My First Week in Berlin

Honestly, I had no idea what to expect when I first arrived in the city on the morning of May 31st. All I remember was the lady at the reception desk in my hotel said my room wouldn't be ready for another six hours. Immediately I felt my heart sink because all I wanted to do was sleep and I wasn't entirely sure what to do with myself for an entire six hours in an unfamiliar city. So, I dropped my suitcase off and just started walking. I found my way to a cafe, had cappuccino, and pulled out my map. I saw that Museum Island was within walking distance and decided it would probably be a good idea to head in that direction if I wanted to kill some time.

The first thing I noticed was how dead the city was on a Friday morning. Berlin felt like a literal ghost town. The next thing that caught my eye, while casually strolling down Oranienburgerstraße, were all the Indian, Italian, and Thai restaurants. I was expecting there to be German restaurants advertising schnitzel, spätzle, bratwurst, and beer everywhere. This was not the case at all.

Once I arrived at Museum Island, the architecture was the first thing I noticed. It was absolutely breathtaking. I felt like I had stepped into another world. I ventured into the Berliner Dom and spent at least two hours wandering around the place. I even saw a wedding and a church service in the main cathedral. I am by no means a religious person, but I was incredibly intrigued by the sense of calm that washed over me while observing the church service in German.

One of the main things that I have taken away from Berlin thus far is how well the city preserves its history. I was actually quite shocked when I came to this realization because I had it drilled into my head that Germans tended to want to forget about their past. I honestly have no idea where this notion came from, but I believe it could have originated from my experience at a German cemetery near the beaches of Normandy, France. I remember going to the American D-Day cemetery and seeing how the headstones and grounds were so well kept that I couldn't even imagine what kind of device was used to cut the grass in such an intricate way. After viewing the American cemetery, in all its splendor, I ventured over to a German D-Day cemetery. The grounds looked as if no one had cut the grass in weeks, and there were weeds growing out of cracks in the walls. The middle consisted of a mass grave where the bodies were flung carelessly and covered over in dirt. I need to keep in mind the fact that when the grave was made, the Allies had a much different opinion of Germans, not to mention the fact that the grave was located in a country that was not Germany. This unkept German cemetery had a lasting impact on my impression of how Germans might remember their history.

However, after spending just a couple days in Berlin, I saw that this view was entirely inaccurate. There are pieces of history all throughout this city that have been extremely well preserved. I feel like every single block has a story or some kind of monument or reminder of all the things that have transpired in Berlin during the past century. It's absolutely remarkable how many stories exist on the streets and in the walls of this magnificent city. I never know what I'm going to stumble across when walking the streets. For example, this sign below is located right next to a U-Bahn station across from one of Berlin's fanciest department stores. It lists some of the worst Nazi concentration camps. There is no explanation as to why this sign was placed here of all places, which I found to be incredibly intriguing. It's just there.

I love it here so far, and I cannot wait to discover more of Berlin's secrets.