A Walking Tour Through Berlin

On day four of my travels in Berlin, we hopped on a tram and went to meet our tour guide so that we could explore more of this wonderful city. Our 3 hour walking tour took us all around Berlin and allowed us to see the meshing of old and new that truly defines the city.

View of the Berliner Dom across the river

The Alte Nationalgalerie 

Musician Outside of Alte Nationalgalerie

During our tour we came across a gay pride parade and were able to see people from all different walks of life coming together to listen to music, meditate, and show support.

Our next stop was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a monument which was very powerful to say the least. The Memorial is filled with concrete blocks which grow taller as you move further into the center and stretches 4.7 acres.

We, of course, could not miss Checkpoint Charlie and so to end our tour we visited the historic location.

After lunch, we visited Mauer Park and went to the Sunday Flea Market. This would definitely have to be one of my favorite places out of all those that we have visited thus far. Honestly, I had never actually been to a flea market before and didn't really know what to expect, but I thought I would not like it since I generally do not have much success when it comes to thrift shopping. However, I am glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised and, in fact, absolutely loved the flea market. Everyone  there was just so cool (for lack of a better word). There were so many different kinds of people - all with top notch fashion (because evidently all Europeans have an amazing sense of style) and there were so many things to see and eat, and I wanted to do it all.

For dinner, I got a falafel and halloumi doner kebab - I am obsessed with doner kebabs, I could literally eat them every single day. Then as we were leaving we noticed a giant crowd just outside of the market (there had to have been at least 600 people in the crowd, probably more). It turns out that on Sundays they do karaoke and the Berliners really get into it, as you can see by this old man.

To end our amazing day, a few of us went to the Old Tram Repair Shop Classical Music Night, where we saw the performance of an insanely talented Greek pianist - at some points I could have sworn that her hands were blurred because she was playing so quickly. The Classical Music Night took place in an old tram repair shop (... you may have gathered this from the name), so the interior literally looked like an abandoned station/shop ... well a very hipster abandoned tram station. For example, in some locations of the bathroom there was no ceiling or walls and the concert room was filled with vintage items and five grand pianos. While, admittedly, I may have dozed off a few times (and this is purely because of dim lighting I tell you), the music was absolutely amazing and it was one of those very cultural and quintessentially Berlin experiences.

After a long day, we headed back towards the hotel and got ready for the activities ahead. It's amazing what we pack into one day here. The days seem so long because we do so much, but they go by so quickly. Each day is an adventure though, and just being a small part of the city has been beyond amazing.