Before I actually talk about the trip, I have an itsy bitsy complaint. It is directed to all the people who have visited Berlin recently and gave me a few "pointers." The reason I am complaining is they all equally did a terrible job of explaining the most important things (in my mind) about Berlin.
Allow me to explain what I mean:
First of all- Berlin does not really look like Europe at all. It certainly does not look like what an American would think Germany would look like. In fact, in some areas, it could look like any city in America. Maybe this is obvious knowing its recent history, but it was not obvious to us. Another thing, Berlin is super spread out! It does not have a central square or city center. It is more of a collection of neighborhoods or mini areas.
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| Potsdamer Platz |
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| Potsdamer Platz |
The reason this is important is that when you visit Berlin, the only way to really see whole city is by utilizing the Subway. It is super simple but a crucial way to get around and sight see.
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| The U-Bahn subway |
Another thing... since Berlins population is not typical German, the food is not typical German. In fact, one our tour guides on our visit said to us "if you are a gay, Turkish male, you are in the right place." One last thing... the Bees of Berlin. Nobody mentioned that there are bees everywhere. When I say everywhere, I really mean everywhere. We never sat down for a meal without seeing or swatting a bee. Or were they wasps? Hmmm... I never got an explanation for the bees, but I am here to tell you they live in Berlin.
Alright, so on to our story:
We coordinated it perfectly so we would all arrive at the airport at the same time and it actually worked! (five people from three cities, not bad huh?)
So we now had a group of 5:
Brad- Bradzilla (cuz it was his 40th birthday trip and he demanded perfection)
Margaret-Mags (cuz Margaret is just too long to say)
Chad- Paco (cuz his alter drunk ego makes us laugh)
and Ryan and I of course
Here is "Day one" in a quick nutshell:
You know those "Hop On Hop Off" bus tours?
Well we "hopped" on one.
Not to be negative, but....The dumb bus had the worst music ever (and it repeated over and over and over), the headphone- guided tour did not explain anything, and the weird red-faced driver stopped every 20 mins to pull over for smoke breaks.
Good times huh? Not so much.
So we rode around looking at embassies and watching it rain.
Seriously, we saw a lot of embassies.
We learned nothing and some of us were getting cranky.
Alright, so on to our story:
We coordinated it perfectly so we would all arrive at the airport at the same time and it actually worked! (five people from three cities, not bad huh?)
So we now had a group of 5:
Brad- Bradzilla (cuz it was his 40th birthday trip and he demanded perfection)
Margaret-Mags (cuz Margaret is just too long to say)
Chad- Paco (cuz his alter drunk ego makes us laugh)
and Ryan and I of course
Here is "Day one" in a quick nutshell:
You know those "Hop On Hop Off" bus tours?
Well we "hopped" on one.
Not to be negative, but....The dumb bus had the worst music ever (and it repeated over and over and over), the headphone- guided tour did not explain anything, and the weird red-faced driver stopped every 20 mins to pull over for smoke breaks.
Good times huh? Not so much.
So we rode around looking at embassies and watching it rain.
Seriously, we saw a lot of embassies.
We learned nothing and some of us were getting cranky.
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| why are we the only people on this? |
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| best thing i saw on the bus |
Jet lag and the time change had really set in for some of the group.
Just when we all assumed we would die on this bus from hell, our luck changed and things suddenly got better!! Yahoo!!!
We took naps, the rain stopped, and the sun actually came out.
Somehow we found ourselves in a Biergarten sampling some typical German cuisine and cold tasty beer. This was a perfect way to enjoy our first afternoon in Berlin.
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After a bit of walking, we stumbled upon the famous Holocaust Memorial:
This is perhaps one of the most interesting monuments I have visited. On the surface, it is 2711 concrete slabs spaced out in rows of various patterns on sloping areas. To get the whole effect of the memorial, you really need to walk through the maze of blocks. (we later learned you are not supposed to climb on them! Ooops) Apparently it was designed so as you walk through and get lost within, various emotions may be evoked as you remember the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Lets just say it is quite the experience that may be difficult to explain without visiting yourself.
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| Holocaust Memorial |
This brings us to "Day 2" Berlin:
We did the absolute best thing a person can do to see this city- A bike tour.
No joke, if you go to Berlin.. you must do a bike tour.
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| The Bike Tour Begins here |
This was an all day event in which a guide took us around the city covering roughly 10 km. We stopped at all the important landmarks giving us an interesting history lesson along the way. The guides are hip, young and informative. They tell stories that really leave you with a better understanding of Berlin on a personal level rather than just visiting museums or walking around confused with a map.
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| Mags geared up |
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| My bike has a "bee bell" |
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| Brad feeling the peace |
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| Paco facing the University Einstein once taught |
Standing in front of some of these famous sites and hearing the stories of the events that took place there is nothing short of fascinating.
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| The most famous checkpoint in Berlin |
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| Standing in front of the remaining portion of the wall |
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| In front of the Reichstag |
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| Hitler's bunker where he hid and died is under here |
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| The famous Brandenburg gate |
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| Bike tour lunch |
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| Outdoor lunch |
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| Schnitzel is actually yummy |
Day 3 Berlin:
The best part of the bike tour was that we were able to get a real feel for the large layout of the city which helped us decide how we wanted to spend our last full day in Berlin.
So we went started at the Topography of Terror museum.
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| Outdoor portion of museum |
The Terror museum is exactly what it sounds like... it is an area near Potsdamer Platz where a portion of the Berlin wall still remains. Near here you can see/ read even more detailed history surrounding Berlins most popular attraction.
After two days of this history... the stories can get quite depressing!! So, we jumped on the subway and headed to the East Side Gallery.
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| walking through the East Side Gallery |
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| The Spree River |
This is a fun area to visit as it feels like the Berlin I had actually heard about. Interesting bars, restaurants, hipsters, and graffiti are plentiful. We had no problem chilling out in a pirate themed bar along the river and then grabbing burgers at the well recommended "burgermeister."
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| One Liter Beer |
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| Burp |
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| Serious before sipping |
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| Burgermeister |
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| Best burger in Berlin according to us |
It was in this area in which we chose to relax and bar hop our way through the afternoon.
So that is how we spent our three days in Berlin! We had 3 more cities to see, so we grabbed our carry-ons (yes carry-on's only for 2.5 weeks), and headed back to our fancy hotel so we could catch a 6 am flight to Amsterdam!
So that is how we spent our three days in Berlin! We had 3 more cities to see, so we grabbed our carry-ons (yes carry-on's only for 2.5 weeks), and headed back to our fancy hotel so we could catch a 6 am flight to Amsterdam!
Three things I loved about Berlin:
1. The city is super easy to navigate via subway (which is on the honor system)
2. All beer is cheap and amazing
3. I have once heard it described as "poor but sexy" and I think I agree
Here are just a few more pics and highlights from Berlin:
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| A Nazi watchtower that still remains |
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| above ground water pipes all over the city |
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| yellow trams |
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| posing in front of the Berlin Wall |
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| our "selfie stick" guy on the bike tour |
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| cheers from Berlin |
Stay Tuned for the Amsterdam stories!!
