Hard to say Auf Wiedersehen

I traveled to Berlin, Germany, with Sarah and Jesse. There's a unique, sad energy about Berlin. The city has been shaped by destruction. The destruction of World War II changed the city's skyline and left the beautiful Kaiser Wilhelm Church in ruins. The destruction of the Berlin Wall reunited the city and gave them hope for a brighter future. It's a strange contrast. On Saturday, we went to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp outside of the city. It was a work camp for mostly political prisoners. All the Jewish inmates were sent to Auschwitz in 1942. An estimated 100,000 people were killed there, through executions and poor living conditions. After two days of trudging through memorials of Nazi and Communist brutality, we had to seek out a few upbeat Berlin sites. We gazed up at Siegessäule, the "angel on a stick." We gazed down at Berlin from 368 meters from the TV tower. We couldn't remove our gazes from the Berliner dom, an incredible Lutheran church. It was nice to end on a high note. We had to part ways at the Berlin bus station. Ugh! The goodbyes don't get easier. Sarah and Jesse have always taken really good care of me. They are protective and generous. I think it's the nicest kind of love.

My trip "home" should have been uneventful, but a minor mistake ended up costing me hours. The only reason I'm here now is because I pleaded with two Bohemian bus drivers with easy smiles and hidden halos.