Berlin
/View the Berlin gallery here
*Disclaimer* The weather was terrible, so pictures are scarce*
After a 10 hour journey from Ghent to Berlin, we finally arrived, but not without yet another sprint through the station to catch our train.
We left our hostel in Ghent, caught our first train from Ghent to Brussels, and arrived at the station ahead of schedule. So early that our train was not yet listed on the overhead train schedule. We sat in a cafe enjoying a coffee and waited to find out which platform we will be heading to. Mike, being cautious and thorough, went to check the board every five minutes. Once the train showed up on the screen, there was something written in a foreign language in red. "I think it's just because it's an international train," we concluded. But Mike, being Mike, wasn't convinced, and asked someone working at the station. Thank goodness for his skepticism, because 2 seconds later he quickly, yet calmly said, "Em, we have to leave right now." Our train from Brussels to Berlin was stuck in Liege, Belgium, so we had to catch the next train leaving in 2 minutes! Luckily my blisters were completely healed (hallelujah) so we were able to proceed at full speed. Thankfully, the rest of the journey went swimmingly.
DAY 1
In Berlin around 5:00pm and walked 40 minutes to our hostel- Wombats. We checked-in and went up to their rooftop deck to enjoy a complimentary drink and to take in the amazing view of Berlin. It was a damp and cold night, but that didn't deter us from enjoying the sparkling view of the city from above and venturing out to see the Festival of Lights in the city center.
The Festival of Lights happens once a year; it's when famous monuments and buildings are illuminated with amazing light/video shows. We walked to Brandenburg Gate and watched light shows (accompanied by music) submitted by 6 different countries for 30 minutes or so in the drizzling rain. Some of the shows told stories, while others were merely a mind-blowing light exhibit, which made the buildings and monuments looks as though they were being re-built or as if they were rippling like water. Excited to be in the city, we continued to walk through the streets gazing up in wonder and awe at the amazing light displays on these intricately and beautifully designed buildings and monuments. We made our way back to our part of the city and explored the blocks close to us and found a small sandwich/burger shop for dinner. Next door was a very funky bar/club- Mein Haus see Me- with classy, hipster youths sitting on mirrored stadium steps in the back and old, 70's consignment shop couches in the front. We enjoyed a drink and people watching there before calling it a night. (No pictures because everyone was too cool for us to take touristy pictures in front of)
DAY 2
Another cold and very wet day- perfect for re-learning Germany's unbelievable history. Before learning we needed to rev up our minds with coffee, and little did we know when we walked into The Barn that we would be getting not only the best coffee ever, but a coffee experience, too. Our barista/coffee expert ordered two different black coffees for us- one from Colombia the other from Honduras. Once he was done meticulously grinding the coffee beans and letting them "swim and sit" in the hot water, he aero-pressed our coffees and explained why the process is superior to other coffee-making methods. And while I'm not sure if he was right, or if it's because my brain and pallet were expecting an incredible cup of coffee, but we enjoyed the best black cup of coffee ever. Mine had a baker's chocolate taste and Mike's had fruity undertones. I may have been a barista years ago, but I never knew coffee could have SUCH different flavors.
Jazzed up on coffee we scurried through the rain and took the subway to Potsdam Platz to the DDR Museum-- along with everyone and their mother. (We honestly can't even imagine what traveling to these destinations must be like in the summer months! If we're experiencing lines and an annoying amount of people, we can't imagine what high-tourist season would be like!) The DDR Museum is very cool because it truly paints a picture of what it was like to be living in Germany during war times and as Germany rebuilt itself- all the way through the fall of the Berlin Wall. We spied on our German neighbors, played in a 1950's kitchen, we watched as a selfish child (who wouldn't share) drove an old car through the video-game streets of Berlin, we got interrogated by communists, Mike made important decisions, we watched old propaganda movies, and we graffitied love messages on a fake Berlin Wall, all the while reading incredible facts and descriptions of Germany through the ages.
Once our wet feet and soaking coats had had a chance to dry out during our few hours in the DDR museum, we unwillingly went back out into the pouring rain to make our way to the Topography of Terrors Museum and the (real) Berlin Wall remains. The Topography of Terrors Museum sits on the site of a former Secret State (SS) police headquarters. It has two parts, the first of which was outside under a glass ceiling, which has an extensive timeline with photos outlining the atrocities of German history and showing the faces of those who created such a terrifying place to be. We spent at least an hour and a half standing in the cold and reading horrifying and sad historical events. It actually felt fitting to be in such uncomfortable weather conditions- freezing and wet- while reading about the terrible conditions that these poor German people were faced with, and watching the rain hit the glass above us like teardrops...
Behind this football field length of a timeline is a piece of the remaining Berlin Wall. Which, after re-learning German history at the DDR Museum and re-learning about the horrible people and their horrifying decisions at the Topography of Terror Museum, it was really quite breathtaking to be beside the Wall that was so suppressing. It's extremely hard to believe that Germany was under such strict and scary control not that long ago! The second part of this museum was (thankfully indoors) an exhibit of many of the people that were war criminals and the cruelty that they induced. Not an exhibit for the "faint of heart"- many photos and videos of shootings, hangings, and people deceased due to malnourishment. Mike and I listened to countless (translated) radio broadcasts by Hitler and his brain-washed supporters. Crazy to hear the craziness come straight from their mouths.. I could go on and on about our feelings and thoughts that came from re-learning this piece of world history while standing on the site of a headquarters of Nazi idiots, but I think you can imagine and agree.
After diving deep into jewish and german history at various museums it was time to seek a lighter change of scene (and food), so we made our way back to the hostel to have a snack (Pringles and peanuts: a balanced part of your 7 daily food groups) and went up to Happy Hour to meet some fellow travelers. Sticking to what seems to be our natural friend-making pattern, we befriended our bartender, Miriam. Just like our Iceland bartender, Elle, she was a young woman from Barcelona (another Spanish city- like Elle who was from Brazil) who relocated to Germany (Like Elle- before moving to Iceland) for an internship. She gave us great advice on things to do the following day, which I'll get to soon (and was AMAZING), and also became a great friend in this foreign city. She gave us her number so we could meet up the following evening. Sticking to what we know and love, we went back to Mein Haus see Me for more people watching, but after a long day of walking, reading, and learning draining history we were only there for a drink before retiring to our bunks to watch Mike play Roller Coaster Tycoon.
DAY 3
Kind of impossible to imagine, but our third day in Berlin was even rainier. We woke up late and took our time getting ready, buying our time before having to head out into the rain again. I think our bodies and minds were also just tired from being "Go!-Go!-Go!" for 2 weeks straight now. We really haven't had a true day of rest- each day is a new adventure walking and exploring and meeting new places and people. We made plans to meet up with Miriam later that night around 6:00, so in the meantime we decided to kill time in a Cafe and blog/ journal. We walked in the rain for 20 minutes feeling damp and defeated because we hand't found a cafe with a good 'writing vibe' yet. But just before we gave up we found a very cool spot called East & Eden. It was a cream-colored shop with tall ceilings, earthy tones, and a health-conscious menu. Over coffee and chai tea we spent a few hours writing the Bruges blog and uploading photos. Mike sketched and journaled. Needing a change of scene, we went to Kaschk a cafe/bar close to our hostel which is covered in raw wood, hanging exposed lightbulbs and brown tones- our perfect hangout. We enjoyed a beer (my favorite ever!!) and a game of chess, which was surprisingly well played and well matched having never played together or in a few years.
Around 5:30 we left to meet Miriam, but unfortunately she got pulled into another plan that she couldn't pass up (Like Elle- we never hung out again): her friend had a gallery opening and invited her to visit. So we set out to Market Halle Neun on our own.
Heaven is a place on earth.
We took a subway to a part of the city that we hadn't yet explored, and it turned out to be a mix of very cool and young, while also being a little sketchy. We made our way through the streets and found the lit-up "MARKET HALLE" sign. Being in a poorer neighborhood I wasn't sure what to expect, but as soon as we walked through the doors to the indoor market my heart soared at the sight of big, round hanging lightbulbs and countless food vendors. Like kids in a candy store we weaved up and down the rows of amazing smells. Knowing that we were going to spend our money on gorging ourselves, we had barely eaten that day (healthy!) so we ate everything and anything we wanted to. First a pulled-pork asian sandwich on a sticky bun, followed by pork and sauerkraut, then a kangaroo sandwich, then a cheese and salami plate, and topped off by raspberry/basil and green tea organic ice cream. When I say that I never wanted to eat again, I mean it. But, alas, breakfast always comes when the sun rises.
