The trip from Galway to Berlin was long but uneventful. Bus from Galway to Shannon airport, wait around the airport, get on a plane, depart on time, and get into Berlin about 8. Passport control, luggage, trains and underground and we were in our (nice, finally) hostel by 9:30. Asleep by 11:30.
The next morning dawned bright and early. I woke up at 6:30 again due to the sunlight, so I got up, showered and spent some quality time on the internet before waking my travel companion at 9. We went on a walking tour at 11, which was absolutely wonderful but very long; we didn't get done until about 3. I love walking tours, despite the length, because they quickly introduce a city and its history to you. And with a city as big as Berlin, you need someone to show you around in the beginning. We saw all the major sites- Brandenberg gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, Holocaust memorial, various Nazi stuff and so much more. More than you could ever convince yourself to see on your own. And the tour guides give out more information then you could probably acquire on your own. The only downside to the tour? The scorching heat and blistering sun. It actually probably wasn't that hot but since I've been in England so long, things just feel hotter. After the extensive walking tour, we wanted to rest for a little bit to soothe our feet, so we went to Fassbender and Rausch, the famous chocolatier to pick up some delectable chocolates and ate them in a grassy area by Gendarmenmarkt. Delicious, comfortable and beautiful all at once. Once we had rested our poor little footsies for a while, we set out again.
This time we headed for museums. First was the Topography of Terror exhibit, which was housed in the rubble of the Gestapo command center and displayed kind of the history of socialism and the Gestapo in Germany. An interesting exhibit, but very sad. All one can do is hope that such a thing never happens again. And what was really awful was that a lot of these people really believed what they were doing was the right thing. Terrible. After that uplifting museum, we went to another downer- the Museum of the Wall by Checkpoint Charlie. Unfortunately, this museum had SO much information in it and didn't seem to have a lot of organization to it so my eyes started to glaze over a bit. I mostly read the escapes of people over the Berlin Wall. Basically East Berlin/Germany/Eastern Bloc sucked really bad and people would do anything (such as dress up as a cow and join a herd) to get over. And the information about the wall coming down was fascinating and moving as well. After the Wall Museum, we couldn't handle much more sightseeing so we went back to the hostel area for dinner. Found a great restaurant, struggled with a German menu before our waitress realized we spoke English and brought us an English menu and I had delicious spicy lamb sausage, salad and free bread! A novelty in Europe.
The next morning started off sans alarm but early enough. After breakfast, we headed down to the Jewish museum. It was nice to look at a museum about Judaism that chronicled their time from the middle ages, looked at their traditions and different aspects of their religion instead of just focusing on the Holocaust. It was a refreshing change to see it in such a whole picture. Of course the Jews have had it rought many many times as the musuem showed. Christians are such wankers sometimes. I do not know why they think their way is the only way and that all others should be persecuted for their beliefs. Stupid idea, really. We spent a while in the museum before heading out to lunch. We wanted to go to this recommended currywurst stand but it was a little out of the way- whatever, totally worth it. Delicious, spicy little sausage that was really cheap. That was another thing I liked about Berlin, everything seemed less expensive than other parts of Europe. Our meal the first night, which would have cost probably 15 euros in Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Dublin, etc, cost 10 euro in Berlin. I guess I figured since it was a major European capital, prices would be comprable, but happily they were not. After our out-of-the-way lunch, we headed back on the u-bahn (Berlin has fabulous public transportation) to the hostel, stopping at KaDaWe on the way. This is some massive department store with a HUGE food area on the 6th floor. Honestly, I thought Harrods was col, but this put Harrods to shame. Food everywhere! Quite amazing. Then we popped back into the hostel for a brief rest.
We headed out again in search of dinner. Again, we went to the same far out area as lunch for this great Asian restaurant with deliciou, large portions and low prices. Plus, is was in this trendy area of north Berlin where a lot of tattoed hippies hang out- always fun. After dinner we went to Museum Island to go to the Egyptian museum because it was free on Thursdays after 6. Really the only reason we went was to see the bust of Nefertiti (you know, THE bust of Nefertiti), otherwise it was small and uninspiring and I would have felt a little ripped off if I had to pay. We then walked along Unter de Linden to get to the Reichstag. As we walked along, we noticed a massive amount of police on the street. Soon, this huge motorcade with tons of police cars and armed escorts zoomed down the road. We asked some friendly Germans what was going on and they told us that the President of Russia (actually they said the Soviet Union- they were old) was in town and just passed us. Exciting but I felt sort of ignorant for not knowing that there was a new president in Russia. Oh well, I have been in my Brighton bubble. We continued on to the Reichstage, climbed the huge class dome and had some great views before heading back to the hostel.
Reflection on Berlin: I really liked it. The only thing it's missing is that old world charm of Paris, Rome, etc. But as our tour guide pointed out, Berlin as we know it is a young city, only about 19 years since the wall fell. So no old world, but an interesting new one. Regardless of a lack of historic buildings, there was still a ton to do and we were very busy for the two full days we were there. And since avenues were wide, nothing felt really crowded and prices seemed low compared to other places in Europe- both things that I really like. Oh and a lot of people spoke English which was very nice since my knowledge of German is basically good-bye and God bless you (like after you sneeze). Of course, my knowledge of Czech is even worse so we will see how that goes. Off to Eastern Europe!
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