Berlin....A city of History

When we arrived late at night in Berlin, we were a little hesitant. There were people out partying on the streets, garbage covering the sidewalks and people yelling randomly at strangers. The city seemed unwelcoming and we felt a little uneasy, so we just decided to stay in our hostel, The Circus Hostel, and get some much needed sleep.

The bright sunshine woke us up in the morning, the air had that perfect summer morning feel, and it felt like a good day. The unwelcoming streets had transformed overnight into a pleasant atmosphere, filled with families, laughing children, and people sipping cappuchinos at small cafes. We were so pleased to feel at ease once again and begin our full day, but first...breakfast. We ate at our hostel, and for 3.50€ we had a wonderful buffet of meats, cheeses, yogurts and breads, that got us ready for the day! Amazing coffee as well, complete with an almond meringue biscuit.

We spent the first half of our day wandering around a local flea market, admiring all the tacky trinkets and outdated clothing. There was fresh fruit stands and wonderful handmade jewlery, and I even managed to find an awesome pair of black gladiator sandals for 4€!! I would definitly recomend visiting a local market or flea market, where you can get out and interact with locals and see their day to day life. After the flea market, we headed down the street about 20 minutes more and got to see a remaining section of the Berlin wall! It was so surreal to see this piece of history right before my eyes. It was so sad to stand there and imagine the pain this wall had put so many people through. We wandered around for awhile reading the posters they had up about the history of the wall, and the people that had died resulting from trying to escape the East or West. Seeing something like the wall really puts into perspective how lucky we really are, and how we need to savour life and all of our freedoms we have, I know I will now.

We walked back to the hostel through random streets, observing the interesting window displays and cute little restaurants until we ended up at a restaurants called Sisals. It was on a quiet little road away from all the main streets and had a great menu with even great prices. I had a chicken schnitzel topped with tomatoes, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese, with my new favourite beverage...Bionade...a german fizzy juice! After a nice long dinner we headed back to the hostel and stayed in for the night, visiting with fellow travellers and getting caught up with emails.

The following day was spent on a 6 hour walking tour with a funny man named Matt. We were afraid that 6 hours of history may get slightly tiring, but it was amazing and we loved every second of it! We started at the beautiful new Synogage and learned some intersting history, then headed to my favourite sight...a huge abondaned warehouse! Every inch of the warehouse, called Tacheles, was covered in paint and graffiti and the ground was all sand with random cars and chairs sticking up. It was occupied with squatters now who made it into art studios or concert rooms and the amount of creativity in this warehouse was amazing. A definite must if you visit Berlin! We walked so much that day, seeing the Government buildings, the Brandengurg Gate, Hotel Adlon (where Michael Jackson hung the child out the window), a beautiful Jewish Memorial made of rows and rows of cement blocks, Checkpoint Charlie, Hitlers bunker location and multiple offices and the beautiful Protesant church. There is so much more we seen but I can only write so much about it, but my plan is to write a continuation of Berlin when I have time because some of the stories and descriptions of the places I visited need to be written about. So I hope to do that in the near future when I do not have a timer on my computer ticking away...

Berlin may not be a Prague or a Paris when it comes to being picturesque, but when it comes to history, Berlin is a winner. The city is mainly grey in colour and with all the memorials and reminders of the past, it can be a little somber at times, but then suddenly you turn the corner and there is a blast of colour or artwork. The amount of creativity in Berlin is astonishing! I enjoyed every second in Berlin, not only for the pictures and the knowledege, but because i think I left there with a better appreciation for my life. I realized just how lucky I am to have the freedoms that I have and how easy my life has been. Berlin was an amazing city that changed the way I look at alot of things in life.....

Thank You Berlin