Even though Berlin is not my favorite city, I have to admit that Berlin offers more than enough to do and see. Throughout my five months in Berlin, I have had many opportunities to participate in some amazing events and activities. Here is a list of my top 10 activities that I have done during my time in Berlin.
1. HUNTING BUDDY BEARS
Number 1 on my list has to be hunting buddy bears. I first discovered these bears when taking a tour of Berlin during the first few days in the city. I researched what the bears were and got hooked into tracking them down all over the city. The Buddy Bears were first introduced in Berlin in 2001 to promote a future vision for a peaceful world. Every year, Buddy bears travel to a new country around the world, where hundreds of bears are displayed in a central location of a city. The bears stand together, hand in hand, uniting nations all over the world. Though individual bears will always remain in Berlin. Businesses, private offices, hotels, and embassies host these bears inside and or outside of their buildings. Every bear is painted differently and has its own story. Over the past five months, I have hunted down 142 of these bears. Thankfully, there is a website with a map showing where all of the bears in Berlin are. However, one cannot always trust this map, as the bears are always one the move. Additionally, these bears are sometimes not the easiest to find. Sneaking pictures through embassy gates, going into apartment courtyards, searching all floors of buildings, and even asking workers if they have seen the pictured bear are only some of the depths I have gone to find a bear. Searching for these bears has taken me to parts of Berlin that I would have never gone to before. I have walked all over Berlin, in attempts to find these bears. These bears will always have a special place in my heart and will be one of the happiest memories I have from Berlin.
2. FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
I am very grateful that I was in Berlin during the Festival of Lights. The Festival of Lights took place from October 11 - 20, 2019. The Festival of Lights happens once a year, where Berlin's most famous landmarks and monuments become the canvas for an extraordinary light show/video show projections. For example, the Brandenburg Gate put on a 10 minute light video recreating the history of the Berlin Wall and the Berliner Dom exhibited 10 different light projections. The Festival of Lights is free and begins at 7:00 and goes until 12:00 for the 10 day festival. At night, Berlin is turned into a colorful and vibrant city. I was simply amazed with the technology and how each building was used as a canvas for such intricate and beautiful artwork.
3. CHRISTMAS MARKETS
If there is one thing that Germany is known for around Christmas time, its certainly Christmas markets. Beginning at the end of November and running all the way until Christmas, the Christmas markets are a series of decorated stands that sell drinks, sweets, food, art works, crafts, and other Christmas gifts. The whole area is lit up and there is usually some form of Christmas music being performed. There are around 80 Christmas markets in Berlin. During my time here, I had the opportunity to go to six Christmas markets: Gendarmenmarkt, Charlottenburg, Alexanderplatz, Postdamerplatz, Gedächtniskirche and Rixdorf. My favorite part of the Christmas markets is collecting mugs. Each market produces a new mug with a cool design each year. I get hot chocolate at each market and now have mugs to remind me of the experience that I had at that market. There is gingerbread, roasted nuts, chocolate-covered fruits, Bratwurst, Glühwein (A hot mulled wine), and so much more to eat and drink at these Christmas markets. Each market is different, making it fun to explore as many Christmas markets as you can.
4. MY INTERNSHIP
From the beginning of November until the 12th of December, I have been doing an internship in an elementary school in Berlin, Tempelhof. I have been assisting a teacher in a fourth grade class with English, German, Science, and Art lessons. I have also helped in a sixth grade, another fourth grade, and a third grade class with English lessons. Additionally, I have helped the math and music teacher. Over the past month and a half, I have established a wonderful connection with my fourth grade students as well as my teacher. I have gotten to practice teaching in German and in English. I have helped students with learning disabilities, students from refugee schools, and students who cannot speak good German. Overall, I have gotten an insight of the culture of the Berlin education system. I also improved my German, learning new words along with my own students. I was impressed with myself that I could answer questions in German and function in a German-speaking school environment. Though I had a wonderful time with my internship, I think that I will want to teach students who are older in the future.
5. JEWELS BALLET
Back in October, I went to the State Ballet of Berlin to watch the performance of "Jewels." "Jewels" is a three-act ballet choreographed by George Balanchine. The three acts are Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds. This ballet was not like any other ballets I have seen. Emeralds opened up with a beautiful, dainty piece. Rubies consisted of more an edgy and playful style, which I enjoyed the most. The ballet closed with Diamonds which was elegant and showed the technique and power of all the dancers. I was sitting with a friend up in the high balcony and because all of the seats were not filled, one of the ladies working said that we could move down to the first row in the balcony. Wonderful seats and a wonderful ballet.
6. LONG NIGHT OF MUSEUMS
Once a year, museums in Berlin open their doors until early in the morning. More than 80 museums and institutions are open on this night and special exhibits and performances are running throughout the night. One ticket gets you access to all of these locations from 6:00 until 2:00 in the morning. I went with three friends of mine and we went to the Spy Museum, Jewish Museum, and Musical Instrument museum. Not only is it really cool to live a Night at the Museum kind of life for a few hours, but it is also a really cheap way to see many museums. After two or three museums, your ticket has already paid for itself. I probably could have gone to more museums but I am not a night person so I was only able to go to three. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this night.
7. CLIMBING THE REICHSTAG CUPOLA
Many of my top 10 favorite things to do and see in Berlin are seasonal or only happen once a year. However, climbing the Reichstag Cupola can be done anytime throughout the year and I would recommend any visitors to Berlin to do this. You must register online and then present you passport at the security check point. Registration is completely free. I should mention that this building is the capital building in Germany. Inside of the dome, you can read about the history of the Reichstag building, how it has gone through fires, the Nazi Regime, and different renovations. As you climb the dome, you can look down into the seats of the Reichstag, where all of the politicians sit. I went in the evening, and got to see a gorgeous sunset. The view from the base of the dome is quite beautiful. This is a great learning experience, a great place to get a view of Berlin, and a wonderful way to get a sneak peak inside the German government building.
8. OLYMPIC STADIUM
My original intention for visiting the Olympic Stadium was to find Buddy Bears. I could see six bears all in a row but they were behind the gate of the stadium. I decided to pay an entrance fee so that I could take pictures of the bears. Because I already had a ticket, I decided to explore the Olympic Stadium. The Olympic Stadium was built for the 1936 Summer Olympics and today, holds games for the home soccer team of Berlin "Hertha" as well as World Cups, and concerts. In 1936, the Olympic Games were used for propaganda purposes. Hitler constructed a large sports complex in Nazi architecture. After the war, the stadium was used as the headquarters of the British military occupation forces. The stadium was reopened to the public in 2004 to host games and tourists. One can walk all around the main stadium and see the track and field. You can also walk around the outside of the stadium and see the Olympic Park grounds, including the swimming pool and diving well, which was really interesting for me to see. As I was walking around, I immediately got the Nazi architecture vibe. The architecture is almost the same as the airport in Tempelhof. They also have plaques that state the winners of each event, including the four-time gold medalist in track and field, Jesse Owens.
9. YO YO MA CONCERT
During my time in Berlin, I had the pleasure of watching Yo Yo Ma perform cello alongside Anne-Sophie Mutter on violin, accompanied by the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. They performed Beethoven's Triple Concerto. The concert was held at the Berlin Philharmonie. It was wonderful to see Yo Yo Ma play. He plays with so much passion and did not use any sheet music.
10. CLIMBING THE BERLINER DOM
Last but not least, my 10th favorite thing to do in Berlin was to climb the Berliner Dom. I did this during the first week that I was in Berlin. The inside of the Berliner Dom is breathtaking. The ceiling is painted in the Italian Renaissance-style. Marble adorns the walls and a 7269-pipe organ sits above elaborate sarcophagi. 267 steps later, and you can stand at the top of the dome for spectacular views of Berlin.
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