Day 11: What a Trek

Today was a completely free day, so I decided to return to Raw Tempel, which we first discovered on Day 2's bike tour.

We got to see a lot of the murals that we skipped over on the bike tour.

The year may be a little off, but you get the idea.

After Raw Tempel, we spent some time relaxing in the hotel before meeting up with Mary Lane, one of the earlier guest speakers. She bought a group of us girls wine and cheese and gave us life advice.

Dinner for Day 11 was an optional outing to Victoria Park for a sunset picnic. We all stopped by Kaiser's grocery store to pick up some food, then took a few trams and trains to the park. After walking to the top of what seemed like a mountain, we came upon a breathtaking view of the city.

Day 11 taught me that Berlin can be HOT, I am thankful for public transportation and I'm in love with Victoria Park.

Day 9: Music, Music & More Music

Although I was expecting my subject to be the lead singer of a Ukrainian band, that just didn't work out. However, I found a new subject and finished my slideshow. I stumbled upon a British singer performing in Alexanderplatz.

His name is Geraint John Jones. After he finished his set in Alexanderplatz, I followed him to Hackescher Markt, where we waited around for an hour and a half for a group of Romanians to finish performing in Geraint's "spot."

Apparently over the weekend Hackescher Markt is an actual market, and I spent the waiting period buying an assortment of gifts and food.

That night, our group attended a classical music night in an old tram repair shop. Unfortunately pictures weren't allowed, but the musicians were incredible.

Day 9 taught me that Berlin's weather is very temperamental and confusing, British singers are very pessimistic and the system of street performance is complex and cutthroat.

Day 7: Success

After a week of hopeless searching, I think I've finally found my subject! I decided to wander desperately around Alexanderplatz today in the hopes of finding someone even remotely interesting, and I stumbled upon a guy singing and playing guitar with a drummer. After they finished the last song, I approached them, and the lead singer agreed to be my subject! They are part of a Ukrainian band called Forkida. Although I don't have any photos from the encounter, I'm going to photograph them performing tomorrow morning.

Here's a photo of another street performer who started doing tricks with a soccer ball right after Forkida ended their performance. You could probably walk around Alexanderplatz for a full day and never get bored.

In the afternoon, our group toured the Reichstag building, the Berlin capitol building. Inside, we traveled up to the very top and went inside a huge glass dome.

Here's another street performer we saw on our way back from the Reichstag.

Our last guest speaker we went to visit was Christoph Nieman, a freelance illustrator, graphic designer and author. He's designed the covers of The New Yorker, Time and the New York Times magazines. He was probably my favorite guest speaker because I really admired his work, and I could tell how much he loves what he does.

Day 7 taught me that street performers are everywhere, that creativity and work can overlap and that Berlin isn't always cold and wet.

Day 3: History & Culture

While the bike tour showcased a lot of modern Berlin, Day 3’s walking tour focused on the history of the city. My favorite sight was the Berliner Dom, an ancient Protestant Cathedral.

The structure’s iconic greenish top was visible from most of our tour. It was incredibly striking from up close and from afar.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was another memorable stop on the tour. The most interesting thing about it is the fact that it was built to be interpreted any way the viewer chooses.

The tour ended at Checkpoint Charlie, one of the most famous Berlin border crossings during the late 20th century. 

 Afterwards, during free time, we went to the Karneval der Kulturen or Carnival of Cultures, a parade celebrating the different cultures of Berlin. It was beautiful, diverse and unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

We also stumbled upon some street performers dancing. Although I couldn’t actually see their show through the crowd, afterwards, one of the performers taught a little boy some of his moves. It was adorable.

I finished the day with my first Doner Kebap, which didn’t disappoint.

Day 3 taught me that Berlin has more history than I could ever imagine, the city is incredibly diverse and that even tiny little boys can dance way better than I can.

Day 2: Biking through Berlin

Guten tag from Prenzlauer Berg! Berlin is like no other city I've ever been to. One minute I'm standing in a quaint neighborhood; I turn a corner and next thing I know I'm in the middle of a huge urban city! After a jet-lagged Day 1, I slept for a solid 12 hours and woke up feeling refreshed and ready to go. Good thing, too because we biked for four hours around the city.

The street art was one of my favorite parts of the tour. These are called "Dancing Girls" by one of the more famous artists. I've never seen so much graffiti in my life. I saw street art ranging from posters to paintings to spray-painted German words I couldn't understand. 

I've also encountered so many diverse people in this city. Here is a photo from the Raw Temple showing the oldest mohawk-flaunting man I've ever seen. He rocks it, in my opinion.

We visited the Eastside Gallery, which is a section of the Berlin Wall that borders the Spree River. It had lots of… you guessed, it, graffiti. This includes the famous "Fraternal Kiss" mural.

After the bike tour, a group of us decided to take the tram back to the hotel. As we were walking through Alexanderplatz, a young man dressed in a toga approached us. Once he discovered we were English-speakers, he repeated, “Pleaze, pleaze halp me. I have to sell zees,” gesturing to a box full of who-knows-what tied around his neck. We politely declined, but some of his friends followed him over to us. When we asked them why he was trying to sell trinkets and tiny bottles of vodka, they told us it was his “last day of freedom,” and we realized the friends were forcing the (very drunk) groom to sell things to pay for the bachelor party. 

Day 2 taught me that street art is popular and prevalent, that most Germans in Berlin speak English, and that they are very patient with silly American tourists such as myself.