School Day Two

Today was much, much better than yesterday. I didn't make a single mistake on the public transportation. I got off at all the right stops and made it to school 45 minutes before class, which gave me time to study.

In class, I could understand everyone much better and was willing to offer my answers and such things. I still don't have a book yet... But my two teachers only gave us worksheets for homework. Yay.

After class I signed up for the movie that will be shown tomorrow at 15:30 at school. It will be in German of course. I feel like I'm learning. Being around the language so much is what makes it great, and also, in my class there are only seven people. This is great.

After class got out, I decided to roam around the city. I went to Tiergarten which is the largest city park here. Here's an aerial view brought to you by the internet:

Tiergarten was once the hunting grounds of Elector Friedrich III and was transformed into a public park in the last 17th century. Friedrich was the ruler of the Wittelsbach house in the 1500s. The Wittlesbach family is a European royal family and German dynasty which comes from Bavaria. Friedrich did a bunch of important stuff that, if your interested, can be found on the internet. Their coat of arms is to the left.

Anyway, Tiergarten is huge. It also has a famous Berlin landmark right in the center. This is the Victory Column also know as the Siegessaeule. This was initially built in honor of Prussia's triumph over Denmark. Hitler moved it in 1938 from the Reichstag to Tiergarten. It is just over 200 feet, and the statue of the goddess, Viktoria, on the top weighs about 38.5 tons.



Tiergarten means "animal garden." It is called this because of the many animals one might see roaming about. Tiergarten also boarders the Berlin zoo. It is 210 hectares, so it is smaller than New York's Central Park, and larger than London's Hyde Park.

This is the first time that I've been here that I've actually noticed a bunch of tourists. I took some pictures of the Victory Column and read my book and did some homework and then left. This won't be my last time going while I'm here. Maybe I can take Toni and/or Frau Luedtke and/or Lucy with me one of these days so I can get some pictures with the Brandonburg Tor and the Victory Column and things like that.

I must go because of the word of the day. Hausaufgabe means homework.