Monthly Archives: September 2012

Berlin to Groningen

Posted on by
Reply

I had decided to move on. Berlin was no longer the place to be…

My new friend, Nils, had dropped me off at the station and I was now on my way through “currywurst und pilsner”-land. Despite German efficiency, I almost didn’t make my transfer in Oldenburg. Maybe the calming effects of the liberal cannabis laws in the Netherlands had to do with it. I don’t know, but I do know that they waited for us (the arriving passengers – thumbs up, DB bahn!)

PS. I think everyone should be able to speak English. I was amazed to meet people in the service sector, who didn’t speak English. Come oooooon!! We live in the 21st century. In Europe. It’s part of being a citizen on this planet. Learn English…. or lock yourself in a dungeon. Thank you.

PPS. I arrived in Groningen without a scratch. ;)

Berlin

Posted on by
Reply

Still not having the slightest clue about where I was, I woke up to blue skies and a beautiful, shining sun. Yay! The rough winds and lower temperatures of the North had stayed behind me and I was now enjoying the climate of the “South”. ;)

I didn’t have to walk for long before I encountered my first interesting site: Topography of terror (Ps. It’s free!) Here I walked along about a hundred meters of the old wall. Before I knew it, I had spend an entire hour by the wall reading about the terrors of the Nazis. Actually, the very site itself gave me goosebumps when I saw the wall. (Check the pictures) After a couple of deep breaths, I moved inside the newly-built museum (Also free). This building actually sits on top of the site, where some of the most important institutions of the Nazi regime were housed. This included Gestapo, the Reich SS Leadership, the Security Service of the SS and the Reich Security Main Office. Amazing. In total I spent 1,5 hours there and it was worth it.

Then I continued up north through the Holocaust monument and the memorial to the homosexuals, who were persecuted during the Nazi era.

Berlin offers a lot of interesting experiences if you “get off the beaten track”. In its very literal sense this is of course difficult, however, taking a random right or left turn once in a while can yield some very nice experiences. One of these random turns got me to Mauer Park. This showed to be the coolest place to be on a sunny Sunday. (Berlin is completely shut down on Sundays.) I went through the “park”, which is actually more like a half-barren grass field, and immediately felt like I was at Roskilde Festival (except Mauer Park doesn’t smell like a dirty toilet). Moving on, I found myself in a market (usually on squares) again and again. This is apparently how the Berliners like to spend their Sundays, when all the shops are closed. (Really cool!)

Luckily, Berlin wasn’t completely demolished during the war. There are still many beautiful (old) buildings to visit. One of them is the Zionskirche, which is in very bad condition (inside – see pictures) but has a beautiful view from the tower. (Can be accessed for 1€)

Another of my random turns led me into a backyard, where a photo gallery was situated. I had just missed the gay exhibition but the place was still stacked with very very cool photos. (They were not all about gay people) :)

Berlin has much to offer. My current trip is about trying new things and following the flow. I don’t plan much and I trust in randomness. This way of life possible (and interesting) in Berlin. But the city also offers big shops, department stores, trendy cafés and restaurants, if that is the purpose of your stay. Berlin surely has a lot of diversity.

Here is a small anecdote about staying alert and not trusting too much in people:

I was approached by a young girl (probably 12-13 years old) who didn’t talk. She pointed to a block of paper (the ones you use when filling out surveys) and some text stating that she was from an organization of deaf/mute children. They would like a donation. I didn’t give anything and wasn’t sure if I was just being cheap and selfish. I walked on, but looked back and saw the girl being joined by two other youngsters. They talked to her and she answered. The girl continued on “asking” people for money, but quickly hid her block of paper, when a police car drove by. I guess sometimes the truth is just 20 seconds ahead.

Germany is really a cake and wurst country. They sell cake and German sausages everywhere. :)

I decided to go to Groningen (Netherlands) to visit a friend from the summer school in Helsinki. I felt like drinking a beer with a friend. After checking out I went to the area where “my” turkish place was, but I wanted to try something new. I went around the corner and found a place that served Nepalese food. I asked a guy, who was sitting outside, what he was having and he invited me to join him. On the evening of leaving Berlin, I had made a new friend. He even gave me a ride to the train station. Amazing how friendly and open people are sometimes!

I was now on my way to Groningen

Aarhus to Berlin

Posted on by
Reply

After returning to my home from a great time in Gothenburg, I was eager to leave ASAP.

I decided to try something new (it’s kind of the main theme for this journey), so I was dropped off by my dad at the on-ramp to the motorway south of my home town. I got out my sign with the text “SOUTH” and hoped for the best. The time was approx. 12:00.

After only 5-10 minutes a mother and her daughter pulled over! YAY! However, their destination was 50 km south of my town. Well… Every little bit helps. But wow, they were so kind – when they dropped me off at an on/off-ramp, they gave me their number and told me I should call if I didn’t get a ride by that evening. The time was 12:34.

Not knowing what to expect I took out my sign and after 3 minutes a young woman and her little daughter pulled over. (Did I sleep on a mattress of four-leaved clovers the night before or what??) They were also just about 50 km from their destination, but I was happy. They dropped me off at an on/off-ramp (which is your best choice when hitchhiking close to the motorway) The time was 13:12.

I actually didn’t know what to think now. I had gotten to Kolding in just about an hour, but stories from my friends about 6 hours of waiting just kept lurking in the back of my head. The area I was standing at was not as good as the two first. The cars didn’t really have a place to stop, but I got my sign out and kept a positive attitude (and a SMILE on my face). I stood there for 5 minutes! Come oooooon! What is up with people? :) A woman picked me up and she was going to a town very close to the border. She even did a detour to drop me off at a more attractive spot. The time was 14:00.

I was on a roll now – three times in a row with practically NO wait. I was confident…. But after some time, I realized that this spot might not be as good for hitching a ride to Hamburg or Berlin (which was the text on my sign now). I started walking with my backpack on and the sign in my hand. After 30-40 minutes I was at the LAST on-ramp to the motorway before Germany and there were no cars. What to do, what to do?, I asked myself. It’s illegal to walk along the motorway, so that wasn’t really an option, but then I found a small road leading to some farms just by the border. I went down the road and into the fields following the motorway, which was just on the other side of some bushes. As I was walking and quickly getting closer to the Danish-German border, I felt like a real explorer (and kind of like a fugitive at the same time!) – especially when I had to crawl through bushes and trees to get to the first parking lot past the border. Finally in Germany! Now I just had to find a ride.. Looked around. Only busses. Crap! And there was no on/off-ramp in sight. But then I saw a man exiting the cafeteria and getting into his car (how could I have missed that?). I quickly got my sign out and he stopped. HE STOPPED! He was going to Hamburg. *snif snif* Aaah – I just love the smell of success! The time was 15:35.

After a very nice trip (with a lot of 70′s music on high volume) through northern Germany, I reached my initial goal: Hamburg. Our journey through the musical universe was rounded off by the first half of Adele’s album. What a change of genre. Anyway… The man dropped me off at a very big roundabout, where all cars driving to(wards) Lübeck and Berlin would be passing through. Perfect! The time was 17:15.

I was about to hitch my first ride in Germany (although the ride from the border technically was from Germany, it doesn’t count.) Standing in a busy roundabout for 25 minutes not knowing if it would be possible to get a ride a saturday evening and realizing that the temperatures were dropping, I suddenly had a new shiny black Mercedes Benz in front of me with two guys in it. They were going to Berlin but their English skills weren’t that good. What the heck, I thought to myself, a ride is a ride (and vice versa! – Right dad?) ;)

Having thought that I probably wouldn’t get to Berlin that day, I hadn’t actually been doing any “home work” about the city. Consequently, I arrived in Berlin without the slightest clue about where I was or where they were taking me. I then saw myself in Schöneberg waiting with one of the guys for the other to get his girlfriend. After a little while the guy came back (without the girl) and we were ready to go. I still didn’t have ANY clue about which part of the city I was in or where we were going, so I was on the edge of my seat (In a good way though) and just had to trust them. They dropped me off in Kreutzberg at a hostel called Metropolis, where the Kebab/Döner place just outside had a 100 meter queue. This had to be good! The time was 20:20.

I was here. In BERLIN! After just 8 hours (and we even got stuck in a traffic jam around Berlin) Wauw!!

After checking in I walked around the area and asked a waiter at a café, if they had food. Only snacks but if I was interested in really good Turkish food he knew a place just around the corner. And geeh! Was he right. I hadn’t eaten since 10:00 that morning, so getting some chow and a beer took me to paradise and back. WOW.

Finished my walk around the block and went to bed. In a dorm. For the first time. In my life.

Zzzzz….

 

PS. If you are going to stay at a hostel, there are several ways to get some sort of discount. Usually you save money by booking online. Registering at the booking sites can sometimes grant you a “no booking fee” discount. However, if you, like I did, arrive without a reservation walk around in the reception (as ninja-like as you can) and check if they have flyers that gives you a discount. Metropolis has them at the desk and they give you 10%. If the above is not working for you use your mouth. Talk! Try everything. Student, traveling for a long time, had the place recommended by friend, returning customer, your pet is sick. What ever you can think of.. and for Xanus sake (if you don’t get it, check my “random things” page) SMILE!!

The hostel I stayed at (Metropolis) had comfy beds and breakfast included. It kept me full all day and the things to choose from were numerous – even for a person who, like me, doesn’t eat grains. Yes, that includes bread. And cereal. Correct.