In an attempt to find the beach I was able to explore parts of Spandau and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. The first stop was Spandau, when we got off the subway the first thing I noticed was how busy the area was, everything moved so fast. People walking fast, cars speeding away, and the bikers moved so fast they basically appeared out of thin air. This area seemed like it had a smaller immigrant population, the people seemed to be primarily well off and dressed similarly to Americans. Sweatpants, leggings, sweatshirts all very casual clothes but mostly all name brands such as Nike and Adidas. For the first time I felt like I fit in with my leggings and sweatshirt. We crossed under a big bridge and then it felt like we really entered the city. The streets were wide and the buildings were all very tall. On the left there was a big festival geared toward kids, food trucks and large bouncy houses, my kind of party. On the right there was a shopping mall filled with American stores such as a T.K Maxx and fast food such as McDonalds and KFC. I have noticed that the fast food restaurants here are much tastier and fresher than the ones we have back home so, I had to try the KFC. Once again the food was much better than at home although they were lacking some of the custom American sides like coleslaw and mac and cheese. Once we realized we were not near the beach we hopped on a train heading south on the edge of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf in hopes to make it to a beach later on I learned we were heading to the Havel river. From the train station we walked through a residential area with huge modern houses, types of architecture you very rarely see in Ohio, it was a refreshing change from the graffitied apartment buildings here in Kreuzberg. The area reminded me a little bit of the north shore of Chicago, lots of white privacy fences and gated mid-century modern homes with long driveways. I could see myself settling down here with a family. We decided to take some trails heading towards the water. My family enjoys hiking so I was excited for the walk, the trails reminded me of the ones I hike in northern Michigan. The trails were sandy and full of roots, there were many different kinds of trees and plants which is something you’ll find in Michigan. One thing I did notice was the size of the pinecone, here they are very small and hard. Perhaps, it is because it is early in the season. But even the smell of the trails as you head towards the water was the same. When we reached the water everyone was a little disappointed, the water was murky and covered with lily pads, there wasn’t a “sandy beach” and the wind was freezing. We ended up eating at a boat restaurant, the Alte Liebe Restaurantschiff. The menu contained lots of adventurous seafood options such as pickled fish and a fish soup, I don’t eat seafood so I settled on a Coke light and a side of potatoes, which still tasted pretty fishy. We sat and ate our meals on the water all the people around us came prepared and wore warm clothes and sat and drank wine and sipped their soups, we stuck out like sore thumbs with our swimsuits and flip flops beneath our sweatshirts. We sat on the dock and watched the sail boats go by, all of the sail boats had motors which is something I was not used to. I have been on a capsized sail boat before and vowed I would never ride one again but seeing these I wished I could try again.. until we watched one flip. Across the water was a tiny little beach filled mostly with dogs running in and out of the water, I love the freedom dogs have here.