Berlin (Days 34-37)

And I've officially hit the five week mark which means two things: 1. I have less than 2 weeks left of my adventure :((( 2. I get to see all my friends at home/back in Evanston in less than 4 weeks :))) 

**This post is delayed because my beloved Wild won a couple nights back and I spent my last night in Berlin live streaming the game. I also took a plane from Berlin to my next destination which meant less time for writing.

Site Highlights:

The Holocaust Memorial: Probably my favorite site in Berlin. It is a beautifully done monument that acknowledges the role that Germany had in the Holocaust and pays tribute to the many victims. We decided to stop in the visitors center and spent nearly two hours reading the stories of the families killed. It was so moving and engaging. If you're ever in Berlin you need to check out this place.

Reischmart: This is the German capital building and if you don't know that when you first see it, you'll figure it out pretty quickly with all the flags. Advice: book at least 2 weeks in advance if you want to tour or go into the glass dome. We didn't and therefore were unable to go inside this supposedly incredible structure.

View of the dome from across the river

Front of the building, note all the flags

The Berlin Wall (and check point Charlie): Before coming to Berlin I had seen some pictures of the Berlin Wall, but I didn't really have perspective on its size. It's crazy that this massive fortress successfully stood and divided Berlin for so many years. One thing that I found fascinating about the wall was how it was more like a strip enclosed by two walls, some trenches, and other obstacles that would block an escape attempt. What I found most disheartening was the large number of innocent deaths that occurred from West Germans falling into East German territory on accident and not being rescued because any rescuers from the West would have been shot. It's also cool that you can see how the wall ran through the city by a metal bar that runs the complete border of East and West Berlin in the city.

The less formidable wall

The bigger wall

A replica of what the wall looked like when it was in use. This is the only complete part of the wall that still exists today.

Standing on both sides at once

Friends divided?

Check point Charlie

Food Highlights:

We're a little sick of meat and potatoes at this point....luckily Berlin is home to a lot of worldly cuisines. Breakdown of our food: Day 1- Spanish tapas, Day 2- Traditional kebaps and Japanese noodles, Day 3- Traditional currywurst and burgers (!!!)

Kebaps: Apparently this Berlin street food is world renowned! They're very similar to a gyro, but I personally preferred the gyros. Cristina loved the kebaps! 

Mustafa's is the most well known kebap place in Berlin. We waited in line for almost 90 minutes to try them, and they met our expectations! Mustafa's was recomended to us by Jakub, who studied in Berlin a couple summers ago.

She's sooooo happy to eat

My kebap

Currywurst: Currywurst is basically sausage with curry. We first had them in Munich but for some reason Berlin is known as their home. For those of you who don't know, I don't usually eat red meat, so I ate a veggie currywurst instead! AND it actually tasted pretty yummy.

Piri's: So I was going to skip mentioning this but decided to include partially for the neighborhood. Very very good chicken sandwiches, fries, and soda. Cristina actually took a second soda for the walk home! Piri's is not located in the center of Berlin but in a more hip/up-and-coming neighborhood. We liked the food and the vibe we got from the Austraillians  working there.

Summary:

Rating: 7.5/10 (Katie), 7/10 (Aspen), 7.25/10 (Cristina)

Likelihood of Returning: 65% (K), 60% (A), 65% (C)

**If you've read all the way through, good work. Your prize is knowledge that I'll be posting again tomorrow! Sorry for the delays :)