Aaron, Matthias, Melli, and I have just returned from Berlin, where Melli was working at a conference to promote her company. The conference took place at the Berlin airport, and (fortunately for us guys) was presented in conjunction with an incredible airshow. I'm not generally that big on planes, cars, or anything else that goes vroom, but this was amazing! There were fighter jets from Switzerland, helicopters from India, and military transport carriers. There were helicopters that did barrel rolls upside-down (is that even possible?!), and the world's largest passenger jet: the Airbus A380. That sucker was HUGE! It currently holds more than 500 passengers, but is projected to hold 1,000 when they redesign it in the near future. Despite it's gargantuan proportions, the most amazing thing about it was how incredibly graceful it was. It took a surprisingly short stretch of runway to take off and, once aloft, was able to maneuver in tight turns that I wouldn't think any large passenger plane should be capable of. I tell you, it was a thing of beauty.
And then there was the B1 bomber. The announcer warned us to cover our ears when this thing took off because of the noise, but I tell you, he couldn't have prepared us for just how loud it really was! I had fingers jammed in both ears, and it still sounded like I was close enough to count the screws on the landing gear! What's more, the roaring jet engines set my chest to vibrating so much that it made me laugh like a tickled baby. Unbelievable!
Other highlights from the 4 day trip included getting a personal tour through the Reichstag (German parliament building), watching the sun set at the captivating Jewish memorial, biking through Tiergarten (Berlin equivalent to New York's central park), and seeing Aaron get assaulted by a woman dressed as a zombie.
Ahh, the good times...
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