Berlin!!! (First Draft- pics to come)

A lot has happened since my last post, so I'm going to try and be as concise as possible while updating you with everything. Therefore, I'm considering this my Berlin-as-a-whole post, especially since we're leaving Berlin tomorrow evening for Munich. My last post covered my first day and impressions. The time between then and when Cyrus arrived (finally) was pretty uneventful as I tried to get in as much reading and studying in before he came. He had threatened to throw my computer out of the window if he caught me studying and not enjoying myself. :D In those few days I explored the little space around eastern Berlin, not wanting to do too much before he got here. I checked out the Ring Center (a huge western-style mall) and found a TON of Gluten Free food!!! All the goodies!!! I also went on a three hour walk (I was not expecting it to be three hours when I set out), and found the most amazing and awe-inspiring Soviet Memorial. Standing among all of that symbolism and pain made the past come to life in the stone and the long struggle of the east was palpable. Otherwise, I spent my time continuing to gain my bearings on this new place and learning valuable information like:

Fifth Impression Berlin Fact #5: Even the beggars speak English. When one hassled me for money I responded in German that I did not speak much German (so proud of myself), hoping that that would deter him from bothering me some more. I should also note that it wasn't immediately obvious that he was a beggar and I didn't catch that he was asking for money at first (I thought maybe directions). Anyway, that was no matter and he quickly switched to English asking me for money. Embarrassed and having wasted so much time already I gave him 20 cents and scurried off.

Also,

Berlin Fact #6: Berlin, besides being the city capitol, is also the art capitol. However, as I walked I started to question if certain piles of scrap metal were actually art, or if Berlin (by calling everything art) was trying to cover up how dirty it actually was. Graffiti served as the city's splash of color while piles of twisted metal were passed off as modern art. Sneaky Berlin, I see what you're doing here...

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Cyrus was on his way to Berlin and the real adventure would begin! I traveled to the airport to meet him (which in itself took a lot of guessing, gypsy know-how, and a TON of dumb luck) and managed to arrive just as his plane landed. It was already delayed by an hour, so I expected that it wouldn't take too long for him to unload. Another 40 minutes later though and I was starting to worry that he didn't make his flight or that (for some Russian reason) they didn't let him leave. Just then, he appeared! We hugged/ he lifted me off of the ground, and made our way back to the hostel (another feat of luck and skill).

Our first day together I took him to see the Soviet Memorial, break him out of the Russia mentality slowly. He was impressed, but still not totally convinced he had left Russia. If it wasn't for the fact that the trams worked and people were so happy, I don't think he ever would have believed that he was any further west than Moscow. The next day, being the super humans we are, we went on an 8 mile run through the same park that had the memorial. Being that I was/am still getting over a cold I had to walk once or twice to catch my breath. Otherwise, it was an awesome run that ended up being farther than either of us expected it to be! That night we checked out our first Christmas Market at Potsdamerplatz! We watched this really cool display/live-advert for the Hobit in the Sony Center before heading into the market. We also ate out at this really good Gluten Free place called Maredo's and felt so fancy! Once full and inside the market, we saw that they had a huge toboggan slide of man-made snow. I was so excited to sled down this massive thing, having not seen snow all winter. It was fast and we had a great time! After that we tried roasted Chestnuts for the first time (Cyrus's new Christmas-time favorite) before returning home.

The next day was Christmas Eve! So many plans were made to spend our day in Alexanderplatz and walk around Berlin (the Christmas Mecca of Europe) to get into the Christmas spirit! However, we learned a very important fact:

Berlin Fact #7: Christmas Eve through Boxing Day (what the English call the day after Christmas) Germany shuts down. Entirely! Not a store or restaurant was open after 2pm on Christmas Eve until the 27^th. We were surprised that the public transport was even running. We also later found out, to our great frustration, that this pattern of utter closure also occurs every Sunday.

This made simple tasks, such as finding food, very difficult. We spent most of the day hunting down this local Back Shop (bakery poorly translated from the German, Bäckerei) that sold some sandwich meat and cheese to hold us over until everything opened again. We also went to a local Catholic Christmas Eve service, because (for me) Christmas wouldn't be the same without Midnight Mass. The entire service was in German and in an Indian language we didn't recognize, but the church was beautiful! Both of us had a really good time and experience. Christmas Day I was awoken by an excited Cyrus telling me that he thought Santa had visited and left some gifts! :D We spent the morning opening presents and drinking our Eirlikör. Lucky for us, Christmas Day did have some things open, including Alexanderplatz! We went and spent the day being filled with Christmas joy, eating German Bratwurst without the bun (ordering this from some EXTREMELY confused German guys who could not understand why I would ever refuse bread), some Pommes Frits, drinking Glühwein (Mulled wine), Grog (wine and what I can only assume was tequila), some candied fruits, and riding the awesome Ferris Wheel at Berliner Weinachszeit Market in front of the Berliner Rathaus (Berlin courthouse)! Wonderful evening!!! We even saw Santa “fly” through the market with his sleigh and reindeer on a zipline!!! It was a very Christmas-y Boxing Day!

The next day we worked off our holiday cheer with a four mile run interrupted by a few minutes of playing (aka Cyrus doing 100 (OMG!) pull-ups) at a local playground. We then (wanting to get our tourist fix) visited the Reichstag, Brandenburg Tor, and Check-Point Charlie/the Berlin Wall Memorial. Each location was complete with some reenactors wanting money and a bunch of tourists. Also, since the sun stays up for only (what seems like) a few minutes, viewing everything at dusk was extra beautiful! Everything was open and we were able to go into several stores and tourist shops to look for gift ideas for our families and friends! We even were able to stock up on some foods! The next day was Cyrus's 21^st birthday!!! Which, in the states, would be a big deal. However, here it just means you're old. :D Either way I was determined to give him a good birthday experience! Unfortunately, Germany's weird business hours and customs had a slightly different plan. The first restaurant we went to was shut down for winter (that happens here), as was Cyrus's Cross-fit gym he had been looking forward to attending. We ended up going to another Maredo's (which wasn't bad) and buying ice cream and M&Ms from Edeka, since the ice cream store we were going to try was already closed. We also bought the most disgusting, German-looking alcohol called Kräuter Likör (I know right, be more German please) and ate the ice cream and drank the alcohol outside of the station on some steps (hoping that that wasn't illegal...), and had some Jäger shots in the hostel bar. All-in-all it was a good evening!

Finally, yesterday (Sunday) Berlin was closed again! Even the HUGE mall!!! The thing that was strange was that even though nothing was open, the geldautomat points were still open... and people were taking out money... to buy nothing because everything was closed! Anyway, we went on a good walk and ended up finding a great pizza place. Authentic Italian pizza for Cyrus to make up for the botched birthday dinner. We ended up not doing much and going back to the hostel to watch Game of Thrones and the Doctor Who Christmas Special. Today we are going to the gym (that Cyrus has meticulously looked for) and possibly visiting the Jewish Memorial before having dinner at a local Russian restaurant.

Well, I hope that satisfies you for now. It is so hard keeping up with EVERYTHING! But this at least fills you in on our most recent adventures! Will write again soon!!! Pictures will also be uploaded soon! Time to work out!!!

Berlin! First Days and First Impressions

Finally! Break has come and is going so well! Christmas is all around as Cyrus and I sit in our room listening to Christmas music and chilling the Eierlikör (Eggnog) in our make-shift refrigerator (aka the space between our double-paned windows). I have made it into Berlin (obviously) safe and sound and Cyrus is now (obviously) with me as well! There has been so much going on these past few days I'm not sure how, exactly, I'm going to fit it all into one post. However, I will try and at least update you with all of the exciting things! I'll start with travel day.

Five AM wake up calls are never fun, especially when followed by hauling one large suitcase down the road and taking two tubes just to get to the airport. I had been nervous about actually getting over to Germany and had done everything I could have to make sure I was prepared for each stage. That being said, I was biting my nails when they weighed my huge suitcase, not wanting to go over the 24kg limit. I was shooting for 22kg, but the scale read... 23.4. Whew! 600Grams under!!! :D I breathed a sigh of relief, checked that off as my first win of the day, and headed to my gate. Security was a lot less impressive than I remembered it being 2 years ago... then again it was around the Olympics.

 I took another tram to my gate, snapped a picture of the sunrise, breezed past the customs lady (who seemed to care less that I was leaving her country), and took my seat on the plane. The flight was uneventful as I was sandwiched between two business people who seemed to be too polite to continue their previously engaged conversation around me. Boring. At this point it still hadn't set in that I was going to shortly be in Germany (blame the sleep deprivation), that is until I looked up and noticed that the screen scrolling through our flight time, wind speed, ground speed, ect. was in German. Something clicked then, and I realized that I was not going to be able to understand anyone and that I would be in a different country. *gulp* Finally the captain announced our descent and I craned my neck around the smart-looking woman next to me to get my first glimpse of my new gypsy home.

First impression: Every house had a red roof. Every single one. Now that I'm on the ground I don't really notice, but there was an obvious bias in the air. Red roofs and green fields! Oh how I've missed open space!

Finally, we landed! Berlin! I was all prepared to have to fight my way through customs (call it PTSD from my experience getting to London), but the angry-looking man behind the glass barely looked at me as he stamped my passport and I was IN! I didn't even see a station to stop and declare anything (not that I would have). And the baggage area was right inside the gate, quickly giving me the impression that this was a small airport. So I heaved my large bag off the belt and continued to try and navigate this whole new world.

Second impression: Silence. The airport, a hub of reuniting and happiness and shouting, was dead silent. People were there, kinda, and it was still eerily quiet. And it wasn't just the airport, everywhere is scary silent and devoid of people. Even the cars hardly ever use their horns- a far cry from the commotion of London.

Tram running through the streets with the cars (Inception!)

I did two whole laps around the airport before I realized that it was a circle and that my usual “fake it till you make it” attitude was not going to get me to the hostel. So I walked up to the most tourist-looking booth and asked (shyly in English) where to buy a ticket for the transport. I had done enough research to know that I needed a one-way and it would be valid on all forms of transport. I knew what to say and even which buses and trains I needed to take. So, I gathered up all of my courage, rehearsed what I wanted to say, walked up to the angry ticket man and squeeked out, “Ich brauche ein Fahrkarte für TXL, bitte.” To which he responded with a slightly condescending look, “One-way?” CRAP! I somehow screwed that up and gave away my true identity. Feeling discouraged I nodded and payed with a curt “Danke,” and walked out to my bus. I knew that I needed the TXL, but the ever-helpful transportation website never said anything about validating tickets, what to do to get on the bus or anything. No matter what country you're in, transportation websites seem to be just vague enough to give you zero information. So, I defaulted to London customs, walked on a showed the uninterested driver my shiny ticket.

Hostel Cafe/Restaurant/Bar

My Bunk at the Hostel

He looked at me with a face of slight confusion as I stared back at him, trying to pick up any hints of what I should do next, as I was pushed further into the bus. At this point I figured he didn't care enough for my ticket, and I was beginning to wonder why I had bought one at all, when I saw a man stick his ticket in one of (what I later found out was) the validation boxes, stamping the date and time. Later, I was told the eternally useful information (that you would never find on any website) that the tickets are valid from when you stamp them, not from when they're bought.... And the transport is RARELY ever checked anyway.... So, money saved there! I just bought a Tageskarte (day ticket) and keep it with me in case we are checked.

Gypsy antics aside, I arrived at the station before my hostel, and began walking in (what I thought was) the right direction. I have no idea why I thought it was the right direction. Looking back everything about it was wrong, but it did lead me directly to the trams! After a few missed trams as I tried to decipher these alien words (still wasn't fully convinced I was actually in Germany), I hoped on the correct tram and was whisked away to my first hostel. I finally made it after an already exhausting day and was, thankfully, able to check into my room early. It was nice and colorful and spacious! The front of the hostel was a cafe/diner/bar combo with wifi while the back was full of comfy beds and a kitchen for the other Berlin urchins like myself. It was extremely clean and comfortable compared to my experiences in London, and they even gave me my own locker!

Dog park

At this point I just wanted to sleep, but knew that I should explore my new surroundings instead. I looked up where the closest Gluten Free restaurant and set off. The place was only a block away, but the geldautomat (ATM) was a few blocks the other way and I needed monies. So I made a loop of the few blocks around my hostel to get a feel for where I now lived.

Third impression: Berlin is dirty! There is glass and trash everywhere and every inch of reachable concrete is covered with graffiti (which, if I remember correctly is actually legal here).

As I walked along I noticed how identical the larger buildings were and yet how brightly painted they were. As I kept going I also noticed an unused field near the hostel that had been taken over by the locals as a make-shift dog park (which is kinda strange since all dogs are always off leash here anyway). For some reason, everything about the area reminded me of pictures of old Soviet Russia and some of the newer images that I have recently seen from North Korea. However, I would occasionally pass a bright store and saw a huge mall by the train station. This lead me to the conclusion that:

Gluten Free Cafe!

Fourth impression: Berlin is a perfect combination of Eastern former soviet rule and Western ideals. This makes sense considering that Berlin is where The Wall was and that it has only been down for a couple decades. However, seeing the remnants of a time passed was still surreal.

I finished off my first day with a wonderful Gluten Free sandwich from a place called Aunt Jennie's which, luckily for me, had an English Gluten Free menu! I then crossed the street to a small store called Edeka where (surprisingly) they had Gluten Free bread and other small items! I quickly stocked up so I wouldn't have to eat out every day and could save the monies, and headed back to the hostel. I put my food away, said hello to the gypsy hostel dog who lived there (dogs are also allowed in stores and everywhere), and got spent the evening chilling in the front cafe/bar/thing since it was already dark and I wasn't brave enough to take on Berlin at night until I was a little more familiar with the place. On top of that, while I was sitting there, I heard a very close, very loud explosion go off. I still don't know what it was- probably some boys who got their hands on some fireworks- but it was enough to deter me from any more exploring. Welcome to Berlin. The sketchiest, yet nicest place ever (depending on where you are).

Well, I think I've set the scene well enough to give you an idea of where I am. Now, for the sake of my puppy dog's attention span (I fear I'm boring Cyrus to tears), and for the fact that daylight is limited, I will sign off now and promise to post more later of all of my other experiences so far. Merry Christmas I mean, Frohe Weihnachten!!! Bis später.

Cyrus laughing at the silly European smart cars!

'Twas the Week Before Christmas

Passing time is the hardest thing to do. Ever. And we've all been there. It's the catch 22 of life where fate gets her cruel giggles. If you sit there and do nothing but focus on the time, it never seems to move and you're stuck feeling like you're being dragged through the mud across the pavement. However, once you begin to occupy yourself with enjoyable tasks to take your mind off of all of the emotional pavement burn you've acquired, suddenly time flies by and you're left wishing you had more. Welcome to my week.

All of us lining up for food!

Class ended (for me) last Thursday and my flat mates and I decided to celebrate the end of term with a pot-luck-ish Christmas dinner before everyone left for home. It was kinda like what we did for Thanksgiving, but fewer people cooked more food and more people showed up to eat. It was nice spending “family-time” with my new friends before we all left for a month. I cannot tell you how excited I am to visit Germany with my friend and be a proper tourist for a month! However, I still had a little under a week to wait.

YUM! with our Christmas crowns!

 In no time, the stress and chaos from the semester quickly caught up with me and I found myself, Friday morning, staring at ridiculous pictures on 9gag with my face being dragged across the proverbial pavement. In the week previously I had even fallen into the oh-so-common trap of beginning to watch a new series in the last few weeks of school, which was not helping me feel like I was doing anything productive. It may sound crazy (and I have been accused of being a work-o-holic), but in the past 20 years of living with myself I have found that I am the most relaxed and stress-free when I fill my time with “stuff”. The difference between me and a work-o-holic, however, is that my “stuff” consists of things I want to do, haven't been able to do, or want to do again. I realized that if I was going to survive this wait, I would have to schedule my time in the only way my mother taught me how- by detailing every minute. So, I planned at least one activity or “big thing” for the remaining 5 days that would get me out of the flat and moving.

Science Museum gift shop

Since Friday was spent with me mostly sprawled on the floor or watching “TV” on my computer, Saturday was the first day of any real consequence. I decided to visit the Science Museum! I am an absolute child when it comes to science museums! I love looking at the exhibits and touching the breakable objects, bouncing from one display to the next while munching on my overly-priced snacks. Where else can you find so much knowledge in one convenient, fun to play with package? I know, I'm a bit of a nerd. My excitement was only added to when I discovered that the museum had recently opened a psychology exhibit alongside a history of medicine throughout cultures display! Had I died and gone to heaven! I roped one of my flatmates, who is also a science nerd, into coming with me so I could look childish with someone and we were off! The museum was wonderful! It wasn't quite as interactive as I had hoped, but enough to where my inner 5-year-old was satisfied. I looked at maps of the brain, marveled at dissected and dried animals, stared at cool electronic thingies that looked extremely complicated, and the medicine display even had a real live mummy!!! My friend and I bounced around the museum for hours before we were, quite literally, kicked out as they tried to close around us. We ended the day by gathering two of our other friends/flat-mates and watching a Christmas-y movie in her room. It was a great fun-filled day. 
 

The psychology exhibit

The view of the museum from the top floor

The next day was also plenty of fun as I went to the cinema (not theatre/movies) to watch Catching Fire. Since my sister begged me to read the Hunger Games trilogy the summer after my Freshman year, I had fallen in 12-year-old-preteen love with the stories. I didn't think I would ever love a series as much as I loved Harry Potter, but then life is full of surprises (though Harry Potter does have a special place in my heart). Unfortunately, none of my friends here felt the same way, and some of them had never even seen the first one! To be fair though, I wouldn't have either if my sister hadn't made me read the books. So I did something I'm almost certain I've never done before- I went to the cinema by myself! It wasn't nearly as depressing as I thought it would be, but did teach me the hard way that:

London Fact # 15: Cinemas have assigned seats! Not knowing this I went to sit wherever and had the … seat-checker-lady have to chase me down and WATCH me take my proper seat. At first I thought it was just this cinema, but when I was recounting my experience to my friends later they were surprised that I was surprised and said it is a normal thing. Was not expecting that one!

Christmas crackers!!! (Where we got our crowns)

Anyway, I LOVED the movie SOOOOO MUCH!!! It was so true to the book and made all of my little feelings run around inside me. It also took a solid three hours out of my day (previews and walking time included). When I returned I found my friends all sitting around in the corridor (not hallway) with a bunch of random objects (pans, brooms, wooden spoons, balloons, and decorative tinsel) telling me that they had started a band and I should join. We spent most of the rest of the evening making WAY too much noise and playing “keep up” with the balloon (with the rules varying constantly). After we got tired of that we decided to get ready and go out. In between waiting for them to get ready I Skyped my parents and grandma and had a “mini-Christmas” opening gifts that they had shipped to me (because of all of these packages I am now famous at the mail desk: “The famous Toft with an endless supply of packages”). I loved them all and am very grateful for such a wonderful family! My friends and I then ended that night by going out to a local pub that featured live bands on Sunday as our last time out until the next term started.

We Will Rock You

Oxford Street

Monday soon showed up and I spent most of it catching up on some studying that I really should finish before my break actually begins... yeah. After I couldn't take any more time in the library I headed down to Tottenham Court Road where I was to meet up with a friend I had made while living in the hostels. I hadn't seen her in about a month as she was busy working and I spent most of my time reading. We had fun walking along Oxford Street, looking at all of the pretty street lights and shop designs. At first, we tried to look for a pub that wasn't hosting a Christmas party since she has been working and unable to go out for a drink with anyone in a long time. However, it was still too early in the evening and most of the pubs were full of creepy-looking older men; so we pressed on. After we got tired of the slight drizzle that always seems to be coming down anymore we popped into Starbucks for some hot chocolate! Being around all of the Christmas music with a warm drink and pretty lights made me feel like Christmas was actually coming (though you wouldn't guess it by the weather). It was fun getting to catch up with her and hear about our other friend who is also her roommate. We even made plans to meet up again after I returned from my holiday in Germany. After we parted ways to go home I walked back up Tottenham Court Road and stopped in a few shops I have been wanting to see. I didn't buy anything though, and soon made my way home to watch some computer TV, read my new book my mom sent me, and go to bed.

Today, I am here. Typing. I have plenty of little plans, but the greatest things on my schedule are working-out, doing laundry and packing! Tomorrow I wake up at 5am (ouch) and head to Heathrow to fly to Germany! It still doesn't quite feel real to me that in a few hours I'll be in Germany trying to use what little German I remember from high school to make it to my hostel and survive until my friend meets up with me. I just hope I won't be too homesick come Christmas day as this is the first year ever I've spent it away from my family. I also hope Germany will put me into the Christmas spirit more since, apparently:

London Fact # 16: Brits regard Germany as the Christmas mecca! I went to Winter Wonderland last Friday (an amazing experience by itself), and among the massive carnival rides, ginormous pubs selling delicious mulled wine and mulled cider, and other amusements were TONS of stands selling Bratwurst and Jagermeister. Apparently Bratwurst and Jagermesiter are also the only things Brits think of when they envision Germany. An eternal Christmas full of hot sausages and a tipsy Father Christmas.

I will have to tell you if these stereotypes are true and if German Christmas markets and Winter Wonderland (Winter World in Germany) are any different. Until then, I still have 21 hours and counting to occupy myself before my next great big adventure!!! Next post from me will probably be from Germany! Auf Wiedersehen und Frohe Weihnachten !!!

Merry Christmas!!!