Germany

On to our final country for this European summer and before I settle back into London life and finally get a job! Berlin was our first destination and we had only ever heard good things about this place so we were all very excited but also a little too nervous to go crazy as we had Oktoberfest just days away now.  We came from Prague and as our trip was coming to an end we had recently begun to stretch our money so as to save it for London shopping. Therefore we thought it would be a smart idea to book an overnight bus to Berlin, saving money on a nights accommodation. However the expected 5am arrival time (midnight departure) actually turned out to be a 4am arrival and instead of going the cheap way to our hostel (train or walk) we got a taxi. Whilst we were doing well on the money side our bodies were physically draining from lack of sleep and upon arrival we put our bags in storage and made use of the couches in the reception, mine of course being right at the front door which the reception lady insisted on keeping open so I pretty much got zilch sleep and almost froze to death...how I wish we paid for accommodation now! Being so drained this also followed on to allow me to waste the day. Waiting to check in, showering and then finally sleeping and I would soon realise that each day is precious in Berlin and must never be wasted as there is so much to do that I wouldn’t even know where to begin.

This place is ridiculous. It screams alternative, history, quirky, hidden and fun and yet this is my impression only after a few short days. We took the Berlin wall on the next day, venturing off to the East Side Gallery, walking down the 1300m stretch of one of a few sections of the wall, which still remain as a reminder of the past and a warning of the future. This one is beautiful as it is full of murals that have been painted on the wall, each one sending a message to their audience of their impression, opinions and memories of the Berlin wall and what it meant to them or their people. With all the sight seeing and history we had done lately we were still a little hazy with why this wall was put up and hoped that the tour we were going to do would explain it.... as well as Wikipedia once we got back to Wi-Fi.

Next was the DDR museum, a cool and interactive museum, mainly targeted at adolescents but attracted us because it had lots of hands-on exhibitions, vocal recordings and set ups of household items or political documents and items used during the time that the Berlin wall was up. I enjoyed it more so because it was different to all the other museums we had been to and this made it a bit more fun for us.

We took a break from all the walking and relaxed in the park as we fell asleep in the sun and embraced the last few days of Summer. Once recharged we headed to a German pub to test taste the beer that we would be expecting at Oktoberfest and to trial the famous pork knuckle they had to offer. YUM! It tasted so delicious and ordering it with mash and vegies made it feel like a home cooked meal, something I have truly missed and can’t wait to do once back in London.

The next day we managed to get up before 10am and make it to the bike tour (fat tyre tours is a must when in Berlin) and this was much much better than I expected. Berlin is massive and anyone thinking that they can do it all in a walking tour are kidding themselves. The bike tour is definitely the way to go as you get around quicker and therefore see more. On our map things looked much further away but we soon learnt that the hostel we struggled to book was actually in prime position and an excellent choice (city hostel).  Wishing we had done this tour the first day, we soon covered all the major sights, had lunch in a beer garden (Dani and I munched on the food we stocked up on from the buffet breakfast, to cut costs you see) and already started to plan our next day of all the places we wanted to explore in depth yet didn’t have time for. The guide was extremely informative, funny and went at a steady pace for everyone. Highly recommended. We visited a different section of the wall, numerous Nazi sites, the book burning square, historical statues, monuments and even stopped at the hostel that Michael Jackson dangled his baby from a window. Although Danielle and I didn’t realise this until after we had asked them to use their toilet and were in awe at the fact we, two grubby backpackers in shorts or old jumpers, were allowed in such a swarve hotel so to document this moment we started doing toilet selfies, Dani of course taking pics of the toilets-much better than ours.

Although we had recently done quite a bit of WW2 stuff it was interesting to have a change. Poland was all about the Jews and how they were affected however here we focused a little more on Hitler and with Berlin being the Nazi capital this was the perfect place. So the next day we visited the Topography of terror museum, which documented in pictures and personal recounts the rise of Hitler and his affects on the war. This was rather interesting as you always find more information on the victims rather than this terrible dictator and we at times begun to wonder how he managed to trick everyone, yet a lot of his racial comments were documented and made public, you just don’t believe that anyone would do such a thing until it is too late. Another thing that also interested me was how he died. I knew that he committed suicide but on the tour we were taken to the bunker where this occurred and his last days were described to us. A very cowardly way to die I think. If he was so strongly opinionated then he should have faced the music and had had the guts to do so.

Our final day was filled with a visit to the Jewish museum, possibly the best free museum I have been to. This had a collection and a variety of personal accounts, first focusing on the Jews as a whole, as a family and individually. Personal recounts of various moments within the war and inside the camps, letters thrown out of carriages days before they were murdered and kept by family members, letters to friends warning them of what they think might be happening and stories of survival. This place really touched my heart as it went to a more personal level, as though we entered a room full of people who wanted to share their stories with us.

We finished the day on a somewhat lighter mode as we visited the third part of the wall, one that is intact showing the division, watchtower and ‘no man’s land’. You can go to a lookout and view exactly what it would have been like all those years ago. We stayed up here for a good half hour and discussed this. Imagining what it would have been like to live here during that time or live anywhere during a time of struggle. We live in such a lucky country and I am so fortunate that I’ve never had to encounter anything like this and could only imagine what it would be like to live through a war. Definitely a conversation lined up for my Grandad when I return to London.

Our time in Berlin was up and it was sad to leave as we had only done the touristy stuff, hardly went out and apparently there is some super cool alternative things to do here. A friend of mine gave us a massive list of things to do and we hardly ticked any of it off (except a Vietnamese restaurant that was possibly the best meal I’ve had in a long time). So it seems that Berlin has easily made it on my ‘places to return’ list and could be sooner than I imagine. However, Oktoberfest and a final drink up with the friends we have met along the way before we say goodbye to Summer (kind of already have with this weather) and head to London. Bring it on! To read about Oktoberfest click here.