Berlin trip: One day of food, culture, and history
I recently went to Berlin to take an audition and spent two nights and one whole day there! I ate as much as I could, as I always do when I travel, saw some sights, and caught a concert. Maybe it is because Helsinki is such a small city, but to me Berlin was full of diverse cultures, style, and history.
✈ How I got there!
Easy Jet! So if any of you reading this is currently living in Helsinki or is going to pass through Helsinki before going to Berlin, I recommend this airline. My round trip flight was 50 euros! That’s cheaper than traveling up north in Finland! Maybe the seats were not ideal and I could only carry one backpack but I couldn’t complain.
🏠Night time arrival:
I arrived almost close to midnight to my airbnb, located near the Berlin Gesundbrunnen station, around a halfway point between the center of the city and the airport. Just as a note: if you’re arriving late be aware that most food places seemed closed. Pack some food in advance!
🚌About public transit in Berlin
The public transit system is really big but also easy to use. There is wifi at almost every U line metro station so you can easily search your next location using google maps. There is also a one day unlimited ride ticket that makes things even easier. Just remember to validate your ticket at a machine (usually next to the ticket machine or nearby, just ask someone!), but then you can just keep the ticket in your bag all day unless someone comes to check.
The next day!
My audition was around noon near the station Moritzplatz. I went early just so nothing out of the ordinary happens and I have enough warm up time! I already scouted a nice nearby coffee shop online, so I headed there to get breakfast and wait until my warm up/audition time.
☕The Visit Coffee Roastery
Adalbertstraße, 10999 Berlin, Germany
I wish I had ordered coffee here but don’t drink coffee before auditions so I had their camomile tea and french toast. The tea was quite expensive but it was immediately justified the moment I took a sip. It might have been the best camomile tea I’ve ever had, served at the perfect temperature. The french toast also didn’t disappoint, it tasted as good as it looked. The other perk about this place is that it has plenty of power outlets and wifi so it was good place to wait around.
🍜Takumi NINE Sapporo
Chausseestraße 124, 10115 Berlin, Germany
The audition was blah but anyway I knew the next thing I wanted to do was to eat something! I was craving ramen so I decided on coming here. I ordered a soy sauce based ramen with fried chicken. It was a bit too salty but it still hit the spot for me. I probably should have realized that fried chicken inside a ramen might be a too much flavor. If you’re in the area I’d recommend checking it out, I think they also have lunch specials with rice!
🎻Berlin Philharmonic
Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, 10785 Berlin, Germany
One of the things I had been dreaming of doing in Berlin was to go to a concert by the Berlin Philharmonic. Luckily for younger people under 28 there is a great discount of 15 euro tickets. After my ramen, I went to the hall and scored my discount ticket for that night’s concert. If you really want to go at all costs and the program seems popular I recommend buying in advance.
📍Potsdamer Platz
Potsdamer Platz, 10785 Berlin, Germany
The Berlin Philharmonic is located near Potsamer Platz so I just wandered around. This location is historically interesting because it used to be an important trade intersection, but it was eventually turned to rubble with the war. After, the reunification of Berlin the square was once again used and has many new developed buildings. There were remnants of the wall near here as well so it is an interesting place to see how Berlin has been rebuilt.
☕ Cafe Balzac
Potsdamer Platz 10, 10785 Berlin, Germany
I ultimately had no where I wanted to go before the concert in the evening so I ended up hanging out at this cafe near the Potsdamer Platz. I think it is a chain store but they have bathrooms and wifi so it is a practical place to recharge if you need somewhere to wait for the concert.
📍Brandenberg Gate
Pariser Platz, 10117 Berlin, Germany
The concert was fantastic and I was deeply inspired by the energy and every single musician pouring their heart into the performance. I then walked to the Brandenburg Gate before heading back to the airbnb. It was nice to see this iconic gate at night and with no crowds. Berlin seems to be very quiet at night despite it being a large city. Many historical events have taken place at this gate since being built in the 18th century and it was interesting just to feel the weight of history here.
🍴Curry Baude
Badstraße 1-5, 13357 Berlin, Germany
I was extremely so I went to a curry wurst place near my airbnb. It was delicious and apparently the sausages are homemade.I was so hungry that I even ordered another bratwurst! I happen to love street food even though people say how you could get food poisoning. There is just something so comforting about cheap food at a stand late at night.
The next morning and afternoon!
📍East Side Gallery
Mühlenstraße 3-100, 10243 Berlin, Germany
Ever since I took a German literature class back in undergrad, I had been interested in the history of the wall in Berlin and the effect it had on the people living there at the time. I made my way to the East Side Gallery in the morning. It was full of murals of different styles, but all conveying a strong message about freedom, peace, and inclusion. I was deeply moved by many of the artworks. I would highly recommend a visit here.
☕19grams Schlesi
Schlesische Str. 38, 10997 Berlin, Germany
I found a solid cafe nearby to spend some time recharging my phone and having some much needed coffee. I loved the chill background music! The coffee tasted wonderful and I also had a croissant sandwich as my breakfast.
📍Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Cora-Berliner-Straße 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
After recharging with some coffee and food, I took a train to this memorial. It was an incredibly deep and thought provoking experience. The grave stones are all unmarked and represents namelessness of those who died. The weight of the grave stones on both sides, especially as you walk towards the middle of the memorial, made me think deeply about discrimination and deaths that could have been avoided if we just respected each other.
📕America Memorial Library
Blücherpl. 1, 10961 Berlin, Germany
Mehringdamm 32, 10961 Berlin, Germany
My final meal in Berlin was a kebap! Nothing better to do so I lined up for 30 minutes at this popular kebab place. I have heard that wait times can even be 2 hours sometimes! It ended up being one of the best kebabs ever so I would recommend the wait! There was some kind of barbequey sauce, creamy sauce, squeeze of lemon, veggies, cheese, and delicious pieces of kebap.
Next, I headed to the airport and said goodbye to Berlin! It was such a wonderful stay experiencing the culture, history, and food. I would love to check out the museums next time I’m there and some more concerts.
Have you been to Berlin? What did you think?
If you’re interested about my other trips check out my previous trip to Barcelona here !
