Berlin, Germany
FYI: This is going to be a long one but hang in there, you won’t be disappointed I promise!!
Ps:- we also went to a bunch of other cities around Berlin such as Potsdam, Warnemünde, and Leipzig
Don’t believe it, read it again; Read the title again. YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know. I couldn’t keep my calm since I got to know I was going to Berlin. I have been as excited to write about it as excited you all are to read it.
I went to Germany through a faculty-led study abroad program that Creighton has to offer from May 13th to June 3rd.
Why Germany?
I had never been to Europe before except for the one time I had an hour and a half of layover in Zurich, Switzerland while flying back to Omaha. But very realistically I wanted to go to Germany because of the rich history of the city. I also took German freshmen year at college, so when I learned that we get to go Germany and learn German from native German speakers, I was like I am gonna go for it.
Why over summer break?
I had never considered studying abroad but when I heard about the faculty-led study abroad programs over summer break, it was intriguing for me. When I looked more into it, I thought it was this is fun and I would not even miss anything over a semester as well.
What to do before you travel?
Making sure that the passport has a validity of 6 months after the trip ends.
Look at the US Department of State: Bureau of Consular Affairs before to see if the country is safe to travel to (I looked at this for Germany) US Department of State: Bureau of Consular Affairs
Look at the places to visit in Berlin before going so that you know what to expect (I looked up places to go to beforehand). Two of my favorite websites to look for places to visit are TripAdvisor, and Google Travel
Know where the closest Embassy or Consulate for your country is
For Berlin, the closet US Embassy: Clayalllee 170, 14191 Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany US Embassy and Consulate in Germany
Public transport in Berlin
S-Bahn
U-Bahn
Tram
Bus
Tickets could be bought on BVG either on their website BVG or on their app.
Things to know before going Things to know before visiting Germany 17 important true must knows before you travel to Germany 55 things you should know before visiting Berlin :
Make sure to not walk in the bike lane
Cyclist are everywhere
Make sure you have paid for a ticket and have gotten it validated
There is a recycling to recycle glass bottles and you could get a small amount of money back
Many places are cash only
You have to pay to use the public restrooms
Almost everything is closed on the weekends
Thanks mean ‘no’
The middle finger is illegal
Germany's alcohol restrictions are extremely liberal
Drinking alcohol in public is legal
Don't be intimidated by graffiti
Lots of people speak English but knowing the language a little bit is better
Don't forget to say goodbye to people
Poland is a train ride away
Some basic German words
Danke schön: Thank you
Tschüß: Bye
Bitte: Please
Hallo: Hello
Auf Wiedersehen: Bye
Gesundheit: Bless you
Ja: Yes
Nein: No
Entschuldigen: Excuse me
Es tut mir leid: I’m sorry
Ok now that we have taken care of some business, here is the fun part
Timeline of places visited:
Day 1: Walking tour of the Brandenburg area
Day 2: Walking tour of Berlin to learn the Jewish history
Day 3: Walking tour of Berlin Center West
Day 4: Schloss Sans Soucci Potsdam
Day 5: Neue Nationalgalerie
Day 6: Baltic Sea
Day 7: East Side Gallery
Day 8: Topographie des Terror, Point Charlie
Day 9: Neues Museum
Day 10: Oranienburg/ Sachsenhausen
Day 11: Berliner Dom, Ritter Sport
Day 12: We went to a concert
Day 13: Leipzig
Day 14: Pfingsten
Day 15: Potsdam
Day 16: Reichstag (Parliament), Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Day 17: Mauer Park
Day 18: Museum Island
Places I/we went to eat:
Chaplin’s (Kastanienallee 75, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
Hako Ramen (Kastanienallee 16, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
Lenotre Paris (Tauentzienstraße 21-24, 10789 Berlin, Germany)
The kafē (Kastanienallee 24, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
Spoonful icecream (Auguststraße 63, 10117 Berlin, Germany)
K’Ups Gemüsekebap (Kastanienallee 102, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
Flying Monkey (Kastanienallee 15, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
Espresso House (Potsdamer Platz 10, 10785 Berlin, Germany)
Dean and David (Europaplatz 1 im Hauptbahnhof, UG 1 und EG Foodcourt, 10557 Berlin, Germany)
Sole Mio (Am Leuchtturm 16, 18119 Rostock, Germany)
Chestnut coffee (Kastanienallee 79, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
Cafe Plazebo (Kastanienallee 26, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
Madras Café (Stargarder Str. 24, 10437 Berlin, Germany)
Eis*Bar (Kastanienallee 10, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
Rüyam Gemüse Kebab 2 (Schönhauser Allee 44A, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
Auerbachs Keller (Grimmaische Str. 2-4, 04109 Leipzig, Germany)
The Alley (Grimmaische Str. 25, 04109 Leipzig)
Brauerei Meierei (Neuen Garten 10, 14469 Potsdam, Germany)
San Giorgio Eismanufaktur (Humboldtstraße 3, 14467 Potsdam, Germany)
SpeiseKombinat (Chausseestraße 116, 10115 Berlin, Germany)
Eispatisserie Hockey Pockey (Oderberger Str. 38, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
Naan Indische Spezialitäten (Oderberger Str. 49, 10435 Berlin)
Ha-an Sushi (Kastanienallee 18, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
Italian Food Berlin (Kastanienallee 4, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
Prater Beer Gardern (Kastanienallee 7-9, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
I know these don’t look like I was here for 3 weeks but I went to the same place quite often if I found it to be pretty cheap
Grocery stores:
EDEKA (Fürstenberger Straße, Fürstenberger Str. 8, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
Souvenir Shops
Love Story Of Berlin (Kastanienallee 88, 10435 Berlin, Germany)
BUCHBOX! Buchhandlung Kastanienallee (Kastanienallee 97, 10435 Berlin)
Got a whole bunch of postcards and magnets as souvenir. Here is a picture of it:
Link to some of the pictures from the trip: Pictures
Some useful handy tools for the trip:
Backpack
Phone with camera
Charger
Power bank
Google maps
Book to read on the plane or in general
I finished reading: ‘The Light They Carry’ by former First Lady Michelle Obama
Additional details about the trip:
Airlines: Delta Delta, Air France Air France, KLM KLM
The place we lived: on-campus housing
