Birthday In Berlin

Berlin and I started off on the wrong foot. After packing up and leaving to the airport from Gothenburg to Berlin, I was so determined that nothing can go wrong. I got to the airport early and self checked in. First mistake was self checking in because there was no gate number on my border pass. After looking at the gate number on the computer screen, turns out I was looking at the wrong one. There were two flight flying out to the same destination within a half hour of each other and a gate apart from each other. Of course, I ended up sitting at the wrong gate number while watching a movie and missed my flight. Just my luck. I was livid, upset, annoyed, mad, frustrated, disappointed and everything else you could think of. Unfortunately, I didn't have anyone to blame but myself. The next thing I had to do was figure out how to get to Berlin. There was nothing flying out that same day, and either way I was not planning on spending more money on another flight. I quickly checked bus routes and found one that was leaving to Berlin that night, so without hesitation, I booked it. I couldn't help but be more frustrated because now I'm stuck at the

bus station for God knows how long. The bus doesn't leave until 2:40am and it was only 5:00pm and its a 12 hour bus ride appose to a 2 hour flight and I loose a day in Berlin. My mind was raging with negativity and frustration but I did everything I could to stay positive and brush it off. Before coming on this trip, I knew that traveling for a long time is never smooth and that things will go wrong. I told myself from the beginning that whatever happens I would stay positive throughout any challenges and not let it affect my trip. After battling my negative thoughts and mood for a few hours, I did just that.

After 24 hours of travel, I finally made it to Berlin, Germany. It took longer than I expected figuring out the confusing public transportation system in Berlin, but I finally I met up with Vlad and Kent. They were nice enough to host me and let me crash in their apartment for a few days while I explore. They have a beautiful apartment with high ceiling windows that over look the river and some blooming pink trees on the side. It was quite the view waking up every morning. They also live right by the East Side Gallery, a wall covered in different types of paintings, that I had a pleasure walking by every day.

I was living on crackers and water the last 24 hours so food was the first destination in Berlin. We went to a Thai restaurant which was pretty delicious. I had an early night due to being exhausted from traveling for so long. The next morning, Kent made an amazing brunch for us before I left to explore the city. I didn't know too much about Berlin nor did I have much of a plan upon my arrival, so I kind of just did things on the go. I did a short historical boat tour around the city, got lost on the streets, and took too many pictures. Later, I grabbed a quick bite and ended up talking to a couple that was also traveling all over Europe. It was pleasant to hear about their travel and talk about mine.

Waking up in the morning, I automatically felt older. It was a pretty cool feeling turning 25 on the 25th in Berlin. After grabbing brunch with the guys, I rented a bike and rode around the city all day. Berlin is very bike friendly and even had their own paths along side the road with stop lights for the bikers. It was a bit frustrating renting a bike because almost every place you went to was cash only and did not even have a credit card machine. I felt like I was stuck in a few centuries back because I barely even use cash anymore. I explored the Memorial of the Murdered Jews and walked around the Brandenburg Gate, joining the hundreds of tourists in that area. To be honest, nothing too amazing stood out to me about Berlin. I didn't find it too be too pretty or historical. The entire city is covered in graffiti and dirt. I didn't find there to be much to do and felt like you needed to know all the "cool" spots because google wouldn't display them. Despite my outlook on the city, I still enjoyed my time riding around and exploring. In the evening we grabbed a quick bite and went to a cool spot called the "Monkey Bar" which overlooks Berlin from a high point. It was pretty amazing and it was such a perfect end to my birthday.

My last day I finished off riding around the city again before returning my bike. I made it just in time to hide in a coffee shop for a while trying to avoid the rain storm. Later, I met up with the guys and their friends to go to a really awesome food market that happens every Thursday. We spent some time there before heading back to the apartment and just like that my time in Berlin has come to end. Although my impression of Berlin fell short, I had a pleasure of seeing familiar faces and getting the chance to visit an unfamiliar place.