Week Break from Class - Days 4-6: Berlin, Germany

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We arrived into Berlin around 2pm after our 5 1/2 trainride in from Amsterdam (Which is the fastest train we could get!) They checked passports every 45 minutes to an hour while on the train, which didn't allow for much sleep, but I'm sure it had to do with the bombings just 2 days prior in London. After checking our passports 4 times, they stopped bothering us everytime they came through. There was a little bit of confusion once we got into the general area, but we figured out the city trains/subway pretty quickly and navigated into the area of Berlin our hostel was at. "Helter Skelter". The quality of accomodations was the lowest of our trip, but the location was decent for us and it was still a private room, which is what we were mainly concerned with.

Once we were settled in, we headed out in search of food, and found a little place to eat hidden away, and the food was absolutely amazing. It was almost like being back at home. After a month of light Italian foods and lighter meals in the other 2 countries we had just visited.. it was so refreshing to get a hearty meal with so much food that we couldn't finish it all! (Scroll down to see the picture of it.) After the meal, we wandered around a bit and saw a bunch of German graffiti (see the other blog entry for those pictures) and we also found the remains of a bombed out church. It really spoke to both of us. After this headed back to the hostel to rest up for the next day of exploring.

Day 2, Lindsey and I split up for the day. She wanted to tour the city via a rented bike to cover more ground, and I opted for a New Berlin tour. I normally don't go for the whole tour thing, but it had been recommended to me by my best friends who had been through the area in their own travels a few weeks prior. New Berlin is a student tour thing, completely free (tips accepted) and they show you all around the city with really interesting historical tidbits. On the tour I got to see the Brandenburg Gate, Berlinerdom, The Reichstag, The New Holocaust Memorial, The area Hitler's bunker is under, Where Einstein and Karl Marx studied, where the book burnings happened, a remaining portion of the wall, and a bunch of other buildings with the histories and stories surrounding them. I really do recommend this walking tour, and it only takes up 4 hours of your time and is a LOT more efficient than trying to find all this stuff on your own.

Once the tour ended, I met up with Lindsey for a few minutes to tell her about the Pubcrawl that was happening that night. 8-10 euros for unlimited mixed vodka shots, 4 bars, 2 dance clubs, and a TON of people from all over the world. We agreed this was a good nighttime option and since we still wanted to do our own things for the evening, we agreed to meet up again in a few more hours.

I returned to the Holocaust memorial to take it in. It really is a breathtaking monument area. There's 1,100 blocks on uneven ground that you wander through. I had read about it before arriving in Berlin and was glad it was open.. it was unveiled only a few months prior.
From there, I walked over to the Reichstag. Visitors can go into this government building and take an elevator into to top. At the top there is a dome offering a deamatic view of the city. I'm very glad I got to do this.

I met back up with Lindsey and we got ready for the evening out on the PUBCRAWL. There were so many awesome people there. The bars all were unique too. One was an old socialist hangout, another was called "Ambulance" with artwork on the ceiling. A third bar was industrial and in what kinda looked like a junk yard. They were playing Prodigy: Firestarter over the speakers and flames shot out along with the song. It was awesome! I have alot of great memories from this night. (A few pictures of this are at the end of the pictures that are posted with this entry.

The next day we got ready to leave the town, and I got another Starbucks coffee - I'd gotten one the day before also. (Way to go American commercialism...) And so was the end of our Eurotrip to the north. We caught a flight back to Pisa... which brought some pain to me because one of my ears wouldn't pop for many many hours afterwards.. and the trains in Pisa weren't arriving... but after a taxi ride back..it was time to return to class for the next month. 😊

(This entry added January 29, 2006)

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Photos

Remaining portion of the wall
At one point in time, after the fall of the wall, people could peck away and take home small portions of it, but now this is no longer allowed in order to preserve this piece of history.

Brandenburg gate
Central area of the bombings in the war.

Holocaust Memorial
1,100 columns of varying height on uneven ground.

Remains of a bombed out church
I can't begin to describe the heavy feeling inside this area which now stands as a memorial.

Brandenburg gate
With artist rendering of the damage surrounding it during the war.

Area above Hitler's bunker.
It is currently flooded to prevent people from finding their way into it. In another 50 years or so, it will possibly be drained so that people my tour it, but it is not yet the time. It's also to prevent neonazi groups from meeting in the area.

Never a liked building..
During the war, it was the German Air Force building (which we never bombed... instead opting to bomb Hitler's precious opera house.. and then again after he repaired it with what little funds were left). Now it's the German IRS building, lol.

Cafe Adler
This is beside Checkpoint Charlie (which is what the image of the soldier is for)

The University
Where Einstein, Karl Marx, and others studied.

With my awesome Tour Guide
Me and Ryan Ruby in front of Berliner Dom after the tour was over.