Day 3 & 4 of Germany.

Places visited (in the order of images listed):

Friday
Berlin train station (Hauptbahnhof)
Brandenburg Gate
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism
Christmas Market at the Gendarmenmarkt (not pictured)
Clubbing at the Adagio (not pictured)

Saturday
German brunch at Schwarzwaldstuben restaurant
Berlin Dom (Berlin Cathedral)
Berlin Museum Island, Pergamon Museum
ICE high speed train

Friday morning H & I took the train from Celle to Berlin. It was below 0 degrees those two days so I’m not sure if it’s the combination of the x-factor cold or overall relaxed culture of Europeans that made the city vibe feel so barren. There were surprisingly a lot of graffiti and the buildings were pretty modern compared to Celle’s so it almost felt like just any other big metropolis city sans crowds. It def wasn’t what I had expected Berlin to be like, but it was then we realized that maybe aside from the overhyped “touristy” places we should do some counter-intuitive things and experience local life too. So instead of sleeping early to catch the tour bus the next day, we went clubbing (clubs in Germany doesn’t get hyped until 12-1am, so lesson learned) and the next day we sat for hours enjoying our brunch, even chatting up the Berliner couple next to us.

The biggest takeaway from Berlin for me was being able to see the Gate of Ishtar at the Pergamon Museum. Its unbelievable that something so frickin beautiful was built so early on. I’d elaborate more but it’s close to 4am here and we’re headed to Amsterdam tomorrow so this is a summation of my reaction:

W.T.F.

Day 2 of Germany.

Being here is strange. Everything is so unfamiliar and yet not so. Christmas is much more festive in its markets, gluhwein (hot wine), and street vendors. I’m overwhelmed by all the cute little buildings and undesignated forestry. I can only imagine how lush Celle can look in the spring. Then there’s the tea & cake culture during mittag’s pause (siesta). & the air is different. It feels almost like everything is in a standstill, and every moment is sweet.

Being here is like being in a picture, and it makes having frozen toes worth it.

Frohe Weinachten! (Merry Christmas ❤ )

 

Day 1 in Germany.

First dinner was at the Panthera in Hamburg, Germany (1.5 hours way from Celle, where H’s family lives). The first day after landing in Germany at 2pm, after traveling for 20 hours, consisted of endless meat & wine at this cute restaurant, rain that turned into snow while falling, and introduction to the Hamburg’s unabashed red light district. (Which was disappointingly closed for the holidays.)

 

Welcome to Germany!