Diary: My First Day at a University in Berlin

THIS AUTUMN I'm beginning to study at the Freie Universität here in Berlin, and yesterday I went to the very first course, which is a two-day "Brückenkurs" or "bridging course" for first-year biology students. Biology is not my major or even my minor; but it interests me and it was the scientific field I took in high school after Grade 10, and participation in the course was not recorded so there were no administrative obstacles.

I found out the date, time and place from the university's Vorlesungsverzeichnis (course index) online, and looked up the route on the website of the BVG, Berlin's city transit authority.

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THE MAIN FU campus is in Dahlem, a quiet neighbourhood around a former royal farm in southwestern Berlin.

Windy City

Today a powerful spring wind has been sweeping in through Berlin, reminiscent of the one which Mary Poppins employed to carry away superfluous nannies. I was a little disgusted to find that according to the Institute for Meteorology at the Freie Universität, the peak windspeed (Windspitze) has been 21.7 m/s.

After a minuscule calculation:

(21.7 * 60 * 60) / 1000

we arrive at 78.12 km/h, or 48.54 mi/hour, or 42.18 knots, which still sounds (to me) unimpressive.

But, on the Beaufort Scale [NOAA], it is considered a strong gale, force 9, which

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April in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry