Semana Santa: Spain’s equivalent to Spring Break. A couple fellow EAPers and I decided ours would be best spent seeing the sights of Berlin and Amsterdam. Little did I know that it was going to be a thousand times better than I anticipated. For the first leg of the trip, we spent four glorious days in Berlin. I am in love with this city! It is enormous, yet you can get connected so incredibly easy. Their public transportation system is phenomenal (Why can’t the US of A get on this bandwagon?? I would love a cheap, easy and quick way to get around). We stayed in the comforts of David’s Cozy Little Backpackers’ Hostel, a few subway stops outside the busy part of the city. David, one of the most flamboyantly gay German men I’ve ever encountered, started his hostel on his own ten years ago. The set up feels very similar to daycare (we endearingly called it “gaycare”), but it was fabulous and lovely just the same. If you ever find yourself in Berlin, be sure to stay there, and say hello to him for me!
Berlin itself is a massive city, and only having four days to see it, we chose our activities wisely. The Free Berlin Walking Tour, run by the company Sandeman’s Free Europe, was a really good introduction. The guides are super friendly and really informative. He took us to most every major spot in the city (It’s 3 ½ hours, you see a lot). It was the perfect amount of sightseeing combined with his historical factoids (for instance, Hitler’s bunker is now a parking lot?? Didn’t see that one coming). That same company also offers a variety of other inexpensive tours, so some of us decided to venture out to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp outside Berlin the next day. It was truly an eye opening experience, standing where so many people had suffered a great deal, and it is something I will never forget.
Four days and 60+ museums meant an impossible task, so we decided to choose a couple that we as a whole wanted to see. For all you Irvine Student readers that took HumCore, I went to the actual Bauhaus museum (My TA’s would be so proud)! We then ventured to the Pergamon museum, which hosts not only ancient Middle Eastern artifacts, but actual fronts of temples and palaces. They were HUGE! I can’t even imagine how they constructed columns that enormous with the basic technology they had. It was mind blowing. One of my favorite parts of our time there was walking the entire length of the East Side Gallery on the Berlin Wall at sunset. All of the works are very different, but they all portray the same message of freedom and peace.
Compared to Spain Berlin is a relatively inexpensive city, particularly when it comes to street food, which is good for any poor traveling college student. I indulged and bought myself a 1 euro bratwurst, which undoubtedly tastes better in Germany. I also splurged on a 30 cent pretzel, which put Costco to shame. On top of all its history, culture, and amazing food, the people there were some of the most friendly I’ve ever encountered in my travels (and a vast majority speak perfect English to boot). For example, while taking the subway home one evening, an older gentleman who was a musician, and also did not speak a word of English, showed us all his instruments he was carrying, then proceeded to hand us a couple, sparking an impromptu jam sesh for all the drunk people surrounding us to enjoy. It’s moments like these that just goes to show you that language doesn’t have to be a barrier, kindness is a universal language. I can’t wait to go back.
After four glorious days in Berlin, we ventured over to Amsterdam for the second leg of our trip. My anticipated visions of everyone wandering around through tulips baked out of their minds were slightly dampened when I arrived (due to the consistently conservative government recently, which has wiped out nearly half the “coffee shops” in town), but were replaced with other images just as interesting. Again we decided to take the Free Walking Tour, which took us almost all over the city (It’s not that big, so we were able to see it in no time). Amsterdam is an incredibly beautiful city. Not one building is ugly, and most all of them, especially by the canals, have kept their traditional Dutch charm. This city also has a rich history, it being the center for several trading companies, as well as the birth place of the stock market. The people there are also very interesting in that for being such a small city it is one of the most culturally diverse. Amsterdam hosts 140+ nationalities of the 170 represented in the U.N. (Wow!)
Touring Anne Frank’s house and seeing the Secret Annex where her and her family hid for two years was also mind boggling. The same streets you can sample amazing cheese, walk along the scenic canals, and browse through the flower market is also the location of many families’ last months. It is hard to believe that such a peaceful place has experienced such terrible violence. They have remembered her family respectfully while being informative at the same time. On a stranger note, no trip to Amsterdam would be complete without taking a stroll through the famous (or infamous, whichever you prefer) Red Light District. All I can say is that you have to see it yourself to truly grasp it, and I’m going to leave it at that.
Visiting Amsterdam is not visiting the Netherlands I would say. It shows a drastic side of the tolerance displayed in this part of the world. It is eye opening, controversial, and most importantly, thought provoking. I think everyone should visit at least once in their life.
So, what to do now that I’ve returned to my humdrum life in Córdoba? Get back into Spanish mode first off. It’s incredible how much 9 days speaking English all the time can send my Spanish brain askew, but it’s a small reminder that I can’t slack off when I get home. I’m back into school mode, starting to work on final projects and thinking about the studying to come (great). Other than that I’m going to enjoy the upcoming festivities in town the next few weeks have to offer. Sorry for the extra long post this round, but even this brief summary can’t fully describe the epicness that was my Spring Break, 2011.
Until next time,
Stay classy HerCampus™ readers!