Although I've travelled all over Germany both with Up With People and on my own, I'd never been to Berlin. Philipp was there over 20 years ago, when the city was obviously much different. For him, that trip had been in the making for ten years, because it was then (30 years ago!) that Philipp's parents welcomed their first international students into their home. Two young Germans -- Gerd and Alfred -- came to study French, and in the process became a part of the Cosneau family. We were so happy to have the opportunity to spend time with Gerd, his wife Gabby and their daughter, Danielle.
We arrived in Berlin, tired from the train ride but ready to explore the city. In the course of our four days there, we explored several areas of the city, visiting monuments and parks, taking a boat ride, and discovering (or rediscovering) a beautiful and dynamic city. I was very impressed with the greenness of the city, and how calm it is. Gerd and his family live in the city center, but their street is as calm as any rural neighborhood.
Our hosts were gracious from the very beginning, when Gerd met us at the train station and took us back to their flat for a delicious German breakfast. We stopped for fresh bread and basil on the way. I love German bread! And I loved having the excuse of fueling up for the marathon to eat a lot of it! Gabby had prepared an amazing feast: breads, croissants, jams, honey, Nutella, turkey salami, cheeses, tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, fresh mozzarella and basil, coffee, tea, ... I thought it interesting that they always started with the sweet toppings for their bread and had savory toppings after, because I preferred it the other way round. But one time, I ate so much bread and cheese that I didn't have any room for bread with Nutella. They told us that they didn't usually eat such an extensive breakfast, and I understand why ... it was so good ... I always wanted to eat more!
Sunday morning, we got up and out to the starting line for the Berlin Marathon! I was a bit nervous, as I always am before a race. And as is usual for me with marathons, I begin to wonder why I got myself into this situation ... thinking about the hours of running that are ahead of me. But soon the excitement takes over and pushes out all my anxiety. The music ... the people ... the idea that 40,000 runners and a million spectators are all coming together to celebrate this event is overwhelming.
The race itself was fabulous. I found that Berlin was better prepared for the crowds of runners than Paris, where some water stops had run out, and at times we were forced to walk when the roads narrowed and the runners created a traffic jam. The avenues were wide, lined with so many supporters! Apparently a lot of Danish runners do Berlin because there were Danish flags everywhere. (I only saw two American flags during the whole race.) My supporters were in two teams: Philipp and Gerd, and Gabby and Danielle. In all, I think I saw them about seven times throughout the race, as they dashed on metro and bikes to spot me at various places throughout the city. I wrote the miles on my arm so I'd know at what point to look for them. This was a huge support for me. It was emotional to run through the Brandenburg Gate just before the finish line. Here's a picture of me, just before I finished (in 4:19:48) --
Our entire long weekend in Berlin was wonderful. Danke Shoen to Gerd, Gabby and Danielle for making it so memorable!
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