Euro Trip: Berlin, Germany

It was so hard saying good bye to everyone at the airport. You would imagine it would be easier second time round, but actually it was harder. It's probably due to how close we have been with both our families while we have been home. Being home for such a long time allowed just that. Of course we couldn't just turn our backs on our beautiful country, oh no! We insisted on flying with the lovely 'Ryanair.' After all, us Irish always stick together. With too much time spent saying goodbye to everyone, we didn't leave very much time to get through security and find our gate. Walking quickly to the gate, Jason realised he left his hoodie and his new 'Superdry' jacket (thanks Jonathan!) back at security. He had to run all the way back to get it. The security lady just laughed at him! Thankfully we both made it to our gate in time. Guess what, myself and Jason were flying VIP (yes, with Ryanair. I know, who would have thought it- us as VIP's or Ryanair having a VIP service), I'm sure it won't surprise any of you to know that it just meant you didn't have to queue getting onto the plane, that is all! Mind you, if Ryanair did first class, it would probably be like flying economy with 'Aer Lingus.' Definitely not something to boast about! It was only a short flight as we were only up in the air for a couple of hours. Before we knew it, we had touched down on German soil.

With public transport in Germany's premier city being so good, we arrived at our hostel in no time. The hostel we were staying at, 'Singer 109' was absolutely stunning. It was more like a hotel. You walk into this huge open area that is like a huge courtyard with a glass roof on top that has been turned into a huge foyer. The dorms, or should I say 'apartments' as they are referred to are huge and come with a table and chairs and a bathroom. That may not seem like much to you, but when your a backpacker, it's a lot!

Over the years, Jason has been very proud of having a relative live in Germany. Constantly, I have been reminded of his 'Great Grandfather from Germany!' I just don't understand how it took him all this time to visit. At least he is here now! Since we have been travelling, Jason has been very passionate on improving his German language skills. I reckon he could easily be fluent in it, if he gave it a bit more attention. His sudden new found passion for the language could be down to all the Germans we met in Oz! Of course, when in a foreign country, it's only right to embrace the culture and enjoy the local cuisine, which is what we did. We both enjoyed a 'Currywurst' which is basically a hotdog sausage cut up and mixed in a curry sauce. It's certainly very tasty as a snack!

Out of all the nice things that Germany has to offer, one thing and one thing only really impressed Jason. He just couldn't get over how alcohol was so widely available with it constantly popping up everywhere we went. To say he was flabbergasted with the amount of people casually walking down the street with a beer in their hand, is an understatement! If their is one thing the Germans do well, it has to be beer, after all, your not a true German if you don't drink beer. It was like being in drink heaven for my alcoholic partner!

While Berlin is an impressive city, there is so much to see. On our first full day, we ended up walking around for about ten or eleven hours. Out of all the things we saw, the most splendid has to be the 'Brandenburg Gate.' It may look nice in photos and on TV, but in reality, it is even nicer. How that is possible, I don't know! There was even a small lookout tower where we could get an even better view of the historical gate. At every angle, it is simply magnificent!

While we were in Asia, we got to enjoy numerous walking tours, which, honestly have been average to say the least. The one we went on in Berlin was SUPERB! The guide we had, Kyle, who was American, really knew her stuff. Rather than bombard us with loads and loads of facts, she was able to find the right balance of what to leave in and what to leave out. She told us a bit about the history of Germany and how the country was unified from smaller, independent states. Of course, no tour in Berlin would be complete without mention of what happened during 'World War 2.' Interestingly, the only good thing Hitler did was to order his soldiers to remove any statues or monuments from all the buildings in the city and have them stored in a safe place. Thankfully, they were kept safe as 80% of the buildings in Berlin were destroyed. As you walk around the city, you think all the buildings have always been there. Except they haven't. A lot of the original buildings were destroyed and rebuilt. How you can distinguish these newer buildings is simple, the stone is generally a lighter colour and any of the original statues or monuments that have been put back in place are a much darker, dirtier colour. Wondering why we were standing in a car park, our guide informed us that we were actually standing on the former sight of Hitler's bunker where he died. How ironic that it is now a car park. I'm sure if it was further out of the city, it would probably be a landfill site. And rightly so!

Learning about the famous 'Berlin Wall' and how it really affected the people of Germany, was very interesting. Not only were friendships torn apart, relationships were to. There was simply no communication between West and East Germany. Even tough it's over 25 years since the wall came down and Germany was properly reunified, one of it's more famous checkpoints, 'Checkpoint Charlie' has remained open and guarded at all times as a tourist attraction. Maybe it's a reminder of how far Europe's heavyweight has come in just a short period of time. Between Checkpoint Charlie and seeing the actual 'Berlin Wall,' it was like stepping back in time, a very dark period for a nation that has seen too many black days!

With the 'Brandenburg Gate' simply one of the most iconic landmarks in all of Europe, I had to make sure that my lovely photos of it gave it justice. From the gate we walked all the way down to 'The Victory Column.' What seemed so close, was actually a lot further than we anticipated. We don't mind walking anywhere, but this was at the end of a very long day. To be fair, it's a really nice stroll down with two huge parks either side of the main throughway. Eventually, when we were only a couple of metres away from the monument, we both had to sit down as we were simply exhausted. To make things worse, I was suffering from a really bad cold. After a few minutes rest, we both got up, and I went over to take a good look at the golden monument which was even more splendid at night. From there we decided to jump on a train back to the hostel, unfortunately, we didn't no our way back, so it took a lot longer than expected. And with hardly any food in our bellies, myself and Jason devoured a 'Bratwurst.' It may simply be a sausage in a fresh roll, but it's very 'Tasty tasty' as my lovely mammy would say. It's even nicer at the end of a very long day when even a little bit of fuel can make such a huge difference!

One of the things this city does really well is that it is true to it's past. Of course, I'm sure it is something they would rather forget, but it is a constant reminder of how far, not just the city, but the country has come in such a short period of time. While it doesn't over emphasise its past, most points of interest barely even have a sign informing you of it's significance. One such example is 'The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe' which consists of 2,711 concrete slabs or 'stelae.' Each stelae is of varying sizes, positioned in perfectly straight lines to allow passages through with the ground sloping down and back up again. As concrete structures in this way are not meant to withstand the elements, i.e. rain, over long periods of time, already the structure is showing signs of cracks with some stelae needing reinforcing. What does it all mean? Well the designer has never given his personal interpretation of what it's meant to mean, simply allowing those who visit to have their own interpretation. The designer insisted on having concrete, knowing it wouldn't withstand to years and years of harsh weather. For me, that symbolises how, overtime, from lack of food, harsh working conditions, the Jews were broken. The long passageways with varying hills and heights of stelae's represents, in my personal opinion, how even though they could see the light, It was simply out of reach. When your at the very bottom of the slopes, right in the middle, you feel very insignificant, especially as the concrete stelae tower over you, and the light gets darker. Could they represent ones own feelings of entrapment in a metaphorical sense of their own destiny being predetermined already? Or do they simply represent the different types of people, from old, to young, men to women, children to the more vulnerable of society? Maybe, for the most evil minds, it was more of a game to see how many lives one could break. One can not argue with the feeling you get right in the middle of this dark, eerie, monument that forces you to think of how, not so long ago the light, for so many people, was maliciously put out!

After a bit of await to get into the 'Jewish Museum' that lies under all the concrete stelae, we were finally granted access. The concrete blocks are very poignant, even underground as you can see them protruding underground. As you walk in, the first thing you see is a quote on the wall from the Italian writer Primo Levi that reads 'It happened, and therefore it could happen again; this is the core of what we have to say.' Ironically, Levi wrote this many years beforehand. The fundamental principle of the memorial is to remind us that our constant fight with evil should never be taken lightly. Just because it happened before, doesn't mean it won't happen again! Never turn your back, and never forget! The designer has allowed all of the same materials that he used above to flow right through each of the underground rooms. This allows the focus to be on the deep, dark messages each room is trying to portray. It's not something one can enjoy experiencing, but it is a place one should go out of respect and to remind us all of what these poor, innocent people faced!

On a much more lighter note, on the way back, Jason wanted to stop off at Berlins most famous, rather exclusive hotel, the 'Adlon Hotel.' To onlookers, it may look just like a very fancy hotel with amazing views of the 'Brandenburg Gate.' Oh no. For you see, the second floor balcony above is where Michael Jackson famously revealed his new born son, Prince Michael II to the world by dangling him over the balcony, back in 2002. So, as you can imagine, that balcony has received a lot of attention since, especially from die-hard Jackson fans like Jason!

Back at the hotel, I was going from bad to worse. I was burning up. How I lasted the whole day, I will never know. It was straight into my bed for me, while Jason enjoyed a couple of bottles of beer.

We both really enjoyed this fascinating city. It is without doubt one of the best places to begin the second year of our 'Big Adventure.' With a billion euro building project currently being undertaken throughout the city, it is one place that will make for an interesting return! Finally, we are back on 'The Big Adventure' and it feels GREAT!

By Andrew

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