Christmas market in Berlin
I left on Thursday this week to go to Berlin. It was Thanksgiving Day, but it really didn’t feel like it here! My mom said she would postpone Thanksgiving dinner until I get home, so I am really looking forward to that when I return. I have always wanted to visit Germany and the flights were very cheap to Berlin so it felt like the perfect opportunity. I also love history, so there were a lot of sites that I was excited to visit. When I arrived to my hostel on the first night they had the Cowboys game playing on the TV, so I finally got to watch some football!
On the first day I explored the city a bit and ended up at the Berlin Wall. It was so neat to see in person after learning about it for years. There was also a free museum right across the street which had more information about the history of the wall, where I learned lots. I had a pretzel afterwards to warm up which was so good! I had a lot of German foods that I wanted to try while there, and for dinner I had some schnitzel, amazing pork, potato dumplings, and of course sauerkraut.
The next day I explored a bit more, then got on a train to Orianenburg, about 45 minutes from Berlin. There was a concentration camp there during WWII called Sachsenhausen, and I wanted to visit the memorial. The whole experience was so powerful. I have learned about the holocaust for so many years but to see that sort of thing in person is totally different. This camp was primarily used for Soviet prisoners of war and continued for several years after the war ended, which really surprised me. There were several parts of the camp that were really hard to see, but I am very glad I had that experience.
I was especially excited for the Christmas markets. I love the weather in Sevilla but it has not felt like Christmas is coming up. It definitely felt like winter in Germany, and the markets made me even more excited for the Christmas season back in Wisconsin. I went to the markets during my last night in Berlin, where I tried all of the important foods and drink. I had a mug of glühwein, the famous hot wine, which was very good and a perfect way to warm up. I had another pork dish with sauerkraut and some mushrooms. The atmosphere in the markets was so much fun. There was lots of music, different shops, food, and even ice skating. It was the perfect way to wrap up my time in Germany, and it made me excited for Christmas time in the US!
Lots of good food - as always!
Remaining section of the Berlin Wall
Inside the Berlin Wall museum
Gate at the entrance of the concentration camp
Memorial at Sachsenhausen