Day 3 – Berlin
By Naomi Johnson

Today was our first whole day in Berlin.  We woke up from a resting night at the sports complex ready to start the day.  At the sports complex we eat all our breakfasts at the cafeteria.  We had mostly bread, hard boiled eggs, and cereal with lots of sugar. 

After breakfast we left to pick up the adults at their hotel and we headed for Berlin.  Berlin is very different from any other city we experienced last year.  Due to the chaos of World War II and the division of the city created by the construction of the Berlin Wall, the city is much less developed and lacks the architectural beauty that we saw in other parts of the country last year.

Our first stop was the Berlin Wall.  Although the Wall disappointed some because of its ugly appearance, it was amazing to witness, in person, the historic significance of the monument.  Next, we visited the Berlin Dom, a huge church in downtown Berlin.  The church was beautiful inside and out.  We hiked to the top of the tower and saw the whole city, then we descended to the basement where the caskets of kings and priests were displayed. For lunch we were allowed to eat wherever we wanted!  After lots of deliberation, my group found an Italian café where we all had cheese pizza.  After a quick stop for ice cream and a little window shopping, we walked back to the bus. 

It was time for another history lesson!  After everyone was for, we went to see the Brandeburger gate and learned more about the history of Germany.  Sadly, it was under construction because of the World Cup.  Next, we walked to the Parliament building and saw a stadium where people went to watch the World Cup games on a big screen TV. 

Back at the sports complex we had 2 hours down time in which we prepared to play our first international match.  At 6:30 we went to dinner and feasted on stuffed chicken and, yes, more bread! 

Tonight we played the German Youth National Team.  The team consisted of 15 and 16 year old girls, and one 13 year old!  They had two strong outside hitter, tall middle, and a talented setter.  Despite the fact that we had never played together before, we rallied and performed well verses the Germans.  We lost the first game 22-25, won the second game 25-21, the pulled it through in the third 30-28, lost the forth 22-25 and lost a nail-biter in the fifth 16-18.  The German girls were great competitors and were very nice off the court.  After such an exciting match tonight, we can’t wait for tomorrow and our match verses the Czechs!