33 Hours in Berlin

Dublin to Berlin

Around the U.S., I usually fly between Delta, Southwest, and JetBlue. Internationally, Delta is my go to (get those frequent flyer miles), but I’ve also flown Cathay Pacific (that was so comfy) and the Philippine Airlines (because Delta was not going to Bacolod). My trip to Berlin I flew through Aer Lingus, so there’s another new thing I’ve tried. The flight was pretty straightforward and easy to navigate.

The plane reminded me of Northwest/Delta in the 2000s- blue leather seats, no screens, and very tiny plastic tray tables. The flight was less than 2 hours though, so I napped for a good chunk of it.

I flew into Flughafen Berlin-Tegal Airpot (TXL) which was originally built as part of the Berlin Airlift Operations post-World War II. Yes, I’ll admit I was giddy to have a new stamp in my passport, but customs was amazingly easy. I flew through there in no time at all and catch a cab to catch up with Scott.

A Bike Tour Around Berlin by Fat Tire

The tour was picked and arranged by my host Scott, and it didn’t disappoint. We used a company called Fat Tire which offered a number of English speaking tours around the city. We chose to go on the Berlin City Bike Tour. (Not getting any compensation for sharing but I do highly recommend them.) Our guide for the day was Alicia, and she was a fantastically charismatic guide who was extremely knowledgeable about the city. She’s also an aspiring historical fiction writer which means she’s living my dream.

It was a great way to get to know the city, and I could see visitors going on the tour as a day 1 orientation to the city. The bike tour stopped at a number of locations, including Checkpoint Charlie (I was warned it was stupid touristy. It was.), the Brandenburg Gate, a still standing piece of the Berlin Wall, Hitler’s bunker, a traditional Biergarten, and memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, among many others.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Photo by Bernadette Bacero

The tour gave us a decent amount of time to stop and take pictures. The Holocaust memorial stood out to me in particular. The area is not marked with any kind of Holocaust history, and there are concrete blocks for rows and rows of varying heights. The ground is uneven as well, and by the time you reach the middle of it, it feels like you’re completely hidden from view. The artist hasn’t given any context for this landmark. It can mean a million different things to a million different people.

Further into our tour, I was worried about how serious this biking adventure would be, but it wasn’t difficult at all. It was really a nice leisurely ride through the city with plenty of stops to learn about the history. Germany has a lot of bikers as an every day part of life, so I never felt nervous sharing the road with cars.

Solo Adventures

I had some extra time that evening, so I was off on my own. I visited the East Side Gallery- a portion of the still standing Berlin Wall where artists have painted directly on the remnants of the wall. The gallery continues to stand as a way to remember the separation of the city as well as the peaceful times that have followed since reunification. I could have easily spent so much time looking at it all, but there was only so much daylight left.

Photos by Bernadette Bacero

I also made a stop at the Berlin Wall memorial which was probably the most historically relevant to my teaching area. Students have always had trouble conceptualizing how tall and formidable the Berlin Wall was. I thought I had a good idea of it before, but just standing in front of it made me reconcile the wall’s immensity for myself. (Though I had a fun time trying to get someone to help me take a picture of me next to it. Finding an English speaking person was much harder than I realized, and no selfie stick was going to produce the picture that I wanted.)

Berlin Wall Memorial. Photos by Bernadette Bacero.

There were so many more museums and exhibits to see focused on the Berlin Wall, but I only had so much time to see them all. It really just reaffirmed that I should return back to Berlin another time, and it’s helpful that I have my intrepid friend Scott who is living there for the time being.

The day ended with some Thai food and bubble tea. The man working there didn’t speak English very well, and I didn’t speak German at all. It was okay. We both spoke the language of bubble tea, and I had my first green apple bubble tea in 5 weeks. Vacations should always involve bubble tea.