Wait what...isn't it summer?

This trip more than ever before has made me realize how many of those "of course" moments I have in my life. The biggest of these moments? I had thought about packing my leather jacket and boots, but after weighing my suitcase and reevaluating the situation, I decided against it. And now it's freezing cold, and those two items are the two items I wished I had not, in fact, left behind. Of course.

When I was told the temperature here in Berlin varies, I had anticipated some days of warm, shorts-wearing weather, and some days that would make Gainesville winters seem warm. What I was not told was that the definition of "temperature variation" is actually the range from mildly cold to freezing cold. Too bad I had packed mostly shorts. True Floridian problems.

Despite the bone-chilling winds and the cold air temperature that I was certainly not used to, I can't complain. Even though I do miss the beach, I think the irony of being cold in the summer time makes Berlin unique and I can appreciate that.

Another unique characteristic of Berlin is the graffiti on almost every wall, especially at the gallery known as Urban Spree. I'm not one for graffiti and street art, but I have grown to like it here. This weather, combined with the graffiti throughout the city, creates a certain atmosphere that makes Berlin, well, Berlin.

It amazes me that the government or city itself does not take measurements to try to stop or eliminate the graffiti that covers the walls of various buildings and signs. On another hand, however, it shows that the graffiti is seen as a form of art and expression and a creative addition to the cityscape. Apparently most people do not mind it, or at least mind it enough to try to stop it.

Once again I have encountered differences between Berlin and America, and yet again I am in awe of how much I can love both places. I am starting more and more each day to see the wonders of traveling and why it is so enjoyable. Being able to see the differences of cities away from home, yet still manage to appreciate them, is the true meaning of discovery.