Post #15: Germany, Berlin
Germany was very high on my bucket list for places that I wanted to visit before I die. Technically, I would have preferred to do Oktoberfest in Munich, but Berlin will have to do for the day.
My father’s side of my family is from Germany and I’ve always touted my German efficiency and mindset. Ironically, while my father and his family was from Germany, due to the fact that they lost a lot of family to the Holocaust, he refuses to step foot in Germany and refuses to buy goods from German companies. I just spent 2 nights in Berlin and drive a BMW, so I guess that the apple falls pretty far from the tree.
There were a few things that I noticed immediately. First, the Germans are clearly embarrassed and are attempting to overcompensate for the atrocities committed by the Nazis in WW2. This is evidenced by their liberal policies with regards to migrants and the countless memorials and museums to the murdered Jewish people. Second, I can’t help but compare the Berlin Wall with the wall that Trump is attempting to fund as I write this post. It seems as if these types of restricting walls aren’t looked kindly upon from a historical perspective; and that we celebrate walls that had been taken down. Here is a cool sign that I came across.
I got to Berlin at 5pm on Friday afternoon and within an hour, I started my organized beer tour. It was a 3hr tour where we learned the history of various beers from various countries. For most of the trip I’d been taking Ubers or its local equivalent, but cabs in Berlin seem to be 3x more expensive, so I took advantage of their exceedingly efficient public transit system. My only issue with their public transit system is that it’s too easy to defraud. There is nowhere that you need to swipe your ticket – you can only get busted on the off chance that someone is checking tickets. I was on maybe 10 trains in my 2 days, and I hadn’t seen a single instance where a passenger was asked for their ticket. I wonder how much money they lose for this. Seems silly.
Back to the trip. Our guide was an enthusiastic Spanish dude and while I wasn’t super concerned about the history of beer, I enjoyed the cool places that he brought us to and the beers that we got to taste. Met some nice people too.
Working on a solid buzz, I was eager to get some good drunk-food. I wouldn’t have guessed it, but apparently after WW2, a bunch of Turkish builders were tasked with rebuilding Germany, and they have a significant presence there now. Turkish ‘Doner Kabob’ is now the most famous food in Berlin, and lines for the most famous shop requires customers to wait outdoors for more than an hour to get a sandwich. I was given a pro-tip from one of the locals that the famous shop has a sister location of equivalent quality that has minimal lines, so I headed there. Doner Kabob seems to be similar to Shawarma or Gyro, in that it’s a cylindrical shape of meat that is heated by rotisserie near an open flame. My sandwich was excellent, as was the baklava that I had for desert. Satisfied and buzzed, I called it for the night.
The following morning was the Australian Open final and I spent some time watching the first set, and trash-talking my friend that loves Nadal, even though he sweats too much and consistently picks his ass in public. He was beaten in straight sets, which was nice.
That morning I wanted to go to a restaurant that I’d read about as a ‘can’t miss’ place for breakfast called Kanaan Berlin. Kanaan is a unique vegetarian joint, co-owned by a Jewish entrepreneur and a Palestinian chef. They have a brunch deal by which you get access to a buffet with salads, cheese, hummus and bread + an entree for 12.50 (euros). For those that know me, I love Shakshuka and have tried this middle eastern delicacy at countless places. Their Shakshuka was spicy and excellent- it rivaled my favorite version from Shakshukia in Tel Aviv. They also have a funny t-shirt that they didn’t have in my size.
After having breakfast, I embarked on my day that I probably walked 5-7 miles at the very least. I started to head to the Berlin Wall memorial. On the way, I spotted a large flea market, which was cool, even though I didn’t buy much. I did however find an awesome apple cider and some scalding middle eastern drink called Sahlep.
After the flea market and the wall, I headed to some museums and a Tajikistani tea joint. The tea place required you to remove your shoes and sit on some pillows on the floor. Pretty cool place and good tea with apple strudel.
Afterwards I started heading to a tourist trap known as Fernsehturm. It’s a tall television tower that was meant to signify communist strength in Berlin. At the present day, it’s a tourist trap by which you pay $20-$30 to take an elevator to the top to take selfies with a view of the whole Berlin and possibly eat at the restaurant. I bought the VIP ticket from an electronic kiosk, but the ticket didn’t print out. I spoke to staffers, but they were unable to resolve the issue, so I just decided to leave and challenge the transaction.
While at the tower, I ran into a couple from the tour that I’d become friends with. We ended up walking all over Berlin, stopping to shoot pool (no tables), eat Pho, visit Checkpoint Charlie, gamble at a casino (thanks to Felicia for winning me some $$$) and eat some more Doner Kebob with Baklava. Was a nice night, and I enjoyed getting a ton of walking in. Note to self- walk more at home.
All in, I liked Berlin, but I regret not having done a few things. While I hate clubs and techno music, I should have checked out one of them because I’m told that they are completely over the top and a must-see. Additionally, I should have rented an awesome car and driven really fast on the autobahn. Next time.
The final stop before I come back to NYC will be Amsterdam. To date, my longest stop has been 2 nights, but this stop will be the longest. It will be 4 nights, 2 of which will be independent of the tour group. As I type this, I’m wondering how much potentially embarrassing or incriminating information I will want to include on my next post. For example, my tour is offering a ‘sex show’ activity that probably should not be documented. If I ever run for office, I’m not sure that I’d want that to get out.
We’ll see. Hopefully I make it out of there alive and well.