Saving the Best for Last - Part II

Before I continue on from Part I, let me backtrack for a minute. Maybe some of you do not have any preconceived notions about Berliners but for those of you who do, they are probably correct. There are a lot of tattoos, earrings, red hair, and cigarettes. This is not to say that everyone looks this way, its just many of the young people are a lot more edgy. They somehow pull it off and make it look cool, it made me want to convince my mom even more that tattoos aren't so bad. The music and nightlife scene in Berlin is equally stereotypical (AKA its young, edgy, and intense).

All of these unconventional looking people and extreme nightlife do not make Berlin threatening but young and energetic. The city did not feel much different than walking around Chicago or New York except that there was this underlying pulse to the whole city. As the weekend approaches that pulse quickens. Just as Berliners choose to enjoy their time off in the summer at the beach bars, they love to spend their weekends out enjoying every minute.

Many of the nightlife scenes (read club) open on Thursday night with the best opening on Friday night. They all stay open until Monday morning. I am not mincing my words, they literally stay open the entire time. At any moment from Thursday at 10 PM until Monday at 6 AM, I could find a place to enjoy music and dancing.

That brings us back to Friday night where I was stuck with one of the harder decisions of my trip, which club should I try for. I decided I would head back to Strandbar (waterfront dance floor) from the previous evening to eat my dinner and plan my move. Berlin's culinary scene is not only made up of German food but also, notably, of Turkish food. The large immigrant population has brought some of their best cooking to Germany with them and I was more than happy to indulge in a couple of their Doner Kebabs. I took two to go and bought what had quickly become my favorite beer of the trip to enjoy while watching.

The Berliner is delicious and comes in many flavors. It is still produced in Berlin.

While sitting there, I came to the conclusion that there was no harm in trying for the very best club in Berlin. Berghain has pretty much set the standard for clubs around the world since its creation. It is located in an old power plant and sits in a field all alone. It would be hard to overstate the legends around this place, many consider it the worlds hardest club to access. They have no VIPs (and will except no high rollers trying to buy their way in), they allow no electronics of any kind inside so there are no pictures or videos of the interior (you are thoroughly searched), and you must speak German.

Now some of you may be thinking I'm already disqualified because, well, I speak no German whatsoever. I was not deterred. I went back to the apartment and read online message boards about the process. I memorized all the basic German phrases they would require so I could spit them out on command. The last challenge was deciding what to wear. There are plenty of warnings online not to dress too fancy and to only dress in a way that makes you look unique and comfortable in your own skin. I decided on my vintage Space Camp shirt with a pair of (tight) jeans and brown Timberlands.  I thought I would at least look a little unusual (and maybe a little hipster if I was lucky).

I went alone as Keegan was not interested in going out with me that night and headed out near midnight as I had heard that the time around when it opened was the best to get in. I didn't want to be too close to the front of the line so I kind of just stood around and people-watched as everyone else lined up. While standing there, I overheard a couple of other English speakers standing near by who were also trying to scope everything out. I walked up to the two guys who looked just a bit older than I was and asked where they were from (assuming they would tell me a state).

Creepy outside of Berghain (not my picture, found on Google)

I was briefly surprised to hear that they were from Norway but remembered a Norwegian driver I had had in Belgium a few years back who spoke equally good English. The Nordic states are very proficient English speakers. They both seemed really nice and we decided to grab a beer together as we waited out the line for a bit. There was an outdoor bar off to the side that we grabbed a table at and got to know one another.

They were cousins who occasionally took trips together. One lived in Oslo while the other lived in Zurich. They were both well educated and interesting to talk to. The biggest bonus was that one of them spoke German. I could forget everything I had quickly tried to learn! The three of us finally decided to give it a go and got in line together. We watched those in front of us get kicked out one after the other. It seemed that maybe every fourth group got in. There was no distinction between males and females, we saw entire groups of females getting booted just as readily as their male counterparts. Finally we got up to the front and waited our turn for the bouncers to address us. The three giant men turned and looked at us and before we even had the chance to speak he pointed to the exit. Ouch.

Lucky for me, my new friends came in handy. They got on the phone with some friends they had met the previous night and we soon had a new destination. We joined the line of rejects queuing for taxis and quickly were on our way to the next stop. The Taxi dropped us off at a club which was built under a bridge (I think it was a railroad which went overhead). Despite what it sounds like, this area was not creepy at all, it was actually a pretty lively one with many people out and about.

This new club is called Matrix and while no one would call it one of the worlds best clubs, it was one of the better ones in Berlin. The three of us got in line again and this time I was maybe even more nervous because I really didn't want to be rejected twice in one night. I made it to the first bouncer and he took a look at me and then accepted the passport in my outstretched hand. After verifying my age I was nodded through to the second level of bouncers.

These bouncers were nice except for the fact that they gave me a full body search. O well, before I knew it I was walking inside. I had finally made it into a Berlin club and I was not disappointed. The walls were all old brick and the ceilings were relatively low. The club was made up of a series of passages that led to various rooms of varying sizes that each had different DJs. There were probably six or seven rooms in all. The entire place felt very underground and the way it was broken up into different spaces made the rooms feel very crowded (which was good).

Those of you who have read all my blogs will remember my entry from the second blog about the "professional dancers" who surprised me in the club in Prague. This club had a similar thing going on. There were professionals on top of the bars (males and females in this case) who were dancing unbelievably hard to all of the music. I must say, they were quite talented and could really get the crowd going.

We met the group of girls that the Norwegians had met the night before. They were all Americans - go figure. I spent most of the night dancing with a girl from Texas (always love Texas girls) and hardly noticed the night fly by. I was very proud of myself when I asked the time and found out it was almost 5:30 AM. I decided it was time to go and I walked outside to catch a cab. I was blown away to see the sun shining brightly in the sky. That night can go on record as the first one that I stayed out for fun until the sun rose. When I got back to my apartment around six I had a message from my dad so I gave him a call back (It was 9 PM where he was). He asked if I had just woken up and I told him I hadn't yet gone to sleep. I don't think he could believe it.

I slept like a baby as my body tried to catch up on sleep. I finally woke up around 1 PM and decided I better see the last tourism sight I wanted to make it to. I took a good long walk to the nearest portion of the Berlin Wall. There are still bits and pieces all over the city. The piece I went to see is one of the largest and is called the East Side Gallery for all of the paintings over the wall. I spent some time walking around it and contemplating its meaning.

Me at the Berlin Wall, my history teachers would be proud

The wall stretching into the distance

 I felt like I should try the nightlife one last time for my final night in Berlin. I had left the guys from the previous evening with my email in case they wanted to go out again and was pleasantly surprised to have an email from them when I got back to my apartment. They let me know they were grabbing a beer in Alexanderplatz (center of town) at 6:30 and asked if I wanted to join them. I made my way there and we found a table and a couple of beers. When we finished those, we decided to go out for a good steak dinner. We found a restaurant near by and were able to get a huge piece of meat.

When we finished, we decided we needed to find a place to go for a while as we waited for it to get later. We went out to a big Turkish neighborhood that is experiencing a rejuvenation. There were many cool bars with a ton of young people around. We went to one with a very eclectic interior (looked like a Pottery Barn Home gone wrong) that had music playing. It was a good pit stop and we used the time to plan our next move. We decided to go back to Matrix since we had gotten in the night before.

Matrix was even busier Saturday night but we were again able to get in. This time I didn't have the crutch of the Americans but we were able to meet a ton of people. I spent most of the night with a German girl who spoke very little English. We somehow managed to communicate between the little English she spoke, the little German I had learned, and the help of my Norwegian translators. Eventually I had to call it quits and we went out for some late night Turkish food. I got back to my apartment at 6 AM. That makes the second night in my life I stayed out until sunrise for fun, not bad for a single weekend.

The next morning Keegan and I were back in travel mode. We had a train to catch to Prague where we would fly back to the United States. The travel was very smooth and we made it to our airport hotel early in the evening. Keegan went out and got us the one beer we had been wanting to try but hadn't made it to yet: Budweiser. I know many of my readers are probably surprised (I sure was) that it is not originally an American beer but a many hundreds-of-years old Czech beer. I assure everyone, it is much better in the Czech Republic.

The real Budweiser

That was it for the trip. The next morning I caught a flight bright and early and made it to Green Bay nearly 20 hours later. I was greeted by my Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, Sister, and a family friend. We all went out for a great dinner and I told trip stories. I was very grateful to be home. I love to travel but it also makes me appreciate coming home much more. My travel bug had been satisfied for a month or two at least and I was happy to make my way back to little Door County.

I will say this, I have now visited nine countries in Europe (and at least an additional four in Central America and the Caribbean) and I still find Door County and Annapolis to be two of the prettiest places anywhere in the world. I am so lucky for the opportunities I have been given to travel and I love to see the similarities and differences in world cultures. I think if more people traveled with eyes wide open there would be a lot less conflict.

The Reichstag (Germany's Parliament Building). Known for its iconic glass dome and rich history.

Perhaps the most iconic image of Berlin, the Brandenburg gate split East and West Germany for a time and today stands as a symbol of their unity. Its history is incredible. 

The U.S. embassy immediately next to the Brandenburg gate. This says a lot about the Germany - American relationship. President Obama would visit three days after I left and give a speech right in front of the gate.

Looking towards the iconic radio tower that used to be the crown jewel of East German Architecture.

Anyways, I will get off my pedestal and finish with this. Europe is fantastic and I fully intend to finish seeing every country on the continent. I would highly suggest it for any beginner travelers, older travelers, or those who are a little nervous about trips. The infrastructure is very good and there are probably more similarities than differences to the United States. it is this final reason though that I believe I am ready to branch out. I feel that I now have the confidence as a traveler to enter uncharted waters. My great fascination has always been the Middle East but I have been too hesitant to attempt it.

I have decided that the next trip I take of my own expense will be to the Middle East - preferably Israel, Turkey, Jordan, Qatar, or Egypt (though I am open to many others). The alternate trip I may do which I am equally scared, but excited, about would be India. Either way, expect this to be far from the last you hear from me about my travels. I can't thank you enough for reading along and encourage anyone who is thinking about any trip to talk to me, I have done a ton of research and would love to discuss it.

Until then I am settled back in Annapolis and am excited to get to work for the greatest employer in the world. I couldn't be happier just to be where I'm at.

Saving the Best for Last - Part I

I am now home (and have been for a while) but I still can't get one place off of my mind - Berlin. The trip was great overall; I always love to travel (though the trips usually make me equally ready to return to the U.S.). Since coming back though, I still think about our sixth and final destination. I told my parents that Berlin is a place I would love to return and live in one day. Its energy and history were so overwhelming, I think I would need at least a couple of years to fully appreciate the city. I will do my best to illustrate Berlin and all I loved about it.

After our scary Tuesday night where I almost had to sleep on the street (see previous blog entry) I woke up Wednesday morning happy to be safe, alive, and well. I utilized the day to catch up on basic stuff like getting my laundry done, going for a run, and reorganizing all of my possessions. I knew that I had a little bit of extra time in Berlin (compared to other cities) so I didn't worry too much about spending a day relaxing. I learned that the apartment we were staying in was on Karl Marx Avenue which is a main thoroughfare today and (you guessed it) a former part of East Berlin. Maybe a half mile down the street was Alexanderplatz which is the commercial center of the city and a major tourism draw.

Statue outside of my apartment door

Across the River Spree from Alexanderplatz, which can be easily traversed by a multitude of bridges, are the biggest tourism draws of all. Besides being the home of the German national government, the majority of museums and memorials call this region home. After scoping it out Wednesday, I headed there Thursday morning to visit the German Museum. The museum explores German history from the very beginning. I am not especially interested in the ancient history of German tribes but there were some pretty neat displays and artifacts:

This globe may be one of the most interesting displays, its the first known map in globe form. The blank blue on the right is where the Americas should be.

 It was around the 1800s that I began to see some of the history taking shape that would lead to the first World War. Throughout the nineteenth century, the great European monarchs were struggling to keep their nations and themselves relevant as liberal thought spread (think French Revolution) and the Industrial Revolution changed the world. Otto von Bismarck is the man most responsible for uniting the German states into a powerful German Empire in the late 1800's. His statesmanship preserved peace for over half a century in Europe but also directly led to the alliances which would prove dangerous in WWI.

Otto von Bismark's military uniform

The 20th century was really why I came to the museum and I was excited to finally reach it. I have always enjoyed studying the World Wars and was very interested to hear the narrative from the German's perspective. I won't re-tell the history because I am sure most know it but World War I was viewed in a very similar way in Germany as it is in the U.S.: there were too many alliances and too great of a desire to utilize the massive military arsenals that had been created. 

After the war, the German economy was crippled and the government was a mess. Jews proved an easy scapegoat for the loss in the great war and Hitler built up much of his platform around the idea of the ideal human (known as the Aryan race). After taking office in 1932, Hitler was still not ready to show his true face to the world. He was happy to host the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin to display the new Germany to the world. Strict orders were issued to facilitate all athletes of all races in the games (this is told differently in American history, many have probably heard that Hitler was especially angry about the dominance of Jesse Owens).

Posters advertising the Olympics

Not everyone was fooled; Albert Einstein neglected to return from a trip to the United States in 1933 because of the rising anti-Semitic attitudes.

I believe this is a letter from Einstein detailing that he is not returning to Germany.

Everyone knows what happened next so I will just show some pictures:

A selection of Nazi military uniforms

German propaganda/ military recruitment posters

American propaganda/ military recruitment posters

Hitler's personal desk

A model of the crematorium at Auschwitz 

Most often remembered in Japan, many Germans also committed suicide following their defeat. This is a letter written by a German Officer explaining that life was no longer worth living in defeat. He then joined the 200,000 (incredible, I know) other Germans who took their own life.

Following the War, Germany was split among the great allied powers (USA, France, Britain, and the USSR). The Cold War politics that soon broke out left Germany divided by the victors. Most notably, the city of Berlin was split with an eastern section that belonged to the USSR and a western part that belonged to the other three nations. The country was also split in the same way with Berlin ending up in the middle of Eastern Germany. This left the Western German part of Berlin an island. It wasn't long before the USSR built a wall around this section of the city. The Americans put in the biggest effort of anyone to assist Western Berlin. President Kennedy ran an airlift to keep up food supplies when the city was completely shut off. There are still streets named after him in Berlin today. 

The American checkpoint, "Checkpoint Charlie" to cross between East and West Berlin. I thought the two Germans dressed up in American military uniforms were rather ironic.

Both of the above two pictures were displays that paid tribute to the American's and their generosity.

My personal favorite picture from the museum. This is an Eastern German soldier named Conrad Schumann who was tasked to build the Berlin Wall. Realizing that he was in effect sealing himself in, he made the bold move to make a break for Western Berlin. He was successful.

I finally left the museum and started walking back to the Apartment. I stopped for a quick bratwurst at a food cart (about $2) and looked at some of the sights along the way. One of the prettiest sights is Museum Island which sits in the middle of the river and is full of very good looking museums (think Smithsonians).

Ornate cathedral on Museum Island

Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Victims of War and Tyranny 

Thursday night I knew that I wanted to go out, there is a such a diverse offering of nightlife I had to take advantage of every opportunity I had. The first place I went was a bar in the financial district. Its beer list acts as a stock exchange where you can buy and sell beers on the free market based on demand and availability. There are giant screens all around that look just like stock tickers which tell the current price of the beer. I have to say, the concept sounds cooler than it actually was. I think I probably went too early (it opens at 6 PM and closes at 6 AM) but it just wasn't that lively.

I decided I would leave and try walking along the river instead. Berlin is famous for what it calls "beach bars." Berliners love to create a beach environment by bringing in everything from sand to tropical bars for the few nice summer months. I figured I would probably see something fun going on there. What I ran into was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Along the water there was a giant outdoor dance floor that was fit into a natural bowl on three sides with the water on the fourth. There were dozens of couples on the floor dancing to classical music with many more sitting on the hills enjoying the festive atmosphere. It looked across the river to Museum Island and there were lights that flitted across the grand buildings. It was kind of a magical place and it felt more local than touristy.

Advertising for one of the many beach bars

Strandbar looking towards Museum Island (not my picture, found on Google)

The crowds of people on the floor at Strandbar (not my picture, found on Google)

Friday morning I woke up for another round of sightseeing. Today I was planning on focusing on Jewish history beginning with a trip to the Jewish Museum. The museum is extremely modern. The underground portion has four main hallways that represent different parts of the Jews struggle. It was very haunting at times and there were many tears. The upstairs is pretty much just a regular museum with exhibits that discuss what it meant to be a Jew in Europe from the beginning of recorded history.

Outside of the Jewish Museum

What it looked like inside. Hallways went in all sorts of directions and represented different things. The cities written on the walls are where many of the Jews scattered to in the world. New York and Chicago were prominently featured.

The architect, Daniel Libeskind, left open spaces throughout the building to represent the absence of Jews from German society. Those are metal faces on the ground which represent murdered Jews

More of the fantastic architecture, note the Hebrew inscribed light fixtures

Titled "An Unusual Success Story," this display tells the story of  a  widowed Jew, Rebecca Straus, who immigrated to the United States following the war. Her youngest son sold cloth to California Gold diggers and came up with the idea of combining jeans with copper rivets for rugged work pants - Levi-Strauss was born.

One of the saddest exhibits, a handmade book was projected onto the wall that was created by a father in the concentration camps for his son. He wrote of all the opportunities his son would have in the world and that he could be anything he wanted. The father was murdered by the Nazis but his son survived and still resides in Germany.

From the Jewish Museum I traveled to a second major Jewish tourism site. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is prominently located in the government sector. Its blunt name and unusual location may exemplify the Germans admittance of guilt and their determination to never let something like the Holocaust happen again. The memorial is a series of large stone rectangles of various heights. I am not sure of the exact symbolism of it but believe it probably is trying to demonstrate the scope of the atrocity. I tried to climb on top of some of these stone pillars to access the center but got yelled at by security. When I got off the top of them and started walking among them, I realized how strange and confusing it was inside. I wonder if the feeling was intentionally created by its design.

A panorama view. You still probably can't see half of it here and you should realize that some of these pillars are probably 12 feet tall (the ground is not even underneath).

By the time I finished with the memorial, I was done with sadness for the day and decided to head back to the apartment. It was Friday night after all and there was no way I was letting it go by without trying out the clubbing scene.