Berlin

[June 13-17]

When Marita talks about our travels between Croatia and Latvia, she usually glosses over Berlin as "an EasyJet hub that we needed to fly through." Despite this slander, I couldn't have been happier to spend some time in what was one of the most tempting destinations in western Europe. After all, while most of the region is known for being "safe" and relatively familiar, the most common word used to describe Berlin is "alternative."


An "alternative" art commune in Berlin

What exactly does this imply? If Berlin's "alternative," what's "vanilla?" I suppose that the comparison starts with the tidy and prosperous communities of the industrially and commercially developed West Germany, where the cities and their inhabitants seem to conform to what we in the New World refer to as "the model of German efficiency." Berlin, by contrast, comes off as poorer and in more need of development, plus it exhibits a certain heterogeneity in the urban landscape that seemed absent in our previous stops in Germany. Although there's no wall dividing East and West Berlin, the difference between the two halves of the city is still apparent.

Because there are so many distinct areas of town, it's good that we had the help of a few locals to show us the way. Our good friend Katie Frey, from the professional management team of the Prague Daily Monitor, joined us for the third time on our trip, and acted as our working-hours guide to Berlin. She lived there a number of years ago, but stays in close touch with friends like Tim, with whom she stayed. Marita and I stayed with two more welcoming hosts from the Servas program, Dorte Lange and Katrin Grueber.


Breakfast with Katie and Tim

Our first two nights were spent with Dorte, who is currently teaching English and pursuing a degree in linguistics. Although she didn't have lots of time to spend with us, we had lots of great conversations with her about English. She would criticize her own vocabulary and abilities, but we were quite impressed with some of the words she was trying to commit to memory. It's almost embarrassing to be asked questions about your own language's vocabulary that you can't answer. Katrin was also a very impressive woman. Not only did she serve as a member of parliament in the German Green Party, but she currently works as the head of an institution that explores medical ethics.


Marita, Dean, and Dorte

Aside from the museums we saw in Berlin, one of our favorite spots was Monbijou Park, where locals relax on a small strip of beach in the center of the city. We stopped there with Katie on the same day that we explored an old industrial building that had been converted to an artist's commune (pictured above).


Monbijou Park

A few other characteristics of Berlin that really stuck with us were the large Turkish neighborhood in the southeast part of town, home to some amazing Doner Kebab and pastry shops, and the serene courtyard gardens hiding down unassuming lanes. Four days wasn't nearly enough time to see all the city had to offer.


A freak downpour in Berlin's center