Being only a few hours from the Dutch border, bikes were all the rage in Munster - we got some sweet ones and headed around the student city with Pepita showing us the cathedrals (there were so many!) and the pretty old streets.
When it's sunny everyone goes to the lake to hang out. We were a bit confused by this as the lake isn't actually clean enough to swim in. It's like a form of torture - looking at it but not being able to get in it.
Frankfurt was next on the list, to visit Luke and relax for a few days. Compared with the last time we were in Frankfurt back in November, there were significantly more celsiuses in the air this time around, and the gluhwein had turned into apfelwein. We were starting to think Germany didn't do summer until now, and were happy to be proven wrong. The Germans themselves all seemed pretty excited about the good weather too, they were taking their clothes off all over the place and sunbathing wherever they could.
Felix got a bit carried away with the razor. From woolly mammoth to giant egg, in a matter of minutes.
Luke took us out to the Rheinesteig walking track not far from Frankfurt for a 22km stroll along the Rhine. Castles every 500m (literally) made for some lovely scenery.
This was our first urban tramping experience. It took a while to get used to the idea of tramping through towns and on tar-sealed roads, which we came across every few kilometres. When on a tramp, you shouldn't have to be mindful of traffic.
Although one benefit of urban tramping is the bonus activities along the way!
Our final German destination was, of course, Berlin. This was also our first stop in a while in which we didn’t know someone to stay with – thankfully we found a cheap hostel run by a bloke from the Wairarapa called Lindsay, who quickly became our pal. Lindsay had decorated the inside of his hostel with Maori carvings which he’d done himself with a chainsaw, he had a giant kiwi perched out the front, and the logo was a sheep. He was a pretty top bloke, full of quality banter and advice on the must-see sites of Berlin (most of them were night-clubs). Berlin is a rather unique place, with constant reminders of its dark past integrated with the arty, funky, lively atmosphere that East Berlin is infused with today. In some of the more underground/alternative parts of the city it was easy to forget that we were in Germany as it felt so different to much of the rest of the country, yet in the centre the iconic buildings and associated history screamed Germany. Both a fascinating and fun place, it seems like today is a great time to be visiting Berlin, and it is easily one of our favourite cities we’ve visited so far.
On a side note, our latest money saving initiative backfired rather disastrously. Everyone says not to pay for the metro in Berlin - 'cos they never check tickets. While this may work in many European cities, it turns out in Berlin it's not so easy to escape the ticket people, and if they catch you they'll be really mean, then charge you 40euro each.
Token pic in front of Brandenburg gate. We've been getting amongst the free walking tours recently, which are actually super interesting with funny stories weaved throughout. History is full of the lolz.
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, in central Berlin. A very simple but abstract design. No names, no explanations, just thousands of concrete slabs which seem to get taller (or does the ground sink lower?) as you walk further into it. Pretty effective and haunting.
On Saturday the 13th of July, 2013, Felix ate a sausage at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, Germany. When the historians write the history books they will no doubt leave this out, but it happened.
If you were to only visit one thing in Berlin, make it the East Side Gallery, the longest remaining part of the Berlin Wall today. It's the cheapest art gallery you'll ever visit, and you could easily spend hours perusing the amazing artwork along it. And of course for you history buffs out there (which we seem to be turning into) it's a pretty concrete reminder of the effect the Cold War had in Berlin.
One of the many flea markets in Berlin. Old records, bike parts, homemade clothing, jewellery, German books and tasty treats, all in the convenience of your local bombed-out war bunker.
Ich bin ein currywurst! Nomnomnomnomnomnom.
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