Posts tagged Germany
Maursupial
I'm pale and mild; a modern girl
^ I miss Berlin.
(Source: justanothersimpsonsblog, via arrrcher-deactivated20121231)
The culmination of my study abroad?
Remember how I was in Berlin for a photojournalism study abroad? Well here’s my final project (link embedded in the title), finally posted! Fabian generously let me profile him and his plot to explore the greater issue of community gardening and community at large in Berlin.
What do ya think?
Catching up?
Although it’s the last place I thought this would be the case in, Zurich Wifi has been more elusive than a yeti. Blog dump coming your way on my time in Florence and then Alex and I fly back to Berlin tomorrow for one night before jetting back home. Time has literally flown.
Dear Berlin,
Thank you for the incredible fun and adventures. It’s not goodbye, it’s simply see you later (I bought a round-trip ticket so I’ll be back to leave). But for now, Paris is calling my name. In fact, I’m already here!
Stay tuned for my adventures with Alex on part two of our Eurotrip: independent travel.
My last meal in Berlin was as fitting as my first. Our entire group ventured out to a Bier Garten on the water for traditional German food and, of course, drink. I got a Radler, a concoction that’s part beer and part lemonade. To me it tasted like a very smooth wheat beer with a clean, lemon-y finish. Definitely my beer of choice while in Berlin.
Light play in Berlin.
I couldn’t come to Germany without visiting a concentration camp and, with some free time at my disposal, I did just that on my last day in the city- the coldest and most overcast one since my arrival. Sachsenhausen was a considerable train ride outside Berlin’s center, but what struck me was how ordinary and unsuspecting the surrounding town was. There were homes that practically backed up to the walls of the camp, a living situation that, to me, is unthinkable. Inside Sachsenhausen, the walls and floors have been scrubbed and everything original removed to make way for walkways and museum information inside what remains of its original structures. But the experience was nonetheless impacting- terror and restlessness still permeates the buildings and I felt especially nauseous and unsettled every time I entered an area used to house corpses or perform “autopsies.” Scanning through the log of the officially recorded deaths from Sachsenhausen, many last names were the same as my own and, though it is a common Jewish name, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own family history and the importance of maintaining spaces like these as historical and emotional records.
Taking note of details around the city.
Trams after dark in Berlin
Graffiti in Berlin, Part 6.
Berlin’s TV Tower, by day and by night.
Tonight we dined in the revolving restaurant within the top of the iconic Berlin TV tower, built by the former German Democratic Republic administration as a symbol of the success of socialism (never mind that they actually had to recruit Swedish architects to finish the thing). The tower remains an impressive landmark in Berlin today and its swanky restaurant eventually gives patrons a 360 degree view of the city. Not a bad way to watch the sun go down.
Elevator mirror pics are still cool, right? Right?
Repeated patterns in Berlin, Part 3: Window into the City Edition
Party like a Euro?
Last night was another surreal experience courtesy of Berlin after dark. We went to Dr. Pong’s, our new favorite underground ping pong club, and our new favorite German bartender was working. He suggested we go to Alte Kantine, a club down the street to dance. We stopped someone on a bike to ask for directions and, like a movie, he pointed in front of us to a group of people streaming out from an old warehouse. We whispered the password (given to us previously by said favorite bartender), slid in and danced for the next few hours before walking home in the glow of dawn at 5 a.m. It’s good to be young in Europe.
And so, after a few nights of research, I bring you my guide to European clubbing:
1. Tone down the dancing. As someone from the dirty South, we get pretty excited about dancing, but as far as I’ve seen, subdued bouncing is more the style here. Watch and learn.
2. Whenever an American song comes on, scream the lyrics as loudly as you can. Represent your country. Everyone’s doing it- it’s like the olympics for young drunks. Plus French guys are really impressed when you know all the lyrics to the Fresh Prince theme song.
3. Eye contact. Lots of it. This is really important in quasi-establishing intentions and how you feel about someone who potentially doesn’t speak your language. Don’t let a few words (or a complete lack thereof) spoil a perfectly good dance partner.
4. Just work it. If there’s anything more European than bread, cheese and wine, it’s a healthy dose of confidence and a give-no-cares attitude.
