Berlin - Very Interesting...

---

Berlin is different than any other city I’ve ever been to. It is so different than the other European cities I have visited that you’d almost wonder if is has been transplanted to the middle of Europe by some sort of alien being (albeit I suppose that sort of is what Hitler did…)

Rather than ramble on about the three days we spent in the city, we’ll tell you exactly what makes Berlin so interesting:

1. What Paris has in the way of sophistication, Berlin has in 80s Punk/Goth. Never have I seen so many blue-haired, safety pin toting people in my life! It didn’t matter what your age was, punk lives in those that believe it, even if you are 50.
2. The city looks like it is having a bit of an identity crisis; it is a mix of newish buildings (post 1990) and prewar buildings. Whether it is as a result of lack of cash, or for commeration, many of the buildings damaged during World War II have remained that way. Add to that bits of the wall here and there, and you are left with a very haphazard city.
3. Paris many have an equal when it comes to quality baked goods. German pasteries (sorta like a cross between streusel and danishes) are awesome. So are their pretzels… and probably all the other things we didn’t have a change to try.
4. German Café Breakfast: 2 white coloured sausages in a pot of hot water (brought to the table in said pot), a pretzel, some bread and a beer.
5. Beer everywhere: we aren’t talking all the pubs and markets. We’re talking in the hands of people being drank in the streets as if it were water or pop. That said, the beers we tried were excellent. I particularly liked a pilsner-esque beer called Berlinger. The biggest problem with this is, most of the city smells a little like beer and everything that comes with too much beer.
6. Tiergarten: A huge park (that was once the aristocracy’s hunting ground) in the centre of town. Obama was setting up for a speech there, so we did not get to see some parts.
7. The Berlin Wall: Not that tall, covered in graffiti. Surprising really, but very cool to see. Now it is entrenched in the roads of Berlin, by small blocks around the city. (marking where it was)
8. KZ Sachsenhausen: a concentration camp set up in a town just outside Berlin. Apparently during the war captives were MARCHED THROUGH TOWN from the main railway station. We walked it ourselves, 20 minutes through the community. The camp itself was a lot larger than we’d expected. I think seeing the barracks and imagining the way people had to live during those times is a very humbling experience. Station Z (their extermination quarters) is eerie and quiet. The remains of the cremation furnace still exists. Although seeing the camp was nauseating and heartbreaking, I think it might be one of the most meaningful moments of the trip; looking back on the past mistakes can only help us to appreciate one another and what we have.

---