Sunday, November 1, 2009

Richtig oder Falsch

First impression: Berlin is grey and dull. It is too cold. And the fact the hostel room isn't ready for another 5 hours and we just came off an international flight is not helping.

But first impressions are made to be proved wrong. Berlin is full of life, history and culture. To think that we were standing at the site that Hitler killed himself (which is now a carpark) as Germany was on the verge of losing World War 2 was simply amazing.

Berlin is famous for its bohemian and creative lifestyle. It is only now that I understand why there are no sky scrapers or massive company buildings. That's not what Berlin is about. It chooses art over industry and that's what makes it unique.

We visited the Berlin wall that divided the city in half from 1961 until 1989 and the Sachenhausen concentration camp, the first concentration camp built, where tens of thousands of Jews and prisoners of war were tortured and died. The stories there were so bad, that being there didn't even feel real, it was like watching a tragic movie.

On a lighter note, Berlin has the best food ever. There are food stalls everywhere and every shop has food that you want to eat. I'm not sure how someone could live there without stacking on the kay-gees.

Next city: Amsterdam. In the heart of the Red Light district.

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