Berlin

When I left my parents at the Barcelona airport, I was a bit nervous to head off on my own. I knew I could handle being alone, it was just overwhelming to leave them and be headed on my own to a brand new country. 

My flight went smoothly, and cruising into Berlin from the airport couldn't have been easier. 

When I was planning my trip (5 days before I left, haha) I knew I wanted to head East....to some countries and places I had not been too. I picked to start in Berlin because it was the cheapest flight I could find. In hindsight, I couldn't have been happier with my decision, but at the time I was flying by the seat of my pants. (Literally?! Ha)

When deciding on accommodations, I was really torn. I had been spoiled the past two weeks with my parents staying in apartments. Well, not exactly spoiled...usually I was on a pull out couch. But still, the privacy was there and I didn't know if I could go back to the Camino hostel life, but my budget told me I had to. 

Fortunately, Berlin has a huge network of highly rated and very accommodating hostels. I picked one and crossed my fingers that the reviews weren't lying. Boy, they definitely were not!!! What a beautiful place. So clean and warm and welcoming. Fun people, lots of do, great communal spaces. You name it!

I instantly met people and from the moment I walked in the door I never was alone! It was amazing. 

Looking back, the hostels on the Camino were very basic, which is understandable. The hostels in "the real world" remind me more of a fancy hotel (where you share a room and bathroom!) When I studied abroad in college and stayed in hostels, it didn't make or break the trip if a hostel was "good" or "bad". I was always with a group of people and we weren't very picky. Being alone, it really helps to have a nice, welcoming place where you feel comfortable. 

Okay, enough about hostels. So Berlin...I did not have too many expectations when I arrived. I knew the city was rich with history, but little did I know how much history! 

The first night I explored around with a new friend. We had a lot of fun wandering around, and it happened to be a light festival so the building were all lit up. After that we went to dinner and then chilled with a bunch of cool people in the hostel. That's what I love about hostels. Most of the people are also solo travellers and everyone is so open to talking and has such cool stories and advice. My mind was just buzzing with inspiration. 

The next day I went on a 5 hour walking tour of the city. There are free walking tours around most big cities and they really are free, except you tip your guide. It's a great way to meet people and get oriented with the city (while learning an overwhelming (but interesting) amount of information). Our guide was fantastic and really provided good background to better understand Germanys turbulent history.

Brandenburg Gate 

Where the Berlin Wall once. 

Checkpoint Charlie (a famous crossing point from East to West). 

Part of the wall. It is now part of a museum and is actually fenced off. Ironic that a wall that so many people wanted down for years now is being protected by a fence. (Just a small section :)

This was a really symbolic memorial to the Jewish community. The memorial took up an entire block. Throughout Berlin, there were many statues and memorials. They recognize their past and honor those deserving of the honor. 

 So much respect for the people of Germany-- especially Berlin. Such resilient people and a resilient city. Our guide said that the city is constantly changing and evolving. Everywhere you looked there was construction. While annoying, it's a sign the city is really in the right direction. 

The culture is notoriously hipster. This was evident in small and big ways. The coffee shops near my hotel didn't allow laptops to be used, there were bicycles everywhere (I was nearly run over a few times), and everywhere you looked there was a second hand store. It was trendy to not look trendy in Berlin (which was good for me and my backpackers wardrobe). 

On Sunday I went with some friends to a huge flea market- Mauerpark. It is enormous and full of second hand finds, music, delicious food, and karaoke! Yes,

karaoke. The sun was shining, the vibe was good, and so we sat nearly all afternoon listening to some amazing (and some hilarious) karaoke. It happens every Sunday, and by the crowds of people there, it's obviously a popular Sunday activity. They even sold beer. I loved my market day. It was relaxed...no time pressure. I really felt the life of the city. 

It was here I also tried Berlins famous Currywurst(sausage with tomato sauce and curry). I'm not a big meat eater, but these were delicious! Generally, i loved the street food scene of Berlin. Between any type of sausage you could imagine, to doner kebabs (our guide told us Berlin has the best kebabs he's ever tasted), to delicious Vietnamese cuisine, the options were delicious and cheap. They were very into organic and vegan foods, and it was easy to find an assortment of tasty healthy food, too. And of course, the beer was really good and really CHEAP! 

The next day I took a tour of theBerlin's  Parliament building, the Reichstag, which now straddles the east and west line. I also walked through Berlins Central Park, Tiergarten, and went to the East Side Gallery, where a large section of remaining wall has been turned into an art gallery, serving as an international memorial for freedom.   

The final night I went to a fun restaurant with typical German food with my new friend from Brazil. We met the first day on the walking tour, and spent a lot of time together in the city. She was awesome! 

I was really sad to leave Berlin! It was amazing how 3 days in a city can make you feel like home. I could easily have spent 5 more.... Seeing the museums, soaking up the culture, and eating up the street food. 

Looking back, I took very few pictures of Berlin. It wasn't the most beautiful city I've ever seen (understandably, given the history), but the city is working hard to get it back to the way it was. There was still something else really special about the city that drew me in. The people, the culture, the general vibe I got when I was there.  Berlin is a very open city. Given their past, they now want to welcome people from all walks of life. In that way, I never felt like a foreigner, a reason I think many people fall for the city. Good stuff.