The City of the Bear -Berlin

So this weekend a friend and I decided to get the heck out of Copenhagen in search of cheap food, drinks, and an all around vacation from Denmark. We set out to Berlin on the morning train from Copenhagen main station. About 2 hours in we hit the ferry from Rødby to Puttgarden. It was a very pleasant crossing on the top deck of the ferry enjoying the stiff breeze blowing as we cut through the water.

After another 4.5 hours we were in Berlin and took the S-Bahn to the Zoo Garden station and descended to try and find our hotel. Fortunately one of the program participants, Roman, is from Berlin and provided us with a very nice map to get us to our destination. The room was very spacious in European hotel terms and was very close to the S-Bahn and center Berlin. We took off for the Orienburger Strauss where there are loads upon loads of nice restaurants -at half of Copenhagen prices! We walked to gain our bearings and settled on a nice cafe near the tv tower where I snapped some pictures of course.

We headed back to the hotel for a change of clothes and to ask the bartender for a solid recommendation where to get some good beer and spirits. He pointed us in the direction of Irish Bar which was amazingly not filled with a lot of English speakers. We met a bartender from Australia who gave us some tips for the following night. However that night we got pretty well lit and had an interesting experience with a German girl who wanted some company for the night. It was definitely an interesting experience and a funny story but I am not going to waste my time with the details here. In the end I had to take her number and told her I would call the next day in order for her to let us leave without her following us to the hotel -never a dull moment I guess.

Saturday we woke up a little late and had some breakfest about noon and then hit the trail to see The Brandenburger Gate, Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie, East Side Gallery (where we got some film and photos of a peaceful demonstration against some commercial development taking place near the gallery that is a haven for the alternative and artistic of Berlin), also checked out a Holocaust Memorial, etc... After all that we headed to Orienburger Strauss a second time to actually have a little dinner at one of the many other restaurants. It was delicious and cheap and we were lamenting our misfortune in the uber-expensive Copenhagen all the while. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel to change for the evening's events. We got a message from Roman who decided to meet us and take us somewhere nice. We went to Hackescher Mkt in one of the patio bars/clubs named Dante to meet him. We arrived before midnight but because Roman was travelling from his parent's house it took him until 1:00 to arrive. So he recommended that we go to a place in East Berlin. We agreed. So we started walking because Roman said it was only 2 stops, bad idea. I got to see a cool part of Berlin but we walked almost an hour to find that it had closed after we had passed two other places that were hopping! So we walked another half hour to the student section and found a lot of cool bars and cafes where we had some beers and discussed a number of topics about Berlin.

We headed home and took the S-Bahn which was another 30 minute walk from the bar. At around 4:30 we got to the hotel, the sun was already getting ready to come up as the sky was very light by now. The next day we took Roman's advice, with trepidation, about an area that has good, cheap brunch buffets. This time Roman came through and we ate well one last time before the rationing begins again in Copenhagen, haha. Took the train home enjoying some cheap shopping aboard the ferry getting some Martini Bianco and a few cases of beer to split up. Arrived home at 11:30 Sunday evening and decided to have a couple of beers at Brandon's place with a great courtyard. Was joined by a lovely Norwegian and we talked and drank beers until I finally headed back to bed so that I could get get up Monday and start my Copenhagen life again. It was a great weekend and makes me anticipate the rest of my trip. I hate to say it but I think that Copenhagen is nice but not for me. I'm ready to see more places like Berlin.

Copenhagen is hospitable as are it's people, however I don't find it very friendly or warm.