BERLIN

Guten Abend! (Good evening!)

I am back *home* in paris after an incredible weekend in Berlin, Germany. The trip began when my alarm went off at 4:45am Friday morning. I met my friend Alyssa at the Chatelet metro stop where we somehow avoided buying an RER ticket (saving us about 8 euro) and took the train to CDG airport. Arriving way too early (in true Simon fashion), we got through check-in with no problem- they didn't even ask to see our passports. 

We got to Berlin Tegel Airport around noon and took a bus to Alexanderplatz where we then took the U2 to Senefelder station. Our hostel was just down the street from the station which was great. Check in was painless and we were impressed by the quality of the hostel considering we only paid around $17 a night (we opted for the 6 person shared room to lower the cost- which we sort of regretted when one of our roommates  the first night had a serious snoring problem). In true tourist style we went for a walk around our neighborhood with map in hand. We had asked the front desk attendant to tell us where to go but all the street names sounded the same to us so the map really came in handy. 

Our walk took us all the way over to Alexanderplatz where we found a cheap falafel place (4 euros cheaper than the place near school in Paris!) where the owner guessed I came from pretty much every country other than America which was shocking and rather funny. I don't think I look Spanish, Italian, or Greek- but I'll take it! Afterwards we walked some more- this weekend could really be called 'the great trek' because I'm pretty sure I have never walked so much in my life- especially considering the weather. Our first historic stop was the bombed remains of the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedachthiskirche Church. A beautiful memorial church of stained glass stands next to what is left of the huge older church. It was odd to stand in front of the ruins to see all around us modern stores with flashy lights and billboards. It was a really odd feeling. 

The rest of night one included a trip over to Potsdamer Platz, the Sony Center, Rosa Luxemburg station and an incredible dinner. Going to Potsdamer Platz was on my personal itinerary because I love the Kirchner "Street Scene" paintings that I studied in my German Expressionism class last semester. Potsdamer Platz certainly looks nothing like the world that Kirchner's violent paint strokes depict. We walked by the Berlin Palast Theater where the end of the Berlin Film Festival was taking place- we tried to sneak on to the red carpet but no luck. Feeling the effects of the cold we opted not to walk and took the U2 back to Senefelder and then walked to a restaurant we read about called Monsieur Vuong. Seeing the long line out front, we immediately knew we were at a trendy spot. The scene was hip, young, and definitely fun. We finally got seated at the round wooden bar area and asked for an English menu since neither one of us knows Vietnamese food very well, nor could we decode the German menu. Warm soup sounded like the perfect way to end a long day out in the cold, and boy were we right! It was one of the best things I have had during my time abroad. Full of flavor and spice, this concoction of tofu, veggies, udon, and who-knows-what was hot and yummy! Alyssa and I had been eyeing our neighbor's Dim Sum so we put in a last minute order. Finally making it back to the hostel for the first time since we had set out, we sat by the main room fireplace and enjoyed some tea before going to bed exhausted. 

For day 2 we decided to fork over 20 euro (ouch) to take a city bus tour that was "hop on hop off" - it was definitely worth the 20 euro. There were 15 major stops that you could get off at for 5 min and take a quick picture, of get off for longer, wonder around, and then wait 30 min (or more) for the next tour bus to come by. Some of the major sights we saw were: Museum Island, the entrance gate to the city, an incredible memorial to the 6 million Jews (which I will describe later), tons of foreign embassy buildings, the figure head palace, Column of Victory erected in 1871, the Berlin Zoo - one of the biggest in the world, Tiergarten, the Philharmonie Hall, and Check Point Charlie. After completing the bus tour we walked back to a few of the stops to explore further. We made our way over to the Jewish Museum which was incredible. The museum itself is a gorgeous old stone building, but the inside was redone and is modern and very understated. There was a floor devoted to artifacts from the war, an exhibit of photographs by Jacobi, and 2 floors of complete Jewish history from the beginning to the present. It was all a bit overwhelming and my friend and I were really impressed by the museum's collection and layout. 

After the museum we went to visit the "Topography of Terror" - the largest remaining section of the Berlin wall and outdoor museum (burrr). Between 1933 and 1945, the main institutions of the SS and the notorious Gestapo "house prison" were located here between Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse, Wilhelmastrasse and Anhalter Strasse. We walked the stretch of land that was once the hub for the organizations responsible for the repressive and criminal policies of National Socialism. It was there that decisions were made and laws written that determined the fate of so many innocent people. 

In keeping with the somber spirit, we went back to have a better look at the memorial to the 6 million Jews. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe consists of a 19,000 square meter site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs, arranged in a grid pattern on a slopping field. The "stelae" range in height, and the way the ground moves under your feet produces  an uneasy and confusing feeling. If you were to just stand in front of the site and not walk in, you would think all the stelae were the same height and that the ground was flat and all was "normal." In fact, it is the complete opposite. The sun had already set when we made it to the memorial site, which added to the dark mood. It is as if the design of the memorial really forces you to explore, observe, study, and experience it, rather than just look at it from a distance and think 'oh what a nice dedication.' It was so moving to walk through the concrete maze and not really be able to see when the ground would slope up or dip down, and where the end would be. I think a lot of people try to look at what happened to the Jews from a distance and pretend to understand it- but it is only when you really put yourself in it (as much as possible) that you understand the size and level of the atrocity. 

Complete shift of gears- we wanted to escape the cold so we went to KaDeWe- Berlin's largest/most famous department store but we were really in no moon to shop, though I did buy a few postcards in the tourist section. Venturing back out in search of food we went to a typical German restaurant near the TV tower at Alexanderplatz and had a lovely Valentine's Day dinner (sharing 2 lovely German desserts!)

Our last day (Sunday) we woke up unable to feel our feet but certainly happy that our snoring neighbor had left. We made it to the Alte Nationalgalerie (National Museum) just after opening and walked around for a few hours. We saw some incredible works by Menzel, Monet, Liebermann, Rodin, and other famous 19th century painters and sculptures. A little bummed from the day before when we discovered that 2 other museums we wanted to see were closed, this museum made up for it (kind of). Braving the snow - yes, it finally snowed as we had expected it to do- we went to 2 outdoor markets before finding lunch and then going back to our hostel to check out. 

All in all it was a wonderful trip. It certainly was an eye opening experience that I will never forget, instead of a crazy party weekend that I would forget (sorry mom). Sitting in the Tegel airport waiting for our flight back to Paris I did a little thinking about my impression of Berlin and my weekend trip and I came to the following conclusions:

1. If I had to pick one word to sum up the city, I would say "raw." Not because to was freezing (literally at or below zero), but because there is something so raw about the mood there. Between the socialist architecture that sprung up where old buildings once stood, the underlying tone of the industrialized culture, or the sound of the language in general- it was just raw. There is a feeling you get walking around Berlin that is really just too hard to describe but it is so strong.

2. People that work at information desks should really learn to speak English. If I ask a question in English, a response in German is not going to get me anywhere. 

3. I'm a brave person, but not brave enough to try Wienerschnitzel

4. I still cannot comprehend the construction of a wall that cuts through a city dividing neighbors and families. I just cannot imagine what that would have been like

5. I really do prefer the sound of Romance languages

6. Sometimes this world is too small- like when I am sitting by the fire in a hostel in the middle of Berlin and a kid that goes to Wisconsin who I don't know knows my friend who goes to Wisconsin and therefore indirectly knows who I am and recognizes me. Weird. 

7. Thank god for Obama - Europeans are in love and not afraid to show it

8. While there is so much negative history involved with Germany I really wish more people knew about the incredible art there and appreciated that aspect of the culture

9. I wish Paris was as inexpensive as Berlin - my lunch one day costs as much as a Coca Light would in Paris!

10. While I am not sure I would go again any time soon, I am so happy that I went and got to see and experience first had this incredibly complex city. It is one of the few places I have been that shows the impact of recent historical events (not like the French Revolution or London's age old monarchy). I really suggest that anyone and everyone go to Berlin...just make sure you wear some warm clothes if you go in the winter- a hat is a must!

Gute Nacht!

Lauren Jill