Although I hoped we would have the blog finished before now, its still nice to have this time to sit and think about our trip. When I’m at work in corporate America where holidays are not a priority, its nice to take a moment to day dream about what I was doing last year. Man we were something else.
Once we left Ireland, we started a ten day whirlwind through Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Budapest before heading back stateside. We were in full backpack mode hopping from hostel to hostel from museums to cafes to parks and river barges. Sometimes looking back we have to think real hard about was that sausage in Berlin or Vienna, did we see that painting in Prague or Budapest. Luckily, I wrote down in my planner what we did for the most part and it helps to look back at pictures too.
I guess I shouldn’t complain. There are worse problems to have.
We arrived in Berlin around midday ready to start a new adventure in a new city. It was our first time back to the mainland of Europe since we left Montenegro. Technically we weren’t allowed in until this time, but whatever…
Once we got to Berlin we checked into our hostel where we were surprised with the best room. It had a balcony which is nearly impossible to find. We had trouble even finding AirBnB’s with a balcony. Once we dropped our packs, we headed out into the city for lunch. As we have mentioned on previous posts, we usually would drop our stuff and head to the store to buy groceries. Since we were hopping around every other day, we were almost exclusively eating our meals out.
Our first meal in Berlin was under a freeway where we enjoyed a burger and beer from a little street stand called Burgermeister. As we chowed down we took in our surroundings the bikes, the city buses, trams and subways… Berlin makes it easy for you to get from Point A to Point B. You have excellent options to navigate the city.
After we were fed, we headed to the East Side Gallery. This is a popular landmark where the Berlin Wall is still standing and covered with graffiti.
It was installed shortly after the Iron Curtain fell and most of the art has survived or been restored since then. It’s no surprise that Berlin has a sordid past, but to see part of that history standing in front of you. It is indescribable. Under all the paint is a wall that separated not only government ideologies, but families. This wall was once known for its divisiveness, but now brings people from all over the world together to marvel at the monument and the freedom that came with its destruction.
After walking the wall, we set out for the city streets not visiting anything in particular just getting to know the lay of the land. We met our friend Lisa for dinner that night at Prater Garten (a suggestion from our fellow Camino friend Candace). Once we knew we would be going to Berlin, and we knew Lisa was living there, we made a resolution to see each other. We enjoyed dinner and a beer (or two or three) as we caught back up on what each other had been doing since our Caminos ended. The time seemed to fly in between conversations of jobs, travel stories, and comments on the state of politics in the nation.
At the garden I tried my first Berliner-Style Weisse. It was basically beer with sweet raspberry syrup. We learned that you can get a beer mixed with anything – lemonade “aka Sprite” or even Coca Cola. Although interesting, I think I’m going to pass on mixing my beers with regular sodas.
Our second day in Berlin started with another free walking tour with Sandemans. We had a few lackluster walking tours during our trip, but this one did not fall in that category. For a city with so much history, our guide had no trouble seamlessly packing it all in.
Our tour covered Napoleon, Hitler, the Berlin Wall, CheckPoint Charlie and even Michael Jackson. I think the most impressing/memorable part was the Holocaust Monument. Seeing the monument and walking through the monument offered two very different perspectives.
Once our group walked through hills and valleys within the monument, we emerged on the other side feeling a bit off kilter.
Our guide invited us to take a seat and challenged us to think about the monument and how it made us feel. He offered no information on how the monument should be interpreted but instead asked us what we thought. Timidly, several people in our tour group offered their explanations. The guide informed us that the creator of the monument offered no explanations for the monument, no answers for why each block is a different size, or why blocks are in rows, not even why the ground below is not flat but instead leads you up and down and up again before you reach the other end. Instead of providing the answers the creator wants us to discuss the monument and how it represents the Holocaust. I appreciated the guide taking the time to facilitate this discussion
Our tour ended in the spot where all the books were burned during the Nazi regime. In true Berlin fashion, across from where books were once burned a book sale is carried out.
All the walking and discussion worked up an appetite. We decided to bravely try the local delicacy – Currywurst. Man oh man, the dish seems like the idea of a 10 yr old who was let loose in his parents kitchen. Currywurst is simply a sausage covered in sauce (resembling a soupier ketchup) and curry powder. We surprisingly liked it, but don’t expect us to start adding it into our normal dinner rotation.
After lunch we headed to the DDR (Deutchland Democratik Republic) museum. The museum shows what life behind the wall was like. It was a great museum for kids because it was so interactive. In the museum we were able to see how houses were set up, how specialty stores were created just for people who were making more money than they could spend, there was even a section about doping in sports and a diorama of a typical German nudist beach. The museum had it all. In all seriousness though, it was an informative experience to see what communist life behind the wall looked like.
After the museum we moved up to the river for a rest. Our rest turned into a beer break. Next thing we knew we were enjoying a sunset by the Berliner Dom listening to yet another street musician playing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” We finished up our night with a little doner kepab dinner. Clay still talks about this meal. I think it was his most favorite of everything we had on the trip (at least that is the way he talks about it).
Day three in Berlin was spent seeing some of the bigger sights. We stopped into the Berliner Dom. We walked through the church and got a view of the city from the air. We clamored up all the steps and narrow hallways to make it to the top of the Dome. The view was lovely, but impossible to capture well on camera.
After lunch in the city, we decided to check out one of the many museums in Berlin. The city is home to a ton of museums. In fact they have a whole island of them. We opted for the non museum island Gemäldegalerie Art Museum. I could stay in museums for hours. Often I do. We strolled through room after room standing and staring. I was starting to take so long that Clay left me. He rejoined me about 30 mins later bragging that he had found the perfect napping spot.
We left the museum to meet up with Lisa again for one final meal. After we had dinner we all went back to the river and talked until we couldn’t talk anymore. I will miss Berlin not only because of the history, art, and food, but because we got to visit a friend. I’m happy we have a few of them scatter throughout the globe.
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