No Place like Home, Back in Berlin

This weekend was my trip to Berlin, Deutschland, my home away from home, even after 10 years (Carolina is my home away from home away from home, even if I've lived there longer than I did in Berlin). Since it's been probably 7 or 8 years since I was last in Berlin, I was quite surprised by the differences in the city, but nevertheless, it is still beautiful in my mind. I was accompanied by Dino, Anne, and Sam, and they were wonderful company. Only bad thing about this trip is that the lens extension mechanism on my camera is jammed or something, and thus my camera was unusable, so I have no pictures from this trip. Thankfully, the girls took lots to cover for me.

Our voyage started very early Friday morning, with me waking at 4:45 am so I could chat with Hannah for a last few minutes before heading to the airport. Our flight was at 6:55 am, from Seville to Barcelona, and the four of us passed out fairly quickly once aboard. I only woke up just as we were landing, and didn't even have to use any of the battery on my iPod. We arrived in Barcelona a little after 8:00 am, but we had a few hours layover. Our flight from Barcelona to Berlin wasn't scheduled to depart until 11:45, so we plopped down in the terminal in front of our gate and I busted out some playing cards. Since there were 4 of us, we decided to get some Kemps going. Never played? It's a lot of fun. You need an equal number of players, and they split up into pairs. Then each pair come up with a special signal. This signal is used to signify that they have Kemps, which is 4 of a kind. When the partner sees the signal, they shout "Kemps!" to win the round. However, if the opposing pair(s) call Kemps before you, or think you have Kemps and call it before you have a chance, then you lose the round. Each player holds 4 cards in his or her hand, and game play revolves around picking up and discarding cards from a 4 card community, that is dealt and redealt whenever players stop swapping cards (I think those are all the rules...). Anyway, I was paired with Sam, and Dino was with Anne. The game probably ended up about even, maybe with a round or two more to Dino/Anne, but I never managed to figure out their signal, though Sam and I did beat them with a pensive beard rub signal. That amused me.

Once upon the plane to Berlin, I popped in my iPod and dozed to tunes for a bit, before deciding to help Dino and Anne with some crossword puzzles. We chatted and planned some parts of our weekend between puzzles, but before we knew it, we were landing at Berlin Schoenefeld Flughafen. I was ecstatic, and I could barely contain my excitement. My smile easily spread from ear to ear. We got off the plane and I was practically jumping for joy to be back in Berlin, reading all the signs in German (still my favorite language) and basically skipping along through the terminal. We had to take the S Bahn into the city, and we had some slight difficulty figuring out the automated ticket seller, but a friendly maintenance man pointed us in the right direction. Soon, we were on the S9 Bahn headed for Zoologischer Garten near the heart of the city.

The train ride took us about an hour or so (20 stops down the S9 line) and we hopped off at Zoologischer Garten. We figured out that to get to our destination, it was only 2 stops down on one of the U Bahns, so we decided we could hoof it. Couldn't be that hard right? But we were hungry, so outside the bahnhof (train station) we got some doener boxes. That's fries and slices of leg of lamb covered in a garlic sauce. We all enjoyed the food immensely. From there, we started off down past the Gedaechtnis Kirche (Memorial Church) in what I thought was the right direction. I was almost right, but we ended up walking down past the Hotel Palace and to Wittenberg Platz where there were a bunch of street vendors. We perused some of their wares, Anne bought an apple, and then we decided to bust out the map to see where we really were. We determined our present location, decided on a route, and headed off again, though in the end, I led us slightly astray (I can't navigate with Google directions in areas I kinda know, why would I be able to navigate using only a map in a city that I haven't visited in nearly half my lifetime?). We ended up close, standing on a street corner staring hard at the map, when against all odds, a north German woman stopped and asked if she could help. We asked how to get to Pariser Strasse (for that was where our hostel was) and she gave us precise directions. I was so shocked by someone being open and friendly on the streets of Berlin...certainly not what I remember. After that, we found our hostel with only one more misturn (though that was quickly righted) and we arrived at the Jetpack City Hostel. Checking in took less than 5 minutes and we had our key to the nicest hostel room I've visited thus far. The room was large, there for 4 beds, 2 big windows, a sink, a small armoire, and even an iPod stereo. The Jetpack City was also rated the #1 cleanest hostel in Germany and it was obvious, and a very nice hostel. Only thing I could think to criticize was their use of Mac computers in their common room (tsk tsk), but don't let anyone tell you I'm biased against Macs. They did the trick of checking email and Facebook though, so in the end, we had no problems.

We decided to do some roaming after throwing all of our stuff down, and we embarked on a quick walking tour suggested by the noted travel guide Rick Steves. His guidebook for Berlin defined most of our trip, though I was able to throw in a few places of interest (okay, maybe just my old neighborhood). We started off at the Gedaechtnis Kirche, which the girls were all very impressed by. I enjoyed listening to the bells play. After that, we decided to follow Rick Steves' suggestion and head toward Stadtmitte ("City Center"). That took us on a fairly long walk, as merely reaching the Victory monument took us nearly 45 minutes. We took some fun pictures there though, and then headed down the very large boulevard running toward the Brandenburg Tor (Brandenburg Gate). That avenue was deceptively long, and we were all a little tired by the time we reached the Tor, but with it being lit by rainbow lights, we were all rejuvenated into taking a bunch more pictures. We headed down Unter Den Linden (Berlin's version of Champs S'Elysees in Paris) and meandered down to Friedrichsstrasse (Berlin's 5th Ave...more or less) and since it was a street I remembered and recognized, I made the executive decision to take us down that way. We were all very hungry at this point, so we started searching for a place for a real dinner, but we didn't actually find a real restaurant until after we passed Checkpoint Charlie (we passed Checkpoint Charlie something like 5 or 6 times on this trip). Just past the checkpoint was this an elegant Italian place called Sotto Sopra we ducked into. We got a booth by the window, the girls all ordered various glasses of wine and I finally had my first glass of Warsteiner (so good...new favorite beer, by far). Drinks were followed by Gnocchi marinara for myself, lasagna for Sam, tortellini for Anne, and tragliatelli for Dino. Everything was quite tasty, but the coup de grace for the meal was dessert. I started a fad when I ordered some hot Apfelstreudel mit vanille sauce (Apple streudel with warm vanilla sauce and whipped cream) that Anne and Dino both took bites of. When they discovered the absolute amazingness of my dessert, they had to order their own. Only Germans (or Italians living in Germany) can make that kind of Apfelstreudel. Yum! We headed back to the hostel after dinner via the U Bahn (U = untergrund = "underground"...the subway :P ). It was still fairly early, but seeing as how we'd all been up since 5 am and we'd had such a busy day, we were all quite content with calling it an early night.

Saturday started off early, though not nearly as early as Friday. Dino woke me at 8:30 am to give me enough time to shower before we headed out at 9. From our hostel, we got breakfast at a Kamps baeckerei (a bakery) we found Friday while lost and looking for the hostel. Dino and I introduced Anne and Sam to the wonders of German pastry making, and I sank my teeth into a few laugenbroetchen (imagine a pretzel but in the shape of a bun) and a plum jelly donut (didn't realize it was plum until after the first few bites...still, wasn't bad). The girls all got various sweet pastries and/or rolls, Dino added some coffee, and we were all ready for a day of sightseeing.

Our first stop, by my demand, was the KaDeWe (Kaufhaus Des Westens), about 10 or 15 minutes away from the hostel. I remembered (vaguely) how absurdly gigantic that place is (it's supposedly the largest shopping mall in all of Europe), but still, we all walked in with our jaws dropping. We spent a solid hour there, perusing the various floors (not so much me...I was happily occupied by the Toy/Electronics/Books floor). We all picked up some souvenirs, though Dino was disappointed in her search for TinTin apparel. Our second stop was the Gemaeldegalerie, an art gallery just outside of Stadtmitte. Our walk over was a beautiful one, walking along the edge of one of Berlin's many waelder (parks), enjoying a true sensation of autumn, playing in the leaves, and taking lots of pictures among the trees. Basically, we acted like a bunch of 5 year olds, and we had a grand time doing it. We actually managed to get to the gallery without too much trouble, only have to ask once for directions to one street from an elderly couple. Lucky us. Once we got there, we weren't looking for anything too in-depth, and we were fortunate that they had audioguides with a list of highlighted pieces to check out. They had a lot of Dutch painters, including a Rembrandt (these are all just on the highlighted pieces list) but of the 20 we looked at, they were all very impressive. I think my favorite was one of a very boyish Cupid, wings half in shadow, looking like he's just rolling off a bed. At his feet, strewn about the floor, are musical instruments and a written manuscript, a suit of armor, and one hooked leg still on the bed is pushing back...something (I have a magnet, but I can't remember). It all signified Love's triumph over Man's earthly creations. I think I just really liked the lighting, more than the message.

From the Gemaeldegalerie, we got some lunch before deciding to head to the Topography of Terror exhibit, somewhat in the same area. We found our way quite accidentally to the Sony Center, which is a small square surrounded by gigantic buildings with bigger TVs covered by a tent. We ate lunch at Alex, the cheapest place in the square. Three of us ate schnitzel, and Sam had Bratkartoffeln (scalloped potatoes with chicken). I also ordered a Flying Kangaroo, which was a very tasty cocktail, and left me feeling vaguely emmasculated. After lunch, nn the way to the ToT exhibit, we stopped by the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (that's the actual name of the memorial, though it's generally called the Holocaust Memorial). The MTTMJOE is this square plot covered in large concrete blocks, all of varying heights, that Rick Steves informed us don't really represent anything concrete (haha get it?). This idea is to come up with their symbolism yourself. It was an interesting memorial, but difficult to take very seriously (I just wanted to climb up and start hopping along the tops of the blocks, and the Anne suggested it to be the perfect battleground for a game of lazertag...all seriousness had vanished by that point). However, the Topography of Terror sobered us up right quick. Situated in the ruined foundations of the SS headquarters, the exhibit contained many articles, letters, and explanations regarding the carrying out of the Holocaust and the many duties and atrocities committed by the Gestapo and the extrajudicial police forces willed into being by Hitler and his second-in-command, Heinrich Goering. The exhibit described how the SS seized control of the police forces of Nazi Germany; their methods of dealing with dissidents and prisoners, newly captured territories and countries; and many other frightening qualities of the Gestapo. We spent another hour or so there, absorbing the horrible history, reading letters and examining pictures, before moving on.

From there, we decided to go someplace a little more upbeat: Gendarmenmarkt, a pleasant little square, replete with modern/strange fountain, flanked by two very large churches. We spent a few minutes in the square, unsuccessfully attempting jumping pictures. Again, we made complete fools of ourselves, but we had a good time doing it. We even managed to snap one or two decent jumping pictures, out of 20. We couldn't find the chocolate store that Rick Steves suggested, so dejected, we decided to head back toward Checkpoint Charlie and the Museum of the Wall. However, we did come across the chocolate place almost immediately upon leaving the square. There is only one way to describe that place, at least for any serious chocolate lover: drooooooooollllllll. It was a chocoholic's paradise. They had chocolate sculptures of a bear, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag (German Parliament Building), the Titanic, and the Gedaechtnis Kirche. All crafted of oh so tantalizing chocolate. My mouth waters just thinking about it. I picked up a little tin for *404 Recipient Not Found*, and the girls all picked up some things of their own. Dino shared a small piece of her chocolate with me, and it was absolutely exquisite.

After our unbelievably-tempting chocolate experience, we headed down to one of my favorite museums in Berlin: The Museum of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie. This museum is dedicated to the events and years surrounding the Berlin Wall; that concrete, brick, barbed wire wall patrolled by guards and dogs for nearly 40 years. More than that, the museum is a memorial to those who defied the Powers and escaped over that wall, and to those who helped reunite broken families separated by the wire and guns. It contains original vehicles used to smuggle people over the border, hollow surfboards, cutout suitcases, and even an old large radioset used by a young woman to escape into the West. It is an impressive museum, we spent 2 hours walking around, and I highly recommend to anyone who visits Berlin. You truly have to experience it to understand it.

From Checkpoint Charlie, we headed back toward Stadtmitte to end our day in a up-and-coming neighborhood past AlexanderPlatz recommended by Rick Steves. We grabbed some wursts from a street vendor near the Berliner Dom for dinner, but were disappointed by the neighborhood when we got there. Pretty yes, but not someplace to really go after dark when you're hungry and tired. We were planning on going out, but after returning to the Jetpack with all of our purchases and after our very long day, none of us were too disappointed not going out.

Sunday began as early as Saturday, and we began the day by taking the U3 Bahn to Krumme Lanke, the station right in my old neighborhood. I still recognized the last few stops on the line, and when we exitted the station, I felt like I hadn't left. The imbiss (kiosk) in the station had changed, but other than that, from the corner, it all looked the same. I took the girls down to where my old house was, but I was disgusted to find two hideously monstrous buildings had been constructed in our backyard, and a real security gate had been installed in place of the wooden one Ryan could move even when he was 10. At least the house was still there, and I felt incredibly nostalgic looking at the front door from the road. Mom, you were right, Fischerhuettenstrasse hasn't change much for the better :( I then lead the way across the street into the Gruenewald, the huge park system covering the Western edge of the city, where I spent many hours riding my bike when I lived there. We walked through it for a little while, Anne took a picture of me by one of the curves I loved taking at full speed in a huddle like I was Lance Armstrong (I was 11 at the time, so sue me) and then we headed back toward the U bahn station. I would've liked to spend more time in the area, maybe make the 2 mile walk to my old school if I could remember the way, see how much everything had changed. In the end, we picked up some breakfast at a bakery on the corner, and took the U bahn back to Stadtmitte.

The hopes for Sunday were to visit the Museum insle (Museum Island), the TV tower and Alexanderplatz, and the Reichstag. We met most of the hopes. Along the way to Museuminsle, we came across a street bazaar. We wandered down it for a while, examining the different tables. We picked up some wursts to help us along the way. I bought a hat, Dino some TinTin posters, and I came very close to bartering for an old Pokemon Red game. I managed to resist the temptation, and thinking of it now, it would have been in German anyway, and that would have taken some of the mindless amusement out of it. I was quite content with the purchase of my hat, however. After leaving the bazaar, we walked along the river back toward Museum Island, where we visited the Pergamon Museum. We were supposed to also visit the Egyptian Museum, but it's under renovation until sometime next year, so that was a disappointment. The Pergamon was really cool though, despite an entire wing being closed down (again, due to renovations). They had a gigantic altar still mostly intact, the altar that contained the altar of Athena, the patron goddess of Pergamon. They also had the main market gate of the city of Mylita (I think...), a towering, highly decorated work that had been buried for a few hundred years. It was damaged slightly during World War II when the museum was hit by a bomb and the glass ceiling shattered, allowing for rainwater to seep in and wear away at the centuries-old stone. The museum also contained many other, though much smaller, pieces of Greek and Roman sculpture, and walking among the realistic statues while hearing of their stories was slightly eery.

From the Pergamon Museum, for lunch, we stopped at a doener kebab place, and we all got real doeners this time. I made a bit of a mess, as I somehow couldn't keep all of the toppings from spilling out the sides (I may be almost 21, but my eating habits haven't much improved since I was 7 1/2 :P ). After lunch, we decided to hit up the TV Tower and Alexanderplatz. Unfortunately, the girls were deterred from looking out over Berlin from the top floor by the 10 euro pricetag on the elevator ride. I was slightly disappointed, but I reasoned it away saying I'd done it before. I took them over to the Fountain of Neptune, which was filled with a gross brown sludge and wasn't operating, so that was also a little bit of a bust. From there, Sam really wanted to get her passport stamped at Checkpoint Charlie, so we hopped the U bahn over. Again, the girls were averted by the 2 euro sticker price on passport stamping (I wasn't averted since I wasn't interested in one to begin with). So we headed back toward Stadtmitte to go check out the Reichstag. Along the way, we found ourselves in a small skatepark, and I had some fun having pictures of me running up the quarterpipes and doing some sicknasty grabs (I always have fun doing that). We stopped at another bakery for a quick pick-me-up, then off to the Reichstag. We ended up taking a fairly roundabout route, so we came at it from the East and next to the river. I thought the spot was very pretty, so I plopped down for some pondering, and the girls followed suit. We spent about half an hour there, goofing off and taking pictures and chatting before our butts got cold from the concrete and we decided to finish our day.

When we reached the Reichstag, we found ourselves at the end of a very long and very slow-moving line. So, being the children we are, we started horsing around, taking very goofy pictures, and generally being a public nuisance. But we did take some very fun pictures. About 3/4s of the way up the stairs to the door, Dino and Anne started taking long exposure pictures, and Anne kept trying to draw the UNC NC symbol. She didn't have a whole lot of luck the first 25 times, so I asked for a shot, and got a pretty good one on my first try :P Anne did do a better one, but only after a few more attempts (Score 1 for Hap). Once inside the Reichstag, we found out the dome was closed off (3 guesses why, and the first 2 don't count), so we had to be content with the roof of the building. It was still quite pretty, and we had a pretty decent view out over the city, but honestly, we all would have preferred seeing it from the inside of the dome, so we left after only a few minutes.

We headed back to the hostel after that to plan the rest of our evening (which ended up being a very bad thing for me). Our plans included dinner and visiting Berlin's Erotik Museum. Dinner wasn't bad, though I found it slightly ironic that I travelled to Berlin to eat Pizza Hut (I miss American food :( ). After that, we headed to Beate Uhse, the name of the Erotik Museum. We spent a bit in the downstairs store, examining the different outfits and toys and accoutrement of the erotic, and Anne and Dino acted like 6 year olds. Their very immature humor, moreso than the fact that we were perusing sex toys and dildos and penis stimulators and all manner of things, made me feel extremely embarassed and out of sorts. We wanted to visit the museum itself, but it cost 14 euro, and so again, we decided against it. So we all went back downstairs to play in the store for a bit (they played, I followed meekly, feeling embarassed). We ended our night shortly after that, I talked to Hannah online for a bit, and turned in.

Our trip ended today (Monday, 27-Oct), but we didn't leave Berlin until the afternoon. So we woke up a little later than the rest of the weekend, took our time getting some breakfast at the same bakery we broke our fast at on Saturday, then due to the rain, we decided to head to the airport for a long day of layovers.

It was amazing to go back to Berlin, for it still sorta feels like home for me. The nostalgia, however, kind of counteracted the relief of homesickness I felt, and leaving made me my homesickness doubly so. But it was worth it, despite the changes to the city. It's still gorgeous. I spent my few spare moments wishing I could show Berlin to my friends, and I hope to someday.