Berlin

During my time in Germany, I visited Berlin twice and this time I had a bit of time to really explore the city. Normally, I just pass through or spend a night there if I miss my connection, but I had never seen a lot of Berlin before.

My first reason to visit Berlin was, of course, a musical. To stay fully in theme, I watched Romeo and Juliet. More on that later.

Before the theater, I took some time to walk around Berlin. I had a very specific destination. A place, well-known to many people my age, from a famous evening series. 'Turkish for Beginners' first aired in 2006, but even years later, it still thrilled teenagers all over Germany, including me.

In this yellow-red brick building, several funny episodes revolving around the Schneider/Ötzdük family took place.

With an ice cream, I then continued my exploration towards the theater. A pleasant walk from Wilmersdorf to Kudamm and to the Theater des Westens.

At the Theater des Westens, I finally got to see Romeo and Juliet. I was expecting a modern version but was pleasantly surprised by how classical parts of it were. The stage design and costumes reflected a decidedly modern time. However, with Shakespeare's older phrasing, the piece maintained more of the classic style of a Shakespearean reading.
The role of Death particularly stood out to me. His voice and presence made him my favorite character.

Through a promotion, I was able to snag a ticket in the first row for a reasonable price (by German standards). The view was excellent, but sadly the show was not very well attended. However, the theater itself can always be quite impressive.

The second time I was in Berlin was to meet a friend from London. A few days in Neukölln, it was a completely different area compared to Wilmersdorf, and for the first time, I truly felt like a tourist exploring Berlin.

On the first evening, we took a walk to Tempelhofer Feld. The site of the old airport is a popular park for Berliners and is ideal for cycling, skateboarding, or inline skating along the long runways.

What is Germany known for worldwide? For many things, but particularly at tourist spots, also for its stickers. During my trip, I saw many stickers. If there was a free space anywhere, at least one German sticker would be stuck there. And who doesn't know the yellow, oval stickers: 'Beautiful here, but have you been to Baden-Württemberg?' They really stick everywhere. And I must say, I enjoy sticking them. It's a form of street art in some way.

But during my time in Berlin, I really found some beautiful stickers that I will sprinkle in here from time to time.

The next morning, we visited the street art museum 'Urban Nation' and checked out the current exhibition 'Love letters to the city'.

Later, with ice cream in hand, we traced the remnants of the old wall. The wall not only divided all of Germany from 1961 to 1989 but also East Berlin from West Berlin. A part of the wall still stands today and serves as an impressive memorial to that time.

The East Side Gallery is the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall at 1316 m. Today, this part is an open-air gallery, with a total of 118 artists from 21 countries participating since 1990.

On our way to Alexanderplatz, we passed by Holzmarkt 25. A beautiful cultural center. There is plenty of space for culture, events, restaurants, nature, and creativity. Located right by the Spree, it's a truly comfortable place.

From Alexanderplatz, we then continued in the evening to the Brandenburg Gate and the Bundestag. At a later hour, everything was refreshingly empty and calm.

The next morning, I headed back to Magdeburg. After two and a half days in Berlin, I can at least say that I have truly been to Berlin and seen quite a bit from different neighborhoods.

Like any big city, Berlin can also be busy and loud, but it’s equally easy to discover something wonderful at every corner. From art in sticker form to entire places where one simply feels comfortable.