I love you, Berlin.
I’m officially a sucker for Berlin.
This city is so rich in history, yet rich in character. The free-spirited and hipster nature allows people to be whomever they want to be.
I spent two weekends in Berlin with a group of new friends made in Europe and a group of friends from home, each with its own unique experiences.
Friday, July 27, 2018
I flew from Frankfurt to Berlin on a Friday night after work. With the endless number of delays, I managed to make my way to Amstel Hostel, where I met up with Lana. Even though we were both exhausted, we went out to see Alexanderplatz, which had a fire performance and food vendors varying from gnocchi to doner kebabs. We ended the night at our hostel’s bar drinking radlers, talking about boys, and ranting about the most random things – the usual.
Saturday, July 28, 2018
It was a poppin’ time in Berlin because that weekend was Charles Street Day or Pride. With so many RISE interns in town and a ton of festivities happening, the city was lively! Lana and I made our way to Brandenburg Tor, while on the search for the rainbow road and to catch up with the parade. Since we arrived late, we missed the parade, only to find the blocked roads empty. A bit confused, we learned that we walked to the end of the parade route, which we then decided to buy lukewarm Beck’s Green Lemon and sit on the curb to wait. As we chilled by the Victory Column, we met up with other interns, and that’s when I met Annette, Adrian, and Leah from Drexel and many others!
To be honest, Charles Street Day was MAGICAL. Berlin is like the odd child of Germany, known for its hipster vibes. After a few hours waiting in the sun, the parade made its way to the end. It was my first Pride parade, and it definitely set the bar high. People could express themselves however they liked as they danced and celebrated on top of the beautiful floats. Many went all out on their attire or lack of clothing as well! I feel like Berlin has a thing for random dance parties because I always find these trucks with HUGE speakers blasting electronic dance music. Music was booming, people were randomly dancing, and stripping their clothes as they ran to the huge sprinklers set up against the heat. Ask Lana how I was feeling because I was cheesing real hard as I ran through the water in my bralette and danced like there was no tomorrow.
During my first weekend in Germany, I met Harry from Montreal in Heidelberg. From the start, he gave off Seattle vibes, and I told him how he’s someone I would be friends with back home. With that, we planned to meet up in Berlin, and these plans were followed through as we decided to go out that evening. And honestly, Harry from Montreal is one of my favorite people I met this summer!
Basically, you can’t go to Berlin without experiencing the night life, specifically a techno club. That evening, we were invited to a house party and afterward, we planned to go to Sisyphos, one of the best nightclubs in Berlin. In order to skip the 2-3 hour queue around 9 pm, our friends recommended getting a stamp in the early evening. It was seriously a trek to get to this club, located an hour far east of Berlin’s city center. Lana and I struggled to find the correct bus stops, and we found ourselves lost for a bit. However, we managed to find our way to the club. In our bright color clothing and bags, it was clear that we were tourists. And what we didn’t know is that Berlin is known to have strict door policies, especially with the world-famous Berghain. We approached the bouncer, and in response, we were quickly directed to the exit door. It was already 7 pm, and we traveled over an hour away from our hostel. And at that moment, I couldn’t comprehend what had happened and I was real salty (but, it’s okay now – all part of the story!!). Lana decided our best bet was to go home, change into going out clothes, and redeem ourselves by getting into Sisyphos, where we would meet our friends. All day, we had been on the move and forgot to eat. So, we picked up some pizza along the way, and just to make things even worse, the weather was awful and a huge gust of wind blew our pizzas away. Basically, life was rough.
We made it back to our hostel at 9 pm. And we quickly changed into different clothes, put on makeup and the HOOPS. By the time we return to Sisyphos, the queue was easily 3 hours long. Sounds awful, BUT time flew by. On the bus, we befriended these German ladies. In line, we met people from all over Europe (Italy, France, Spain, etc) who all moved to Berlin for work and to have fun. Specifically, Lana and I befriended the HUNKIEST German men named Felix, Jacob, and Iman. They were beautiful. It was funny how they all been anticipating this one night. They had grown up together, yet were about to go on their separate paths. Thus, for that one night, they were going to celebrate one last time, then return to their regular lives the following moment.
Was the wait worth it? Yes, because once we entered Sisyphos, it was straight from a dream. Before we entered, we had to place stickers over our cameras as there is a strict no photography policy. This is so important to keep the nature of the atmosphere, where people can express themselves however they like. With that, you can’t understand the vibe unless you’re experiencing it yourself. The set up was similar to a festival though, where they had lounges, a fake beach, food shack, a bar, and then the warehouse for the blasting techno music. Hate me, but living in Germany got me to grow onto techno and electronic music. IT GETS ME GOING. Throughout the morning, I was straight jamming on the dance floor. I had completely lost track of time until Lana pulled me outside, where my eyes were surprised to see daylight. Somehow, the time had completely flown by from 2 am to 8 am, and I have no idea how. With an early check out, we made out way out and even as I was leaving, I noticed the long queue to get into the club at 8 am. Hands down, Berlin has one of the best nightlife scenes in the world!! So wild!!
Sunday, July 29, 2018
In a 12-bedroom dorm, I arrived back to find someone sleeping in my bed. the audacity (just kidding, it was okay because it ended up being my friend Adrian). I managed to sleep for an hour as I woke up to Lana being alarmed of my whereabouts because I almost missed checking out time.
For lunch, Harry, Lana, and I were determined to fulfill our Asian food cravings with Pho. We chilled at a park until the restaurant, where we had the most bizarre interactions with random people who attempted to sell us stuff. Unfortunately, the pho was mediocre. Considering how I can’t order in German, I spoke Vietnamese to the owner, and she was very surprised and delighted. I thought it was funny.
For the remaining time before our train home, we spent time at Mauerpark for their flea market. 10/10 would recommend!! It was huge and everything you could ever want could be found at the market. We found some edgy patches and bought little souvenirs. Afterward, we took photos in the old photo booths found all over the city and swung by the East Side Gallery, a part of the Berlin wall covered in murals and street art.
For the following weekend, we decided to all meet again in Munich. spontaneity!!
24 HOURS IN BERLIN, GO!
Two weekends later, I made a return to Berlin, one of my all-time favorite cities. With Ansul studying in Paris and Emily studying in Copenhagen, we decided to plan a weekend trip together. Since then, I had been completely on my own and incredibly disconnected from home. I didn’t realize how much I needed a familiar piece of home until I saw them.
Saturday, August 11, 2018
We decided to meet at the Berlin Hauptbahnhof because I took the train, while they flew into Berlin Tegel. Our reunion was straight from a movie. I remember spotting them from the bus stop, and we excitingly ran into each other, forming a huge hug.
With roughly 24 hours together in Berlin, we checked into our hostel and began to explore!
First stop: Eat a doner kebab at Mustafas
Being one of the most popular doner kebab shops in Berlin, the line was easily an hour or more. We were all exhausted and hungry from our morning travels but decided it would be worth the wait. As we stood in line, we decided to snack on currywurst (iconic German food), while exchanging spontaneous and wild stories from our travels, respectively Paris/Rome, Copenhagen, and all of Germany. It had been so long, and it felt so nice to be comfortable for the first time in a while. And, I couldn’t comprehend how I was with two of my closest friends in a foreign city, thousands of miles away from Seattle.
With it being Ansul’s first time, we hit all the tourist spots: Brandenburg Tor, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Alexander Platz, Berlin Cathedral, East Side Gallery, and more!!!
Along the way, we managed to find a Weed Festival beside Alexanderplatz, and if this doesn’t sum up Berlin, I don’t know what does. All the grungy locals were out and about. It was pretty interesting though. Like always, people parked their trucks and blasted techno music with their huge speakers. Instead of walking through, we stopped and joined in on the dance session. And you know how much I love to dance.
For dinner, we ate at a Korean restaurant, where the food was so wonderful, but the service was questionable. It was a Saturday night, and plans were made to check out Tresor, a classic Berlin techno club. It was a long day so we quickly took a power nap and made our way. Imagine a huge warehouse, smoke machines where you can barely see people ahead of you, and a huge dance floor with strobe lights and techno music blasting. An experience you can only get in Berlin!
Sunday, August 12, 2018
On Sunday morning, Ansul had an early flight, so Em and I decided to check out Thai Park by the recommendation of a friend. At Preußen Park, a bunch of Thai food vendors comes together to sell a variety of foods from curries to noodles. You wouldn’t know much about Thai Park unless you’re from the area or heard about it from a local. Once you order, the food is readily prepared for you and my Thai food cravings were met!
I parted ways with Em, and I still had a couple of hours to kill until my train ride home. With that, I went back to Mauerpark for their Sunday flea market, and I was able to meet up with Isaac from Rochester, a friend I met in Heidelberg! At the flea market, I managed to snatch a pair of Zara jeans and shorts for only 4 euros and vintage shades for Michelle and I. Not going to lie, I was pretty proud of my finds!!
Isaac from Rochester!
ice coffee and Zeit für Brot’s popular cinnamon rolls!
And that sums up my time in Berlin, a city full of character and history. What I love most about this city is the mentality of the locals, which partially correlate with the huge techno music scene. You can be whomever you want to be or do whatever you want to do, and no one will shed any judgment. I like to sum up this city as a free spirit, and it’s quite beautiful to completely embrace it for the short time you are there!
