4 - 10 Aug 2013
Day 1: Arrival from Turkey
After I finally got my bag I headed out to the front of the terminal to find my bus. At first I was pleased to see an electronic time board that told me how far away the bus was but after about 5 minutes of it hovering around 11 minutes away, I lost some respect for it. I lost all respect for it when my bus showed up and it still said 10 minutes. Anyway, I jumped off the bus at the U-bahn stop and studied the map of lines to try and make sense of my directions. It didn't look good because the line I needed to catch had a section closed in the middle so I either had to walk that bit or make an elaborate series of changes to get around it. I went for the later and it worked but the early morning, transport woes, diesel/oil smell of the U-bahn and lingering cold were taking their toll.
Doner box
At the other end of the ordeal I emerged above ground with a killer hunger. The first place I saw was a kebab shop and they offered a thing called a doner box; a kebab IN A BOX! I had to try this so I ordered one and it was different, with its strange salad including eggplant, but it wasn't amazing. Still it filled a hole so I wandered on and found my hostel which actually turned out to be a flash-packers; a hotel that also has dorm rooms so everything was very nice inside.
First night
I met a guy from Hong Kong in my room and after we had a bit of a chat, we found the common room to wash some clothes in the free washing machine (score!) and make some dinner. I went to bed early and had a huge sleep.
Day 2: Exploring
After a lazy start I headed out for breakfast in the form of a 3 euro Vietnamese curry chicken box. Yes, everything here comes in a box and I love it! For 3 euro, it was bloody good and it's ready instantly, no need to cook anything, which is a bonus.
I kept wandering around in the full-on humidity and eventually found a camping store that sold a clothes line so I could replace the one I left in Athens. On the way back home I wandered back past the TV tower and Museum Island and happened to find a shop that sold the local specialty; currywurst. You can get them takeaway but I ordered this one at a restaurant with a beer and just people watched in the square. It tasted ok but it does hit the spot when you're hungry although the curry isn't spicy enough (or at all) for me.
Pub
After a snooze in my room I met another of my room mates, a Serbian, and we went to get another of those tasty Vietnamese boxes for dinner. Hey, they're 3 euros, taste ok and don't require any effort so don't judge me. Anyway, after dinner I went to the local pub for some beers with some Swedish guys from my room and then to the bar at a local hostel but much to our disappointment, there wasn't much going on there.
Day 3: Walking tour
Yep, my favourite walking tour company runs a tour in Berlin so that was this morning's mission. We saw the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, the mark on the road where the wall once stood, the Jewish memorial, the carpark on top of Hitler's bunker, the Luftwaffe, a still standing section of original wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the opera house, some churches, the university, the site of a book burning and finally finished on Museum Island. It was a great tour and I really enjoyed (or maybe appreciated is the right word) the Jewish memorial.
Pipes
There are lots of above ground, coloured pipes around the city and at first I thought they were some sort of art but the walking tour guide explained that they're actually functional because they're pumping ground water into the river. Berlin in Slavic means "marsh land" and the pipes are pumping (or transporting) this marsh water out in order for building crews to be able to work below ground level. I still think the pipes look cool.
Berlinerdom
This is an impressive church in Berlin on Museum Island and it's also the spot that we finished the waking tour. Two Americans that I met on the tour were keen on checking it out so I tagged a long. I thought I was all church-ed out but I'm glad I saw this one because the view from the top out over the city was amazing and it was quite impressive inside with its high roof, ample gold decoration, massive organ and ornate coffins (both in the main room and the crypt). The roof was also green from oxidised copper, something that I've seen a bit in Europe, and I can only imagine how blindingly shiny it must be when it's all polished.
Street festival
The Americans were going to a street festival that night and they were kind enough to invite me along so it wasn't long before I found myself surrounded by stalls selling various beers and amazing looking food. The celebrations only last for about two beers before the wind picked up, all the shops closed and it bucketed down with rain. We all made a mad dash for cover but we were practically soaked anyway so we just decided to walk back to the S-bahn in the rain. We went back to their hostel and finished the night at the hostel bar before I caught a taxi home, grabbed a late night currywurst and went to bed. All in all, a really fun day.
Day 4: More exploring
I was meant to meet to Americans from last night but they didn't show up (EDIT 3/11/2013: they did send me a FB message that they weren't coming but I didn't get it until I went on a desktop computer i.e. when I got back to Australia) so it was a day of exploring alone. I had a peek inside the DZ Bank building, that looks mundane from the outside but is an architect's wet dream inside, and then headed over to try and get into the Reichstag but that wasn't going to happen without booking and waiting. Next stop was the Sony Center to window shop and people watch with free wifi thanks to Starbucks.
Alternative Berlin
This is a walking tour that takes you around Mitte and Kreuzberg (suburbs of Berlin) to see lots of the street art and there certainly is a lot to see. I developed a real interest in street art on this tour because I saw some fantastic pieces and the guide did a great job of explaining it all too. We finished up at the East Side Gallery, which is a refurbished section of the wall that has been completely covered in street art. Again, there are a lot of amazing pieces on this wall and you realise just how long the gallery is when you've been walking for 10 minutes and still aren't quite at the end.
To the beach
At the end of the East Side Gallery is a place called YAAM. It's an area of the riverside that's been covered with sand, bars and food stalls and turned into a rasta beach. It's a strange thing to see in the middle of the city but it's a great place to relax with some good food and that's exactly what we did. I had a half Yassa-half stew dish and with the spicy sauce, it really had a kick i.e. it was great.
After YAAM we had another beer in true Kreuzberg spirit, that is drinking on the street. The best way I can describe Kreuzberg is that it's covered in graffiti and street art but full of hipsters and alternatives instead of gangters. It initially seems somewhat unsafe but that's only the graffiti that makes you think that; it's actually a really safe and fun place to hang out.
We kept on wandering and visited a small bar decorated with old furniture, a tiny cafe with drum and bass blasting from a regular stereo and even joined a bunch of people sitting on the ground listening to a street performer. Finally we made it to a club called Suicide Circus where we stayed for the rest of the night and I was the first one to leave at the early-for-Berlin time of 5 AM. As I had to change room that night, I had an interesting time trying to explain to the hostel staff that I needed to check-IN to the hostel at 5:45 AM for the night that was almost over.
Day 5: Recovery
It's times like this that I'm happy I don't have to get on a bus for the next leg of a tour. I slept until 3 PM and then went for more Vietnamese noodles and did some other chores.
New roomies
I met two Dutch girls who were staying in my room and had a bit of a chat over dinner in the common room. The Berlin clubbing scene doesn't start until 1AM so we broke out the cards and played some drinking games in the room. As the clubs were a fair distance from from hostel and the transport system stops between midnight and 5AM, we decided to do the Dutch thing and hire some bicycles to get around. It was such good fun riding around the city and it's a good thing because we failed at reading the map and rode a bit further than we had to but in the end we arrived at Kater-Holzig.
This club looked like a movie where kids had taken over the world and built whatever they wanted; there was a bouncy castle out the front, everything was made from patched together pieces of anything, there were lots of coloured lights and everything was covered in graffiti. It is totally different from any clubbing scene I've seen before because there are lots of places to chill out and talk (and smoke) and a few music stages to dance (and smoke) but the whole thing is really relaxed and easy going; in fact you need to dress down to be allowed to get into the place. I still had a great time but the music, although electronic, isn't fast enough for me and I came home stinking of smoke.
Day 6: Back on the bike
I was moving hostel today so I could stay closer to where I had to meet the Intrepid tour. After dumping my bag at the new hostel I ran back to meet an Aussie girl I'd met at Suicide Circus and we hired some bikes to go see some of the city. It turned out to be a bit of a food mission because the first stop was at the Turkish markets (fairly similar to those in Istanbul) then to Burgermeister to get an amazing hamburger for me and then to an ice-cream place. We finished the afternoon sipping beers in the park and then at another riverside chillout bar. Another really fun day but I was feeling pretty drained so I went back to the hostel and slept for ages.
Day 7: Preparing for the start of the tour
I took the chance to do some blogging for my loyal fans (that's you) and then headed over to the meet point hostel for the Intrepid tour with a quick stop at a place that sells really good doner boxes for the breakfast of champions :D I checked into the hostel and had a chat with my room mate, an Aussie guy from Melbourne who was also a programmer. I had a bit of time before the meet so I went and grabbed my first German schnitzel, which was mighty tasty and I'll leave it there because the next blog post will cover the meet'n'greet.
Day 1: Arrival from Turkey
After I finally got my bag I headed out to the front of the terminal to find my bus. At first I was pleased to see an electronic time board that told me how far away the bus was but after about 5 minutes of it hovering around 11 minutes away, I lost some respect for it. I lost all respect for it when my bus showed up and it still said 10 minutes. Anyway, I jumped off the bus at the U-bahn stop and studied the map of lines to try and make sense of my directions. It didn't look good because the line I needed to catch had a section closed in the middle so I either had to walk that bit or make an elaborate series of changes to get around it. I went for the later and it worked but the early morning, transport woes, diesel/oil smell of the U-bahn and lingering cold were taking their toll.
Doner box
At the other end of the ordeal I emerged above ground with a killer hunger. The first place I saw was a kebab shop and they offered a thing called a doner box; a kebab IN A BOX! I had to try this so I ordered one and it was different, with its strange salad including eggplant, but it wasn't amazing. Still it filled a hole so I wandered on and found my hostel which actually turned out to be a flash-packers; a hotel that also has dorm rooms so everything was very nice inside.
First night
I met a guy from Hong Kong in my room and after we had a bit of a chat, we found the common room to wash some clothes in the free washing machine (score!) and make some dinner. I went to bed early and had a huge sleep.
Day 2: Exploring
After a lazy start I headed out for breakfast in the form of a 3 euro Vietnamese curry chicken box. Yes, everything here comes in a box and I love it! For 3 euro, it was bloody good and it's ready instantly, no need to cook anything, which is a bonus.
I kept wandering around in the full-on humidity and eventually found a camping store that sold a clothes line so I could replace the one I left in Athens. On the way back home I wandered back past the TV tower and Museum Island and happened to find a shop that sold the local specialty; currywurst. You can get them takeaway but I ordered this one at a restaurant with a beer and just people watched in the square. It tasted ok but it does hit the spot when you're hungry although the curry isn't spicy enough (or at all) for me.
Pub
After a snooze in my room I met another of my room mates, a Serbian, and we went to get another of those tasty Vietnamese boxes for dinner. Hey, they're 3 euros, taste ok and don't require any effort so don't judge me. Anyway, after dinner I went to the local pub for some beers with some Swedish guys from my room and then to the bar at a local hostel but much to our disappointment, there wasn't much going on there.
Day 3: Walking tour
Yep, my favourite walking tour company runs a tour in Berlin so that was this morning's mission. We saw the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, the mark on the road where the wall once stood, the Jewish memorial, the carpark on top of Hitler's bunker, the Luftwaffe, a still standing section of original wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the opera house, some churches, the university, the site of a book burning and finally finished on Museum Island. It was a great tour and I really enjoyed (or maybe appreciated is the right word) the Jewish memorial.
Pipes
There are lots of above ground, coloured pipes around the city and at first I thought they were some sort of art but the walking tour guide explained that they're actually functional because they're pumping ground water into the river. Berlin in Slavic means "marsh land" and the pipes are pumping (or transporting) this marsh water out in order for building crews to be able to work below ground level. I still think the pipes look cool.
Berlinerdom
This is an impressive church in Berlin on Museum Island and it's also the spot that we finished the waking tour. Two Americans that I met on the tour were keen on checking it out so I tagged a long. I thought I was all church-ed out but I'm glad I saw this one because the view from the top out over the city was amazing and it was quite impressive inside with its high roof, ample gold decoration, massive organ and ornate coffins (both in the main room and the crypt). The roof was also green from oxidised copper, something that I've seen a bit in Europe, and I can only imagine how blindingly shiny it must be when it's all polished.
Street festival
The Americans were going to a street festival that night and they were kind enough to invite me along so it wasn't long before I found myself surrounded by stalls selling various beers and amazing looking food. The celebrations only last for about two beers before the wind picked up, all the shops closed and it bucketed down with rain. We all made a mad dash for cover but we were practically soaked anyway so we just decided to walk back to the S-bahn in the rain. We went back to their hostel and finished the night at the hostel bar before I caught a taxi home, grabbed a late night currywurst and went to bed. All in all, a really fun day.
Day 4: More exploring
I was meant to meet to Americans from last night but they didn't show up (EDIT 3/11/2013: they did send me a FB message that they weren't coming but I didn't get it until I went on a desktop computer i.e. when I got back to Australia) so it was a day of exploring alone. I had a peek inside the DZ Bank building, that looks mundane from the outside but is an architect's wet dream inside, and then headed over to try and get into the Reichstag but that wasn't going to happen without booking and waiting. Next stop was the Sony Center to window shop and people watch with free wifi thanks to Starbucks.
Alternative Berlin
This is a walking tour that takes you around Mitte and Kreuzberg (suburbs of Berlin) to see lots of the street art and there certainly is a lot to see. I developed a real interest in street art on this tour because I saw some fantastic pieces and the guide did a great job of explaining it all too. We finished up at the East Side Gallery, which is a refurbished section of the wall that has been completely covered in street art. Again, there are a lot of amazing pieces on this wall and you realise just how long the gallery is when you've been walking for 10 minutes and still aren't quite at the end.
To the beach
At the end of the East Side Gallery is a place called YAAM. It's an area of the riverside that's been covered with sand, bars and food stalls and turned into a rasta beach. It's a strange thing to see in the middle of the city but it's a great place to relax with some good food and that's exactly what we did. I had a half Yassa-half stew dish and with the spicy sauce, it really had a kick i.e. it was great.
After YAAM we had another beer in true Kreuzberg spirit, that is drinking on the street. The best way I can describe Kreuzberg is that it's covered in graffiti and street art but full of hipsters and alternatives instead of gangters. It initially seems somewhat unsafe but that's only the graffiti that makes you think that; it's actually a really safe and fun place to hang out.
We kept on wandering and visited a small bar decorated with old furniture, a tiny cafe with drum and bass blasting from a regular stereo and even joined a bunch of people sitting on the ground listening to a street performer. Finally we made it to a club called Suicide Circus where we stayed for the rest of the night and I was the first one to leave at the early-for-Berlin time of 5 AM. As I had to change room that night, I had an interesting time trying to explain to the hostel staff that I needed to check-IN to the hostel at 5:45 AM for the night that was almost over.
Day 5: Recovery
It's times like this that I'm happy I don't have to get on a bus for the next leg of a tour. I slept until 3 PM and then went for more Vietnamese noodles and did some other chores.
New roomies
I met two Dutch girls who were staying in my room and had a bit of a chat over dinner in the common room. The Berlin clubbing scene doesn't start until 1AM so we broke out the cards and played some drinking games in the room. As the clubs were a fair distance from from hostel and the transport system stops between midnight and 5AM, we decided to do the Dutch thing and hire some bicycles to get around. It was such good fun riding around the city and it's a good thing because we failed at reading the map and rode a bit further than we had to but in the end we arrived at Kater-Holzig.
This club looked like a movie where kids had taken over the world and built whatever they wanted; there was a bouncy castle out the front, everything was made from patched together pieces of anything, there were lots of coloured lights and everything was covered in graffiti. It is totally different from any clubbing scene I've seen before because there are lots of places to chill out and talk (and smoke) and a few music stages to dance (and smoke) but the whole thing is really relaxed and easy going; in fact you need to dress down to be allowed to get into the place. I still had a great time but the music, although electronic, isn't fast enough for me and I came home stinking of smoke.
Day 6: Back on the bike
I was moving hostel today so I could stay closer to where I had to meet the Intrepid tour. After dumping my bag at the new hostel I ran back to meet an Aussie girl I'd met at Suicide Circus and we hired some bikes to go see some of the city. It turned out to be a bit of a food mission because the first stop was at the Turkish markets (fairly similar to those in Istanbul) then to Burgermeister to get an amazing hamburger for me and then to an ice-cream place. We finished the afternoon sipping beers in the park and then at another riverside chillout bar. Another really fun day but I was feeling pretty drained so I went back to the hostel and slept for ages.
Day 7: Preparing for the start of the tour
I took the chance to do some blogging for my loyal fans (that's you) and then headed over to the meet point hostel for the Intrepid tour with a quick stop at a place that sells really good doner boxes for the breakfast of champions :D I checked into the hostel and had a chat with my room mate, an Aussie guy from Melbourne who was also a programmer. I had a bit of time before the meet so I went and grabbed my first German schnitzel, which was mighty tasty and I'll leave it there because the next blog post will cover the meet'n'greet.
Thoughts about Berlin
- I feel like Berin has more places selling food than other cities I've been to
- It was humid! The first few days were full on with the storms each night offering some relief but by about day 4 it was quite nice
- It's cheap! Considering Berlin is still what I'd call western Europe, everything is surprisingly cheap
- Berlin wins points for having decent street signs
- The Berlin metro system (U-bahn and S-bahn) are fairly easy to use (anything would be easy after the Turkish metro) but it stinks of diesel so you really want to limit how long you need to spend down there.
- It's definitely somewhere I could go back to
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| Awesome sunset over the river |
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| A great piece in the old meat factory (now clubbing) district |
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| Something from a popular alley way |
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| Also from the alley way |
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| Another from the alley way |
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| This alley had a lot to see |
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| Seriously, we spent 30 minutes there |
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| Berlinerdom (the church) |
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| In the Jewish memorial |
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| Pieces of wall with street art of dictators that are still around |
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| Panorama of the Jewish memorial |
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| Panorama from on the Berlinerdom |
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| Can you see the pink and blue pipes? |
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| YAAM! |
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| The two sides of this bridge play rock-scissors-paper all night |
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| The other riverside chillout spot we went to |
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