'i am a jam donut'

HELLO FROM BERLIN!
Haha....So. After much fun in Germany for Christmas, we headed to France to take photos of castles and drive drive drive and eat cheese, salami and lots of yoghurt. We then crossed the border to Belgium where we stayed in Brugge (saw the photos on your blog Mama! Where'd you get those?! That's great! Jordy be home soon and he might post some from over here for me :), a sweet little city that Jordan and I have rated 2nd to Salzburg. After fun nights out and yummy meals we packed up and crossed back into Germany to see Hamburg!
So Hamburg's supposed to be this big port or something and supposed to be nice but it was horribly cold and a bit miserable. Still, we managed to have a fun time walking around this big lake, attending Church at this big fat Lutheran Church and a fish market at 7am!!! Ewww! It's still dark then!
Anyway, enough boring travel stuff....now we're in Berlin. Our first day here we wandered through what was East Berlin (the communist, all bombed side) through a dirty dirty park (with a massive bomb crater in the middle!) to West Berlin (the free and happy side :P this is what happens when Ellie attempts to absorb history...). We saw the Berlin wall and I took photos of some of the cool art along it. Today we've also had fun wandering around to this building which was bombed and so only half is left and now squatters reside there! It's so famous that the city won't kick them out and instead charges them 60 cents rent a month for...goodness knows what. Anyway, the floors are all cut in half if you will, so you can see right inside, though they've erected glass there now to keep out the cold. Cool stuff.
So. Jordan goes home not tomorrow but the next day and I'm preparing myself for the final 6 weeks without him. I presume time will go quickly since the days are flying past (as happens when you sleep in, rush around all day and go to bed early), but it will still be hard. He starts work the morning after he gets back, 9-5 at a bank, so we'll both be busy. If you know him and see him around, shower him with hugs!!!
So next stop for us is Wittenberg, where Martin Luther did his thing. Then on to Dresden (where I hear there's good rock climbing! Bummer about the time of year) and then to Tuebingen, where we're hoping to stay longer because we're catching up with the Melches girls (whom we spent Christmas with...they're so much fun!!!).
I guess while there's still time, I'll digress and tell you about the trip so far :)
Highlights... aside from Salzburg:
Jordan's arrival, meeting up with everyone in Amsterdam, the little bridges over canals in Amsterdam, Christmas in Germany with fun fun Klaus Melches and his family, church with Klaus as the pastor (but we still couldn't understand a word!), wandering the streets of Paris, being surprised at the super friendly and helpful French (the stereotypes are WRONG!), bakeries. full stop., this cute little hotel in Blois, where the doorways and stuff were crooked!, wandering around the grounds of the castle in Versailles and imagining little kids playing there (I really reckon Ever After was filmed there), our yummy Religeuese in Paris, meeting Sarah and Andrew here in Berlin, a Christian couple from Dubbo, meeting Jaya and Joseph in Blois, from Sri Lanka, meeting Joyce in Brugge, who served us a big fat Chinese meal with FREE water (that's huge here) and lots of rice, and who went out the back and made me fried bananas, even though they're not on the menu :), people letting me have the front seat in the car when I'm car sick, purple yoghurt in London, seeing Ali and Aaron Glover in London!!!, Rebekka Melches' little town, WALKING ON A FROZEN LAKE!, Martha's iPod (haha...so bored with mine!), throwing rocks at sheets of ice, seeing funny German signs, asking a guy how to say his name 'Cassia' (on his name badge...yeh, turns out it means 'Cashier'), The Circus Hostel in Berlin, which is TOLL....seriously....come to Berlin for the hostel, fun times in the car, getting to know Kizzy and Cristie better....so many fun fun times.
For negatives, I'd have to say the pillows, which are HUGE and do not support your head, the towels, which are TEEENNNSY and don't cover your arm let alone your body, the very fashionable scaffolding (it's all the rage in Europe...haha...it's a joke we have because all the monuments are being renovated and as such are under scaffolding with sheets covering it...haha. They put pictures of the monument over the top so it's almost like you can see it...), doggy doo...no, just doggies full stop. They are NOT people and should NOT be allowed in restaurants etc. No debate about it. Ewwwwwww.
Well, some poor girl is waiting to use the computer, so I must choof, cos I know how she feels.
Miss you all lots and can't wait to see the sun again. Actually, I can see it, I just can't feel it. A VERY strange phenomena.
Soon.
Ellie

PS: Jordan wrote this to some friends of his. He better epxlains our experiences here>

My tour of Europe has been much unlike my previous trip here. Ellie and I have been to London, Paris, Northern France, Belgium, Holland, Austria, and Germany - but instead of visiting the museums and the shrines, we have enjoyed watching people, observing their characteristics, and trying to understand cultures. We have made friends with randoms in hostels, met people who have lost family in one of the many wars, and we have allowed ourself the time to just sit in parks. It has been a wonderful time - one that will forever leave a footprint on my outlook of Europe. There is a lot wrong with the world - but there is also a lot of good. I have also rediscovered my love of Australia. We have it very very good, and I hope I never take it for granted again. Clean streets, friendly staff in shops, and very inexpensive food. Australia is good - the land of milk and honey. We can drive for 5 minutes and we are in heritage protected national parks. Dogs are not allowed on public transport. And you can request free water at restaurants instead of having to pay for sparkling bottled water. History is certainly interesting, but it is still being created - and we are loving seeing Europe as it is.