This weekend, I went to Berlin – a city rich with history, one where beer is cheaper than water and the best way to escape the cold is running into one of the many many museums. It was an amazing trip, although I’ve discovered that Berlin isn’t my favorite city in the world. After spending a month and a half in charming Copenhagen, Berlin was a bit too industrial for my tastes. However, there was so much to see, do, and eat, and by the end of the weekend I was dead on my feet (thanks to the comprehensive itinerary my amazing sister, who spent two weeks there this summer, wrote out for me). Below, are a few of my favorite things/memories of the weekend!
East Side Gallery
As a history nerd™, I geeeeeked out with the abundance of things to learn about in Berlin, and The East Side Gallery was the coolest part of that. The Gallery is a huge stretch of the Berlin wall that runs through the city, decorated with murals by various artists from around the world. The art ranges from abstract to political to just plain weird, and each piece is completely different. This was quite possibly the coolest thing I saw in Berlin, because it managed to mix the history of the city with a political theme and really dope art (which I can’t resist).
Veggie Currywurst
Is anyone surprised that at least one of my highlights includes food? I spent the entire weekend in pursuit of the perfect ~veggie currywurst~, and I didn’t manage to get it until our last meal in Berlin, but MAN was it worth it. Escaping into semi-warmth as a place aptly named “curry in the wall,” I savored my street food with a cup of mulled wine and fries as the sun beat down on me (the only time I was warm the entire weekend). The greasy smell mixed with a realization that “wait… I’m in BERLIN right now,” made for an out-of-body moment (that also may have just been because I was finally getting vitamin D again though).
Stop Light Man
One of the weirdest, but coolest, parts of the trip was a stop to the Ampelmänchen store, which is completely dedicated to the green and red men found on the street lights in Berlin. They were originally found only in East Berlin, and after a public campaign all of Berlin has started to adopt them. There is a bit of a fan-mania surrounding them, shown by the fact that there is a chain of stores dedicated to their paraphernalia. While I was honestly confused by the entire thing, it was really entertaining and sweet to see the workers enthusiasm for the stop lights.
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| Full disclosure, I definitely forgot to take a pic in Germany so I stole this from the Internet #thxgoogle |
The only disappointment of the trip was that the main part of the Jewish museum was closed for renovation, but that just gives me another excuse to come back to the city! Some additional takeaways: when you live in a city as expensive as Copenhagen, everything feels dirt cheap when you travel. Also, Ritter Sport is the best place to buy super good and cheap chocolate, I sampled so many bizarre flavors that worked so well together. When you’re visiting the city, a trip to the Reichstag dome is SO worth it. Finally, and most importantly, always remember where you put stuff down (RIP my gloves).
That’s all for my weekend in Berlin! Tschüss (bye) for now!
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Maya is a senior International Studies major, spending the spring 2018 semester in Denmark through DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia.
Read more from Maya at travelingpapaya.wordpress.com
Don't miss your opportunity to study abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/.
That’s all for my weekend in Berlin! Tschüss (bye) for now!
--
Maya is a senior International Studies major, spending the spring 2018 semester in Denmark through DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia.
Read more from Maya at travelingpapaya.wordpress.com
Don't miss your opportunity to study abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/.
