Berlin, Germany
Spending a couple days walking around Berlin, a city that I used to be wary of.
Berliner Dome on Museum Island
Berlin, to me, had an interesting mix of high efficiency and order that you'd find in a place like Japan, mixed with that wild and free vibe that you could feel in the States.
Germany, particularly Berlin, always seemed intimidating to me at some level due to the history, as dumb as that may be. I quickly found a lot of things about the city that I liked however, like the balance I mentioned, and I was able to have a really good stay.
I visited the city with a couple of friends while on a trip around Europe together in 2012.
We arrived at Berlin Central station by ICE train in the evening, coming in from Brussels. From there, we caught a train to Senefelderplatz station where we had rented an apartment to stay at through Pfefferbett, a hostel that also rents out properties that they own in the area.
Despite having some key problems, the apartment was located conveniently near two stations, was quiet, and nicely decorated. There was remote window blinds in the master bedroom, and the apartment had large glass doors that either opened up to a fairly large balcony or could be vented slightly as windows.
The Walking Tour
On our first full day, we joined a free Sandemans New Europe walking tour that started at Brandenburg gate (it seems that many do).
Our guide was actually a British expat who fell in love with the city and never returned home, learning a lot of interesting facts during her stay so that she could provide us with some amazing information about the things we saw.
Some of the sights we visited were the Holocaust Memorial (below), the last Nazi building which became a tax office, Checkpoint Charlie (which is quite touristy), Bebelplatz memorial, the purposely regular parking lot where Hitler's bunker used to be, and finally ended up at Museum Island. Even though it was a free tour, most of us gave a tip because of how informative she was.
The Holocaust Memorial, beautifully designed and very impactful.
The Berlin Wall at the Topography of Terror.
Fall leaves on Museum Island.
Berlin was relatively easy to get around on our own once we finished the tour.
A lot of the main tourist spots are within walking distance or easily accessible by train. The city is big but not overcrowded, and it's quite clean. Even the public restrooms are clean, really clean actually, although you do have to pay a small fee to use most of them (makes sense).
We decided to check out the iconic TV Tower one evening.
Before heading up, we ventured around the neighboring Alexanderplatz station, where there was a small open market with shops and food stalls selling local eats like deep fried potatoes with applesauce.
Berlin TV Tower
To end our day, we went to grab a bite of currywurst (a German fast food dish - sausage with ketchup and curry powder) at CurryKultur, a random outdoor eatery nearby our apartment before heading to Qum Bar, a hookah/shisha bar right down the street from it.
The next day, we roamed the city on our own to sights such as the Reichstag government building and the Berlin Wall at the Topography of Terror where you can learn everything about the Nazis and what they did.
We later headed out to the Friedrichshain area, a more hippie/bar type of neighborhood, to see the Oberbaumbrücke Bridge and the East Side Gallery of the Berlin Wall.
Oberbaumbrücke Bridge and artwork from the nearby Eastside Gallery below.
We went to a REWE - a supermarket near our apartment. It's always interesting to check out a local supermarket to compare with your own. It was pretty big, and it resembled an American market pretty closely - brightly lit, spacious, well air-conditioned. Prices seemed to be quite cheap as well.
After picking up a few supplies, we went to catch the last few minutes of an outdoor street fair near Brandenburg Gate that happened to be the celebration of the Berlin Wall's takedown. Big bratwursts, beer and Jäger on tap.
I wish we had at least another day or two in the city. There was definitely a lot more to see and experience. I'll just have to put it on the list of places to go back.
Hasir
A Turkish restaurant that we randomly sat down for a late lunch at. It's off the main street, so it's quiet with a little bit of outdoor seating. The food was tasty, nicely presented and the service was decent.
Maison Courage
Nice hearty German food that was nearby our apartment. Sausage, pork, chicken, some green beans and a baked potato. The atmosphere of the restaurant was almost like a dimly lit home.
(I found out that this place closed down)
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Munich, Germany
A day of exploring Munich and a night at Oktoberfest.
The photogenic Marienplatz U-Bahn station
I got to visit Munich with some friends while on a Europe tour with Contiki in 2010. We stopped in the city for a night, coincidentally during Oktoberfest.
We spent the afternoon checking out sights around the city. We decided to catch the U-Bahn to Marienplatz, one of the main areas, then took a walk around.
Marienplatz had a lot of well known buildings. After exiting the U-Bahn around the Square, we roamed around and came across buildings like the Frauenkirche as well as a bunch of interesting shops and delis.
Frauenkirche in Munich, Germany
Keep in mind that there is not much English anywhere, so it may slow you down like it did us.
The biggest issue that we had was figuring out the U-Bahn subway system because there was no ticket gate, meaning you can technically ride the subway for free - as long as you don't get caught. It's a sort of honor system, and if you are found without a ticket when randomly checked, there are steep fines.
The same goes for other cities like Berlin. You're supposed to buy a ticket, put it in your pocket and ride.
Oktoberfest
In the evening, we headed to Oktoberfest. We were incredibly fortunate that it happened to be the 200th anniversary of the festival, meaning it was a pretty big deal.
Oktoberfest lives up to the hype; it's a full on carnival slash circus-type of affair, full of huge tents packed to the brim with people drinking beer, singing and having fun with everyone around them.
We peeped into a few different tents to take a look and compare, but realized that if we could find a seat at any one of them, we might be better off just staying put. Each of them holds at least few thousand people and were all packed.
Our third tent was the Munich-native Hofbräuhaus, one of the largest there. It took us a while to get seated, and there was only room in the standing area. Beer women came by every now and then taking orders, but you might have to be a bit aggressive to get their attention as it's crowded and everyone is talking and having a good time with the band also playing on stage. Those beer women come back with an armful, quite an impressive armful, of glasses for you.
One of the best things about Oktoberfest though? So much beer and fun and did not even see one scuffle or fight. If you can time a trip to Munich during Oktoberfest, I highly recommend it, it's a good experience.
