Berlin: Instant love

We spent our morning riding the train to Berlin. It was a bit too soon to leave Amsterdam, but next time we will plan for more time everywhere we go. There we no issues getting on the train, but a bunch of the seats were reserved. Luckily, we found two with a table so we could play some cards, however when the train switched over to Germany a ton of people got on, including a large family that had reserved the seats we were in and a bunch around us. What followed was a countless number of times switching seats, eventually standing for about an hour and then finally getting to sit again. We arrived in Berlin and followed my directions to our next couch surfing hosts' place. Unfortunately I had forgot to write down the last name we needed to buzz at his apartment complex.

Cheddar Cheese on the train!

We quickly found a cafe with Internet and looked it up while enjoying a coffee. We went and rang and were let into a super nice apartment. Our host was great and joined us for dinner at a vegan restaurant. I felt right at home with a veggie burger, fries dipped in REAL catsup and a delicious German beer. Me and daryn decided to walk around for a bit while Fabian(our host) went home to do some work. Our luck continued as we found a small brewery a few block away, called Hops and Barley. Here we not only sampled delicious beer, but also met a very nice couple from Israel. We talked to them about their travels and discussed the joys of couch surfing with them.

Beer at Hops &Barley

At this point we headed back to Fabian's apartment to map out a plan for the following day. So much to see in so little time, and I never wanted to leave. You know how they say you know love when you have found it? Well I was in love. With Germany.

Me and Daryn both took showers and shortly after finishing we headed to Fabian's friend's house. As it turned it he had studied in Milwaukee  Together we ahared 6 beers and then headed to a nearby bar for a few more. We met so many interesting people who were all interested in Albania, and wanted to share their culture with me. The more I talked to them the more I longed to stay. We attempted to head to some clubs after this, but no where would let us in, because we had too large of a group. Daryn and I left the group behind and ended up finding a semi secretive place to pee on our way home. We stopped for a beer and discussed the possibility and desire to stay another night. It would mean missing out on some Munich beer, but it was worth it.

Favorite art at East Side Gallery

The next morning Fabian offered us a breakfast of delicious bread, coffee and fruit. He approved of our idea to stay another night, so we headed out to see the sights.

We saw a lot of very cool buildings and places related to world war 2. I won't bore you with information(mostly because I don't remember any of it) but I will tell you my favorite part was the East Side Gallery. This sight consist of part of the Berlin wall, that is now covered with gorgeous artwork, and a lot of graffiti.

Our biggest(and only) complaints about te city are as follows: too many tourists, having to pay to pee, and that fact that some restaurants don't serve tap water. I was so dehydrated at one point that I ended up paying 3 euro for a very small bottle.

Famous Building, TV Tower

It was funny because Fabian had told us how to get from place to place using the train system. We found however that by the time we had reached the first place walking we could see the next place in the distance and it would be easier just to walk there. Then we ended up deciding to walk home. All in all, I believe we walked a minimum of 10 miles during the day. And by the end of it I was sick of seeing sights.

Check-point Charlie, where the Berlin was was first torn down.

It was beer time again, and after walking for a bit we decided we had like Hops &Barley so much we may as well go back and get more beer. These beers led to our inevitable great and deep talk about life, where we are going, and our feelings. We talked mostly about our family and the things we inherited. It was decided that we get our way of showing our feelings from our father, holding everything inside until we just can't anymore. And as I talked about my future plans and we discussed the possibility of not seeing each other for a year or two, we almost began crying, but opted to hold it in until we had to say goodbye for real.

Then we headed out for some dinner, because after walking 10 miles, without water, and drinking 2 beers food becomes necessary. I had some falafel and Daryn had some vegetarian lasagna. The previous night when we were lost we had seen a sign saying Porter, and after drinking nothing but wheats Daryn was in the mood for some dark, so we went back in search of it and eventually found it.

This bar was quite strange for us. It felt a lot like a bar from our hometown. I couldn't decide if I liked it or hated it. It was filled with smoke, loud music, and people who were crazy drunk on a Sunday night. We quickly finished our porters (which were extremely sweet) we given some plum liquor shots and head out with everyone kindly shaking our hands and saying goodbye to us with huge smiles on their faces.

Even Berlin loves the Packers!

When we arrived back at out lodging Fabian asked us if we had any other plans. The plan was to go to bed, but when we told him their was a packer game on he was kind enough to find a way for us to watch it on the big screen in his room. Daryn ran down to the market to pick up a few beers for us all to split. I only made it through the first half, and sadly we lost to the Vikings, which sucks!

The next morning I was not ready to leave to Berlin