Berlin

Berlin...Where do I even begin to describe a city that is so far from home but so immediately... home? Everything: the mannerisms of the general population, the art, grit, music, and dark history--there is so much that can't possibly be covered in our first 48 hours. Our first stop on our 5-week journey after Norway, we made our way on the U/S-bahn to Freidrichshain, soon to become our favorite neighborhood tucked away on the NE side of the river from Kreuzberg. I can only describe it possibly as a mixture of Brooklyn and Portland with cobblestone streets, where it is encouraged to drink your beer on your way to your destination. That night we ate Döner Kebab, danced at Berghain, and slept for 15 hours. I won't go into detail about Berghain, except if you love techno as much as Pat and I do, then go. If you're going to be a tourist, don't go. The next afternoon, we went at golden hour to Treptower park, another location that we would soon grow to love. It stands as a memorial to the Russian carnage during WWII, and the botanical gardens and spree park (the abandoned amusement park) felt very beautiful to us. Patrick's major and senior project focused on the youth's cultural revolution in Berlin leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall as well as his sub-focuses in how Russia was influenced during the war, made this part of our trip very special. Since he speaks German, wherever we went he could translate for me and also give me a whole level of historical context I would have never had otherwise. Berlin: 10/10. 

Inside our Airbnb in Freidrichshain. 

It wouldn't be long til we returned for part II of our Berlin visit.