Berlin, Germany
We left London around 4am on Saturday and that got us to Berlin before noon. My first impression of Berlin was not that great. The subway was dirty, graffiti everywhere, and there were no people around. The only good thing about the subway was that there were no turnstiles or guards to enforce tickets so we just jumped on like all the other people. The actual city center was much better than my initial view. Central Berlin is full of history and life.
We arrived at our hostel in Mitte, the historic center of Berlin, and then went out to explore. We found that even in the city center there were still almost no people. Where had they gone? A city with supposedly 3 million residents and I could hear the drop of a pen. Sadly, this made Berlin a bit boring. There were no restaurants or pubs with a wow factor or traditional German feel. What was worse is that when we tried to leave Mitte and explore other areas it turned sketchy very quick!
Really Berlin was quite boring, except for the wonderful city tour. A free 2.5 hour historical tour of the city is what saved the whole trip. Our guide was young and enthusiastic. We covered pre-WWII, Nazi WWII, and Communist Berlin. This tour left me with many new interesting facts.
Interesting Fact #1 The bunker where Hitler killed himself is now a parking lot
Interesting Fact #2 The general public did not know Hitler was dead until 1970 which lead to many
conspiracies as to what actually happened.
Interesting Fact #3 Hitler announced at his birthday party that he was going to commit suicide
(what a downer)
Interesting Fact #4 The Berlin wall actually was built overnight but it started as a wire fence
Berlin was not exactly what I was hoping for, but I am very glad I went and saw the history.
Prague, Czech Republic
Prague was everything I had hoped for and then some. Prague was left alone during WWII so it has the largest collection of architecture throughout time. Prague also has a long history full of stories both true and myth. But before we got to enjoy Prague we ended up in a little trouble. After two days of riding the Berlin subway for free we decided to do the same thing in Prague. This was an awful choice. Upon exiting the subway, only 20 minutes after we arrived, we were greeted by a ticket inspector demanding to see our tickets. I believe he picked us simply because we are American and therefore cooler than he, but we also had large backpacks on and looked like tourists so that could be it. Because we did not actually have the tickets we had to pay the equivalent of $40 each.
After the whole subway fiasco, the remainder of the trip went smoothly. We took a great history tour of Prague and found out the the only working Astrological clock in the world is found in Prague. I was able to see all the classic sights such as the Charles Bridge and the Jewish Quarter. Additionally, the carnival was in town! We had no idea that it would be there but it brought great food and music to the city center. The food, shopping, and nightlife were all amazing as well.
The second night we were in Prague we found the Ice Pub. This is exactly what it sounds like, a pub made out of ice where absolutely everything inside also made of ice. It was so cold inside you can only stay for 20 minutes, but it was one of the best places I have ever been to. Certainly makes for a great story.
This mini-break trip was a fantastic experience that I had the pleasure to share with some wonderful people. I would love to go back sometime and cannot wait for my next journey with these people. So here's to the next journey, may it be equally as entertaining as this one!
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