Strolls Around Berlin

By: Deborah Moreno

I arrived in Berlin nearing the end of the summer. People wore less layers, sunglasses, and seemed chirpier. With time, the weather has become gray, wet, and dark; and with that, the attitudes of Berliners on the day-to-day. I have tried to find ways to work against this wave of seasonal inconvenience through different methods. 

Today, I decided to continue my previous hobby in Berlin by taking the bus or U-Bahn to a certain station and walking. It seems as though the weather wanted me to go outside and walk since it was a beautiful sunlit day with a light breeze, perfect to stroll around with no destination in mind. I have done this in Friedrichshain, Mitte, and even Kreuzberg where I live, but nearing the end of my stay in Berlin, I realized I have yet so much to see and experience before leaving. 

So, I decided to try a little café called Annelies by Görlitzer Park, that I saw on social media was very famous among tourists. There, I sat outside, sipped on my dark hot chocolate, and tried their very delicious Basque cheesecake. Then, I went over to Treptower Park, which I had heard of a couple times before. It was a few bus stops away from where I was initially. I walked around and saw the Soviet memorial, which was huge and very impressive, also surprising given the Cold War. But, after some research, I realized this memorial was built right after WWII. I will leave the information I found here. 

After, I walked by the Spree and took the S-Bahn to Prenzlauer Allee, in another neighborhood I had yet to see, Prenzlauer Berg. I had heard about the stereotypes of this district: “Prenzlauer Berg moms”, gentrification, money…and I find that to be true. Walking around the streets adjacent to the main Prenzlauer Allee felt like a different city to Berlin, less hip compared to Kreuzberg, and more family-friendly. People dressed modestly and very trendy, there was no trash on the ground, very limited graffiti on the building façades, and an overall peaceful aura. 

I thought perhaps it would be a good neighborhood to raise a family, but I continued to think about the perfect placement of our CIEE Berlin campus, in a neighborhood full of life, diversity in people and cuisines, retail, entertainment, and close to a very well connected U-Bahn line, the U7. I have to say that these walks help me reflect on everything that I’ve learned about Berlin, its history, and who lives in the city today, and this stroll around the city opened my eyes to new discoveries and reflections about my stay here.

Now that I’m counting my days to go back to the US, I will take advantage of the opportunity that I’ve had to live and commute around Berlin, making sure that I come back with plenty of stories to tell.

Thanks for reading!

Deborah

EXPLORE BERLIN