Ich leibe Berlin!!

Yesterday might have been my record of missing sleep: 25 hours.  Falling asleep on an airplane is quite difficult!  Luckily I am recovering quite well from this and jetlag, as they did not put a damper on my time here thus far.  The house that I am staying at exceeded my expectations and my host is absolutely wonderful! 
I have been here barely two days and I think I already might be in love.  Here are a few observations thus far:

• The city streets literally smell like flowers or perfume in many areas, not car exhaust.  Quite surprising, no?  I will assume some flowering plants are to blame, as it is unlikely that the streets are getting sprayed with various fragrances. 
• This city is so clean!  There is VERY little rubbish lying on the ground compared to any public place I have visited.  I have mistaken leaves for garbage a few times!
• Something amusing I found regarding crossing the street:  Whether the road is empty or not, people wait at crosswalks for the little green man to light up before crossing.  Completely not what I am used to (No cars? No problem!--NOT here!!).  
• The stereotype is true--Subways are on time.  All the time.  If the sign says it is arriving in one minute, it gets to the station in one minute.  The public transportation here is phenomenal!  

I decided to go on a little walk today after my class ended and took a few pictures.

Das Rotes Rathaus, or the Red City Hall.  Beautifully built.

Der Berliner Fernsehturm, the television tower in the center of the city.  At 368 meters, it is the tallest structure in Germany.

Here is the lower part.

Upon a closer look, there is a manmade body of water by the base.  Kids were playing in it and adults were wading around.  

This is the Berlin Cathedral.  I will get better pictures of it this week, I promise!  It looked stunning from afar, I cannot wait to see it up close.

Statue of St. George fighting with the Dragon

"Buddy Bears are a series of painted, life-size fiberglass bear sculptures originally developed in Berlin"  Whelp, looks like I will take a picture of each one I see, starting with this one! SCAVENGER HUNT!!

That's all for now, bis später!