Because I didn't have the foresight to bring a few blank sheets of paper (if I wasn't going to plan my trip beforehand) I wrote all my itineraries on the back of a German handout my teacher gave me, with the name and place of her daughter's restaurant in Berlin. It was called 'Alt Wien' but I couldn't find the place on the maps I looked at so I never found it, unfortunately.
For the first day I went to the Tiergarten, Brandenburg Tor, the Neue Nationalgalerie, and the Gemäldegalerie. It was all incredible!
A cool statue outside the Hauptbahnhof where I got breakfast.
The Reichstag.
The Tiergarten is so large, I walked around on some of the paths for over an hour and a half and I think I saw maybe 40% of the park. I walked down to the center where there is a big statue / monument but it was being repaired, so I couldn't see it.
I actually wandered past the Brandenburg Tor on one edge of the Tiergarten. It was exciting being at a famous monument that I've seen many pictures of.
I loved all the galleries I got to see in Berlin! I didn't get through all of the Gemäldegalerie before I had to go, but I hope to see the rest of it next time I go to Berlin for the Mahler 2 concert in late October. Room after room of masterpieces was almost too much to handle. Here are some of my favorite pictures. They might be slightly fuzzy because you can't use flash in the museums for obvious reasons.
Drei Pferde II, by Franz Marc
Nacht über Deutschland, by Horst Stempel
Der Wald, by Edvard Munch
Der Kaufmann Georg Gisze, by Hans Holbein d. J.
I left the Gemäldegalerie a little early (5:30ish and they close at 6) so I could get back to my room and change for the Berlin Philharmonic concert. I had wandered around and found the Philharmonie so I thought I could remember how to get there and save a few Euros by walking instead of figuring out the public transportation system of Berlin, which appears to involve calculus at first glance.
I started out the right direction but forgot which way I should bear in order to make a straight line. I started to panic around 7:40 and thought I had wasted 70 Euros for this ticket when I found a cab who took me there. I salute you, cab driver man, for some sick driving in order to get me there as soon as possible. So I didn't save any money on transportation, but oh well, I thought.
I got my ticket at the box office and tried to go in. The ticket reader showed an error, though. "This ticket is for tomorrow." I was told. Shamefully I remembered I had bought a ticket for Sunday, not Saturday, and I walked back to my hotel.
I didn't want to waste the night and I thought that if I were to go out this break, Berlin would by far have the best night life. From my Fodor's Guide I picked a cool jazz club called B-Flat. Cute, right? I went out but I remember going back to my room because I forgot something. At least twice during my time in Berlin I had to buy food or a drink in order to break a bigger bill before I could buy rail tickets. I was always like 10 cents short, it was frustrating. But once you figure out how the system works, Berlin's public transportation system is fantastic.
B Flat was super cool and I managed to snag a stool at the bar. I got a menu and picked a drink at random, because I never drink anything and have no idea what's what. I ordered a Mai Tai because it sounded familiar and was expensive and I had only had a big bill like a 20. I always feel bad paying for cheap stuff with huge bills.
I really regret not bringing my microtrack with me because this little band was incredible. I had a really good time. I even introduced myself to the couple sitting next to me because they were speaking English. Turns out they were from Britain, 'on holiday.'
After a few hours I left and made my way back to my room.
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