Berlin, Part I

I have come to the conclusion that one post containing all of my adventures in Berlin will be just too much. So, I will break it up into four entries, meaning four written explanations and anecdotes, lots of pictures, and many memories being relayed to you.

Here goes...

My flight out of Stockholm arrived around 8:30am Monday morning. I flew into Tegel airport by myself, but by now I have gotten the hang of traveling in Europe. With my single backpack, I headed straight to the information booth where I picked up a map of the city. I was still a bit tired since I had barely gotten any sleep the night before (right after I sat down on the plane I fell asleep and woke up only after we had landed). After getting my map, I figured out what bus line I needed to take to get from the airport to the city center, bought a bus ticket, and then got on the bus that would take me to Bradenburger Tor.

Side note: I have to say that the map I got at the airport was extremely useful not only because it guided me to all the places I visited in Berlin and that it had all the lines for the U-Bahn (Berlin's transportation system), but it also had all the tours offered by the company New Europe...which is how I learned to the two tours I went on during my trip. But more on that in a bit.

My bus ride into the city took about 25 minutes and all the while I was either looking down at my map to figure out my exact location at the moment or looking out the window to see the sites of Berlin. I will admit that I wasn't completely 'wow'ed by the city during that first half-hour. I didn't think it was that beautiful...but as you'll come to learn, my impression  changed drastically as the day (and trip) went on.

I got off the bus at the main square, Pariser Platz, where the Bradenburger Tor is. And followed the map to the hostel I would be staying at. It was about 9:15am, so the streets were pretty quiet and dead. The walk to Grand Hostel took me about 40 minutes, a little longer than I had anticipated, but it refreshed me and allowed me to see some of the streets of Berlin. Without previously knowing, I walked right next to part of the Berlin Wall (thanks to my trusty map for informing me of this!). On the other side is the Topography of Terror museum that I would later return to on Thursday.

Part of the Berlin Wall

I arrived at the hostel around 10am and one of the receptionists kindly greeted me. She handed me another map and told me to sit at the table to fill out a sheet of paper with my information. Another woman asked if I would like tea or coffee, so I asked for tea. When she came back, she sat down with me and circled all of the popular "must-see" sites in Berlin. I had decided on the bus that I wanted to go on the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp tour with New Europe that left Bradenburger Tor at 11am . I was getting a little antsy as the woman continued to tell me about Alexanderplatz, the East Side Gallery, and the Reichstag. She finished around 10:30am and after I said "thank you" and "I'll be back later" (my room wouldn't be ready until 3pm), I quickly headed to the Mohrenstrade Station that was a convenient two minute walk from the hostel.

The Grand Hostel-#2 hostel in Berlin. It was a very nice, clean, and comfy place to stay.

I bought my ticket and headed to the platform. (In)conveniently, the line I was supposed to take was delayed (so I figured out from everyone leaving the platform), so I walked to another line and anxiously waited for its arrival. By the time I got on this train, it was already 10:50am. I was coming up with a back-up plan for the afternoon in case I wouldn't make it in time for the tour.

After getting off at the Bradenburger Tor Station, I quickly walked to the meet-up point for the tour...in front of a Starbucks (of course!). I made it! Unfortunately, I had not money on me to pay for the tour but the guides let me try to find one in the area. I came up empty and was wondering, "how can there not be any ATMs in the main square?!". I didn't understand. Luckily, my guide, James, said I could pay later.

So our group of about 16 young adults and one older couple all headed to the Bradenburger Tor U-Bahn station and waited for the train to take us to Sachsenhausen. The ride into the town where the camp is situated took about 35 minutes and then we had to board a bus to take us to the camp itself.

Upon arriving, it was quite and grey. The entrance was concrete and cold. James gave us a brief history lesson about World War II, the Nazis, and the history of Sachsenhausen before we entered the camp. Sachsenhausen was not an extermination camp, but a work camp that had not just Jewish prisoners but also homosexuals and Communists. However, many prisoners died there.

The triangular layout of Sachsenhausen

James then walked us along the edge of the camp, giving us more information about the officers and where/how they lived.

Once we got to the entrance of the camp, everything seemed even more quiet and eerie. After we walked in, James took us all around, showing us the different facilities and giving us in-depth details about what occurred in each area. Most of the details were very graphic and depressing, it's really hard to believe that this happened not that long ago.

Two of the stories I'll remember most are how the prisoners were treated on a daily basis. They were forced to wake up early, given a minimal amount of food for the day (their breakfast was a piece of bread), were forced to stand outside for role call (which could last up to two hours if not all the prisoners were accounted for), and had to work from sun up to sundown with only one bathroom break. One of the jobs that James vividly described for us was what I call the "boot tester". After boots were made for the Nazi soldiers, some prisoners were forced to test them out on a "track" of three different types of rock. These men had to run back and forth all day without any food or rest. Since their caloric intake was already extremely low, many died of exhaustion in just a day.

I also won't forget how James described the extermination process to us. He told us that the camp previously used trenches to kill prisoners, but the guards/officers had a difficult time looking in their eyes. In addition, other inmates could hear the fate of their fellow prisoners. So, instead of continuing to use the trench, a "doctor's office" was built. It was strategically set up so prisoners had no idea what was occurring, they were led to believe that they were there for a check-up with the doctor. This form of execution solved the previous issues that had occurred when the trenches were in use. I won't go into detail because it is very graphic.

The tour lasted nearly four hours, I was pretty exhausted by the end of it. I'm really glad I went because although it wasn't the happiest way to start out my trip to Berlin, it was informative and a good experience. Reading about the Nazis and concentration camps in history books or articles is helpful but you can't grasp how things truly were or looked at that time. Physically going to the sites and hearing from a guide makes this part of history a haunting reality.

"Work sets you free"- posted on the gate at the front entrance. Little did the prisoners know, their "freedom" was ultimately death

If prisoners stepped into this area, they were shot by the guards (usually in the arm or leg so that they wouldn't die and could go back to work)

One of the bunkers

Museum with furniture and prisoners' clothing

The Soviet Liberation Memorial erected in Sachsenhausen. It was controversial because it was only dedicated to one of the groups of prisoners. Also, the portrayal of the prisoners (as healthy and fit) is completely inaccurate.

The second memorial that better depicts the conditions of the prisoners.

Written on the wall opposite of the second memorial

After the tour, we headed back onto the train (I finally found an ATM and paid James). By this time, it was about 4:30pm. I took the U-Bahn to Alexanderplatz Station where there are huge shopping malls and lots of stores. I was on the hunt for a new converter (the receptionist at Grand Hostel told me about this area and that I would definitely find one there). A girl who was canvassing on the street next to the Station told me to go to Media Markt and pointed me in the right direction. I found it easily, wow that place is huge....four stories! I bought my converter and headed back out. Right outside the store inside the mall area, there was a small concert going on. A German singer, Helene Fischer, was performing (she seemed pretty popular since there was quite a crowd, but when I asked Anna, she said she had no idea who she was. Now that I think about, it was a performance in a mall).

Who is she?!

I was in and out of Alexanderplatz in 30 minutes. I got back onto the U-Bahn and took it to Mehringdamm Station where I would sink my teeth into what Anna, Katrin, Matthias, and many Germans I had met called "the best kebab/durum in Berlin" at Mustafa Gemuse Kebap. I was told that the line could be really long, so I was expecting to wait. However, when I got there, I ordered right away (it was a food stand, not a restaurant, so it was on the street corner).

I couldn't decide between the kebab or the durum, but the guy making the food explained the difference (the kebab was wrapped in a tortilla-like bread while the durum was in a more pita-like bread).  I ultimately went with the durum.

The young man on the right made my durum

Durum making in action

My vegetarian durum...soooo good :)

I must admit, it was TASTY! There were lots of vegetables, potatoes, and three different sauces in it. Yum, so delicious and very filling.

After savoring the flavors of my durum, I headed back to the hostel to call it an early night. On my way, I picked up some fruit and snacks at a grocery store nearby, called Kaisers, and then headed to bed. It had been a long, very eventful day and I wanted to get enough rest to start early the next morning. I had a lot planned...