I could go on for years about how amazing Berlin is, but here's the Sparknotes version. I fell in love when I visited almost 2 years ago, when I was working in Stuttgart. Along with my friends, I saw all of the major sights... the Dom (cathedral), Museum Island, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Tacheles, East Side Gallery (a part of the Berlin wall that is now covered by murals), the Tiergarten and even the huge Sunday flea market (pretty amazing considering we had 48 hours, and almost half a day was spent watching the World Cup match). Anyways, when I found out recently that my friend Max from UCLA was doing an internship in Berlin, it was the perfect opportunity to see him and revisit the city!
Some of my favorite parts of Berlin:
*History is everywhere. There are hundreds of official monuments, big and small, to the victims of WWII. Each person has their own experiences and stories of life before the wall came down. At the Rotary Club meeting, a Rotarian told me that after all the years after the second world war, he still kept in touch with one of the American soldiers who used to play soccer with him. The gratitude and emotion he felt is still very much alive and even though the soldier is now dead, he keeps in contact with his son who lives in Orange County. I think all Americans need a reminder that American soldiers abroad are not just the ones who make news headlines and have conflicts with local people; however, I think it's a shame that the reputation has changed drastically in one man's lifetime.
*Street art is everywhere. I really enjoy the fact that it's so interactive and always evolving. Some pieces are critical, others are sarcastic, some make you think, and others are just fun.
*Meeting cool people and crazies on public transport. Berlin is an extremely young city, and I never expected that Wednesday night on the U-Bahn would be so busy with partiers. We met some locals- I can't remember their names but the girl is a quarter Chinese, a quarter Thai, and half German while her boyfriend is half Sudanese and half Spanish. And of course, both are 100% Berliner.
*Döner kebap: Arguably the best döner is found in Berlin, where restaurants and stands are found on every street and corner of the city! Here I am at Mustafa's, which is really famous (the line was 15-20 minutes long)
*The strong sense of community: This is Özman's treehouse, which was constructed on a small piece of East Berlin that remained on the West Berlin side of the wall. This area was useless for either side and, in that time, basically the end of the world. Özman was a Turkish immigrant built his own house and garden in that space. After the wall came down, he was able to keep the house thanks to the help of the neighboring church and according to Berliners, he's extremely friendly and waves to all the passersby when he's working or chilling in the garden.
*Not far away, there's beautiful forest, lakes, and palaces in Potsdam (aka the Versailles of Germany). It was still a bit grey when I went but there were some hints of spring. It's a perfect place to go jogging or biking in summertime!
Some of my favorite parts of Berlin:
*History is everywhere. There are hundreds of official monuments, big and small, to the victims of WWII. Each person has their own experiences and stories of life before the wall came down. At the Rotary Club meeting, a Rotarian told me that after all the years after the second world war, he still kept in touch with one of the American soldiers who used to play soccer with him. The gratitude and emotion he felt is still very much alive and even though the soldier is now dead, he keeps in contact with his son who lives in Orange County. I think all Americans need a reminder that American soldiers abroad are not just the ones who make news headlines and have conflicts with local people; however, I think it's a shame that the reputation has changed drastically in one man's lifetime.
*Street art is everywhere. I really enjoy the fact that it's so interactive and always evolving. Some pieces are critical, others are sarcastic, some make you think, and others are just fun.
*Meeting cool people and crazies on public transport. Berlin is an extremely young city, and I never expected that Wednesday night on the U-Bahn would be so busy with partiers. We met some locals- I can't remember their names but the girl is a quarter Chinese, a quarter Thai, and half German while her boyfriend is half Sudanese and half Spanish. And of course, both are 100% Berliner.
*Döner kebap: Arguably the best döner is found in Berlin, where restaurants and stands are found on every street and corner of the city! Here I am at Mustafa's, which is really famous (the line was 15-20 minutes long)
*The strong sense of community: This is Özman's treehouse, which was constructed on a small piece of East Berlin that remained on the West Berlin side of the wall. This area was useless for either side and, in that time, basically the end of the world. Özman was a Turkish immigrant built his own house and garden in that space. After the wall came down, he was able to keep the house thanks to the help of the neighboring church and according to Berliners, he's extremely friendly and waves to all the passersby when he's working or chilling in the garden.
*Not far away, there's beautiful forest, lakes, and palaces in Potsdam (aka the Versailles of Germany). It was still a bit grey when I went but there were some hints of spring. It's a perfect place to go jogging or biking in summertime!
