So I have just left Berlin and it has been the craziest 5 days of my life, i realise thats an extremely cliche thing to say but it's true! Within just a few hours of landing I joined forces with Matt a fellow English bloke, Brad the american who could literally take over the world with his iPhone, a pair of vin diesel lookalikes from Louisiana and Garett the fitness fanatic! This reassured me that travelling alone was the right decision! I was no longer holding on to those original fears of spending nights alone in the hostel ringing my mum!
Our nights out were unforgettable, from secret underground clubs to hand
made beach bars. This revealed to me how much this city held beyond its history. The fusion of past and present was a shock, whilst you could appreciate the historic sights of Berlin such as the Berlin Wall, east side gallery, the Reichstag, the pariser platz, the holocaust memorial etc... The real interest lays in the culture and everyday way of life in Berlin. From 11'oclock the locals stroll and cycle casually with a beer in hand, the streets are scattered with performers and street art, old public toilets are converted in to food establishments with beer crates that act as chairs and tables, everyone from every walk of life would gather by the river and watch the sunset.
Some would perceive Berlin as looking poverty stricken, but I call it beautiful, an urban shell.
I recommend...
After seeing the acclaimed sights of Berlin i wanted to go out and discover something new and different. Myself and brad visited an abandoned theme park called spreepark thats buried away in the woods of berlin. After the wall had been knocked down the park lost all its business and reached a huge amount of debt, the owners were forced to abandon there business and the remains still lay there. Whilst this sounds odd, the eerie nature of the park and secluded setting is a good combination for an atmospheric and photographic day out. Whilst you can take a small train around a portion of the park, me and brad decided to go for a riskier option, thinking we were starring in Chernobyl diaries we jumped the fences and barbed wire to open up our view of destroyed roller coasters and stale water flume rides. Beware of the security, they were not happy when they found us!
Slightly disappointed about...
I have been interested in visiting the Holocaust memorial for some time now, the pictures I have seen capture something more than what is actually there. I expected it to emotionally move me and captivate my undivided attention, instead all I could really see was the literal stone blocks rather than what they represented. But it's one you should see and make your mind up for yourself!
Hostel review (PLUS Berlin)
Warschauer Platz 6, Berlin
+493021238501
I have never been to such a nice hostel, clean sheets and towels everyday, two bathrooms in each room (which is unheard of!), the friendliest staff, numerous meeting areas and reasonable prices. My only complaint would be the price at the bar and the attitude of the bar staff.
Around €15 a night so good prices too!
