We both wish we had been able to spend more time in Berlin and would love to go back. This has been our favorite spot so far. I don’t even know where to start. Our Airbnb was a perfect fit. Our host, Ben, was full of info and his place was just our style, aside from some stuffed animals. I’m really not sure what was up with the stuffies. He had a copy of The Bro Code in the bathroom, and then a gaggle of flamingos in the living room, and a tiger, bunny and bear in the bedroom… It didn’t add up, but I wasn’t about to ask. You can’t possibly ask a guy in his late 20’s about his stuffed animal collection without things getting awkward. I simply couldn’t picture Ben as a guy who would collect stuffed animals, so I immediately assumed one must be a nanny cam, and proceeded to promptly turned them around so all their beady little eyes faced the wall. I’m sure they were probably all just ordinary stuffies but I’m not risking someone having footage of my ugly sleeping. Nudity I couldn’t care less about, but my open mouthed ugly sleeping face I care deeply about. No one needs to see that. No one (not even your partner who thinks it’s just hysterical and takes photos of you sleeping, and doesn’t realize how close to death he’s coming, especially with your new found access to huge square European pillows that seem designed specifically for smothering someone who would do such a thing – more on the pillows later).

His place was in really chill little community within walking distance of a beautiful park along the water. It was awesome to spend time relaxing there watching the boaters, canoeists, kayakers, and stand up paddle boarders. There were also some pretty sweet crafts drifting by. We even had a water pappy sighting. I’ll explain. Last year we went out to Vancouver Island and borrowed our friend’s 1982 Dodge Camper Van and lived in it while we drove up the coast to Tofino. The van had originally belonged to his grand-pappy, hence the name the Pappy-Mobil, or The Pappy for short. The pappy-mobil is in great shape, but he’s a distinguished older gentleman that looks his age and is unapologetic. He’s simple, humble, and sturdy. Enter the water pappy. My kind of vessel.

Ben’s place was also nice and close to public transport, so the commute to the center was super easy and entertaining. I honestly could have spent days just riding the train from the Baumschulenweg station to the Alexanderplatz station. I love people watching and this train ride never disappointed. It killed me not to be able to photograph all the interesting people we saw, but I have some sense of self preservation and felt that I might get punched in the face if pointed my camera in the wrong person’s direction. I really should have learned how to ask “May I take your photo” in German. Nothing makes me happier than unique people who clearly don’t give a shit about what others think. And fashion. So many interesting choices. I felt like Bill Cunningham. If you don’t know Bill Cunningham, you should do yourself a favor and watch Bill Cunningham New York. I completely fell in love with him after watching it.

Berlin is the place that really solidified a phrase we began using in Bruges. “I don’t want to look, but I do want to stare.” This started with a screaming fit we witnessed on the street in Bruges, then came up again while we were eating dinner the following evening. A car pulled up directly in front of the window where we were seated and a woman was screaming so loud at the male driver we could hear it clearly from inside. Basically we witnessed a lot of domestic conflict at very close range and had to pretend we didn’t notice the insanity. “I don’t want to look, but I do want to stare,” took on a much more positive connotation in Berlin.

On one single ride I saw some of the following:

– A completely ordinary bloke and his girlfriend who was sporting black leather painted on short shorts with fishnets, a super tight black vest (really goth looking) and a very full fake moustache. No apparent reason for the mustache. They were completely deadpan. I had so many questions but so little German vocabulary.

– A super average everyday looking guy in his late 20’s wearing a plain grey tank top and shorts. He would have blended into the concrete if his entire forehead hadn’t been bedazzled with stick on gems.

– An older gentleman whose style I can only describe as something out of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Everything was big. The tie, the shirt, the pants (big and high), the shoes…

– Two people who were clearly performers (they had a trunk of equipment), dressed head to toe in rainbow coloured clothing and wearing leis.

– And a guy dressed as a sailor, who most certainly has not yet been notified that  Studio ’54 has shut down. I just looked up to the heavens and nodded thank you. This guy was by far the best. He had on the tightest white spandex short shorts I have ever seen, a spandex blue sailor crop top and a sailor hat of course. I could not have been happier. My face hurt from my ridiculous smile. Thank you sailor man!

Now, like the toilet paper situation, I can make do with what I’ve got, but the pillows in Europe are an abomination. We have only stayed in one place that had rectangular pillows with substance. Every other place has had these huge square Euro pillows that are just sacks of sad fluff. They are perfect if you want to suffocate in your sleep because as soon as you lay your head down all the insides leave the back of your head and push out and over around the sides. You can try to fold it to create some firmness and support but it’s pretty short lived if you move at all. It’s pretty much the first thing Andre looks for now as soon as we check in somewhere, and then he shouts joyfully, “Oh great! My favorite pillows!” We have my airplane pillow (Andre’s was lost with the medication bag in Paris) that we sometimes use when we finally admit defeat after folding and manipulating and pawing the pillows like crazed dogs trying to make their nests (dogs that have an extensively colourful vocabulary). Circle, fluff, circle, push, circle, nudge, reverse circle, fold, curse, throw pillow on ground.

Speaking of dogs. There were so many people with adorable dogs in Berlin and I wanted to pet them all. I feel like the dogs sensed my neediness and looked at me with faces that said, “I would love for you to pet me if my owner would slow down.” But not unlike a single man in a bar, the owners too seemed to smell my desperation, and steered clear. My new goal is to find an Airbnb with a dog.

Back to the trains. We were able to easily navigate all over and actually saw some things. Our usual travel style is to have a late brunch, lay in a hammock, have a drink somewhere, read in a hammock, have a snack and a drink, nap in a hammock… you get it. We don’t usually “sight-see”. We prefer to just live in an area and hang out like the locals, but there are a lot of interesting things to see in Berlin, so I forced Andre to put his Birkenstocks to use. Full disclosure – When Andre suggested we purchase these for our trip I was not enthusiastic. Some may say resistant. Andre may say argumentative and belligerent… But as usual, he was correct. They were an excellent purchase and my feet are grateful. They are the only sandal I can walk around in all day and not want to cry, and we walked a lot in Berlin.

We wandered around the Alezenderplatz square which was set up for a huge market and entertainment. We also went to the East Side Gallery, Dead Chicken Alley, Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburg Gate, the Soviet War Memorial Tiergarten, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. 

But aside from all the typical tourist stuff, we just really liked the general vibe of Berlin. It’s a place with a lot of energy and has a lot to offer. If you want to party there is no shortage of places to go. If you want an outdoor active lifestyle you can have it. There is a strong art, fashion, and music scene. There is really something for everyone. The people seem to have a great work life balance and take advantage of all the outdoor amenities Berlin offers. It is an extremely livable city!

Just bring your own pillow 🙂

23 days in…

Onto Leipzig.