Dateline Berlin, January 2009

Here I am your foreign correspondent back in Berlin for another tour... well of course it's far from a military gig, I'm here with a group of lovely students who are studying graphic design, media design, and film for the quarter. This quarter many classes are being taught by europeans - for example, one can enroll in German Culture and Civilization, or Aesthetics, or World War II Europe... even the Graphic Design courses are taught this quarter by a Berliner who runs her own design company here. The photo is of our group, at the Berliner Philharmoniker.

My Special Projects class has a Berlin client - Axel Springer TV Guide - and we will be doing a website redesign for them. Our German Art Director is very coincidentally a graduate of Ai Ft Lauderdale ('99). Small world. Here is a photo of Jason in front of Checkpoint Charlie

My room overlooks a courtyard and across that there is another old building with verdegris copper framing the withdows, and a red tile roof. I'm near the top floor so it's very sunny, with giant windows. Here is a shot of Jose, Eleanor and Teesha in front of the Antike Museum.

It's very cold here, with one of the nights breaking record low temperatures. Still, we have managed to do all of our walking tours. Even the students from California are responding in good humor. Today I went early to the Flohmarkt am Mauerpark (a giant flea market). Unlike in the US, Berliners see no reason at all to make these seasonal, shutting down for the winter. I was expecting an abbreviated version, but no, everyone was there, with - car parts, measuring tape, their mother's china, handknit everything, hot corn on the cob, glühwein, coffee, crepes, all kinds of Turkish food I don't know about, old photos, old boots, new boots, new photos, kids and babies, music... students were too wiped out to go with me but there'll be another time. I bought thread, scarves, and later at the train station I bought green tea (you can buy anything in the train station too. Great place). Here is The Berliner Dom, taken from the Antike Museum