Berlin will wow you!

(Warning: The following pictures do not do Berlin justice! Go for yourself- the art, history and the nightlife is amazing!)

When our friend Tim asked if we wanted to go to Berlin for the weekend in his rental car, we could not pass up the opportunity. I have heard 1000 good things about Berlin and it would have been heartbreaking to have missed it- so on Friday we jumped in his rented Audi and rode 220 km/hr for 5 hours on the autobahn, headlong into the weekend.

We stayed at the “Generator Berlin” in Fredrichshain (one of the many hip neighborhoods)- the largest hostel in Germany (which is a nice choice if you are young and your goal is to party!) “If this is only the hostel, I have a feeling Berlin is going to live up to it’s reputation”, Nathan said as we watched the young travelers dance to the South African electro-dance band playing outside on the patio. After settling in, we headed to a local brewpub, and en route stumbled upon a large group of dread-locked punks, anarchists, and general party people parading behind an idling flat-bed truck equipped with a PA blasting hardcore techno. We ended up at one of the most interesting clubs I have ever been to, K17. Located in the middle of what seems to be a quiet, residential area, K-17 is a punk, gothic, retro, multi-story dance club in an old apartment building. The crowd was really interesting- most people were dressed in black leather and clothes of the gothic nature (we saw a few Marilyn Manson look-a-likes in full makeup). We stood out like sore thumbs but danced like maniacs and no one else at the club seemed to care how what we were wearing- everyone was just having a great time. I was not necessarily “at home” at K-17 but it was a perfect way to kick off the Berlin weekend!

We started off the day on Saturday eating Currywurst- a fast food meal that originated in Berlin in 1949. This pork sausage is covered in curried-ketchup and usually served with pomme frites or bread. I am not a huge fan of this dish but our friend Jeff ate it for 3 meals in a row and Nathan ate it twice while we were there- so it must of been good! haha

Then we headed to the East Side Gallery- a international memorial for freedom on a 1.3km long portion of the Berlin Wall in the center of Berlin. The powerful art here speaks for itself:

After the wall, we headed to meet my extended family that coincidentally happened to be traveling in the area at a lovely restaurant in Mitte- which is the center of Berlin. The interior of the restaurant has a 150 year old dance floor and ballroom (it was beautiful outside though so we sat in the garden to eat our lunch).  

We visited with my family and with their tour guide- a middle aged German man from Berlin that was incredibly knowledgable and also really fun to talk to! After some discussion about the crazy nightlife in Berlin, the tour guide told Nathan (away from the ears of my conservative Texas grandfather) all about the The Kit Kat Club- a crazy nightclub that is said to attract patrons from all over Europe and other parts of the world because of its music selection (techno and trance music) and its sexually uninhibited parties. The motto of the club is "Do what you want but stay in communication". Guests are allowed to engage in sexual intercourse openly at the venue. A strict dress code needs to be respected in order to get into the Kit Kat Club door- requiring fetish, latex, leather, kinky, high style, glamour. We decided that the Kit Kat Club would be incredibly interesting to attend but is probably not on the agenda- haha (like they would even let us in the door!) 

He also gave us some more approachable recommendations, like a bar and gallery of giants metal artwork called the MonsterKabinett located nearby. After saying goodbye to my family, we met up with our friends, had a drink at the bar (they would not let me take pictures- the art was amazing though) and went on the tour of the gallery- which was more of a show than a tour! 

After that, we headed north to see the Berlin Wall Memorial Site. The history of the divisive Berlin Wall is pretty incredible. This barrier was constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting on 13 August 1961, and completely cut off  West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. In practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period. Between 1961 and 1989, the wall prevented almost all such emigration. During this period, around 5,000 people attempted to escape over the wall, with an estimated death toll of over 600. That being said, if you are into history, Berlin is for you- there is simply history everywhere! It would take months to see all of the amazing memorials, visit the museums and take in the sights. 

After the history lesson, we headed to the river to drink Berliner Weiss! Berliner Weiss is a sour funky wheat beer that is brewed in Berlin. It is traditionally low alcohol and served with a variety of syrups (which made the beer in the pictures below colorful) to balance the sour character (I like it natural as well.) 

To end the day (and eventually party into the night) we headed to Kreuzberg- a neighborhood known for it's nightlife scene. I have never seen so many laid back young people having fun in one place! People were drinking, eating and dancing in front of every building for blocks on end. We started off the night drinking and dancing at a little psychadelic bar named Cake- it had amazing murals, cheap drinks and a funny DJ playing everything from Pop tunes to Hip Hop. We finished the night dancing in this amazing basement covered with melting candles, beautiful people and incredible DJ's spinning vinyl 70's funk tunes at the Hotel Das Berlin (I did not take any pictures here because I was having too much fun). This tiny underground club was located in a residential area off of the main street and seemed to be filled with local Berliners. We could not help but we feel like we had stumbled upon something special here It was almost magical.

 

On Sunday, we stopped at the Brandenburg Gate and walked around the big tourist area in the Mitte. The boys wanted to write "WBA 2013" (World Brewing Academy) on the back side of the wall- which was a fun way to commemorate our weekend. 

On our way back, we stopped in a small city called Lipzig, home of another northern specialty-the Gose beer. We stopped to enjoy the Gose, which is a top-fermented beer style of Leipzig, Germany, brewed with wheat. Dominant flavors in Gose include a lemon tartness, a herbal characteristic, and a strong saltiness (mainly because coriander and salt are usually added) and it is also served with red or green syrup unless you request otherwise. It was really interesting- and because I am a fan of salty flavors, I really liked it!

In conclusion, our Berlin weekend was incredible. It was a great contrast from Bavaria, which is very clean, wealthy and traditional. I loved the atmosphere, the beauty of the city, the history and the laid back nature of the people. It is definitely the most artistic, "hip" and yet unpretentious place I have ever been. If you come to Europe- you cannot miss this stop (and you can wear Chaco sandals to the night club and no one looks at you funny haha)!