is all about. I mean I missed Berghain which is the best club in the WORLD...thank you New York Times. I will just have to see for myself :)