Euro Trip
So, most of y'all are probably wondering what I did in Berlin. Here's a day-by-day account of my adventures. You know you're jealous!
March 5 - Jet rides from Greensboro to Charlotte to Philadelphia to Frankfurt to Berlin. Don't ask me how many hours that is altogether, I don't know. I agree with Shannon: The ride there is much more fun than the ride back home. I got so excited when I looked down on Berlin from the plane. I enjoyed looking at all the snow, the forests, the bodies of water, the towns and the city. I like how "suburban sprawl" doesn't exist in Europe. All communities are nuclear, leaving ample room for wildlife and natural resources. There was even a forest near Berlin's Tegel Airport, and I noticed a large fox traipsing across the snow just a few feet from the landing strip.
March 6 - The youth hostel rocks. Our first meal consisted of roasted chicken thighs, sauteed potato rounds, bread, salad, and yogurt for lunch. Sorry Ashley, but Germany is not vegetarian-friendly. The beds are comfy and we have a sink in our room. On the downside, the toiletpaper has the consistency of rough cardboard and the showers have water-control knobs - the water only turns on for a few seconds, then you have to push the knob again. These people must be crazy about water conservation!
I enjoyed visiting the Reichstag (their parliament building). That's when it hit me - I am in Berlin at this very moment. We made it! The view of the city from the dome was superb.
Note: If you are like me and can only stand so much cigarette smoke, bring a gas-mask. Germans LOVE their cigarettes. I got deathly ill from inhaling about twelve cigarettes worth of second-hand smoke a day.
March 7 - We visited the Story of Berlin museum, and after lunch we went shopping around KuDammCar and KaDeWe. I especially loved the culinary wonders on the top floor of the KaDeWe. There were beggars and street musicians on Kufurstendamm. Unlike American beggars, German beggars actually prostrate themselves in front of passers-by. I gave some change to the street musicians. We shopped some more at an area near the Spree River, which runs through Berlin. I purchased some Birkenstocks for 23 Euros! So exciting! We ate dinner at a very popular restaurant where I had saurbraten which consisted of pork cutlets in brown sauce, puffy dumplings, and applesauce. On the way back to the hostel, we strolled through Potsdamer Platz, which reminded me of a hybrid between a football stadium dome and a shopping area in Manhattan.
March 8 - The Checkpoint Charlie Museum was neat. It showed all the different people who escaped East Berlin and all the different ways they escaped. It also had lots of artwork dealing with a divided Berlin. The Stasi prison was one of my favorite destinations of the trip. I learned a lot. The prison had not been drastically altered for tourist purposes, but everything was pretty much just as it was when it was abandoned in 1990. The stark repetition of all the cells and the interrogation rooms were spooky. Berlin is a city filled with so many ironies. One example of this is the rosegarden which grew in a courtyard in the middle of the prison. The prisoners were never allowed to see the beauty which existed in the center of so much evil and oppression. That night we saw a musical called "Swinging Berlin." I never thought in my entire life would I ever see a musical in another language. It was a pretty standard musical (the choruses of some songs were in English), but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was about a group of swing-kids during the rise of the Third Reich in Germany. Dr. Baumgartner explained that this musical was actually very innovative because it was addressing issues of WWII - not many German plays/musicals have done that. It is a subject which is generally overlooked, and Germans possess a humble guilt associated with such an embarrassing part of their history, and don't confront it. I like how women in German media and entertainment look healthy and well-fed. Rarely have I seen stick-figures with no flesh on their bones.
March 9 - Sanssouci Palace, cold and beautiful. The ocean-themed dining room was from out of a dream. Tomato and mozzarella baguettes are yummy. Note: German grocery stores do not have paper or plastic bags. You are expected to provide your own bags. I had four Guinesses at an Irish Pub (in Germany?!) and didn't get sick.
March 10 - The Topagraphie des Terrors. Wish I could read German. Turkish food - nothing wrong with that! Spicy meat, strong tea, and cool yogurt. Too much walking. By this time, the people in my group are getting on my nerves.
March 11 - I have a bad cold and it is snowing fat, wet snow. I could have spent all day in the Pergamon Museum, but we were only there for an hour or two. Shannon and I had a decadent lunch on the 6th floor of the KaDeWe. I had miso soup, sushi, hot green tea, and tons of wasabi while Shannon had a fancy icecream pastry. The Filmmuseum Berlin was the bee's knees, and I bought and read a book which contains all the info presented in the museum. I am now an expert on German film, so the next time I am stuck with one of those all-black wearing artsy types, I'll have something to talk with him/her about.
March 12 - I was miserable on this day. Sore throat, runny nose, dry red eyes, cold chills and fever, waiting in line for the butch at security to frisk me. It was hell, but I got over it.
Next time I'm going to Berlin in the summer with my OWN itinerary. Want to come along?
March 5 - Jet rides from Greensboro to Charlotte to Philadelphia to Frankfurt to Berlin. Don't ask me how many hours that is altogether, I don't know. I agree with Shannon: The ride there is much more fun than the ride back home. I got so excited when I looked down on Berlin from the plane. I enjoyed looking at all the snow, the forests, the bodies of water, the towns and the city. I like how "suburban sprawl" doesn't exist in Europe. All communities are nuclear, leaving ample room for wildlife and natural resources. There was even a forest near Berlin's Tegel Airport, and I noticed a large fox traipsing across the snow just a few feet from the landing strip.
March 6 - The youth hostel rocks. Our first meal consisted of roasted chicken thighs, sauteed potato rounds, bread, salad, and yogurt for lunch. Sorry Ashley, but Germany is not vegetarian-friendly. The beds are comfy and we have a sink in our room. On the downside, the toiletpaper has the consistency of rough cardboard and the showers have water-control knobs - the water only turns on for a few seconds, then you have to push the knob again. These people must be crazy about water conservation!
I enjoyed visiting the Reichstag (their parliament building). That's when it hit me - I am in Berlin at this very moment. We made it! The view of the city from the dome was superb.
Note: If you are like me and can only stand so much cigarette smoke, bring a gas-mask. Germans LOVE their cigarettes. I got deathly ill from inhaling about twelve cigarettes worth of second-hand smoke a day.
March 7 - We visited the Story of Berlin museum, and after lunch we went shopping around KuDammCar and KaDeWe. I especially loved the culinary wonders on the top floor of the KaDeWe. There were beggars and street musicians on Kufurstendamm. Unlike American beggars, German beggars actually prostrate themselves in front of passers-by. I gave some change to the street musicians. We shopped some more at an area near the Spree River, which runs through Berlin. I purchased some Birkenstocks for 23 Euros! So exciting! We ate dinner at a very popular restaurant where I had saurbraten which consisted of pork cutlets in brown sauce, puffy dumplings, and applesauce. On the way back to the hostel, we strolled through Potsdamer Platz, which reminded me of a hybrid between a football stadium dome and a shopping area in Manhattan.
March 8 - The Checkpoint Charlie Museum was neat. It showed all the different people who escaped East Berlin and all the different ways they escaped. It also had lots of artwork dealing with a divided Berlin. The Stasi prison was one of my favorite destinations of the trip. I learned a lot. The prison had not been drastically altered for tourist purposes, but everything was pretty much just as it was when it was abandoned in 1990. The stark repetition of all the cells and the interrogation rooms were spooky. Berlin is a city filled with so many ironies. One example of this is the rosegarden which grew in a courtyard in the middle of the prison. The prisoners were never allowed to see the beauty which existed in the center of so much evil and oppression. That night we saw a musical called "Swinging Berlin." I never thought in my entire life would I ever see a musical in another language. It was a pretty standard musical (the choruses of some songs were in English), but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was about a group of swing-kids during the rise of the Third Reich in Germany. Dr. Baumgartner explained that this musical was actually very innovative because it was addressing issues of WWII - not many German plays/musicals have done that. It is a subject which is generally overlooked, and Germans possess a humble guilt associated with such an embarrassing part of their history, and don't confront it. I like how women in German media and entertainment look healthy and well-fed. Rarely have I seen stick-figures with no flesh on their bones.
March 9 - Sanssouci Palace, cold and beautiful. The ocean-themed dining room was from out of a dream. Tomato and mozzarella baguettes are yummy. Note: German grocery stores do not have paper or plastic bags. You are expected to provide your own bags. I had four Guinesses at an Irish Pub (in Germany?!) and didn't get sick.
March 10 - The Topagraphie des Terrors. Wish I could read German. Turkish food - nothing wrong with that! Spicy meat, strong tea, and cool yogurt. Too much walking. By this time, the people in my group are getting on my nerves.
March 11 - I have a bad cold and it is snowing fat, wet snow. I could have spent all day in the Pergamon Museum, but we were only there for an hour or two. Shannon and I had a decadent lunch on the 6th floor of the KaDeWe. I had miso soup, sushi, hot green tea, and tons of wasabi while Shannon had a fancy icecream pastry. The Filmmuseum Berlin was the bee's knees, and I bought and read a book which contains all the info presented in the museum. I am now an expert on German film, so the next time I am stuck with one of those all-black wearing artsy types, I'll have something to talk with him/her about.
March 12 - I was miserable on this day. Sore throat, runny nose, dry red eyes, cold chills and fever, waiting in line for the butch at security to frisk me. It was hell, but I got over it.
Next time I'm going to Berlin in the summer with my OWN itinerary. Want to come along?