Our travel day from Amsterdam to Berlin started off a little shaky. We took the train to the airport and somehow, only Olivia and I managed to get off before the train doors closed. Luckily, Emily and Jessie made it on the plane despite their minor detour into rural Amsterdam. We went through the obnoxious Easy Jet mob boarding style, took my seat, and woke up in Berlin.
Berlin is simply a cool place to be. Often referred to as "alt" (alternative) and the punk capital of the world, it is a grungy but beautiful modern city that has clearly been influenced by its rough history. But before I continue, let me take a moment to talk about this so-called hostel we were staying in. I call Plus Berlin a "so-called" hostel because the "s" has no place in that word. It was a hotel at a hostel price. Huge lobby, huge room, super helpful receptionists, a restaurant with a delicious breakfast (that had more than toast!) our own bathroom, a game room, a yard... Unreal. Toto, I don't think we're in hostel Kansas anymore. This was the Oz hostel. So stay there when you go to Berlin.
Ok enough of that. After putting down our bags and forcing ourselves to leave our beautiful room, we ate lunch at a burger stand. Now, I'm not a huge red meat fan, but this burger (bunless for me, with bun for the normal people) was absolutely delicious. Then we walked along the East Side Gallery which is a part of the wall that is covered in art work. Just when I thought I found my favorite one, there was another mural to wow me even more. It was a great expression of post Cold War peace and love. Then, we headed to the much more modern and much more commercial KaDiWee (sp?), a huge Harrods-esque department store in town. Not quite as impressive as Harrods, but a good place to feel fancy and wander. After dinner in our neighborhood, we decided to spend the night in with Harry Potter 6. You can't ever go wrong with HP.
The next day was full of touristy Berlin. Tour of the Reichstag (parliament building), a very tasteful and powerful Holocaust memorial and museum, Brandenburg Gate, consumption of currywurst, and the New Synagogue. I particularly enjoyed learning about the Jewish community (did I surprise you?). Berlin had several synagogues, a Jewish school, a Jewish old age home, and a very strong Reform Jewish community. Learning about the rich past was inspiring and I believe that a strong Jewish community could return to what is now a very accepting and open city. It was a long day, but we felt very accomplished at the end.
As if our day wasn't full enough, we followed it up with an alternative pub crawl, which took us to 5 different pubs of different varieties-punk, pool table, absinth... We met a lot of fun people from all over the world and were guided by a German young woman who seemed to fit right in to every place we went. It was definitely a fun night, and definitely something I glad I was being guided to.
The next day, we continued our super alt Berlin lifestyle and took a free alternative tour, which I highly recommentd. Our tour guide took a trip to Berlin a couple of years ago and just decided to stay. Can you imagine being that spontaneous and carefree? She has dabbled in the art scene and is now in two band-one which she described as pop and one as punk and screaming. The tour, which was the four of us plus one other couple, felt like we were just following her around a normal day. We saw a ton of graffittie and learned to recognize some of the prominent artists. We stopped at an African beach bar and ate delicious African food (don't ask me what it is). We learned about a yearly food fight that takes place between two rival neighborhoods. Something particularly interesting to me was the strong Anti-Fascist movement in Germany. I didn't realize that spirit was still alive today. Apparently, on May 1, aka May Day, there are huge parties/riots. The neo-Nazis who come out to protest have to be protected by the police from the tons of Anti-Fa people who would allegedly attack them and overwhelmingly outnumber them. We ended the tour at a department store turned artist squatter site where artists have studios and rehearsal spaces and sell some of their work. Unfortunately, the bank that now owns it is trying to kick them out, but some artists have remained. (cue the Rent song lyrics) I felt like I got to see a totally modern and real part of the city and so appreciated it. I could see myself living there in a lot of ways. Probably wouldn't be part of the artist squatter community, but still, it just seems like a great place to live with culture on every corner. After our grungy tour, we went back into history mode at Checkpoint Charlie and the Topography of Terror museum. The museum provided a pretty thorough history of the build up and events of World War II in Germany. Lots of words, but lots of good information. It's free to the public and another example of Germany's clear attempt to recognize their country's past actions and do something about it. It was a very well put together exhibit and worth the reading. Finally, we headed back to our hostel and ate some sushi. Olivia and Emily headed out while Jessie and I encored our glorious movie night (because we're really cool).
Our last morning in Berlin was coincidentally fantastic. After a couple more travel mishaps, Jessie and I planned to go to a brunch restaurant we found online. While walking through our neighborhood, which we both agreed reminded us of Brooklyn, we happened upon a farmers/flea market. Joy doesn't even begin to describe it. We sampled passion fruit marshmallows, admired crafty jewelery, gazed at endless strawberries, and somehow managed to eat a delicious meal. It was the perfect ending to our trip and another reason why I could see myself spending more time in Berlin. Apparently on Sundays there's a flea market that includes karaoke. Huge bummer I missed that. I guess I'll have to go back...
Now I know this post is long, but I just have to reflect on one more thing. As much as I could see myself loving Berlin long term, the overwhelming WWII presence would also make it hard. My grandfather was German and I really wish I could talk to him today and share my experience with him, as well as hear the story of his life in Germany and then escape from Germany in person. Modern Germany seemed nothing like the past, but the knowledge of it still lingers. And as the Holocaust survivors are passing away, so is the German WWII generation. So when is a city so-called "redeemed?" Can Jews truly thrive in Germany and Eastern Europe again? Ready, discuss.
Between the history, the fun, the alternative fun, and the reflection time, my trip to Berlin has made it to my favorites list.
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