Berlin Marks the Beginning
Just a week into study abroad, our group headed to Berlin. We booked the tickets impromptu after hearing what a great city and easy trip it could be.
We took off early Friday morning - flying into TXJ. I recommend if you are traveling to Berlin on a budget to purchase the "72 hour bus pass" from the airport. It will take care of your transportation during your entire stay in Berlin.
Just a week into study abroad, our group headed to Berlin. We booked the tickets impromptu after hearing what a great city and easy trip it could be.
We took off early Friday morning - flying into TXJ. I recommend if you are traveling to Berlin on a budget to purchase the "72 hour bus pass" from the airport. It will take care of your transportation during your entire stay in Berlin.
OUR INTRODUCTION TO BERLIN
We stayed in an area called Friedrichshain at Plus Hostel. The hostel has an ideal location for transportation (next to both the U & S train systems) & nightlife (walking distance to the major Berlin nightclubs). The hostel itself was a bit sketchy.. but clean and our room was fine for the price we were paying. We took off from the Hostel and headed into Mitte which is the central part of Berlin. After lunch at a fun German restaurant, we took off on a self-guided walking tour to see the Berlin TV Tower, the Berliner Dom, Gerdemener Market, and Fassbender & Rausch Chocolate shop. The chocolate shop is also a cafe & restaurant - highly recommend going upstairs and trying a hot chocolate. They also have interesting meals with coco-components such as mandarin salad with chocolate shavings. Sounded a bit questionable...
That night we ate like kings! The prices for food in Berlin were 3/4 the prices of those in Copenhagen. We found a delicious, Italian run pizza shop walking distance from the hostel called Trattoria and feasted. Unfortunately, the overload of food and red wine left us a bit sleepy by the time we should have headed to the clubs. It also left us in the midst of a blizzard - so we only ventured to as far as the club next to our hostel "Matrix." It should have been called "Matrix: Club for Misfits." Would NOT recommend.
SACHSENHAUSEN CONCENTRATION CAMP
The second day in Berlin, we made our way to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp outside of Berlin. Sachsenhausen was one of the oldest concentration camps during the Nazi regime in Germany. I found that much of the camp seemed theatrical unlike my experience at Dachau. Most of the camp had been destroyed so it was recreated for visitors. The experience was humbling (and also very cold - most of the camp is outdoors). What surprised me most that the camp we visited was actually the second Sachsenhausen "work" camp. The original camp was built within the city of Sachsenhausen. People of the town could look into the camp and observe prisoners working to build the the railway. The camp was not moved until some people from the town saw and reported instances of prisoners abuse in the camp. From there, they moved the camp a 20 minute walk out of town and built a high enough wall to hide the injustices of the camp.
We stayed in an area called Friedrichshain at Plus Hostel. The hostel has an ideal location for transportation (next to both the U & S train systems) & nightlife (walking distance to the major Berlin nightclubs). The hostel itself was a bit sketchy.. but clean and our room was fine for the price we were paying. We took off from the Hostel and headed into Mitte which is the central part of Berlin. After lunch at a fun German restaurant, we took off on a self-guided walking tour to see the Berlin TV Tower, the Berliner Dom, Gerdemener Market, and Fassbender & Rausch Chocolate shop. The chocolate shop is also a cafe & restaurant - highly recommend going upstairs and trying a hot chocolate. They also have interesting meals with coco-components such as mandarin salad with chocolate shavings. Sounded a bit questionable...
That night we ate like kings! The prices for food in Berlin were 3/4 the prices of those in Copenhagen. We found a delicious, Italian run pizza shop walking distance from the hostel called Trattoria and feasted. Unfortunately, the overload of food and red wine left us a bit sleepy by the time we should have headed to the clubs. It also left us in the midst of a blizzard - so we only ventured to as far as the club next to our hostel "Matrix." It should have been called "Matrix: Club for Misfits." Would NOT recommend.
SACHSENHAUSEN CONCENTRATION CAMP
The second day in Berlin, we made our way to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp outside of Berlin. Sachsenhausen was one of the oldest concentration camps during the Nazi regime in Germany. I found that much of the camp seemed theatrical unlike my experience at Dachau. Most of the camp had been destroyed so it was recreated for visitors. The experience was humbling (and also very cold - most of the camp is outdoors). What surprised me most that the camp we visited was actually the second Sachsenhausen "work" camp. The original camp was built within the city of Sachsenhausen. People of the town could look into the camp and observe prisoners working to build the the railway. The camp was not moved until some people from the town saw and reported instances of prisoners abuse in the camp. From there, they moved the camp a 20 minute walk out of town and built a high enough wall to hide the injustices of the camp.
"ANTI"-PUB CRAWL In sharp contrast to the day's events, we signed ourselves up for supposedly Berlin's best Pub Crawl. The philosophy of the "anti-pub crawl" is to experience some of the most alternative bars & clubs in the city - as unobtrusively as possible. Started the night at a very "psychedelic" bar called Yesterday Bar that was outfitted in proper 60's & 70's eccentricities. From there we ventured into the depths (actually two flights into a basement) of "Rock Horror Bar." Clad in black with gothic decor, the Rock Horror Bar was alternative in its own way. This way included a scottish rock band in kilts bag-piping their way through songs perched on the main bar. The third bar is a theme that has been popping up in major cities all over the world: The Ping Pong Bar. To call it a bar is a courtesy - it is basically the basement. of a large building, unfinished concrete floors and all. The idea is that you get a paddle (and a drink) and it is a giant game of around the world. Don't fool yourself though - these are no drunk amateurs saddled with pong paddles. The fourth bar and the final club were both LGBT which brought a lot of fun and flair to the evening. The club was even Hawaiian themed (our all-black get ups did not get us far). It was a blast romping around the different bars and seeing all of the eclectic characters that Berlin brings together in a harmony of weirdness. FINAL SIGHTS & A SUPERBOWL For our last day in Berlin, we finished the walking tour we started by seeing Berlin's East Side Gallery highlighting what is left of the Berlin Wall. We also visited Berlin's Capitol Building, a memorial dedicated to the Gypsies murdered in the Holocaust, Brandenburg Gate, and the Jewish Holocaust Memorial. The Hofbrauhaus Berlin was the final stop of the trip on the way to the airport. We enjoyed a few pints and the classic veal sausage before an evening flight back to Copenhagen. Now our last day in Berlin was also February 1st & the Superbowl. Our traveling partner, Dan, is from Boston so it was imperative that we were back in Copenhagen & at a bar to watch the game. Needless to say, the New England Patriots secured an exhilarating win over the Seattle Seahawks and concluded an excellent weekend for us. |