Berlin

This past weekend Megan and I traveled to Berlin! Three days of pure amazingness. We arrived late Thursday night, so I will start my story on Friday morning...

Friday, June 28th

We started our Journey by figuring out how to take the trains, subways and busses around the city. The public transportation in Berlin is wonderful! It is so easy to get around to wherever you want to go.

The Train Station

Our first stop was the East Side Gallery of the Berlin Wall. It was so amazing to see after learning so much about it in school. I loved all the different paintings and artwork we saw as we walked along.

Loved this part of the Wall

Polaroids from the Berlin Wall

  After spending quite some time at the East Side Gallery, we headed over to the Berlin TV Tower. We took the elevator up to 207 meters where we could see Berlin at a 360 degree view; it was absolutely beautiful!

Berlin TV Tower

Berlin from 207 meters!

At this point, we were starving so we decided to get some authentic German food. We went to a traditional restaurant where I got Schnitzel and a classic Berliner Weisse, which is a sour wheat beer flavored with raspberry syrup. As disgusting as it sounds, it pretty much just tastes like soda and it was delicious!

My first time trying Schnitzel with mushroom sauce and fries!

My raspberry Berliner Weisse. The green one in the back is Megan's green apple Berliner Weisse.

Saturday, June 29th 

We started our day at a very cute cafe with the most amazing drinks and pastries. I got cashew caramel hot chocolate, which I think I can safely say is the best hot chocolate I have ever had. Along with my delicious drink, I got an apricot scone with clotted cream and marmalade. I could not have asked for a better breakfast!

Scone and cashew caramel hot chocolate

We then visited the beautiful Kaiser-Wilhelm Church that was made out of beautifully stained glass.

Inside the Kaiser-Wilhelm Church

Our next stop was the Victory Column, which commemorates the Prussian victory in the Danish Prussian War in 1873. It was such a great feeling being inside such a historically significant monument!

The Victory Column

The statue at the top.

Megan and I at the top of the Column, 66 meters high!

Continuing on with our very historical tour, we stopped at the Brandenburg Gate. It was truly glorious to see in person.

We then walked through the Memorial to the Murdered Jew of Europe. It was an extremely beautiful memorial that perfectly portrayed the feeling of loss of so many people.

After a few more sightseeing stops, we went back to our flat to change and went out to the bars. We ended up at a few different places that were all very different, but a lot of fun. We ended the night with delicious Turkish food at 3AM, which is known and classic "drunk food" in Berlin.

Sunday, June 30th

On Sunday we had an early lunch at a Bakery that had a variety of German-style sandwiches. I got a sandwich on raisin-walnut bread with brie cheese and lingonberry jam. So tasty!

Then, we headed on over to Checkpoint Charlie, a crossing point between West and East Berlin during the cold war. 

Checkpoint Charlie

Our last stop in Berlin was the Jewish Museum. It was painfully heart-wrenching to see so much about their history in such a beautiful museum.

The Garden of Exile at the Jewish Museum. It is a garden with 49 tilted columns on a slanting plot of ground that parallels the feeling of disorientation of moving to a foreign country.

The Memory Void. A beautiful piece by Israeli artist Menashe Kadishman of 10,000 faces dedicated to all of the innocent victims of war and violence.

My weekend in Berlin was so life changing in ways that I never even knew were possible. I have learned so much about history and saw a beautiful culture and city right before my eyes. Berlin will definitely be a place I would love to visit again in my life. I already miss it very much!

Love,

Vanessa