The Real Berlin

After seeing the Frieda Kahlo exhibit this afternoon, Natasha and I decided we weren’t content with going back to the hotel. We set out without looking at a map, with no directions, and no idea where we wanted to go. It turned out great. Walking south from Postdamer Platz we found a soccer complex with Middle Eastern children playing (they were very good) then found a small park in the middle of a sea of buildings. The city seems to be constructed so that just as the tall buildings become overbearing, a park shows up out of nowhere. Most surprisingly, a small rabbit jumped out of the bushes and ran across our path.

We knew were in a good spot when our American appearance drew many strange looks. We quickly found a large park with a playground filled with small children. Since it’s Friday and the sun was out, many couples were enjoying a Beck’s or Berliner while sitting on the rolling hills.

After a few hours of walking, we decided it was time to look at a map. Apparently we had walked farther than expected and were on the outskirts on the city. While walking around aimlessly, we stumbled upon a hole-in-the-wall gelato shop. The only flavors we recognized were Mango and Vanilla, since the rest was in German. Needless to say, it was amazing and shortly thereafter we found a U-Bahn station to take us home.

It was nice not worrying about seeing the famous sites of the city for once and simply walking. I feel like I saw more of the real Berlin today than any other day. We saw children getting out of school, adults getting off work, and everyone drinking beer. It seemed like today we saw what it was like to live in Berlin, away from sightseeing and tourists.