So there I was, sitting on the plane. It was around 4 hours into the trip. I looked around the small, cramped compartment. Next to me was the German man, who's name I had yet to figure out, although he did resemble Bill Nighy. So we'll just call him Bill. But yeah, the low hum of the plane was strangely Cathartic, and with nothing much to do, and my eyes already feeling heavy, I shut my eyes and let the mild drone of the plane send sleep my way.
As I was leaving the plane, I looked at the small piece of candy that reminded me of home. With a small smile I popped it into my mouth, and then headed out of the plane, double checking to make sure I hadn't left my passport behind. I came out of the gate and quickly got my passport stamped, and then started to look for Winston, my friend who was on the same flight. It took me a while, but I finally found, first my bag, which was on the baggage train right in front of the gate, and then Winston. We came and sat at the coffee shop, and really didn't do much of anything, although I can say that the German croissant was amazing. Fast forward 2 hours and finally the rest of the group has arrived. I also met our tour guide, whose name is Tasso. His background is quite interesting. Although he is greek, he also speaks German, Italian, and French. So he's definitely a perfect guide as we venture through Europe. But yeah, more about Berlin. So we took the bus to the hotel, and wow it was so beautiful. Apparently it's the second tallest building in Berlin, but I really loved the area around it. Essentially the area used to be the heart of West Berlin, filled with plenty of coffee shops and restaurants. So since we had a few minutes until our rooms were ready, naturally we decided to go exploring to find a restaurant. I guess the area near our resturant was very touristy, but we couldn't find a German place to save our lives. So many American, Italian, and surprisingly Chinese restaurants. But eventually, we found a really nice place. With the clock running until we had to head back, we quickly ordered. I got something called Weigwurster, which translates to roughly white sausage. And it was really really good. Definitely worth it. But yeah after that we moved in, and then we met the rest of the group to tour the city. In roughly 3 hours, we traveled around 10,000 steps, and saw the Holocaust Memorial, the Brandenburg Gate, and some random churches. But it was so beautiful, and it felt amazing to walk so much. When we got back we were treated to dinner at the hotel, and after that we again headed out to walk. One thing I was surprised by was how different the atmosphere changed from afternoon to evening. It went from relaxed to electrically charged. Very cool. Also by the way, I'll be posting all of these pictures in the My Travels section tomorrow, and I'll probably add them into the post later too. But yeah, and then here comes my favorite part of the day. So after we came back, as I was really tired, I took some sort of weird dysfunctional nap. But after I woke up I met up with my friend Konstantin. A bit of a backstory, I actually met him when I was volunteering in Nepal, and we became fast friends. So it was amazing to meet him again. He took me to this very local German rooftop club, and we just relaxed looking out at the view. What a night to remember. But yeah I think I'm gonna end this post with that idea in mind. Two old friends talking to each other after several years, unmoored in the sky, as an entire metropolitan city moves beneath them. What a first day. Peace!
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AuthorI am just a guy in my 20s trying to find my way in life. I love to write short stories and also document the wonderful world around me! Be prepared for a lot of pictures! Archives
November 2022
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