First, let me say that I really enjoyed Berlin. It's an amazing and vast city. Had it not been in the mid-30s (that's the mid-90s for you fahrenheit-inclined readers), I think I would have had an even greater time. The heat left me a little drained, so I didn't get to do or see many of the things I had on my to-do list. However, despite my issues with the heat I had a really good time and came back feeling mentally rejuvenated. Physically, not so much. Did I mention the heat? It was hot. And my feet swelled up and I felt like an old lady. On the other hand, my brain was full of ka-pow and huzzah and ready to do stuff.
One thing that I noticed about Berlin is that it's really alive. Both Vancouver and Geneva are a bit dormant in comparison, so it was fun being in a place where you could practically feel the change and creativity surging through the air. One of the reasons we planned our trip when we did was because my friend Michael was going to be there, too. He's amazing and wonderful and lovely and a lot of fun to be around.
We stayed with Michael at the apartment he was renting in Neukölln. It was right around the corner from the former airport, Tempelhof, which was recently reopened as a park. One of the things that I didn't end up doing was going to check it out, but that's okay because we saw other parks. Still, maybe on the next trip we'll go for a picnic or a stroll if we're close by.
On our first night we went to Kreuzberg to see Beach House play. I fell pretty hard for their latest record, Teen Dream, and the only show they were playing in Switzerland was at Montreux Jazz Festival and cost a mint. I was pretty excited to find out they were playing in Berlin when we would be there. It's a good thing that I bought tickets in advance because it was sold out. I thought it was quite beautiful. They played in a converted cinema and the sound was amazing. There were stacks of speakers in each of the four corners of the room. It was loud, but not deafening. I daresay it was the best sound I've ever heard at a live show. I also liked the spinning, reflective pinãta-esque stage decorations that they had. Mmmmm, it was nice and because I'm a nerd I snapped up copies of all of their records from the merch table. I'm pretty enamoured with Victoria Legrand's husky voice.
As I mentioned, Berlin is a vast city. There is so much ground to cover so Sean and I opted for the Berlin Welcome Card transit pass. We bought the five-day pass and definitely got our money's worth. It comes with a booklet of "deals" but we didn't take advantage of any. Many of the discounts were at really touristy places that we didn't have much interest in. Still, if you're planning on getting around Berlin and you don't have access to a bike then consider getting a transit pass. It worked out really well and saved us a lot of time (and sweat) as far as walking goes. Even with the pass, we did do a fair bit of walking and one thing you will see if you walk around the city are these markers showing where the Berlin Wall once stood.
When Sean and I were in Berlin eleven years ago we had a very memorable meal at a Mexican restaurant. It featured incredibly strong margaritas that lead to a run in the pouring rain, the purchase of an Aqua picture disc for probably too much money and then delicious ice cream. Since then, a bunch of Mexican places have popped up and if you know me, then you know I love Mexican food. We ate at Maria Peligro and watched the Germany vs. Argentina World Cup Match. I insisted on getting the plate for two, which featured a bit of everything on the menu. Mmmm, delicious...but no photos.
Two of the things on my to-do list were to go to the Deutsche-Kinemathek Museum and the Flohmarkt am Mauerpark. I'm pleased to report that we did both! And all on one day. First we went to the flea market. Neither of us ended up buying anything except snacks, but Sean had a good dig through the hundreds of records at various stalls throughout the park. I looked at a few things here and there, but nothing special caught my eye. It takes place every Sunday and was packed full of vendors and shoppers.
I drank coconut juice from a baby coconut, which was actually pretty huge.
The museum was amazing and one of the most effectively curated collections of cinematic history I have ever visited. When you enter it's kind of like you're on the set of a film awards show. There are rows of televisions showing clips from various German films and you walk down the centre. The collection is housed on several floors that you walk through chronologically. One of the highlights for us was the Marlene Dietrich collection. There are three rooms housing various artifacts from her life including costumes (amazing) on manequins that look like ghostly figures of the woman herself (creepy in a good way). You can also see the robot from "Metropolis" and there is a chilling room devoted to Nazi-era film in which you can open huge metal drawers to read about the propaganda films made during the time as well as read about the many Jewish actors who were killed. It was a really remarkable place. You can find it in the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz.
On our last day in Berlin I got a haircut and then we met up with a friend of Sean's who has been living there for the past few years. He took us to an old cemetery and then for gelato, as you do.
I am fairly certain that we'll be heading back to Berlin some time in the near future. There is just so much to see and do. Next time I'm there I am definitely going to go to the Pergamon Museum and the Schwules Museum, two places that I really regret not making time for. I also want to eat more delicious falafels stuffed with fried haloumi. Nom nom nom. Berlin is a pretty great place and I look forward to seeing more of it.
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