Berlin Day 1, Walking City Tour and Charlottenburg Palace

Tuesday, May 20th

I wasn’t expecting the jet lag to affect me as much as it has, or maybe it's a habit from waking up early for work, but I was wide awake at 6am. Now that I was alone again, I could go anywhere I wanted. So, I took the time to scope out the best places to eat, researching in my bed for over an hour. Natalia was also up early for class and she recommended that I come visit her at her work which was near Charlottenburg Palace, which I was hoping to visit anyways. At 7am, I bought tickets for the Palace, booked a walking tour, and found a fabulous vegan cafe. My agenda for the day was looking beautiful. 

I enjoyed a slow morning at Cafe 92. I got some things done that I needed to do like apply for my ETA so I could enter London. I also read a bit more (current read: the Glass Castle). My book was so intriguing that I could not keep it down so I treated myself to a couple more pages. I also was chatting with friends in between sips. I stayed in good contact with my friends from Asia, and when I first posted that I was in Europe, a couple reached out to me. I was chatting with Liv, Livia, Charli, and so many more. There's also a lot of Americans in Europe right now as well, either on a graduation trip or Memorial Day vacation, it was cool to connect with friends from home to potentially meet up with them in Europe!

I had my porridge and large coffee, filling me for the morning surely. I promised myself that on this trip I would make healthy choices even in the face of sweets so that I could feel energized but now I understand the difficulty of it. I am not going to be perfect, and I do want to enjoy the travels a bit, but I am going for a more balanced solution.

I had some time before my walking tour at 10:30 so I wandered around with my camera. I walked to the river and onto Museum Island. I stumbled on the Cathedral and it was absolutely stunning. I then walked past the DDR museum, taking note how close to it I was, and then I hopped into a tourist store to make sure that I could pick up my postcard, and I also got an adorable magnet that matches the cuckoo clock that we have in our hallway. 

I stopped back at my hostel before I headed on my walking tour. You could tell I booked this one early in the morning because I was convinced the tour started at 10:30am, but when I went to pull up the email at 10:15am to double check, the tour indeed began at 10am. I felt bad for flaking on the first tour group, then quickly pivoted to book the next tour for 11am. At least this was a low grade error and worked out for the best because in my free time I went to TJ Maxx and bought a charging cord for my laptop that I forgot at home.

I really enjoyed the tour guide I got. I was nervous about the timing of starting at 11am because it was cutting it close to my entrance time at the Palace. In my spare hour, I also went back to the cafe I had breakfast at and picked up a breakfast bagel that would serve as my lunch before the Palace tour. The timing ended up working out perfectly with the walking tour ending early, heading over to Charlottenburg, and enjoying my sandwich outside of the Palace gates.

To backtrack, the walking tour started near Alexanderplatz, the center point of Berlin. We then made our way to Museum Island, stopping first at an exhibit of a mother, a statue designed by a local famous female that lost her son in the first week of WW2. He was a medic, and she became severely saddened by the loss, which was portrayed in her art. Also on Museum Island was the Parliament Building and Humboldt University of Berlin - the most prestigious school in Berlin that Einstein attended back in the day.

Next, we walked through East Germany, checking out the newly renovated Prussia palace, some government buildings, down to Checkpoint Charlie, to one of the last standing nazi buildings that turned to the country's tax office. We also visited a mural of the ideal socialist life and next to it a memorial of the reality, a scene from a famous revolt in 1953 when the workers were required to increase their productivity by 10% but not increase their wages or get paid overtime. The Soviets responded to this protest with tanks, which was declared the beginning of the end and showed the world that socialism/communism isn’t all it's cracked up to be. We also stood over Hitler’s bunker, which an apartment block happened to be on top of. These apartments specifically were for the famous people in Berlin, but that has since changed and so could the facade of the building. 

We walked to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and it was very moving. I could not believe the impact you could feel walking through the Memorial. When you look out at the Memorial, your first thought of course are the granite rectangles symbolize the graves of the Jewish people. Secondly, you notice the slight change in height but nothing dramatic. But, as you walk through the memorial, the graves rise around you. Soon it moves from your ankles, to your shins, then hips, shoulders, to the point these graves stand over your head. You don’t even realize how much it escalated, how quickly, and to the point it did.

Another interpretation I heard is that you wouldn’t be able to truly understand how grave it was until you are dominated by the grave stones, to the point you are underwater. That it is hard to compare the feeling and experience of the jewish people. But then, you come out the other side, slowly reeling in what you just experienced and how unsettling it was. It really left an impact on me, a feeling I won’t forget and don’t want to forget. My tour guide told us he reads Viktor Frankl's A Man's Search for Meaning which is a good depiction of what the jewish experience was like in the concentration camps (I started reading this book when I returned to the US and so far, it is a heavy but important story, but all should read). The Memorial was truly well done and I am grateful we stopped here on the tour.

We finished our tour at the Brandenburg Gate. A pinnacle of the city that was well admired by visitors. A triumphal arch, intended to be a grand entrance to the city of Berlin. The gate also served as a symbol of Prussian power and a statement of the city's growing importance. Many people came to see the Gate, and for good reason, it was a beautiful monument and surrounding were the different Embassies from around the world.

My overall impression of the city after the tour: I spent most of the walking tour in former East Berlin, where the Soviet influence is still so visible. It wasn’t the charming, picturesque city I expected, instead industrial and rigid, but that contrast was interesting. To observe the history of the city that still stands tall. I was also grateful for my tour guide, an American dad with great one-liners. We ended up chatting about Kansas City, Madison, living abroad, and visas. He gave me great tips about moving to Europe as an American citizen... fueling my desire to just move now.

I raced to my reservation at the Palace, but really it wasn’t that big of a deal because it wasn't busy and the entrance times were more of a suggestion. I was happy that I made it to the Palace right at my reservation time, 2:20pm, and before entering I sat on a park bench and housed my sandwich, not only because I still felt a bit rushed but also I was hungry and it was delicious.

The Palace had a lovely courtyard out front, and the interior was just as beautiful. I enjoyed learning about the Prussian rule and Charlotte herself, hearing tales of her expensive taste and how she requested all the rooms to reflect her style. I had my AirPods and the free audioguide to inform me and it was great to learn about the different rooms. Queen Charlotte loved music and art, a quote in which she said "They provide endless love, whereas friends are fleeting and lovers are ungrateful." My favorite space was the round room on the second floor with the big beautiful windows that look out at the gardens. It was absolutely breathtaking. I am glad that I am taking the time to appreciate these buildings as I am seeing them. I think my SE Asia trip has given me the ability to pause and appreciate.

After walking around the inside of the Palace for about an hour, I strolled around the gardens. There was a pond and a nice trail around it that gave you different views of the palace. Finding a nice spot in the shade, I sat on a bench and really took it in. Sometimes I feel more like a local than a tourist in these cities. I feel it in my bones that I need to move to Europe. I’m not sure when, but I must. The sun was shining down, the palace was across the pond, and a woman and her dog shared the bench with me as she read. I love that. On that park bench I had a think. I was thinking that I have important decisions to make about what I want to do, where I want to live, and how I wanted my life to look. Yes, I am happy about being home and in Lakeville, but soon it’ll close in on me and I will have to take courage to pursue my dreams of living on the ocean or Europe. I sometimes wish I could just do it now. But, good things come to those who wait. So I will wait for my opportunity.

Time well spent at the palace and gardens, I eventually departed and made my way to visit Natalia at work. I headed to Zara Home on a popular shopping strip. I was getting more and more excited as I got closer to the store. This was my first friend that I was reuniting with. When I walked into the front doors, looking around for her, I could not believe my eyes when I finally saw her. I had so many questions, so much to catch up on, I was rambling. I gave her the biggest hug and she gave me a moment to reel in my surprise. 

I asked her about school, her sisters wedding, and her job. Barely scratching the surface but already feeling as though a part of my heart was restored. I never knew if and when I said goodbye to the sweet friends I made last year if I’d see them again. This was proof that with intent and effort, friendships last. 

We could only talk for about 10 minutes and then she had to go back to work. I was thinking about shopping but nothing was speaking to me. I tried to take the train station back up to the city center, but I struggled to find my platform and I wasn’t very hungry yet, so I thought a walk through the park would be good sightseeing and help bring about my hunger. Oh did it do that. 

I knew the part was large and the walk would be long, but I had not considered how much walking I already had done today. I clocked in 12 miles, literally almost a half marathon, and my feet were feeling it. I called my grandma for most of my walk up until I finally caved and I got on some public transport.

I decided on Curry 61 for dinner, I was so hungry an inner-self spoke and they ordered two currywursts and fries. Convinced the wurst was good protein and the fries were a must. This meal made me feel as though I’d broken the promise I made to myself as my eyes were larger than my stomach in that moment at the order counter. And I hate to break it to you, but the currywurst wasn’t even out of this world.

I hobbled back to the hostel, my feet in shambles and my stomach protruding outwards, there was no better use of my night than to catch up on sleep and reset for a new day, so I did just that.