To “ein” or not to “ein”? Some people say JFK had it right the entire time. According to Wikipedia (a valuable source), the late US President did not indeed call himself a jam doughnut by saying “Ich bin ein Berliner.” Since he was declaring himself a Berliner in a figurative sense, the use of the word “ein” was in fact correct. This is still a topic of contention.
But I digress. Berlin!
This will be an abbreviated post, a casualty of procrastination. With the recollection of my most recent weekend trip battling the roads of four different countries, as well as my upcoming trip to Firenze, Italia, I will have to let my pictures of Berlin do most of the talking. Speaking of which, I still haven’t really figured out how to properly format and place pictures in this blog… so the few that are in here will be too big and in awkward places.
My hostel, Wombats, was located steps away from Alexanderplatz. Extremely convenient, cheap, social, popular, energetic, safe, and secure. For my first European hostel experience, I couldn’t have asked for better!
My first day was spent on Sandeman‘s Free Walking Tour, New Berlin. Our tour guide, Jeff, showed us almost everything there is to see in Berlin in less than 4 hours. Best of all, it was tips based payment, so everyone paid what they could and thought was deserved.
In walking around, I was overwhelmed by the unique experience of being immersed within so much history while being surrounded by buildings that have been around for barely a half-century. The architecture was brand new, but their stories stretched hundreds of years back through Berlin’s rocky past.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Out of everything I got to see, I enjoyed the East Side Gallery the most. It was a representation of the ongoing Renaissance that has smothered the memory of the treacherous Soviet rule that plagued the city less than 25 years ago.
Berlin Love
The Gallery is a showcase that brings to life everything and everyone that was suppressed and marginalized through an almost endless series of murals painted by gifted artists from all around the world!
Walking around the streets, it was hard to imagine that Berlin could have been anything but a flourishing, cosmopolitan, and artistically vibrant city that stands tall amongst its European Metropolitan peers. Berlin just may be one history’s best comeback stories.
Jewish Germany
Correct me if I am wrong, but visit the city and you will agree that at the very least, Berlin is a shining example of how the will of our society can allow us to bounce back from any series of crippling experiences.
Love it! Berlin is one of my fave European cities.