What a wonderful week! I was extremely happy this week to be able to go out and explore and experience Berlin. Some general observations I noticed this week were: how dirty Berlin is, how rude a lot of the people are, and the number of people who speak languages other than German. I noticed that those who do not speak German usually switch to English with the German people because that is a language they have in common. I think it’s very presumptuous of us as Americans to expect everyone else to learn our language and not be taught other languages when we are young, but I digress.
On Thursday I got to experience a market which I was extremely excited about because I love food. The market I went to was called Markthalle Neun on Eisenbahnstraße 42/42. To me it looks like it’s in between Kreuzberg and friedirschschain so I’m not sure exactly what district it was in. It looked much like a place called Findlay Market in Cincinnati and was cute and aesthetic on the inside. There were bulb lights draped through the ceiling and each strand looked very different from the next. Some were just set up with a few tables and printed out posters, a very basic set up. Whereas, others were more established and looked more professional. There were foods of all different cultures, which kind of surprised me because I was expecting more German food than anything. I felt like the highest population of food I saw was Asian. I saw a lot of potstickers and traditional Asian food but only saw 2 stands with German pork, sauerkraut, and sausages. I felt like I should have seen more of these but I guess at the Findlay market in Cincinnati they are always trying to capture foods that are not always prevalent in Cincinnati which would make sense if this market was the same. Being able to experience foods other than the typical German food seemed to be the experience of this place that they were going for. There were a few of the girls got a red sauce pasta from and an Italian place and my mom and I tried some olives from a Mediterranean stand that were absolutely delicious. I was able to get a drink from a very authentic gin and tonic stand where they said everything was homemade which I thought was awesome. Their stand was made from wood 2×4’s in the background and the people working there gave me the hipster vibe. I asked the man serving me to tell me their story and he was enthusiastic to tell me in his flannel, tight jeans, and hipster shoes. I was intrigued by the story and glad I asked and I got to learn more about the drinks they made. I feel as if I was more hungry or able to eat a little bit from every stand I would have been able to experience it more but I was still happy with the experience I got.
While at the market we ran into 2 girls we talked to for almost an hour from LA and New York. Earlier that day they had just gotten a ticket on one of the U-bahn or S-bahn systems because they did not understand the technicalities of the subway which I felt very relatable too. If it would not have been for being in this group and being provided a ticket, I would have been extremely confused by the S and U-bahns. We talked to a couple other people at the market as well that chimed in when they heard our conversation. I was surprised by the amount of English speakers we ran into by accident and they were all from America so that added an additional surprise since many of the Germans or immigrants are able to speak English now as well.
On Thursday I got to experience a market which I was extremely excited about because I love food. The market I went to was called Markthalle Neun on Eisenbahnstraße 42/42. To me it looks like it’s in between Kreuzberg and friedirschschain so I’m not sure exactly what district it was in. It looked much like a place called Findlay Market in Cincinnati and was cute and aesthetic on the inside. There were bulb lights draped through the ceiling and each strand looked very different from the next. Some were just set up with a few tables and printed out posters, a very basic set up. Whereas, others were more established and looked more professional. There were foods of all different cultures, which kind of surprised me because I was expecting more German food than anything. I felt like the highest population of food I saw was Asian. I saw a lot of potstickers and traditional Asian food but only saw 2 stands with German pork, sauerkraut, and sausages. I felt like I should have seen more of these but I guess at the Findlay market in Cincinnati they are always trying to capture foods that are not always prevalent in Cincinnati which would make sense if this market was the same. Being able to experience foods other than the typical German food seemed to be the experience of this place that they were going for. There were a few of the girls got a red sauce pasta from and an Italian place and my mom and I tried some olives from a Mediterranean stand that were absolutely delicious. I was able to get a drink from a very authentic gin and tonic stand where they said everything was homemade which I thought was awesome. Their stand was made from wood 2×4’s in the background and the people working there gave me the hipster vibe. I asked the man serving me to tell me their story and he was enthusiastic to tell me in his flannel, tight jeans, and hipster shoes. I was intrigued by the story and glad I asked and I got to learn more about the drinks they made. I feel as if I was more hungry or able to eat a little bit from every stand I would have been able to experience it more but I was still happy with the experience I got.
While at the market we ran into 2 girls we talked to for almost an hour from LA and New York. Earlier that day they had just gotten a ticket on one of the U-bahn or S-bahn systems because they did not understand the technicalities of the subway which I felt very relatable too. If it would not have been for being in this group and being provided a ticket, I would have been extremely confused by the S and U-bahns. We talked to a couple other people at the market as well that chimed in when they heard our conversation. I was surprised by the amount of English speakers we ran into by accident and they were all from America so that added an additional surprise since many of the Germans or immigrants are able to speak English now as well.
