Chillin' in Berlin

Day Three: Berlin, Deutschland

Delicious bratwurst.

It’s now April 20^th, if you actually want to try and keep track of days, but they don’t really matter. What does matter is it was our last day in Berlin. Getting bikes again crossed our minds, but we decided today was meant to be more about detail instead of speed, so we walked. We saw the Alexanderplatz, Berliner Dom (Berliner Dome), Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall (what’s left of it), and the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburger Gate). The Dome is huge and super gorgeous, but we didn’t bother to go inside. Instead, we ordered bratwurst in rolls (the real German way) from a woman who was wearing her grill and sat in its shadow. Right across the street from the dome was a small park where people were lounging in the sun. Rachel and I first went there because it was a place to sit, but we soon realized it was once the basement of a building.

Just eating bratwurst near the Dom. No big thing.

Brandenburger Tor

One of the most interesting parts of Berlin was that history wasn’t dead, just damaged. We could see part of the concrete walls and where the rafters once held up the floor. Other buildings showed marks from bombs and the wall was an adamant reminder of how divided Berlin used to be.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Berlin is wonderfully convenient how it’s set up. Seeing all of the main sights is very easy because they’re all in line with each other. After Alexanderplatz and Berliner Dom, we headed west, passed the University with some other cool buildings (we didn’t know what they were called), and ended up at the Brandenburger Gate. I guess the gate’s cool, but after you walk through it, there’s not much else. We then headed south and saw the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which reminded us of a part of the Jewish Museum.

The weather was absolutely fantastic, so in the afternoon we grabbed some ice cream and relaxed for a bit before moving on. I also had pork rib with potatoes for dinner and this odd concoction known as “beer with sprite.” Now, I know people mix liquors with pop, but beer? The Germans naturally disapprove tainting the golden liquid in such a disgraceful way, but for those of us who aren’t big fans of the taste, it’s perfect. You still taste mostly beer, but it’s a little sweeter and easier to drink with a meal (if you ask me. I only recently turned 21, so having alcohol with meals is still a new concept).

Checkpoint Charlie... in front of a McDonald's. Coincidence?

That night, our amazing hostel had a boat party, and we were invited. We met people from Scotland, Mexico, and Turkey. We didn’t stay out too late because we knew we were traveling the next morning, but the reason why I came abroad was to meet new people, and we did.

Me in front of the Berlin Wall