Posted by Karbo
We were hosted in Berlin by a friend of a friend (now just a friend!), Steffi. We don't have any photos with her, but she was an awesome host and we're so glad we got to meet her and become friends!
Our first impression of Berlin when we arrived at the central train station was that it's very new, very modern, and very sleek. We were used to old-fashioned train stations by this time and it was a a new experience to arrive at the glass and steel terminal of Berlin Hauptbanhof.
The modern infrastructure was a recurring theme during our visit to Berlin. The majority of the city centre is being re-developed, which isn't surprising considering that re-unification occurred barely over 20 years ago.
Berlin is a huge city! It's more than 8 times the size of Paris. Nevertheless, we tried to see as much as we can by foot and bike.
On our first full day in Berlin, we took the free Sandeman tour and then met up with Steffi. She took us out for lunch in a really cute neighbourhood (known locally as "Simon Roof Street") with tons of food and restaurant options.
Even though she worked an early morning shift that day, Steffi still took the time to drive us to the supermarket after lunch. Like I said - amazing hostess!
At the supermarket, Jason was thrilled to discover €0.29 bottles of beer. We also noticed that it's pretty common to walk around Berlin double-fisting bottles of beer.
At the supermarket, Jason was thrilled to discover €0.29 bottles of beer. We also noticed that it's pretty common to walk around Berlin double-fisting bottles of beer.
We had a lazy day on the 23rd and didn't leave the house until the late afternoon and only had time to visit the DDR Museum. The DDR Museum is an interactive museum that focuses on everyday life in the communist state, GDR (German Democratic Republic). The exhibits were very hands-on and we thought they did a really good job allowing visitors to get a glimpse of what it was like to live during that era.
Being our first stop in Germany, we went to a lot of WWII and Holocaust memorials and museums while in Berlin.
We also got started on the famous German wursts. Apparently each German city has its signature wurst. In Berlin, it's the currywurst. For our first taste of currywurst we went to none other than Curry 36, the most well-known spot for currywurst in Berlin.
On the 25th we went on a bike tour run by Fat Bike Tours. We took the "Raw Tour: Berlin Exposed!" and really enjoyed the places our guide showed us! We checked out a lot of graffiti spots, the current "it" club in Berlin, the Turkish Market, and Tempelhof Park, to name a few. Compared to our bike tour in Paris, Berlin drivers were surprisingly much more patient with tourist bikers than the Parisians.
Berlin was very different from the European cities we'd been to up until then. It's got a raw and edgy vibe and we're excited to see what it'll be like the next time we visit!