Capital mode: Hipsterish vibes in Berlin

Not from the first sight

I might be a dreamer, but to fall in love with a city I need a little bit more than observing everyone with beer bottles in their hands. And even though I am a people person, I did not find people cheeky while drinking and smoking all around. With the help of my optimism, I blamed Friday for this and got back to read the book while waiting in the Hermannstraße train station for my partner in crime to head to our final destination for the weekend getaway in Berlin.

People are super creatures

Ending the day in our friends’ place (Icelandic boy and Estonian girl living their love story in Germany) was a relieve as we were super warmly welcomed. Amazing how semi-strangers can be so nice to other people. You know how we started the first full day in Berlin? Waking up from the nice smell in the kitchen. The hosts were cooking us…pancakes! And by cooking for us, I mean just for us, as they were not able to eat pancakes themselves. It guaranteed a good mood to explore Berlin afterwards.

Full of space

Berlin is probably one of the only cities in Europe who can afford to have a closed airport in the middle of the city open only for people. Jap, nothing can be built in this territory, so people are jogging, driving bicycles and coming for the walks with their dogs on the trail. 🐾 Sounds like a movie, but who else can say that their have an airport open to everyone? 🪐 Germans can. At least they are using the former Tempelholf Airport garages to combine it with social houses for refugees. 👏You might ask me why it sounds amazing from my side that people are living in the Airport? If you will ever have a chance to see how poorly they live in other neighborhoods of Berlin in the self-made tents out of plastic or other materials found in the dump, you will understand…

@Tempelholf Airport. One small human airplane in this huge airport for people.

Love and peace to West and East!

Right now Checkpoint Charlie, legendary border crossing where West-East divide began and ended, earns money from the tourists and Berlin Wall Memorial is a nice attraction full of amazing paintings ️🎨 and green areas with local musicians ️🎶, going out to the streets to find their glory just next to the East Side Gallery! 🎨 Nevertheless, nobody has forgotten the story behind it. In every way you can hear stories about the lovers crossing the wall to be able to live together, people killed trying to make their way to another side of the wall, secret pathways and, of course, the proud moment when the wall and a symbol of repression was finally brought down.

Treasures of the Museum island

Alexanderplatz with the Museum island, Museumsinsel, and Cathedral, Berliner Dom, are attractions you should not miss! As well, be aware if you want to see the view from the TV tower you need to register and even so, wait in the line for a hours. Lines are not my thing 🙅, so I would rather spend more time visiting other places, such as the riverside just behind the Branderburger Tor, which is always crowded going through the Reichstag down by the river. Watching people living their normal European life – running, walking, talking, having their space to feel safe and sound feels so natural there💚

Super European style – calm, clean, crusial

My realization of how lucky I am to be born in a free country was standing in front of the Holocaust-Mahnmal, memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. It gives me shudders when I think about it. In general, Potsdamer Platz, is something.

Street food mode

Sundays are for the late breakfast and bohemian markets. I can only wish there would be something similar to Mauerpark back in Lithuania as well!. I honestly believe it makes Berlin such a hipsterish place to be. Mix of high quality second handed things together with local hand made beauties makes you wander and get lost. 😳 In between of all this you can find street food vans, with well known German food – Wurst, Döner and all the other ones nicely named in German! 🍴 With some sunshine, the green area around was full of people, enjoying their weekend. Graffiti walls and the view of the TV tower was also a part of it.

Thanks to Sandra we found that the nicest and most local area to feel the vibe of Berlin mood is the Oberschleuse. 🔥 We could not choose one place, so spend time in several ones 😅 I mean, how the hell we call German people strict? Would say the trip was the best example of knowing when you should be strict and when you can relax. 😇

This city is full of controversial details. Why? To think.

Safe and sound

The old town of Berlin is walkable 👣 ( I know Laura and Sandra might have doubts about that 😄) and it is super easy to use public transport if you want to reach the Zoo, Charlottenburg or other attractions which are a bit further. Everyone around is super chill towards foreigners as they are not rare in Berlin’s multicultural society. So breath in and have fun. 😉

Do-it list:

• Want a challenge? Count how many bear monuments are all around Berlin. 🐻
• Polaroid picture is just a must have! 📸
• Try German kebab (or two) with no regrets. 🙊
• Local beer bottle? Well, if you like it. 🍺
• Yes for gummy bears! Germans brought Haribo into my life, I will never forget it 😍

Meet people.

That’s the only advice about traveling, which is worth listening.

You will be surrounded by coziness in Berlin all the time.

Enjoy it!

-U. 🍁