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| Berlin |
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| Outside my Hostel |
I was coming into Berlin from Amsterdam and had decided to
stay in a hostel. I was going through a tough time with my monies and had to be
smart if I had to finish what I had planned. Now I know when I'd say to some Indians
that I stayed in a mixed dorm in Berlin, they would be gob-smacked, but the
truth is; they are absolutely safe cause you have like so many more people
always in the room!! Unlike a hotel room where anyone can come knocking at your
door and create trouble! So here I was with similar hesitations and yet
complete confidence that I could handle any situation.
It was a small room with 3 bunk beds and when I entered; most
of my room-mates were sleeping and I had the lower bunk. I silently pushed my
luggage around and sneaked back down to the reception for a quick bite and to
pick up information. The place was buzzing with people of all ages.. well
budget travellers like me to be precise. The lounge was just simple,
unpretentious and everything was affordable! The receptionists were nice and
gave me a total download on everything I needed to know and the best ways to
see the most of Berlin without splurging!
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| Alexanderplatz |
The Walking Tour
Berlin is one of the few places where one can experience
every possible emotion in one single day!
This was my first tour that I had booked myself for, and the
reason will kill you! Yes! It was a FREE walking tour of Berlin.. all I needed
was my walking shoes and a good night's rest! When I'm trying something new
anywhere I intentionally don't keep any expectations, that way it's easy for me
to be pleased and also it's incredible how the smallest thing can over joy me!
Thankfully the tour was to start right outside my hostel and like a good girl I
was on time.
In a few minutes many people had come together and this young man
with shabby hair, cargo shorts and a perfect English accent was hollering out
to all of us. Aaron Birchenough had landed up in Berlin for love and decided to
stay. A historian and archaeologist by profession, he now lead free walking
tours and believed in being happy in life! He loved his job and he loved
Berlin!
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| St. Mary's Church |
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| The Neptune Fountain |
The Dark History
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| Berlin Cathedral |
We started from Alexanderplatz, easily identified by the
Fernsehturm (the TV tower), the 2nd tallest structure of European Union and the
iconic World Time Clock. This places had been redeveloped several times and now
is the busiest shopping area. A ten minute walk took us to the next spot, the
St. Mary's Church. Possibly built in the 13th century, it has a striking statue
of Martin Luther outside and a beautiful Neptune fountain. I was the only solo
traveller in the group and oh so busy taking notes. What can I say I'm a writer
and I don't like forgetting (haha)! Next stop was the Berlin Cathedral with its
magnificent dome. Yes it was amazing, but its location is why I remember it so
well... it was right next to.. ahem.. the LUST GARDEN... infront of the Altes
Museum (Old Museum). Nope! It's a public garden now and no funny business was
happening and yet the name!!??
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| At the Lust Garden |
But it was the next place that reminded me of the suffering
this little city had both caused and endured. The Neue Wache, a simple small
structure with nothing spectacular from the outside, had the most intense
sculpture of the "Mother and her Son". The mother's head hangs lowly
as the body of her son lies curled up at her feet under the Oculus (a circular
opening in domes) exposed to the sun, rain and snow... depicting the suffering
of all civilians in the war. It was deafeningly quiet inside and yet my head
was pounding with the vibe of the place. It felt like the souls of the innocent
were all trapped in those walls.
Next stop was Bebelplatz, known for the Nazi book burning.
In 1933, they burnt close to 20000 books that day, and now a memorial under the
glass plate in the cobbles showcases empty bookshelves which could have held
those 20000 books. Then we walked to the famous Checkpoint Charlie, which was
the crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. I mean can
you imagine your whole city split in two overnight... by a WALL? It really did
happen... people and neighbourhoods were simply divided by a wall. The Berlin
Wall... While I stood there, I couldn't help but imagine how helpless the
people must have been. With absolutely no control on their lives. Aaron shared
stories of how some people tried to jump the wall and it just gave me goose
bumps!
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| Charlie Checkpoint |
The next stop was the Fuhrerbunker. Now this was the
underground air raid bunker, where Hitler married Eva Braun and also committed
suicide with her and killed his only dog Blondi. Ofcourse its not open to
public and we just stood over the area where many feet below out feet... he had
died. Aaron informed us in a very hush voice that some extremists still have
meetings around this area apparently. You know there was nothing there... just
plain grass and some very dull buildings where people live now.. but I was just
so full of hate that I found myself cringing.. Hitler.. the man responsible for
so so so many tragedies had breathed the air in the same area I was standing in
years ago... Such an uneasy thought!
But what came next.. knocked me into lulled silence and a
very very heavy heart! The Memorial to the Murdered Jews. The name itself is
grim and the place... although it's just a cluster of asymmetrically pieces of grey
rectangles.. almost like graves.. 2711 concrete slabs.. all of it is just so
cold in colour and vibe that it... the sadness and dullness of it could give
you a shiver down the spine. You can walk all along and it's been designed in
such a way that you can only walk alone. Much like our lives.. no matter how
many people are around us.. we all are alone. And this place was like... the
designer wanted us to walk alone with our thoughts of what this country had
seen and lost.
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| The Ampleman |
We also came across a couple of cool things specific to East Berlin, like the Ampleman, the man in a hat in the traffic light and the Trabi (Trabant) Car.
The last stop was the Brandenburg Gate, finally a good note to
end on... ofcourse it had seen its share of wounds considering its location but
the air felt more cheerful.. thanks to the tourists! All of us in the group had
become friendly and said our byes to each other. I stayed back with Aaron for a
bit for my list of questions.. Yes! I'm a history buff! I asked him how I could
use the rest of my day best and he gave his suggestions and highly recommended
the Pub Crawl.
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| Aaron n Me at Brandenburg Gate |
The Pub Crawl- The Lively Present
So initially.. I had my share of a million hesitations but a
chat with Aaron had relaxed me and given me the courage to give it a try. In
this journey of 45 days and 13 countries.. this was one of my many firsts and wasn't
going to be the last for sure!
Now a Pub Crawl; as the name suggests is much like the
walking tour except they make you hop from one pub to another offering free
drinks everywhere for a fixed price paid at the staring point. Anybody can join
and you can quit anytime.
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| My Roommates |
My leg was paining with the over 4 hour long walk and I had
started limping so decided to go back to my hostel and rest up to gain energy
for the Pub Crawl. I think I was also emotionally drained with all the
information and sadness. When I reached the hostel, some of my room-mates were
up and we said our hellos. A couple from Canada, a very cute girl and Spanish
speaking guy. We chatted up and exchanged plans for the night and moment I said
I was planning to go for the Pub Crawl, the cute girl Thais Farias, popped her
head out and asked if she could join me.. OFCOURSE! I was over-joyed actually
and Rafael decided to join in too.
We all slept for a bit and then Thais and I got up and
started getting ready like 2 girlfriends who knew each other since years..
discussing what to wear and how to do our hair and make-up. We three went down
to the lobby together and it a little while our hostel lobby was full of youngsters
and travellers from almost every part of the world. Big groups of girls and
boys and friends and couples. Oh I can't possibly describe the energy but it
was electric! Soon the organiser was there leading all of us to the closest
tube station. Yup, you got that right! It started with a trip in the tube.. and
I discovered that Irish are the most fun people as Sean came and introduced
himself with his absolute boyish charms. Soon we were hopping from 1 pub to the
next across Berlin and making friends and cheering to the sojourns of us
travellers. We spoke of our stories and places we had been to and what our
plans were. Conversations were flowing easy and friends were easy to find.
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| The Pub Crawl Gang |
Berlin was one of the friendliest cities so far with an
array of emotions to explore. It was a testimonial of what I believe so firmly
in... Don't let your past decide who you are today!
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| The Trabi |
