Take it from the top please. Aaaaaaaaand... ACTION!!!

First of all...  ALLES GUT ZUM GEBURTSTAG mein Vater!!!

So, where do I begin?  I really need to update every week so as not to fall behind.  I must consult my iCalendar for all the past activities I have partaken in.  Good thing I'm so freakin' organized!!!  LOL

Let's start with some photos from the airport.  Thanks so much for seeing me off.  Sorry about the hasty departure at the gate.  I was about to lose it emotionally so I had to rip the bandaid off the wound fast so as not to start a chain reaction of tears:

My first week was spent organizing my new life in Berlin as well as taking in some sights around the city.  The Nikolaikirche is the oldest sacred building of historic Berlin.  Construction commenced in 1230 and continued through the 15th century.  This Gothic church had it's two towers modified in 1877, as can be seen by the variation in brick.  In 1945 it had been severely damaged by bombings and has undergone extensive renovations that still continue.  I've visited the kirche 3 times since 2008 and it has always been covered in scaffolding.  It was finally re-opened to the public in 2009.  Now I can appreciate it in full. 

These grave plaques are mounted all around the exterior of the kirche.  Many of them display winged skulls.

The Fernsehturm TV tower, built 1969, is the tallest structure in Berlin at 365 m (1,197 ft).

Neptunbrunnen is a beautiful, Neo-Baroque fountain built in 1886.  It was originally located at the Stadtschloss (Berlin Castle) and was moved in front of the Fernsehturm in 1969.

Michelle gave us a guided tour of Communist era architecture where we came across the Haus der Lehrers - House of Teachers.   A landmark work of Socialist-realist architecture covered in mosaic work idealizing the hardworking citizens of the GDR.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a really good photo of the details of the mosaic.

The East Side Gallery is a one mile long section of the Berlin Wall.  In 1990 it became a huge collection of graffiti and art by 118 different artists from 21 countries.  These are few of my favorites:

 

This next set of photos are sites around our apartment.  Boddinstraße is the U-Bahn station nearest to us, and Mainzerstraße is our street.  The graffiti on the side of the building is common all over Berlin.  I'm going to try to document it as much as I can.

These little gold bricks, called Stolpersteine (stumbling stones), are scattered throughout Berlin and most of Europe that was occupied by Germany. They are little memorial markers for those people who were taken to concentration camps. They are usually found in the ground outside of the apartments in which the people lived and where taken from.  They list their name, birthplace and year, when they were deported and the camp where they died.  Pretty emotionally heavy bricks for something that is only 3x3".

I was lucky enough to be a guest at Covenant's performance on April 24th, where I partied with them and some new friends backstage, as well as muscle my way upfront to snap some moderate photos on my iPhone.  Their performance was flawless, as usual.

This is my new friend Anne from California, living in Berlin, and I.

And these fellas are Daniel (R) who plays keys and sings back-up for Covenant and his mate Peter (L) from Sweden.  Really sweet guys.

This is the Türken Markt am Maybachufer.  I've been there almost every Tuesday and Friday since my arrival in Berlin.  You can find pretty much everything you need here including fresh veggies, fruit, spices, fish, bread, Turkish sweets, fabric, household items, clothing.  There is also live music and great coffee and food stands to indulge in after browsing the fares of the market.  The amount of people that come here is insane.  You have to really pay attention to where you are going as well as watch out for the women pushing baby strollers and pulling their shopping carts - they are ruthless!!!

My final photo in this posting is of some socks my friend Dorit lent to me one evening while we were BBQing on her balcony.  They are so cute and reminded me of home.  Canadiana moose!!!

This post pretty much covers my month of April.  The only thing I have failed to mention up to this point was my DJing debut at King Kong Klub.  It was a minimal, coldwave nu-wave night put on by Jen Ellerson called Brave Exhibitions.  I was really nervous to spin because I didn't feel prepared enough, but Jen was happy with my choices in music and the crowd was dancing and happy so I pulled it off alright.  :D  Hopefully I can do it again sometime.  (No, I am not talking on my cell phone...  I am listening to cue up my next track.)  ;)

Love and misses!!!

Devi