East and West.

Hard to believe those guys go home on Friday. The first part of this trip has gone so quickly.

I am here in Budapest with just a few minutes to spare, so I thought I would let you know that all is well.

But first, Berlin. If you know anything about Berlin, you know that it is huge -- eight times the size of Paris, according to my guidebook. Not walkable. We walked it. Our hosts lived way on the east side, but when our bus was not at the stop when we were ready to go, we decided to just keep on going. We did all the Berlin Wall business and took in a fantastic exhibit on the Nuremburg trials. The whole thing becomes all the more strange and horrifying when you break it down into individuals -- some of whom were at least claiming remorse, others who remained until the end convinced that they were doing what was right by their country, their people, and their God.

We only had one day in Berlin. It got added to the schedule when airline tickets there were cheaper and more convenient than the ones to Prague. We walked home that night intending to meet our hosts at a club, but I was too tired and Jack and Joel, left to their own devices, took a wrong turn and missed them altogether. They did not talk much about their night, but they did laugh about it quite a lot. I doubt I will ever know the whole story.

It was a two-hour walk to the train station, which we started before 6 am. The whole stay was so cold. Next time I take a trip in the winter, I am taking it south.