Blog 4: Time in Berlin

For my final blog, I would like to reflect on my last few days in Berlin. This was the first weekend that I stayed in Berlin, and I’m glad that I did. It was nice just to relax, and explore some of the things that the city has to offer.

 

On Friday, I got to go to the Berlin Zoo. I have been wanting to go since arriving in Berlin. We spent about four hours there and got to also explore the aquarium. My favorite part of the zoo had to be the penguin exhibit. I have never been able to see penguins up close because the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo doesn’t have a penguin exhibit. It was cool to see the smaller penguins jumping off rocks into the water. One thing that I noticed while at the zoo was how sad many of the animals on display looked. This was very apparent when seeing the lion exhibit. The lion just sat up in front of the window with its eyes closed. When it finally got up, it started pacing back and forth making noises. It was very sad seeing the animals like this. Comparing the Berlin Zoo to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, it is noticeably smaller in size, which came as a surprise because of the large variety of animals on display.

 

On Saturday, we went to Treptower Park. While at the park we rented a paddle boat and took it up and down the Spree for an hour. It was a nice experience that if I hadn’t spent the weekend in Berlin, I wouldn’t have gotten to do. We also ate lunch on a little island located on the spree at Treptower. After we had left the park, I split off from the group and went to KaDeWe. While at KaDeWe, I got to walk around high-end stores, such as Louis Vuitton. Once I left KaDeWe, I took the bus to meet back up with the rest of the group. On the way, I stopped at Checkpoint Charlie. Later Saturday night, once the Prague group got back, we went to Soda Club to celebrate our last Saturday together. While at Soda Club, we went exploring and found three more dancefloor rooms that we didn’t know about from our visit last week.

 

Sunday, the group went to Mauerpark for the flea market. It was fun to explore all the different stands set up with a variety of items for sale. While at the flea market, I purchased two small photographs of Berlin for 12 Euros. One of the photos is of the graffiti at the East Side Gallery, and the other is of an S-Bahn train. We also stayed at the park for karaoke. It was a lot of fun to see all the different people from countries all around the world coming together to sing popular songs. The show was put on by an American man and the songs that were sung were primarily in English, but a few German songs were also thrown into the mix.

Monday, we got to tour Humboldt University. It was interesting to tour a university in a foreign country. After the tour, a group of us went to Strandbad Wannsee to go swimming at the lake. We swam out to the waterslide that is in the middle of the water and spent much of our time going down it. The beach was much cleaner than I expected and the water was surprisingly clear. I plan on going back to the beach before leaving for Prague on Saturday.

 

In conclusion, I had an amazing time this weekend relaxing and enjoying the city of Ber

Blog 3: Dining

When traveling, the dining experience from city to city and country to country varies vastly. Ranging from different food delicacies to the restaurant experience. Since coming to Berlin, Germany, this has been very apparent. I would like to focus on the differences between the dining experience in the United States compared to Berlin, Germany.

 

So far, I have learned that the dining and food experience in Berlin is very different from the United States. When going to a restaurant in the United States, you are typically greeted with free tap water; this is not the case in Germany. Restaurants in Germany make much of their profit off the drinks that they sell, with this being said, you will not find free water at restaurants throughout the city/country. Furthermore, if you bring your own water into a restaurant it is considered disrespectful, and you could get in trouble for it. In the U.S. when you’re at a restaurant, servers typically rush you out by bringing the bill to you immediately after finishing your entrée or dessert. This is very different in Berlin. When dining at restaurants in Berlin, you will have to flag down the server to get their attention because they don’t periodically check on tables as servers do in the U.S. If you do not flag down the server when you are ready to leave, you could be left waiting a long time for the server to come back to check on the table. Also, in the United States, servers make much less in comparison to servers in Germany, which results in patrons tipping servers anywhere from 15-20%. In the U.S. servers expect to be tipped on bills. In Berlin, it is expected that you tip around 10%, but servers often will be very surprised and thankful when receiving any tip. It is a breath of fresh air to see how happy receiving any tip makes the servers in Berlin. The food sold at traditional German restaurants tends to be on the heavier side and usually will include meat and potatoes.

 

Next, I would like to talk about street food. All throughout Berlin, you will find different food stations set up on the streets and in the train stations. This makes it very easy to find a fast and affordable snack or meal. A very popular dish in Berlin is the döner kabab. Döner kabab is similar to a gyro. Restaurants have a spinning rotisserie with meat attached; the meat is sliced off and put into bread, such as pita. Salad, sauce, and cheese is typically added as a topping. Döner kabab is typically very cheap to buy and can be found all throughout the city. Further, within train stations, you will often find small bakery stores. These stores sell bread, pastries, sandwiches, and drinks. The price of food items sold at these train stations typically ranges from one to five euros, which makes for a quick and cheap meal when you’re in a hurry. In the United States, it is hard to find such cheap and fast meals on the street.

 

Since coming to Berlin, I have been given the opportunity of trying new things, such as food dishes I once would not have tried. Within the final week and a half in Berlin, I plan to continue to venture out of my comfort zone and try new things.

Blog 2: Berlin and Prague Clubs

Being a college student, nightlife is a very big part of many of our weekly routines. When traveling from city to city, the different club options vary a great deal. Since coming to Europe, I have gone to nightclubs in both Berlin and Prague. Within this post, I’d like to look at the different clubs I have attended in each city.

 

Firstly, looking at Berlin nightlife, many clubs solely play techno music, but there are some with a variety of music. Also, Berlin clubs are strict to get into, when in line, you are expected to stay quiet, not look at your phone, and be in smaller groups. Club goers typically do not dress up when going out and people are sometimes turned away if you are too dressed up, unlike when going out in the United States. Further, many Berliners do not go out to the clubs until at least 1 am. Berlin clubs typically have a cover charge of at least 10 euros. During my two weeks in Berlin, I have gone to both Suicide Circus and Soda Club. These clubs were drastically different from each other. Suicide Circus is located on the east side of Berlin, just off the S-Bahn route. When exiting the station, the club is located at the bottom of a dark stair case to the right. When getting to the bottom of the stairs, you arrive at the line to get in. When in line, you will notice a large bouncer at the door, there is not much talking, and everyone is dressed in dark colors. Once getting in, there is a strict no photography rule, and many of the employees will yell at you for taking your phone out at all. The music this club plays is solely techno. The atmosphere is very dark, and can be seen as scary. There is the main dancefloor and a secondary dancefloor with a separate DJ in the backroom. Both the main dancefloor and back dancefloors have their own bars. The dancing that takes place is mostly just the club goers swaying back and forth in front of the DJ set up. This is very different from the dancing that takes place at other clubs. Also, at Suicide Circus, drug use can be seen. Many of my classmates were offered drugs while in the bathroom. Suicide Circus is vastly different from other clubs I have attended. Now looking at Soda Club, this club is much more similar to clubs in different cities. Soda Club is located in Prenzlauer Berg. The club serves as one of Berlin’s largest, featuring multiple dancefloors with different genres for each floor. Each dancefloor also contains its own bar. The two most popular floors were the R&B and Latin music floors. Soda Club has a much more welcong atmosphere when compared to Suicide Circus. The dancing that can be seen at this club is widespread, unlike Suicide Circus, with everyone expressing themselves in dance. Being at Soda Club, you do not feel pressured to dance like everyone else and can just be yourself.

 

Secondly, I would like to look at the nightlife in Prague. While in Prague, I went to Chapeau Rouge and Karlovy Lázně. Like Berlin, nights also start at about 1 am and go until 6 am. Chapeau Rouge is a nightclub located just east of the Prague city center. To get in, there was a 150 krona cover charge, but if you have an ISIC card, the cover was discounted to 100 krona. The club is spread out over three floors. The main floor after walking in is primarily just a bar. Going down a floor, you will find both a bar and a dancefloor. This floor plays American hit songs. Traveling to the bottom floor, you will find another bar and a dancefloor. This floor is darker than the rest and focuses solely on techno music. Now I would like to take a look at Karlovy Lázně. Karlovy Lázně is located by the Vltava, right next to the Charles Bridge. The club is the largest in Eastern Europe and is spread across five different floors, all with their own individual themes. The cover charge is 200 krona, but people with discount cover charge coupons are spread throughout the city. The basement floor had a dancefloor and bar, with Latin music being played. Going up to the entrance floor, you can find the ice pub. The ice pub is an ice bar, where you are provided jackets and gloves. Once entering, you will find ice coveredwalls and a bar made of ice. The drinks provided are served in cups made of ice. This provided a unique experience that I have never experienced anywhere else. Moving up a floor, you will find a variety of different music. Also, there were laser lights and fog, with a dancefloor that is a few steps below the bar. This floor of the club was similar to Bullwinkle’s at Ohio State. Up another floor, you will find the disco floor. This floor features a cocktail bar and a light up dancefloor. The music played on this floor was mostly from the 80’s and 90’s. Another floor up was the pop floor. The floor had a sunken dancefloor with another bar. Above the dance floor, there was a glass platform with a dancer on it. The ceiling had changing colored lights and the music played was pop music. The final floor of the club had another dancefloor and bar. This floor played American rock music with techno remixes. The room was darker than the rest of the floors but featured light up walls. Karlovy Lázně also features an oxygen bar. With all the different floor options, everyone will be able to find their own place to enjoy the nights.

 

Comparing Berlin and Prague Clubs, you will find several differences which make the nightlife experiences unique from city to city.

 

Blog Post 1: Experience in Berlin Thus Far

Traveling to a new city, you will find many differences when comparing it to your home city. This has been very apparent since our arrival in Berlin 3 days ago. These differences can range from transportation and attractions.

 

Firstly, looking at transportation, I can see many differences in comparison to transportation back in Cleveland, Ohio and Columbus, Ohio. Public transportation in Berlin is very well structured, seemingly safe, and easily accessible. With a variety of trains and busses available, it is very easy to get around the city when traveling. The U-Bahn train is a subway system under the city, while the S-Bahn is an above ground train system. Transportation by train is not popular in either Cleveland or Columbus, Ohio. Looking at the busses, you will find both double-decker busses and traditional single floor busses. Further, the transportation in Berlin is based on a trust system. When entering both the bus or train, you are not asked for the fee to ride, it is just expected that you have bought a pass, and you will typically not be asked to show it. This is very different when being compared to America. American transit systems always ask you to provide a form of payment or a swipe of your pass upon entering the bus or train station.

 

Secondly, I’d like to focus on the attractions that are around the city. With such an event-filled history, Berlin has many different structures and memorials spread throughout the city. Since arriving in Berlin, some of the structures and memorials I have already visited are the Berlin Wall Memorial, Brandenburg Gate, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Looking at the Berlin Wall, the site that the memorial sits on is a piece of land that the wall once ran through. A portion of the original wall is left standing on the site. Photos to remember some of the people who were killed when traveling across the wall can also be found. One of the features of the memorial site that had the largest impression on me was being able to peak through the crack in the wall which allowed you to see into the strip of land between the walls. Looking at the Brandenburg Gate, this gate once marked the entrance to the city of Berlin. After World War 2, the gate was severely damaged but was still standing. Now it is a very picturesque attraction that attracts many tourists. Lastly, the memorial I visited was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. This memorial is set up with a variety of large rectangular concrete slabs. These slabs were placed in a grid-like pattern on a rolling wave style piece of land. In between each set of slabs is a walkway. Walking through the memorial disorients you in a sense because of the pattern that the slabs are placed in, also because of the waved walkway. One thing I noticed while visiting the memorial was that many of the visitors from Germany and other European countries seemed to be running around playing games within the site. To me, this seemed disrespectful.

 

When traveling, you become immersed in different ways of life, coming to Berlin has been no different. Transportation throughout the city is very well structured. Many of the structures and Memorials in Berlin allow a reflection of the rich, but also the highly tragic history of the city. I’m looking forward to continuing to experience more of the city in the coming weeks.