Nerds Who Travel: Germany
What is the best way to travel from Amsterdam to Berlin, for a low price, without wasting an entire day of travel? I’m sure there are countless answers to this question, but Zack and I were easily drawn to the route that included a beautiful cathedral and the promise of great chocolate. We took a train from Amsterdam to Cologne and found ourselves in the middle of yet another beautiful city. The walk from the train station to our hostel included views of the water from a beautiful bridge, a massive/old/beautiful cathedral, mingling with chalk artists working in the main square, and losing Zack in a Lego Store. [Side note: The Lego Store happened to have a mix and match box, leading us to the only logical thing to do: make Lego versions of each other. This has lead to a silly string of photos with our Lego people doing classic Zack and Kaity things.] With only one day in Cologne, we had to plan our time wisely … resulting in the easy decision to spend the day at the Chocolate Museum!
Lesson #5: If you are a student, or even a recent graduate, bring your student card with you to Europe! The museums all provide discounts for students, making it much more affordable.
Zack and I marvelled at the process of making chocolate, nerding out over how each step is optimized for efficiency (only us, I know). We walked through a tropical rainforest room and took more than our share of chocolates from the Lindt conveyor belt. We bought a few truffles to munch on and even tried a chocolate beer — better in theory than reality, trust me. To end our day in Cologne, we headed back to the cathedral and saw the same chalk artists, now with their finished products! We ended our stay in Cologne with drinks at a local bar accompanied by a friend we made at our hostel. He told Zack and I about these memorial stones that replace cobble stones in front of the homes in Germany from which Jewish families were taken. The stones are bronze, the size of a regular cobblestone, and are engraved with the individuals name and where they were taken. We saw these stones in both Cologne and all over Berlin.
Lesson #6: Saying a simple hello goes a long way! By talking to others in your hostel, tour, or at a bar, you might learn something new and you will definitely feel more at home in a foreign city.
Cologne Highlights: Acting like a kid in the Lego Store with my nerdy best friend, a lady mistaking us for locals outside of the cathedral (she never caught on that we don’t speak German), and trying some chocolates fresh from the press!
We took an early morning train from Cologne to Berlin and immediately began exploring the city. We had our first taste of schnitzel and incredibly cheap beer at a small restaurant near our hostel and then walked along the remains of the Berlin Wall. Chris and Wes met us at our hostel restaurant at night and we walked to this small comedy club on the other side of the city. We all enjoyed some Moscow Mules, and watched incredible improv! Comedy and improv have always amazed me — my sister acted in plays for years as a kid and I could never understand how she was so brave and confident on stage. These actors clearly knew what they were doing! We enjoyed top notch comedy and Wes even got called up on stage! During intermission we got creative and made up our own game “hackgammon” using a Backgammon board. Wes and I made most of the rules and also ended up winning … coincidence, or pure talent? I’m leaning towards pure talent.
Our days in Berlin were filled with sight-seeing and museums. Zack, Wes, Chris, and I went to Parliament, the Brandenburg Gate, the Pergamon Museum, the Museum of Technology, the Science Museum, and the Spy Museum. Those who know us well will not be surprised to know that the Museum of Tech and Science Museum took up an entire day, and we all nerded out at the science exhibits; we took turns determining and explaining how each phenomenon worked instead of just reading the explanations provided for us. Oh! And the Spy Museum had a room with lasers that you could attempt to get through like James Bond…we had fun to say the least.
We also walked through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Now, this caught me off guard. We happened upon this memorial as we were walking to Museum Island to see some sights and I had to catch my breath as the sidewalk was suddenly lined with rows of cement slabs. The boys and I walked into the Memorial and went our own ways, each taking in the site for ourselves. I was completely lost in thought, terrified at the idea that this massive maze barely captures the vastness of the impact that WWII had on the Jews in Europe. As I walked down the memorial, the slabs got larger and larger until I could not see anything around me, just rows upon rows that looked the exact same. I felt alone, scared, and desperate to get back to the sidewalk. I imagine that this was the intent of the creator of the memorial, to induce these feelings that were felt a million times over by those taken in the war. Walking out of the maze I felt numb. How privileged am I to be born into a country where I am accepted, where I am able to get an education, live near my family, and never fear that I will be without shelter or food? In that moment I just wanted to hug my friends and family and tell them I love them.
On our last days in Berlin, we went to a massive breakfast market, took part in a “Fan Mile”, and explored the city a little bit. The breakfast market was filled with tons of vendors selling everything from pancakes to oysters. Zack was happy to find out that the pancakes were covered in real Canadian maple syrup and the vendors were happy to hear that we came all the way from Canada. The Fan Mile was a crazy experience, with a literal mile of road lined with Germans watching football (soccer*). Every quarter mile had a jumbotron, but we managed to make it to the top of the mile where we watched the game under the Brandenburg Gate. Although Germany lost, we had a great day filled with traditional half meter-long Wurst for lunch, German beer, and some interesting performances before the game with what I think was the German National Anthem.
Berlin Highlights: Comedy Cafe, celebrating a year and a half with Zack (we were given free drinks!), taking part in the Fan Mile, and nerding out at the Science Museum.
Next Up … Prague, Czech Republic!
