I LOVE Berlin

Ah, Berlin! Where do I even begin? Berlin was an absolutely phenomenal time.
Well , the adventure begins the night before I went to Berlin. Thanks to Hanna, I had mapped out a cheap way to get to the Skavska airport using the public bus system here in Sweden. Unfortunately, the cheap way isn’t always the easiest and due to my early flight, I had to take the last bus out of Eskilstuna that night before my flight. It left around ten. I got to Nykoping at about 1145 and waiting for my midnight shuttle to Skavska in the freezing cold was not fun. There was a creepy looking dude nearby so I was texting people like if I don’t say anything in 5 minutes be worried about me. But I got to Skavska airport a little after midnight with no issues. I bought a crappy sandwich and then settled in for the night. Of course the only bench in the whole place was already taken. I would say about 30 other young travelers decided to forgo the cost of the nearby hotel and spend the night in the airport. So, I used the idea I had seen a few other people do of putting these incredibly uncomfortable wood chairs together to make a place to lay down. I think I may have been the most unprepared person ever. Some people had sleeping bags and pillows, I didn’t even have a towel to lay over me. So I used my scarf and a pair of leggings as a pillow. It was so cold I just had to keep my coat on. So I slept for like an hour in one place, but I woke up freezing and miserable, so I decided to hunt for a new place. Then I saw some people by the heaters. Best idea ever, it was much warmer there and I actually got like 2 hours of sleep until, the airport people started waxing the damn floor. Talk about loud. So I woke up at 4 and was one of the first people through security. Skavska is a very very small airport. I immediately fell asleep on one of the more comfortable benches just inside my gate. (So cruel, I saw them all night, but they were just out of reach) Slept on the plane and arrived in Berlin on time at 8:30. I got tourist information and some public transit passes, which turned out to be a waste because no one checks your passes anyway. I suppose if you are caught though you get a fee. But the public transit was really really good, you could get anywhere you wanted at anytime and quite quickly. Trains, trams, buses, and subways.
So I hurried to my hotel to store my luggage and try and make it to the walking tour by 10:30. I had checked the weather and knew this was going to be the nicest day so I had to make it. I was only a little bit late, but I caught the group. The walking tour was awesome. But 4 hours of walking in the rain and cold after sleeping in an airport isn’t the best on your back. I took about a million pictures on the tour and hardest part was not having anyone to talk to what I saw about. I guess that is a disadvantage of traveling alone. But I saw Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, Potsdamer place, Churches, the TV tower, squares, US embassy, and so much more. Check out the pics on facebook, I think I put explanations under most of them. It was really like walking through history, a city that has been torn down and repaired so many times. Also, a lot of the sites where in East Berlin, it was only really reopened to the world 20 years ago. Everything there has so much history, like this was bombed and rebuilt, Hitler used to speak here, etc. There are even still bombs underneath the city that could still go off. A lot of the construction workers have to be careful and when they find them, the bomb squad has to come in and defuse them. So after that I found my way back to the Hostel, when I went to get my room, I found out was in a mixed dorm and I was pissed. I had requested an all female room. Very annoying. But it was only 10 euros a night so I guess you get what you pay for. I got to my room and made two friends Ollie and Alex. Luckily there were only 5 of us in the room for the night, Me, Ollie, Alex, and some Swedish couple. Both Ollie and Alex were just traveling around Europe on a Eurotrip. Alex was a New Yorker and a chef who wanted to explore Europe and try new cuisine. Ollie from Australia, was only 18 and just wanted to see the world, I guess. So we all went out and found something to eat because I hadn’t really eaten since the day before, it’s easy to forget when you are so busy. Then we shopped and I bought some heels, hehe. I went back to the Hostel, the Generator, and got ready for a night out. Some people would wonder if I was going to sleep or nap… haha, not me I say. So I got ready and luckily found people with a hair straightener. Woo hoo, so I started at the Generator bar and then it was off to the clubs. I went to the Matrix around midnight and stayed until like 5:30! It was crazy! Thanks to all the redbulls I was drinking. I had so much fun dancing and meeting people. I even got on the clubs facebook page with a few pictures of me, mostly they were really bad though. It was really fun and it was in an old subway tunnel and underground, cool place to have a club. It sucked though when it was time to go back and all the people I had come with were gone. Boooooo. But luckily, I found people from my hostel, I know seriously insane luck, and took a taxi with them. FYI taxis in Berlin are so so cheap. So I crawled in and woke everyone up around 6am, who knew I would be the annoying one in the mixed dorm.
Sleep is for when you are dead, so I woke up at 10am to start a new day and go to a concentration camp. It’s a good thing I started so early because I spent 2 hours getting lost! I left the hostel around 1100 and didn’t get to the camp until 2, and it’s only an hour away. But I figured it out all on my own, I didn’t even ask for help. When I got there, I found out I had to walk like 2 miles to get to the camp, ahhh bugger. But I got there and started walking around with the handheld tourguide talking thing. It was so sad, but I always wondered what one of these camps looked like. I went on a day when it was rainy and crappy so I really think I got a good idea of it. A lot of the buildings were gone, but it was still huge and sad. So many people had suffered and died there. I was cold and miserable with my coat and umbrella; I can only imagine how it was for the prisoners. This is definitely not a part of their history Germans are proud of and it can be difficult for them to appropriately memorialize it. This camp was originally a part of East Berlin, so some of the monuments in it were not depicted quite accurately. I was really saddened by the mass graves by the entrance. It was 6 graves with 50 bodies each, all who had died after liberation. I listened to a nurse’s story that had come by the camp to help save the liberated prisoners and how it was awful to watch them die. It is important to remember and not let this happen again and stop it from where it is happening in the world now.
So I went back to the town center to shop, but I mostly just go frustrated. Some jerk should me German minutes for my Swedish SIM card phone, they obviously didn’t work! What a waste of money, so I got a hotdog and decided to go back to the hostel, it was getting late. I walked in and was told the pub crawl was starting in 5 minutes. So I rushed to get ready and made it in time. It was soooo fun! I made friends with a group of people from London out celebrating a few of their 21st birthdays. They were dressed like sailors and loved to party. They also loved the Jersey Shore, so right away we all had that in common. So we drank and danced and had a fabulous time! But I went back quite early this night, I was pretty tired probably due to extreme lack of sleep. I think I may have been at the first person back at like 230. When I woke up the entire room was full. We had gotten some more roommates. The couple checked out and now it was all boys and me. EWWWW. Sweaty, smelly boys that snored. Needless to say I woke up early, 8am showered and didn’t really return to that smelly room. I went out to explore on my own. Back to Potsdamer place, the Brandenburg gate, a cool park I saw in the movies, and to do some shopping. I got a Berlin t shirt. It was cool to just walk around and see things. But I went back to the hostel around 3 because I needed to rest and I was out of money. Did I sleep? Nooooo, of course not. Instead I found some people from Wales and starting watching soccer. It is so fun to meet new people. So I just hung out in the hostel and met a ton of people and then had happy hour. Then I met some more British people who were here for the techno music. Berlin is like the music techno capital of the world. Its famous. So I just had to go out with them to some Gay techno clubs that night! Well folks, I got shut out of Baninger or however its spelled. Apparently, its one of the hardest places to get into, me not getting in I am guess in du to the fact I wasn’t German or a gay man. O well, I went to Watergate instead. It’s a dirty underground, legit techno club. I just techno danced and had an awesome time. Really great music and DJ, its official I love techno. I am addicted now! Also, dancing in Europe is so different than USA, but I am embracing it. So I went back to the hostel and my new friends said there was an open bed in their room and I got out of the stinky boy room!!!!!! So I slept I couple hours and then got up for my early flight. I was on the metro to the airport by 5 am, ugh. Awesome, Sleepless, weekend in Berlin. I am now in love with traveling and traveling alone is not bad. Its quite scary to be a girl in your early twenties traveling alone. Everyone was impressed I was so brave to be doing it. Honestly, I didn’t really have a choice. I could go alone or not go. I had booked the ti,ckets with Sonja, and now I didn’t want to not go and eat the 100 dollar ticket. I am so glad I went too. It would be much better with a friend, but on your own you are forced to meet people and really experience the culture. I didn’t think I could travel alone, but now I have and I have slept in an airport. I am actually beginning to surprise myself with my bravery. Then, I met this girl Alex from England, she was 30 and traveling alone but in a wheelchair. She was born was spina bifida. She was so nice and cool, really impressed me with her courage.

Peace out y'all