Bering Berlin Pt. 1

NOTE:
“Bering Berlin” was chosen because Bering is the name of a Danish navigator and explorer of the North Pacific Ocean who worked for the Russians. His name may sound familiar because you may have heard of the Bering Strait, which is what he ‘discovered.’ I chose this title because I, similar to the Danish navigating-explorer, ventured through an unfamiliar area resulting in occasionally getting lost.

Realizing I was chewing gum in that moment, a lightbulb turned on in my head. You can only imagine what came next.

During my time in Berlin, I had the chance to experience and witness things that will stay with me for a long time. It is hard to narrow it down to just a few because there was honestly so much. Within the first five minutes of stepping outside of my hostel Saturday morning, I notice a woman with a fox scarf leaving a pet food shop with dog food in her hands. This was odd for many obvious reasons, but I thought it was mostly uncomfortable seeing the legs and tail of the dead fox. Trying not to let this boggle my brain, I continue walking in the direction of Banhof Potsdamer Platz. There was a fair amount of people in this area taking photographs. I notice a stand-alone wall with images and explanations. When I looked closer, I realized there was gum all over this wall. Realizing I was chewing gum in that moment, a lightbulb turned on in my head. You can only imagine what came next. I’m sure you would do the same thing if you were in my shoes.​

After my silly moment, I continued walking in the direction I thought was the memorial for the murdered Jews. I was actually going the wrong way and had to map my way back in the correct direction. I was walking for a long time and paying much attention to the things around me and not much on the map on my phone. I lost track of where I was going but I felt like I was going the correct way. I turned a corner and saw the stone blocks of the memorial. I walked closer and felt overwhelmed. Seeing this memorial reminded me the travesty. I took a deep breath and just stared at the memorial for a few minutes. I stayed at the memorial for about 15 minutes.

After, I headed towards the Brandenburg Gate. This is probably the thing people are typically found to photograph of or in front of when visiting Berlin for the first time. There were many people here taking pictures. After walking around for a bit and taking the photographs, I hear in the distance music that would be fit for a child at the circus. Hearing this music made me feel very happy and left a smile on my face. There was a man with face paint that slightly resembled a clown.

Feeling a little heavy from all the walking, I take the nearby metro by the Reichstag towards Alexander Platz. I step out and see men with hot dog grills attached to their bodies. Making it obvious of it being my first time here, I snap a few photos of the men. I walk into a shopping store a friend of mine recommended and spent about 20 minutes inside. When I walk out, I am greeted by 2 men with the hot dog grills and street performances. There was a young man playing guitar and a woman shouting things that may or may not went with the guitar player. She was standing atop a giant stone sphere. She had bottles of various types of alcohol on the floor under where she was standing. Next to her was a young man. His eyes were closed but fluttered. He was dancing as though he was in a rave. Berlin is known for their electronic music scene, so coming across a raver was not a surprise. This entire scene was one of many that I was very happy to have been able to capture on video.

After some time here, I walk towards Museum Island. This was a very beautiful area. The columns and statues reminded me of Rome and its similar style. I walk on a bridge next to the museum and notice an accordion being played by an elderly woman. Near her was a man selling products with fur that would probably be typical for the people here about 80 or so years ago. There was a crowd of people eyeing the items but walked away. Once the people walked away I noticed the accordion player had stopped. Another group of people came near and she began to play again. Seeing how it was a very cold day, she was only playing when there was a chance she could be tipped.

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Later that evening, I go out to a dance club. I was supposed to meet a group of people here that I had found off of Couchsurfing. However, my phone was unable to make phone calls. I asked the staff to use their phones to make a call and immediately shut me down and said no. Apparently they have a phone on site but would not allow me to use that either. Frustrated, I step into the bathroom evaluating my situation. I can either cry about it and go back to the hostel, try to find the people, or make the best of the night. I went with option 3. As a result of making this decision, I had met 6 very drunk Irish women. I knew they would be fun even before we had the chance to be officially introduced. Earlier when I was in line to enter the dance club, they were behind me. They were singing random songs in line then flirted with the bouncers. I was sitting down looking at my phone when one of them approached me. She was very friendly and nice. She became my best friend for the evening. I helped her keep her balance and she kept me company. She made me promise her to not let her smoke cigarettes that evening as she was finishing one off. For the life of me, I cannot remember her name. There is a high chance she doesn’t even remember my face. Even though it was a crazy night with her and her friends, it was the best way I could have celebrated my birthday. Also, things didn’t turn out the way I had expected or planned, however, I still found a way to enjoy myself without losing any memories.​

If you read this far, kudos to you. This is practically an essay or short story. Because of this, I am splitting this weekend story. I will be posting the other half tomorrow. So keep an eye out! Thanks again for reading this and stopping by, I hope it made you think or laugh or a little bit of both. ​