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Germany

The Last Day in Berlin – Museum Island then Iceland

On our last day in Berlin, we headed over to Museum Island, Berlin’s island …of museums. We got passes and walked through a few of the museums including a painting gallery, a sculpture gallery, and a history museum. Just like the Deutsch Museum in Munich, they were really informative. The history museum even went into the history of the museum itself. Apparently a bunch of artifacts were taken to Moscow by the soviets during their occupation of East Germany and Russia still has them. There were several exhibits that brought that fact up. I found it ironic considering the Germans were holding literally hundreds of Egyptian artifacts, but they never mentioned that in the museum.

Bode Museum
Outside the Pergamon Museum
Outside the Pergamon Museum
Alte Nationalgalerie
Berlin Cathedral
Altes Museum
Nicole in the Lustgarten
Nicole in the Lustgarten
Me in the Lustgarten
Neptune Fountain, not on Museum Island, but nearby

Pizza and Packing

After an afternoon of hanging out in the museums, Nicole and I got a pizza to share and headed back to the AirBnB to pack. We loaded up our bags and took a tram to a bus to the airport. The whole trip took about an hour and reached the airport right at the 2 hour mark for our international flight. Nicole got us some food while I waited in line to check us in.

My Big Yellow Bag
Denim and Canvas

Flying to Iceland

Landing in Iceland

Landing in Iceland

The flight to Iceland was no problem. We took off on time and arrived a few hours later in Iceland. I actually slept most of the way. The new travel Austin was finally becoming accustomed to sleeping on long flights. It made the time go by much faster, but at the expense of missing airplane snacks. I made up for it by eating the rest of Nicole’s airplane sandwich when she fell asleep. [divider_flat]

Landing in Keflavik

My trusty yellow bag and a tiny blue shopping cart

My trusty yellow bag and a tiny blue shopping cart

Landing in Keflavik, Iceland’s largest airport, was a breeze, even at 1am. There was absolutely no security or anything, we just picked up our bags from the luggage carousel and walked out. No customs, no declaration forms, Iceland was just happy to have us. I loaded up my trusty yellow backpack into a tiny shopping cart and headed over to the car rental place. The guy I chatted with was really nice. He ended up giving us a free audio CD of the Golden Circle (more on that later) and another CD of Icelandic Folktales. [divider_flat]

Iceland's Keflavik Airport at 1am

Iceland’s Keflavik Airport at 1am

Finding our AirBnB

We got our keys and hopped into our rental car. I used the airport wifi to look up directions to our residence and then we departed. The trip was supposed to take only 45 minutes, but we ended up getting lost in Reykjavik. The trip took about twice as long and involved us stopping at a random house at 2am and almost knocking on the door before we realized we were in the wrong place. Luckily we figured it out and didn’t scare a random Icelandic couple with out late night intrusion. Eventually we found our AirBnB and our room inside the AirBnB. We got inside and brought our bags up to our room before passing out from an exceedingly long day.

Street Art behind our AirBnB
Our AirBnB for the week

Third Day in Berlin – Street Art

We went on an alternative Berlin street art tour that involved some graphic images. There aren’t many, but there are a few graphic images in the gallery towards the middle of the page. Just a heads up. Now, on with the blog…

We woke a bit later than usual the day after the world cup. I know we weren’t the only ones waking up late. The streets of Berlin were eerily quiet leading all the way up to about noon. I think the World Cup victory from the night before kept most people in bed nursing their post-celebration hang overs. However, that was not the case for us. Nicole booked an alternative Berlin street art tour for us.

Street Art Walking Tour…because I’m edgy

The tour met below the Berlin TV Tower around 11. Our guide and the rest of our ragtag group introduced ourselves and we started our trek. The tour was really informative and I’ll do my best to explain the pieces as I remember them in the gallery below.

I see Korean fried chicken restaurants everywhere
Astronaut Cosmonaut by Victor Ash
Belgian Street Artist Roa paints animals found in the area of the mural
Mural by Os Gêmeos, portugese twin brothers
Planet of the Apes plus street art
The Pink Man by BLU
Oberbaum Bridge between East and West Germany
Gold Watch Handcuffs by BLU
Art by JR
Broken Accordion
Kreuzberg Metro
Double Exposure
Ocean
Camel Camera
Reminded me of a metal cicada
Massive Art
Jesus with spray paint
Close up of the mechanical bat
Street Art
Kind of reminded me of the Afghan girl from the Time cover
Street Art
I thought my friend Kenny would like this
For a few euro, this bat will go crazy on you
Little Lutzi and her cat used to be characters in cartoon about communist Germany, today there’s lots of street art of her killing her cat in different ways
Anne Frank
Monkey and Camera
Street Art
This reminded me of Metropolis
Street Art
Street Art
Street Art Cafe in Kreuzburg

Lunch with the Germany National Soccer Team

Germany World Cup Van

Germany World Cup Van

That would be cool right? I wish. After the walking tour and getting incredibly lost in a hospital turned art school, Nicole and I found ourselves almost right back where we started, near the Berlin TV Tower. We stopped for a bite to eat. I got some sausages and Nicole got some currywurst. She loves currywurst. In the middle of our meal, this Mercedes van pulls up and a handful of guys in Germany jerseys get out. A few people in the area turn their heads and I notice that some of the people at our outdoor cafe are turning around. There’s some curiosity about this van but not the sort of full-on pandemonium you would expect for a World Cup champion team to be just 30 feet from you. Either way I snapped a photo. Later I saw an article on CNN about the world cup and the same van was in the article picking up players from the airport.

Museum Island

Nicole and I stopped by Museum Island for a quick walk around. Most of the museums were closing in less than an hour so we made plans to come back tomorrow. More on that tomorrow…

Dinner and a Movie

Movie in the park

Movie in the park

Nicole and I learned that Berlin is well known for its outdoor movies in the park.  Lucky for us there was a park
showing Nebraska, in English, right across from our apartment. I don’t mean that figuratively either. The park was literally across the street from us. We packed a small dinner of wine, cheese, hummus, olives, and french bread (German bread?) and enjoyed our meal. It started to rain about halfway through the movie so we sought shelter one of the large umbrellas in the back of the park with a bunch of other Germans. The movie was only a few euros each and the outdoor park/amphitheater was almost empty. It was a great experience.

 

Second Day in Berlin – Brunch, Beer Gardens, and the World Cup

On our second day in Berlin, we actually woke up at a reasonable time. The jet lag from all of our travels was beginning to pass and it was getting to be easier and easier to sleep in the morning. We had a small breakfast/snack of croissants and coffee while we got ready and then headed out to Prenzlauer Berg. Prenzlauer Berg is a hub of bohemian culture in Berlin although it had recently become more gentrified. It’s home to some amazing brunch places, markets, cafes, parks, and beer gardens. Nicole and I went for Brunch.

Brunch in Prenzlauer Berg

A few short tram stops away we arrived in scenic Prenzlauer Berg and walked to a brunch place I’d found online. It was situated right beside a park in a quiet plaza away from traffic and the main roads. We enjoyed a leisurely meal and listened to this kid play saxophone. He looked like he was in middle school or early high school, but he was a very impressive musician. At the end of his set, he walked around and collected some money before heading to another venue.

Brunch
The plaza our brunch was in
Nicole at brunch

Mauerpark

Musicians at Mauerpark
Mauerpark fleamarket
Neat little antique shop on the way to Mauerpark

After breakfast we walked to Mauerpark, a park not too far away. The park holds a Sunday flea market that had a lot of really cool antiques, clothes, crafts, and live music. I bought some soap for our new apartment this coming year. I wanted to buy more things, but we had limited space and a trip to Iceland ahead of us so I refrained. We saw a band performing at the entrance to the park as well as several other performers, including a man wearing a horse mask playing guitar in his underwear. It was bizarre.

Prater Biergarten

Me at Prater Biergarten
Nicole at brunch

From the flea market we walked over to the Prater Biergarten, a local biergarten in a courtyard. The garden holds several hundred people and they were expecting at least that many for the world cup game against Argentina that night. We saw them setting up more benches and chairs. While we were there, the place was almost entirely empty. There were a handful of Germans and tourists sitting at various tables enjoying the afternoon. It was nice to visit and get a feel for the place before it became so packed that no one could sit down.

The Calm During the Storm

Dark clouds started to roll in while we were at the beer garden so we packed up our things and headed back for the afternoon. That night we went to a brewery turned nightclub and watched the final world cup game: Argentina vs. Germany.

Pizza before the World Cup

Pizza before the World Cup

The dance floor was lined with row after row of benches and packed with people. In the courtyard outside there were dozens of people shoulder to shoulder watching the game as well. All along the street, everyone was tuned in to the game. Streetside cafes set up TVs on spare tables and everyone was watching intently. After the game, fireworks were going off everywhere. The LCD screens at every bus stop were broadcasting the news and the score. Germany won the world cup.

Watching the World Cup
Watching the World Cup in Germany

 

First Day in Berlin – Brandenburg Gate and the Holocaust Memorial

The Yellow Trams of Berlin

The Yellow Trams of Berlin

We reached Berlin around 8am and took a subway and a tram across town to Platz der Vereinten Nationen, where we would be staying. We got lost en route and took the wrong tram a few stops in the wrong direction before we figured it out and went back. Around 9:45 we made it to our new AirBnB, met our hosts friend, and “checked in”. She gave us the key and told us where the apartment was. It was a nice apartment, but a 6 story walkup. We got a lot of exercise while we were in Berlin. [divider_flat]

R and R

The giant door to our apartment in Berlin

The giant door to our apartment in Berlin

After an overnight bus and a bit of a hike getting across town to our apartment, we were a bit worn out. It was nice to relax in the apartment for a few hours and catch up on some sleep, and do some laundry.

Berlin By Foot

That afternoon we took a free walking tour of Berlin. We got a chance to see the Brandenburg gate, several embassies, the holocaust memorial, Berlin Wall, and a number of other sites in the city. We also tried currywurst, a famous Berlin street food. It’s the German equivalent of the chili cheese dog. Its terribly unhealthy but delicious. Currywurst is sliced sausage in a curry sauce. If you’re ever in Berlin, try it.[divider_flat]

Currywurst

Currywurst

Nicole sporting our brand new blue Berlin umbrella, we lost ours in Munich
Checkpoint Charlie and reenactors
Small Berlin Wall Memorial
Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie and the photo of a US soldier stationed there
The Berlin Wall
Funky looking car
Communist Mural at Detlev Rohwedder House
Georg Elser Memorial, he tried to blow up Hitler.
The US Embassy
Walking through the memorial the columns get taller
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
DZ Bank
Brandenburg Gate
Nicole
The crowd of people waiting for the walking tour
Brandenburg Gate and tourists

After our walking tour we returned to the Berlin wall to snap a few pictures and get some dinner. We had some of our favorite late night food in Korea: Kebabs (not at all Korea, I know). All over Berlin, cafes, bars, and restaurants were getting ready for the World Cup. There were numerous TV sets and viewing parties set up. The plaza surrounding Brandenburg gate was set up to host a giant viewing party as well. We started to plan out where we would go for the game and scouted locations, but I’ll write about that tomorrow.

Last Day in Munich, Here comes Berlin

Breakfast

Breakfast

On our last day in Munich we woke and prepared for the day. Once again, we visited our little breakfast buffet place. After breakfast we walked through central Munich one last time. We bought some postcards for our family, ate some snacks, and visited the Deutsch Museum in Munich.

Deutsch Museum

What a cool place.  It’s a great big museum of everything. Walking through the museum is like reading an encyclopedia. Want to learn about welding, what it is, and a history of it? There’s a section devoted to it. Want to learn about gear ratios and common applications of said ratios? There’s a section for it. Ok, so it might not be interesting for most people, but I had a blast there. I just wish more of the descriptions were in English. [divider_flat]

Viktualienmarkt

Viktualienmarkt

Traveling to Berlin

That evening, we returned to our AirBnB and packed all our things for our bus to Berlin. The bus station was close to the central train station, or Hauptbahnhof, so it was an easy walk from where the subway dropped us off. Our bus arrived a little bit late, but otherwise we didn’t have any problems traveling to Berlin.  The bus was two stories, much like a double decker London bus and the seats reclined a bit further than most airplane seats. I had no problem falling asleep within a few minutes of us leaving the bus terminal. Something about the trip and my jetlag made it incredibly easy for me to fall asleep on transportation, a problem I’ve had since I was a kid.

So Munich and Delhi are now completed. We’ve visited two of the four cities we intended to visit and we’re halfway through our trip. I enjoyed both cities for wildly different reasons. Delhi had beautiful monuments, temples, mosques, and mausoleums. Munich was quiet, peaceful, scenic, and the beer was fantastic.