Berlin

9th – 12th April

After two nights in Copenhagen, I left for Berlin 09. April. This was the first day my interrail pass was valid. I was a little bit nervous about how one should fill the pass with the needed information, but it turned out to be quite easy, and the way I thought it was supposed to be.
On some trains you are obliged to reserve a seat, because of high demands on certain routes, this was thankfully not one of them, so all I had to do was fill in the pass with the correct information and find myself a free seat.
This train journey was one of the more complicate ones, probably the most complicated one I think. I had to change trains in Frederika and then in Hamburg. I’ve only had one other journey that required two changes, and it always turns a bit stressful. And it’s all my fault, because I usually have quite good measure, like half an hour or more, which is more than enough when you only have to get from one track to another. So I usually run to the toilet, and practically run out of there with my trousers down, and then I end up standing at the platform for 25 minutes. Better safe than sorry, though, am I right? Hands up if you agree.

Everything went pretty smooth with the trains and all, and I arrived in Berlin some time in the evening. I checked in at the Generator Berlin Mitte to a 6 bed female dorm. This seemed like a very hip and cool hostel, and the beds were very comfortable. I got a top bunk though, and I am very nervous about the top bunk. I don’t really know why, as far as I know, I’ve never fallen out of one. But the beds were very robust,  I felt safe and the ladder was easy to get onto and climb down. This room also included a private shower and toilet. Which is a luxury one shouldn’t take for granted.

My adventures in Berlin didn’t really start until the day after as I didn’t really do much except go to bed on my first evening. I was originally only staying two nights in Berlin as well, but I decided to change my plans because basically everyone I know love this city, so I had changed it to three nights.
The following day I got up, after everyone else. I think it’s a little bit awkward getting up when you’re in a dorm with like 6+ because I always feel like everyone’s in everyones way, so I usually wait it out a little bit. So I’m always late out, Ooops.
I was originally planning on doing like a free walking tour, but because I was so late, I didn’t make it, so I decided to try and do my own little walking tour, so that I could at least get down the most important sights.

I figured out pretty quickly that the transport system in Berlin was quite confusing to me. I’m sure it makes perfect sense to people who are used to it, but not to me. And personally, I think it says quite a lot, because I can maneuver pretty swiftly through the transport system in London. I thought it was really hard finding the right platform or stop when it came to the tram and the busses. What seems natural to me, is that the stop for the bus/tram going in the other direction should be across the road-ish, and this seemed to not be the case, usually. Also, Google Maps was messed up in Berlin. Google Maps is usually my best friend, and it’s been doing it’s job perfectly for the rest of the trip, but there was clearly something wrong with it when trying to show directions to a transport stop in the German capital. But again, it might just be me who’s a little bit dim, who knows.

Anyway, after taking the tram in the wrong direction, I managed to get to the Berlin Wall memorial. It’s like a pathway you can follow, close to where the wall was actually stood, and thee are some ruins along the way etc of buildings that were stood close to the wall. There are loads of pictures, some of them very famous, and some of them of people who died trying to get past the wall. There are also many signs telling the story of the wall, and also how it affected the German people. There’s especially one story I remember, where a bride and her husband got married close to the wall so that her parents could watch out the window from the other side of the wall. Families were torn apart within hours, and many of them never got to see each other again, and some of them died trying.
Thinking about the Cold War is insane to me. Because, even though I know World War II wasn’t that long ago, I mean my grandparents lived, it still feels quite distant. But the Cold War, oh man. It’s literally so close. And I seem to forget from time to time. It officially ended when the Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1991, 5 years before I was born. The Berlin Wall fell 7 years before I was born. It’s kind of like it wasn’t even history yet when I was born, you know. It’s so close.

After walking the pathway, I strolled around a little bit more before getting dinner. After dinner I thought it was still a little bit early to go back to the hostel, so I went to see the Jewish memorial. Don’t worry, I did not take any tasteless selfies. I might be disrespectful, but I’m not that disrespectful.
Walking through the stone blocks at the memorial, I was again hit by the overwhelming feeling that it’s not that long ago. And I kind of wanted to cry. Which I also did at the Berlin Wall memorial. Getting so close to history and getting closer to understanding that these were existing people, and it all happened, and it’s real. These are things I obviously know, but it’s also easily forgotten in the every day life for someone who is as young as me and haven’t lived through it or tasted the after effects like people my parents age. We probably all need a little awakening like that from time to time, maybe particularly people my age, I know I do.

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The second and last whole day in Berlin, I obviously had a few sights left to see, as I think I wasted about half the day before being annoyed at the transport system and accidentally going in the wrong direction. First step was obviously breakfast, and then I made my way to Brandenburger Tor. I’d obviously seen pictures of it (I mean, come on, I studied German), but I’ll admit I didn’t really know what it was. Turns out it was one of the gates in to Berlin in the 18th Century, and it’s survived bombings through World War II, and was also a spot where people met to celebrate the Berlin Wall’s fall. The more you know. I also saw the Bundestag, which is the Parliament Building of Germany, and payed dear Angela a visit. Obviously.

I took the circle line of the S-bahn, as a recommendation from my dad, because you get a good view of East Berlin, as it’s an overground train. I thought this was really chill. I love public transport when it works, so I just sat back and stared out the window and got off once I’d pretty much been a round.

My destination for the whole day had actually been the East Side Gallery, which is the painted remains of the Berlin Wall. Many, many artists has contributed their work, and there’s so many different and controversial pieces of art along the stretch. If I remember correctly, some of them are quite old, whereas some of them have been painted or updated in more recent times, but don’t quote me on this.
I really loved this little piece, which I honestly don’t really know if was a part of the gallery or had been added by someone random, (I’m not going to post a picture, because it’s a really bad one), but it said “How’s God?” “She’s black.”. I thought that was so simple, but such a strong message and i just loved it. I want a t-shirt with that, please.
What’s so strange about the East Side Gallery, is that it’s now a beautiful piece of art, but flash back a few decades and it was the cause of frustration and anger, it kept people captured, it split a whole country. And the world.

I think that’s pretty much Berlin for you. I ended the last day back at the hostel, and packed up, and got myself pretty much ready to leave in the morning. I really want to go back to Berlin, to get a different impression of it. Whereas I did think it was a beautiful city, and I was taken aback by all the history that punched me right in the face, I remember it as very stressful, because of all the mistakes I made considering transport. I get super annoyed by things like that, so it kind of painted the whole experience a little bit more grey-ish than it really was. Next time I go I want a few more days as well, so that I feel a little bit more relaxed.