Berlin Sights

07:00, The Circus Hostel

Last night was good - I went out to Lebensstern. It was quite easy to get there and I didn't even feel that nervous being out at night. The city is super relaxed.

The bar was really nice (apart from the fact that they allow smoking so my hair and dress smelled when I got out), and there's a canvas on the wall that has a note from Tarantino written on it! So cool!

I had a couple of drinks and then left because the drinks were expensive (and strong!) and I felt a bit awkward and lonely. I realised just how little I know when it comes to German and I'm too shy to speak it at the moment.

The journey back to the hostel went smoothly and I managed to order from German Dominos - to be honest, the pizza wasn't that satisfying and today I feel really bloated. But I don't know how much I will be eating today so I can be sustained by the questionable late night pizza.

I'm feeling slightly grouchy because some loud Americans kept waking me up last night and I hate them.


19:55, The Circus Hostel

TODAY WAS SO BRILLIANT. God I love Berlin already! Despite being ridiculously tired, I did so much and walked loads.

My first stop of the day was the Brandenburger Tor. I cocked up getting there a little bit but fixed it pretty easily. As I was walking upstairs out of the U-Bahn station, I thought "Hmm, I wonder if I'll be able to see the gate from here-" BOOM. There it was, right in front of me. Nothing prepared me for how huge it actually is, it's just amazing.

Next, I had an appointment at the Reichstag to go and see the huge dome on top of the building. This dome was like something out of a sci-fi movie, all glass and mirrors and metal. There was a walkway that allowed you to walk right to the top of the dome, and the view was incredible. The roof had a round open bit in it, so I could look right out at the bright blue sky (the weather was just beautiful all day; blue skies, sun, cold breeze). It was a good way to kick off my Berlin holiday, to see the whole city from so high up.

I made a quick stop to look at the Hauptbahnhof (the main train station in Berlin) and it's another futuristic looking place as well as being absolutely massive. I got a bit lost on my way to my next destination, but it was quite nice to walk leisurely around some quieter streets and I soon reoriented myself. There's lots of clear signage here, which is really helpful.

The next stop was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The sculpture is really striking - at the beginning, you can see over most of the blocks but as you walk amongst them, the ground slopes down until the slabs tower above you. It's a really poignant expression of the oppression and suffering of the Jewish people and I was quite moved by it. I was baffled at tourists laughing and taking smiley selfies here - I felt that was sort of in poor taste.

I also popped across the road to a singular tall slab, a sculpture dedicated to the homosexual victims of the Holocaust. Knowing how accepting the city of Berlin is now, the sculpture really struck a chord and serves as an example of progression and positive change.

For me, the next logical stop was the Führerbunker, the site where the man who orchestrated all this suffering finally died. The underground bunker is long gone, sealed up when anything of use or significance was collected and documented. Now, the site is marked with a single noticeboard with information on the bunker, Hitler's atrocities and the events leading to his death. Standing above the spot where the world was finally rid of him was incredibly powerful.

A complete juxtaposition to the sombre mini-tour I'd just taken was my next stop - the Berlin Mall. I've never seen anything like this crazy place - it's huge and the decor threw me for a loop. Most of it was dark wood, marble floors, posh comfy couches. But there's a floor mostly dedicated to kids' stores and the entire area looks like it was designed by a mad toddler. Astonishing. I got some fries and a coke from McDonalds ("Ich liebe es!") to recharge and took advantage of the mall's free wifi for a bit. Feeling refreshed, I continued on with my adventures.

Fassbender & Rausch was next on the itinerary. A chocolatiers established in 1863, their chocolate shop also has a cafe/restaurant, as well as a dessert stand. Walking in there was like walking into heaven. Huge chocolate sculptures were everywhere I looked, the shop was massive, and a lovely subtle chocolate smell hung in the air.

A chocolate Reichstag!

I was just transfixed. They had a guestbook that I simply signed with "WOW!!" I bought myself some dark chocolate sticks in a fancy tin that has the Berlin skyline on it. I also made the woman at the till laugh, in German too! She was having trouble with the till and was apologising and saying, "Ein moment, bitte." When it started working again, I pointed at it and said, "Dumm maschine!" and she laughed and said, "Ja, genau!" - I was so pleased with myself.

I headed over to Potsdamer Platz, in preparation for meeting up with Sou. I walked down the Boulevard der Stars (basically Berlin's Walk of Fame), and sought out Christoph Waltz's star because of course he has a star. I kept my eyes open in Potsdamer Platz just in case, like, George Clooney walked by.

Sou came to meet me back at the Mall of Berlin (I had gone back to sit down and to have wifi). She is so tiny and ridiculously cute. We spent some time hugging and squealing because we couldn't believe that we were finally meeting each other. We sat and talked for ages and it was great because we were immediately comfortable with each other. I'm so glad I got to meet her!

We went over to the posh hotel where Sou had to give some French actors their tickets for that night's premiere. For a while though, we stood outside right near the red carpet and the Berlinale Palast; the atmosphere was buzzing and it was cool to be standing amongst producers and camera crews (even if I did feel spectacularly out of place!).

Inside, we were in this super posh bar area with loads of glamorous people hanging around. I was being Sou's moral support while she was bombarded by people who were collecting their tickets. I came back to the hostel shortly before she had to leave to go to the premiere. And here I am.