Anyway, Berlin was a great experience. I kept debating about going to Munich or Berlin (because both were way too expensive for a 3 day weekend) and I decided to go with the capital because I figured there would be a lot more history to see. And I was extremely correct. On our free walking tour, we saw the Brandenburg Gate, the new Holocaust Memorial, which was extremely moving, as you are supposed to walk through it and reflect:
The stones are sprayed with anti-graffiti spray from a company that originally manufactured gas to the Nazis- a point of huge controversy for Berliners
We also saw the site of Hitler's suicide, which is now a paved-over parking lot with only a diagram to mark the area. Germans thought it best not to build a potential mecca for Neo-Nazis, and I agree. We also saw Checkpoint Charlie, which was the American checkpoint between East and West Berlin, as well as the remains of the Wall, which were recently re-muraled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall. I can only hope David Hasselhoff was present this time, too.
The Italian artist contribution
That night, we bought some 60 Euro-cent forties of Pilsner, Zubr and Rothbrau and pregamed with our hostel roommates, who were 4 boys studying in London. We went to this crazy club called Maria's which was essentially in an abandoned warehouse. Lots of characters at that one- the dreadlocks and hairy armpits went on for days.
The next day was extremely sobering- pun not intended. We took a train to Orenienburg, a town about an hour outside of Berlin that is the site of the first concentration camp set up by the Soviet Union in Prussia. It was the concentration camp from which all others were modeled. It was extremely haunting to see the housing structures, the pits where people were slaughtered in masses, original ovens, and, the worst part, the tables and medical rooms used for human experiments. I thought that between school and Schindler's List, I had had a grasp of the enormity of suffering that the Holocaust had caused to Jewish, Polish, Czech, and more outcasts of the time, but it was not until I saw the gas chambers themselves and this chilling quote that I finally understood: Upon leading new prisoners into the camp, a Nazi pointed to one of them and said, "See that smoke rising out of the chimney? That's your only way to freedom." Ugh.
To brighten our spirits, we downed some currywurst, took a quick nap, and hopped on the U-Bahn to the Berlin pub crawl. It brought us to some interesting clubs, like abandoned garages-turned-rap venues, Jagermeister pubs, and the best, factories filled with cages of people dancing and smoking rooms. We met a bachelor party, the head of which wore shorts with suspenders and was apparently very anxious to get as much female attention toward his leiderhosen as possible. Lots of pictures that Blogspot would ban are now in my personal Berlin collection, if anyone is interested. The (albeit diluted) Jager shots took their toll on me, and I eventually lost my friends and befriended a lovely German man named Stefan who hailed from Hamburg. The guy barely spoke English, and we all know the only word I appreciate in German is fahrt (translates to trip, but still very giggle-worthy), but we made a good connection and I gave him my email. Because that's what they ask for here.
The next day, we groggily pulled ourselves out of bed and hoofed it to the Jewish Museum, which was probably the best museum I've ever been to. The architect designed it to be uncomfortable for the visitor, what with its unparallel walls, slanted floors, and staircases leading to nowhere. It was three floors full of interactive Jewish history lessons, like a convert your name to Hebrew machine and a "break the glass" wedding game. Zabes- I must be invited to yours. Despite the Holocaust Tower, a sectioned off room with a hugely vaulted ceiling and one tiny window as a source of light to remind you of their isolation- it was a merrier way to celebrate Judaism. Definitely an uplifting morning that I needed to counteract the day before. After that, we wandered around the weird shops (Ass-Store? Schmucks?) and made our way to the Erotik Museum. Ten Euro, but SO WORTH IT. It was INTERACTIVE, as seen below:
After that exciting break from history lessons and depressing excursions, we got a huge meal of potato-shnitzel, brussel sprouts, and dessert, which was pineapple ravioli filled with white chocolate. SO INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS.
To round out our Sunday night, we caught the tail-end of the USA/Canada hockey game (much to the chagrin of our extremely nationalistic hostel staff) and slept on the cold benches in the Schonefeld airport until our flight. Despite how we looked 12 hours later and still without a flight home...
I had an incredible time on the wurst fahrt ever, as was expected. Next up is Amsterdam...Lord help us all.
Ciao ciao!
Cason
You and your traveling companions certainly squeeze alot of sights and experiences out of your weekend trips! Berlin sounds very interesting---kind of like the History (aka Hitler) channel come to life. Was looking forward to this one as I've never been..... Aunt T.
ReplyDeleteThe sobering pun was awesome. I miss your emails. Def going to that Erotika Museum when I go. I love you forever.
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