DepSoc Travels: Germany - Berlin

During my university holiday, my boyfriend and I have decided to travel around Europe. One of our stops was Germany, which we both really enjoyed. We chose to visit Berlin because it was perfect in terms of allowing us to enjoy really lighthearted activities, some history watching as well as visiting places which felt like a new emotional experience.

More generally, Berlin is a lovely city which I would definitely recommend visiting. We stayed in a hotel in Charlottenburg, which was nice and accessible. The city is reasonably clean and it was very accessible and tourist friendly due to there being practically no language barrier. Over our stay I became a fan of the U-Bahn, especially in the evening when it got really empty and quiet. The pretty yellow trains definitely cheered me up on days when it was raining ( it is a win win situation really).

The food in Berlin was absolutely amazing. During the first night of our stay we decided to find kebab in Berlin and it might have been the best kebab I have ever had (at one point I just stopped counting all the different flavours). Whether we would plan our meals and look up the places we went to in advance or go on impromptu dates the food was great. I have been able to even try an amazing avocado milkshake with soya milkshake which was like a drink version of bounty but nicer. On our last day we went to a really sweet pancake place called 'A never ever ending love story' which was incredible. The pancakes were incredibly tasty, the place was full of very friendly staff and the interior definitely reminded me of some of the cute, little cafes in the narrow streets of Soho in London. I would definitely recommend it if you are visiting Berlin.

Besides mentioning all the breathtaking landmarks we saw on our visit ( and taking a lot of photos of them), I would like to mention those landmarks which really felt like an emotional experience. The Holocaust memorial was one of them. At first I was very afraid to walk through it and experience the claustrophobia of it for myself. Eventually, having gathered some courage I did it and by the end of it I felt some kind of relief. It was wonderful to be able to have a conversation with someone about why the memorial was constructed in the way it stands and what possible interpretations can be provided. The Jewish Museum in Berlin had a very similar impact of me. The beauty of the museum lies in its unusual nature; it is full of voids and physical artwork, which really make you experience something. Standing in a dark room, being able to feel the breathe of the air outside and hear the voices tens of metres above you really does leave you feeling small and helpless, unable to project your voice. By the end of all of the said visits I felt a huge sense of relief and was glad I was able to experience art rather then just feel it.