Berlin. The last stop. Wow. Where the heck did the time go?

As I mentioned a bit ago, I decided to cut my trip short for a multitude of reasons. I burnt out pretty quickly. I probably should have taken some time just after graduation to just sleep and things before I took off on this adventure, but you live and you learn. I’m still perfectly happy with having traveled for 6 weeks and there isn’t a single place that I say “boo, I wish I’d gotten to go to X before I left” – and I think that’s the ideal point to wrap up my European Adventure.

I knew coming into Berlin that it was going to be a much larger city than what I’d seen during the rest of my trip, but I really wasn’t expecting it to be this modern. It was a lot like New York City at points, but less crowded and generally more pleasant (though drivers are just about the same). I guess it makes sense though, since the figure is something like 70% of the city was destroyed during WWII.

My first night was pretty low-key. After settling in and chatting with my roommates for a long, long while (2 from Israel and 1 from Brazil – it’s about the most diverse room I’ve had! Finally!), I went down to the lounge to check emails and all of that good stuff. I updated my twitter mentioning that I was in Berlin and within seconds I had a message on Facebook Chat from Carly, one of the people I went out to the beer halls with back in Munich. She and her husband Dan had also arrived in Berlin that afternoon! Sweet! We decided to meet up for the walking tour the next morning. I also spoke to Kay to see if he would be around to catch up for lunch or something. We sorted out the details and before I knew it, my entire next day was booked!

Two of my roommates and I went up to the hostel’s bar to take advantage of the free drink they give you at check-in. I went for apple juice. Lame, I know, but they carbonate it in most of the places I’ve tried in Europe. It’s tasty! Anyway – the hostel has a rooftop bar that overlooks the city. It’s a pretty amazing view from up there! The TV Tower, some old buildings that I never actually learned the names of, and all that fun stuff. Soon I was back in my room and in bed. I had to be up early to meet up with Carly and Dan.

With my map in hand, I started the walk to Carly and Dan’s hostel. It didn’t look very far on the map, but I gave myself an extra 30 minutes on top of the estimated 15 minutes it would take to get there. We all know how easily I get lost and we also know how I hate to be late! The walk was actually a lot shorter than I’d anticipated and it was a really neat neighborhood. It reminded me a bit of the Marina in San Francisco. Unfortunately it was so early that the shops were still closed, but I expected to walk back through that neighborhood on my way back to my hostel in afternoon, so I would be able to stop in the Crumpler store then.

Carly, Dan and I walked to the Brandenburg Gate, where our free walking tour started. It was really nice out and the whole place was abuzz about something! We couldn’t exactly tell if they were setting up or taking things down, but there was all sorts of commotion. Anyway – our walking tour set out and we stopped by places like the Brandenburg Gate (where we also saw the Adlon Hotel, where Michael Jackson dangled his baby from the balcony!), the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, some government buildings – both past and present, etc. When we got to a section of the Berlin Wall, it started to drizzle. We walked quickly to our next stop, which I think was the former HQ of the Luftwaffe, along some more roads and BAM. IT STARTED TO POUR. Torrential Downpour. Of course, my rain jacket was neatly stowed in the bottom of my backpack back at the hostel. For some reason or other I always thought it a better idea to carry my other jacket which is nowhere near waterproof. We were getting absolutely drenched. At first I tried to stay dry – or at least keep my camera dry, but eventually I just gave up on that effort and walked as if it were sunny blue skies, still trying to shield my camera, of course.

The guide decided that would be an opportune time for lunch, so we stopped at this restaurant which was now PACKED with tourists from the free walking tour, so we decided to walk down the block a bit until we found this coffee shop that would do the trick. It’s a good thing too, because about 2 minutes after we got to our table inside, it started to rain even harder! We felt so bad for the people on the bike tours who were just standing under any available awning with ponchos that weren’t doing their job very effectively. A quick snack later and with the rain all but gone, we headed back to the rest of our tour and continued on. We didn’t even make it a block before it started to pour again. Our tour guide brought us under a building for some cover as he tried to fill time until the rain calmed. About 10 minutes later he was still blabbing on and all we had to look at were some rain drops and the Mini Cooper store we were standing in front of.

At this point I began texting Kay to organize our meetup. We’d settled on 2PM at the S-Bahn in Potsdamer Platz. While the tour guide was blabbering away, I took a look at my map to see how far our meeting point was from the Mini Cooper store that was keeping us dry. It looked to be about a 10 minute walk, so I decided to leave the tour at that point and hope to make it to Potsdamer Platz before the rain attacked us again. Carly, Dan, Lindsay (another girl we’d met) and I had decided to meet up for dinner the following night and they continued on the tour.

The walk to Potsdamer Platz wasn’t too bad and the rain took pity on me and stayed away for nearly the entire walk! I waited for Kay outside of the giant green S for the S-Bahn. Though we’ve been talking online every once in a while since last summer when I worked at Flickr, we haven’t met in person. We decided to go to this Asian restaurant that Kay knew of. I have no idea where it was – somewhere on the U-Bahn, but it was called Good Times and let me tell you – it was!

This restaurant was definitely one of the highlights of the latter part of my trip and it was so nice to have some proper food for once – food that wasn’t fried or battered. It didn’t have bread or cheese or pasta. It was MADE TO ORDER. Sounds lame, but do you know how exciting it is to be in a real restaurant after eating sandwiches and schnitzel for the last however long? Very! We decided to take a chance and sit outside. They had huge umbrellas up and the rain had stopped for more than 30 minutes at this point, so we thought we’d be OK. The rain, however, had a different idea. It came down just as much as it had earlier, but luckily for us, this time we had this giant umbrella over our heads. And the food was too amazing to let a little water get in the way.

Poor Kay had to translate the entire menu for me, but I settled on some sort of Peanut Chicken and a drink that was called something like a Lime Cooler. Now came the cool parts: The napkins were folded like lotus flowers. Our drinks had real flowers in them (I think it was a hibiscus flower, but I’m not really sure). It was all so amazing! And then there was the actual food! I think my stomach actually sang it was so happy! Real food! Fresh food! Unfried food! Hoorah! Everything about the meal was spectacular and I had excellent company to boot!

Post-lunch, we hopped back on the U-Bahn (I think?) and Kay showed me around for a while. We, of course, took plenty of photos. Soon we found ourselves back in Potsdamer Platz and it was time for dessert. Kay knew of this ice cream place so we went there.

It was every bit as amazing as lunch. Had I known the ice cream was going to be that good, I might have cut back on my lunch! But then again, it probably worked out better this way! After flipping through the menu for longer than I probably should have and looking around at the other tables to see giant martini glasses filled with sundaes and generally large plates and bowls, I decided to get the one with 2-3 flavors (I really wish I could remember the flavors!) and all sorts of in-season fruits. The bowl turned out to be MASSIVE. Like the size of my head. Overflowing with ice cream, fruit, and whipped cream. Amazing. So. Amazing. I honestly considered licking the bowl when I was done, but I decided that it wouldn’t be the most appropriate thing to do in that situation. If only…

After we finished our ice creams, which took quite some time, Kay and I headed back to the S-Bahn and parted ways. It was great to meet him in person and it was definitely the tastiest afternoon of my entire trip! I also got to see some more of Berlin from someone who actually lived there, which was awesome!

I hopped back on the U-2 and headed back to my hostel. I was so incredibly full from an entire afternoon of eating (well, with a good bit of walking thrown in too). I was hoping to take a nap, but instead I decided to take the opportunity to start to pack up some of my things for the trip home. There were a lot of things in my bag that I intended to just throw out before I left – like the t-shirts that were beginning to get holes in them and the pants that were also starting to get some holes and were also a size too big at this point. I kept my jeans and anything that I bought while I was over there, but for the most part my bag was now filled with souvenirs and a few bits of clothing.

The roommates came back and we also had a few new people. We all chatted for a while again and went up to the bar to hang out as we decided whether or not we wanted to go out for the evening. I’m so glad we decided to go up to the bar, though, because right as we got up there, I saw some fireworks in the distance. I’m not sure where they were coming from or why they were going off, but there was some sort of fireworks show and we had an amazing view from the balcony of our hostel. Framed by the TV tower and some old buildings, we caught the last 5-10 minutes of the show. What a great day it was turning out to be – even with all of that rain!

We did decide to go out, but made it about 1 block away to one of the clubs recommended by the hostel. It was…umm… interesting? The crowd was certainly different than we were expecting – a lot grungier and almost had a 1990s Seattle look going on. We decided it wasn’t for us and after heading in a few other directions, we just decided to call it a night.

The next day was my last full day in Berlin and I only had one item on my to-do list: The East Side Gallery. It’s the part of the Berlin wall with all of the graffiti and artwork. I hopped on the train to the Gallery and walked the entire length. I have to say, I was slightly underwhelmed by the graffiti itself, or lack thereof. It had all been repainted in May of this year and it just seemed too new. I was expecting something more like the John Lennon wall in Prague. There were still some spots that were more “aged” – the paint was chipping, there were layers and layers of spray paint, posters had been stuck and peeled away over and over again – but for the most part the “history” of the wall seems to have been painted over which was kind of disappointing.

Before I got there, though, I stumbled across this festival in Alexanderplatz. I’m not entirely sure what the festival was celebrating, but it was a nice little detour on my way to the train station to get to the East Side Gallery. I stopped back there on my way back to get lunch and just kill time before dinner. There were people bungee jumping off of the side of one of the buildings which was pretty cool. I uncharacteristically considered doing it for a bit, but decided against it. Maybe next time. I moseyed my way back home (read: I got lost and basically took the very long way back) and found this neat little shopping center that I got lost in (nothing like getting lost while you’re already lost) but eventually found an Ampelmann store and stopped in to buy myself a cool post card that I’d seen earlier. It turns out that this shopping district eventually led me to the Marina-esque area I’d found on my way to Carly and Dan’s so I finally got to stop into the Crumpler store (I didn’t buy anything) and a few other cute shops.

Dinner was amazing once again (Berlin seems to be a great food city!) and it was the perfect way to end my European Adventure. After chatting with Lindsay, Carly and Dan for a few hours at their hostel, I hopped back on the U-2, back to my bed, and sorted out my transportation for the next morning. I had to be at the airport by 7AM so it was definitely going to be an early start. Luckily for me there’s a bus that goes to the airport and it was only about a 10 minute walk away (well…15 with the two backpacks on). Before I knew it I was on the plane and Newark-bound.

Berlin was one of my favorite cities of the trip. I’m so glad I didn’t cut it out! It’s an incredibly walkable city and it feels really safe, even at night. I would love to be able to live there for a year or two sometime in the future! But for now, it’s back to the good ole’ US of A – a few weeks in NJ and then off to my new life in San Francisco!

What a trip!

Lucerne is probably a very cute little town, but since we were there on a Sunday morning and there had been a festival that weekend, the town was pretty much shut down and it smelled of urine and vomit. Fun times…

Liechtenstein was just a stop for funsies – just so we can say we’ve been there. I think we stopped for all of 2 hours, enough to grab some lunch and, if we wanted to pay the 2 Euro, get our passports stamped (I did it. It’s about time I got another stamp!). It, too, was a cute little town (err..country?). Definitely more lively than Lucerne, but still swamped with tourists.

We stayed at the Wombat’s hostel in Munich. It’s in a great location and they have a nifty little common area in their “winter garden” – free wifi, hammocks, and lounge chairs, and closed off from the elements but still feels like it’s outside. I was a fan.

Renae, my roommate in Lauterbrunnen also ended up being my roommate in Munich which was fun. We were in a 6 bed dorm again, but this one was much, much, much larger than our cabin in Switzerland. Like back in Venice and Rome, we managed to form a nice little group of travelers who hung out in the evenings, etc. Completely different people this time, but it was just as fun.

We’d established a meeting time and place: 7:30 in the lobby. We planned to go to the Hofbräuhaus, Munich’s most famous beer hall, for dinner. After some general lazing about (travel days are killer for your energy level. I still don’t get it – you spend an entire day sitting on a bus or train and when you finally arrive at your destination all you really want is a nap. It makes no sense. Anyway…), 7:30 rolled around and we were off to the Hofbräu.

I’m not a fan of beer. It generally takes me quite a long time to finish a bottle and even then I don’t particularly enjoy it. I was kind of skeptical of about going to the Hofbräuhaus because the focus is on the beer – and not just a measley bottle. I would have to suffer through an entire liter of it! I knew it was part of the Munich experience, though, so I decided to go and just see what happpened.

The place itself was really fun, if not a bit over the top. I kept mentioning that it felt like I was having dinner at Epcot. It was a bit TOO authentic. The funny thing is, though, that it turns out that people in Bavaria wear lederhosen ALL THE TIME. Not just in movies or for special occasions. They wear it out to the beer gardens, to go get their morning paper, everywhere! That part was really entertaining.

I read the menu and started to get nervous. No chicken. No veggies. Just beef. And pork. I don’t like beef. I don’t like pork. I don’t drink beer. This was going to be an interesting evening. I could have just ordered an apple strudel and been done with it, but again, I’m all about the experience. So, I hunkered down and ordered what seemed like a beef stew. I figured if it didn’t have the texture of beef and a good amount of broth I might be OK. On the menu I also saw what was described as beer with lemonade: a Radler. When I mentioned it, everyone said “oh, like a chandy?” What the heck is a chandy and how have I never heard of it?

So my beer arrived, all 1 liter of it, and after a hearty “proust,” we all drank up. It wasn’t too bad. The lemonade definitely helped. My dinner wasn’t particularly gross either and after seeing some of the other dishes (pork knuckle?!), I was happy with my selection. Apart from the actual food, we had a lot of fun together. I, once again, was the only American in the bunch which always makes the conversation entertaining when we come across words or topics that I just don’t get. I think I’m nearly fluent in Aussie now, though.

After a quick stop for gelato we all headed back to the hostel and most of us went to sleep. I know I certainly crashed.

The next morning Renae and I planned to do the free walking tour that leaves from our hostel. I didn’t know much about Munich beyond its reputation for beer before arriving and we’d heard good things about the tour. Our tour guide’s name was Ozzie. He was FANTASTIC. A really quality tour where he didn’t treat you like you were an idiot. He was really passionate about Munich, its history and its place in regional and world history. He took everything and applied it to American, Canadian, and Australian histories so that we would have a better understanding of what it was like. It was honestly like sitting in a lecture at Cornell. Not dumbed down and really exhausting by the end.

We stopped for lunch at the Viktualienmarkt where I had a brat and a 1/2 liter of beer. It was the only thing I could figure out how to order (I pointed to the guy in front of me and said I’ll have that too, danke schön). Let’s just say that Munich put me way out of my food comfort zone.

About 3.5 hours later we ended the tour and Renae and I along with another Aussie that we met, Nathan, headed back to the hostel. Big plans for that afternoon: laundry. Desperate times. And let it be known that German washing machines are probably the most confusing appliance on earth. Usability? Ha! Just push a bunch of buttons and hope that you didn’t just agree to send your dirty socks into space.

So that and more lounging around the common areas pretty much filled up the rest of the afternoon. That night at 7:30 the group of us gathered again. This time we wanted to head to one of the Augustiner Brau. We’d learned on the walking tour that there is one that’s much cheaper than the other more touristed breweries, so we set out for that one.

Unfortunately there are two Augstiner’s really close to each other and if you take the wrong side of the fork in the road at the beginning of your walk you end up at the wrong one. That’s what we did, but we didn’t realize it until we sat down.

The prices were painfully high. I’m talking 7.90 Euro for a liter of beer. That’s about 13 bucks. Ick. Not only that but the menu was completely different from the one we’d read earlier (the one that had potato pancakes and apple sauce on it which I was really looking forward to for the entire day). AND, to top it off, our waiter was miserable. He wanted nothing to do with us and basically threw things at us. We decided that we didn’t want to put up with that, finished our beers, paid, and left without any food. Off to the OTHER Augustiner.

We found it without much of a problem and somehow along the way we managed to pick up another 6 people. No idea where they came from but we all piled in to the Augustiner and filled their largest table. THIS was the right one and I was so excited to order my potato pancakes.

Given that we’d all already downed 1 liter of beer, I was hesitant to order any more, but they don’t really serve much besides beer in beer halls (whoda thunk it?) so I went for a half liter of the Radler. I’m convinced that Augustiner Brau makes the best Radlers around. They barely tasted like beer and you could easily just chug them down. Don’t worry, I refrained.

By this point we were all a little…well, beered up. Not only does drinking a liter of beer make you a little goofy, but it’s also a LOT of liquid! The food was great, though, and we had a really great time. Especially during the walk home, where, once again, we felt it necessary to point out the differences between American and Aussie accents. We were also invited to a gay party by these guys hanging out of a window above. So many jokes…soooo many. If you ever encounter an Aussie who’s up for it, try getting them to say “god daughter” in a New York accent. It’s hysterical.

Having covered pretty much everything that we wanted to in Munich, we all pretty much spent the next day hanging around the hostel and just chatting, etc. It may seem like I spend a lot of time just “hanging out” but you have no idea how necessary it is for your sanity. Some days you just need to chill out. It is still technically a vacation, after all.

I also spent a good portion of the day trying to sort out the rest of my trip. I had originally planned to go to Berlin the next day, catch the BusAbout to Prague, then train it to Vienna and Salzburg and go home from there, but it turns out that Continental doesn’t fly out of Austria, so I pretty much had to invert the remaining stops on my trip. It turned out that Nathan, the guy we’d met on the walking tour was also going to Salzburg the next day so we planned to catch the train together.

Since it was our last night in Munich, we, of course, had to go out to a beer hall. We all really enjoyed our time at the Hofbräuhaus so we decided to go back, this time to sit in the actual garden. Apart from the cigarette smoke (something I don’t think I’ll really ever get used to) the atmosphere in the garden was really vibrant. There were giant tables of guys in lederhosen singing and drinking and just having a grand ole time.

Sadly, though, it was the last night most of us would be together because from Munich we were pretty much scattering in all different directions. Nathan and I were off to Salzburg, Renae and a bunch of others were off to St. Johann, some were off to Venice, etc. It was kind of sad to see yet another really great group of people split up again after only a few nights, but it was awesome to get to spend some time together. And, if all goes well, we’ll be catching up again on various trips to the States and Australia .

The next morning we were up and out. Nathan and I said goodbye to the BusAbout bus and headed over to the train station. Off to Salzburg with one mission: The Sound of Music tour.