Berlin Blog #3: Trip highlights and cultural observations

There’s been so much packed into this trip that it’s been so hard to find time to sit down and write. In the past two weeks, I’ve:

1. Scarfed down a startling number of tiny ice cream cones, Turkish döner kebabs, and sausage-based foods
2. Used every form of public transportation possible here (aboveground trains, aka S-Bahns, underground trains, aka U-Bahns, as well as trams, buses, taxis and ferries)
3. Befriended a group of four young Syrian refugees around my age and learned about their lives in Berlin (I did my final project one of them, a 19-year-old student and baker)
4. Went out for Italian beer with Mary Lane, a freelance writer for the New York Times who is writing a book about Hitler and art
5. Walked around a square where Nazis held book burnings
6. Strolled through Schloss Charlottenburg, an old baroque palace
7. Toured Bloomberg Berlin’s office
8. Learned how a beer is made in accordance with German purity laws at the Berliner-Kindl-Schultheiss-Brauerei
9. Stood in the car park above Hitler’s bunker
10. Met the illustrator Christoph Neimann at his studio
11. Played ping pong with Berliners at a smoky bar called Dr. Pong
12. Sailed across beautiful Lake Wansee
13. Climbed to the top of the Berliner Dom and the Reichstag
14. Learned how to count to ten in German
15. Went to German, Italian, Turkish, Indian, Asian-fusion restaurants.  Our Syrian friends also held a “Syrian barbecue” for us in Görlitzer Park
16. Went to an album release show at a German jazz club

 

 

As the trip wraps up, I wanted to recount some of the biggest cultural differences that I’ve noticed while in Berlin. Just a general disclaimer – this is my first time in Europe, so some of these things may just be European things and not specific to Berlin. Either way, I was very intrigued to learn about how people live here.

1. There is no ice to be found! The drinks are still cold. But in the week that I’ve been here, I only encountered ice in a restaurant once, and that was at a Mexican cantina. I also have not been able to find bags of ice in the supermarkets here. I’m sure there’s ice somewhere, but as a whole is just seems like people aren’t that into it. Yazan, one of my new Syrian friends, said it’s because Berlin weather can get quite cold, so people don’t really want to drink icy beverages.

2. The restaurant beverage situation. In America, waiters bring you ice water right away and then take your order for extra drinks.  Here, you have to order water specifically, and it often costs more than beer and soda! Also, you have to specify between still or sparkling water.

3. Open container laws, or the lack thereof. People drink on the street, on the train (technically you are not supposed to do this, but many still do), pretty much wherever. When returning from a late night outing on a Tuesday I was surprised to see many people strolling around carrying open containers around with them. You might think this makes the city a big mess, but the streets are still very clean. Since there is a high reward for returning bottles, people leave their bottles on the street and pickers come around to collect them for money.

4. German kids are super lucky. There are so many cute, whimsical playgrounds, not to mention adorable toy shops and bookstores just for kids. Plus, the city and parks can be absolutely beautiful! I kind of wish I had grown up here.

5. The hills aren’t alive with the sound of taking.  Public transportation and restaurants are so quiet! I am very aware of how loud my voice can be compared to others around me and I have tried to make an effort to be quiet.

Very cute pup at a beer garden.

6. Dogs are so well behaved. I have seen so many little pups trotting around of their owners without leashes and waiting patiently outside of supermarkets alone. I have seen many dogs, but none have barked in front of me. Since Germans as a whole seem to be a lot quieter than Americans are in public, it makes sense that their dogs are too.

7. Flowers everywhere. Now that the warm May weather is in full effect, balconies all around the city are filled with flowers and plants. We also strolled around Volkspark Humboldthain and the dandelion seeds blowing in the breeze looked like snow flurries. It was gorgeous.

 

I’m off to enjoy my last evening in Berlin and eat dinner at the top of the TV Tower! Until next time, Berlin.