In April of 1990, I was 20 years old and studying abroad in Vienna. I took a trip with a classmate to Berlin and Prague for the weekend. At that time the city was still divided by the wall, and the currency was still separate as well. We were stopped by the East German border patrol and questioned about where we got our money. At that time it was not legal to bring East German money into the country if it had been acquired at a western bank. So most of our money was confiscated. In addition, at the time Americans could only cross at certain check points and during certain hours. Because the border patrol delayed us, we arrived close to midnight and hastily crossed into West Berlin before the gate closed for the night. When we arrived at our intended address, a cheap youth hostel we had chosen in our travel book, we found it was no longer operating. We had no place to stay for the night, and there were no other options in the neighborhood. Just then a young Berliner approached us on her bicycle, and inquired about our predicament. She quickly proclaimed that we would have to stay with her for the night. She and her fiance fed us bread, cheese, and wine. We talked until late into the night, and the next day they sent us off with a full itinerary of sights to see in the city, the culmination of which was a joyfully affordable performance of the Berlin Philharmonic. It was a wonderful end to an exciting and memorable trip.