Berlin, Germany

Berlin has always been a destination on our list of places we definitely want to visit while living in Europe. Since it is close, though, and relatively easy to get to, we've been putting it off. This month, we had the incentive we needed to finally plan the trip. Our friends, Josh and Mitch, were stopping by Berlin as part of their trip around the world (yes, literally around the world... wow!). We decided to meet up with them this weekend and explore the city together.

For us, it is about a 7 hour train ride from Rotterdam. The trip went surprisingly fast, I think mostly because we were excited about getting there. Our hotel turned out to be in a great location, and was only 60 Euro a night (including a private bathroom). It was right next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche (Memorial Church). This church was bombed in WWII, and left in it's post-bombing state as a silent reminder of the impact of war. We could hear the church bells chiming from our hotel room. A memorial was built next to the church, with blue stained glass covering all of the walls.

Our hotel was also on the southwest corner of the huge Tiergarten which is an expansive intercity park which larger than Central Park in NYC. In the center ring if the park, there is a golden statue of the goddess Victoria on top of a large pillar, which locals affectionately call 'chick on a stick.' Unfortunately she was under scaffolding, so we couldn't see it. We arrived in Berlin a day before the guys, so we explore the shops in our area and parts of the huge garden. We found a nice beer-garden hidden in the park. The back deck area overlooked a small lake, and was lined with the typical long wooden tables and benches, with white strings of lights strung between the trees, making for some cool ambiance.

On Friday, we all put on our sightseeing caps and headed into the Mitte (middle) area of the city, formerly in East Berlin. First, we headed to the Sony Center, which is a plaza in between several buildings that is covered with a modern glass ceiling. The ceiling is pointed in the center with large tarps hanging down, and resembles a circus tent, especially with the changing colors at night.

Nearby, we passed the Holocaust Memorial. This was a very interesting memorial, consisting of hundreds of large, rectangular, cement pillars lined up in a perfect grid, but all with varying heights. The ground itself is sloped as you walk through the pillars, so you end up being submersed & surrounded by them. Underneath the entire area is a memorial museum, which was very impacting and sobering, and helped to put things in perspective and remind us of exactly what happened during the war.

Walking further down the street we came upon the famous Brandenburg Gate. Since this happened to be the weekend of the 20th anniversary of the official reunification of East & West Berlin, they were having a huge festival, and the gate was surrounded by fences, a music stage, and various vendors. It is quite a large gate, and you can almost picture troops marching through the pillars.

We walked up the famous street Under den Linden, and up to the Berlin Dom. It is a massive and beautiful cathedral. We went up in the top of the Dom, which provides a great 360 degree aerial view of Berlin. You can get an especially good view of the TV Tower, which shows a cross when sunlight hits it (a secret addition from the Swedish engineers who built it on commission by the 3rd Reich).

We went to the Newton Bar, rated one of the best bars in all of Berlin. German-born photographer Helmut Newton's giant photos of naked ladies adorned an entire wall. It had nice comfy leather chairs, and a huge drink menu. Next we went to the Augustiner Brewery, where we had a couple Mass of Oktoberfest beer, pretzels, and crispy pork knuckle (Chad's dinner).

This night was our epic adventure to find The Green Door. The whole journey to find the city's number one ranked bar is not worth explaining because it's sort of a 'you had to be there' moment. But to give a brief synopsis, we were originally turned away at the locked door by a large German lady that said, "No Way." To our pleasure, though, we were validated and granted entrance an hour later (after two 'courage' beers at the bar next door, haha).

On Saturday, we went to see Checkpoint Charlie. This was the border between the American and Soviet sectors of the city. There is still a little checkpoint booth in the middle of the road, and a large white sign that says "You are now leaving the American Sector," in English, Russian, French and German. We went in the museum there which gives details and shows actual articles from the wall, and all of the ways people tried to go through, under and over it. Nearby, we also saw a huge portion of The Wall that was on display.

Everywhere you turn in this city, you are reminded of just how much history is around you. We walked to Bebelplatz, where the huge book burnings took place during WWII. On the ground in the middle of the plaza is a plaque that reads "Where books are burned, in the end people will burn." The most interesting part of this quote is that it is from 1820, more than 100 years before the Nazi regime. There is also a window down into a small room in the ground with four walls of empty white bookshelves.

After wandering around the festival by the Brandenburg Gate for a bit, we headed out of the Mitte into the old East Berlin area. This was such a lovely neighborhood area with beautiful gilding on the houses, parks, and cafes & trees lining the streets. There are also quite a lot of old warehouses in this area, some formerly bombed out, that have now been converted into bars, clubs and restaurants.

On Sunday morning, before we went to the train station, Chad and I managed to wake up early and head to the Reichtstag (had to be there before 8 am to beat the crowds from the tour buses). The building is a massive old stone government building where the German Parliament sits. After most of it burned during the war, it was renovated, and recently they added a huge glass dome on the top which overlooks the parliament. This dome symbolizes the transparency of the democratic government.

We highly recommend Berlin to anyone considering a trip to Germany. We really had a great time this weekend, not only seeing this incredible city, but catching up with old friends. We did a ton of sightseeing, but we also spent a lot of time talking, laughed a ton, and retelling old stories, which is always great. It's nice to sharing experiences like this with good friends. Hopefully we'll be able to do more of this in our last year here.

-S

See lots of more pics on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanickmoses/sets/72157624987578767/with/5060167807/

Brouwerij de Molen Beer Festival

The Brouwerij de Molen (Brewery Mill) is one of the best Dutch breweries in Holland. Chad has been in love with their beer for two years, since we first discovered it at the Dutch beer bar, 't Arden's Nest, in Amsterdam. Their bottles all have a plane white label, with the windmill logo, and list contents and facts, along with their interesting names like "Bloed Zweet en Tranen" (Blood, Sweat, and Tears), and "Ziel & Zaligheid" (Soul and Salvation).

We were happy to learn that they hold an annual beer festival at their brewery in Bodegraven, near Gouda. So, this weekend we went there with our fellow American beer lovers, Jake, Erin, Tim & Becky. At the festival, you get a small souvenir tasting glass, and tokens which you use to buy samples of the different beers (of which there were over 100!).

This year they held a contest between all of the visiting breweries. Each brewer made their own version of de Molen's "Vuur & Vlam" beer (Fire and Flame). You could sample each of the varieties, and then vote on your favorite. It was interesting to taste the differences each had, even though they used the same general recipe. I personally liked the original from de Molen the best.

While the Belgians are probably better known internationally for their wide varieties of beer, the Dutch can also make some damn tasty brews themselves. Who knew? We had a blast sampling the local spirits, and the background of the windmill and canal made it a perfectly Dutch afternoon.

-S

More pics on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanickmoses/sets/72157625036711452/with/5025467635/

World Harbor Days

Tis the season for festivals in Rotterdam. The 33rd annual Wereldhavendagen (World Harbor Days) was held this weekend along the Mass river. Tons of boats and activities line the entire riverfront and harbors (Veerhaven, Leuvenahven, & Oudehaven).

Most of the activities are right outside our doorstep, between the Erasmusbrug & the Euromast. They have boats of all sizes, including large military, shipping & construction boats. You can tour most of the larger vessels, and even go on the bridge & talk to the captain.

The Royal Navy gave a demonstration on how they handle hostage situations on boats. Some fake pirates came up to a boat and took them hostage. The people on the boat even put their hands up in the air. Then, a naval helicopter swoops in from across the river, drops a line, and several men in full combat gear repel down the line and onto the boat, taking it over from the pirates. There was some fake gunfire and explosion sounds thrown in for good measure. It's pretty fun to watch. Then, all of the guys attach themselves to the repel line from the helicopter & it flies back and forth around the river while all the men are hanging on the line. I think that is the coolest part.

Saturday we met up with our friends to walk around & check things out. Then Jake & Erin came back to our place for some pizza and football, as this was the opening weekend for college football (woohoo!). At 10, we all met up again and went down to the river to watch the fireworks display.

Then on Sunday, Linda and Arjen made their first trip to Rotterdam with Tomas (Lukas is too young). We also met up with Dom & Caron & their two daughters, Daisy & May. This day was much different than Saturday, because we got to see things through the kids eyes. It was interesting. Everything they saw was fascinating: firetrucks, large & small boats, police men, shipping equipment, etc. There were also some boats that can be used to put out fires on ships or buildings, and they shot a stream of water so high that it was sometimes taller than the nearby skyscrapers!
Since we live in the city with the largest port in Europe, and the second largest in the world, it's nice to be able to take advantage of the local industry. We've enjoyed walking around this festival each year, touring the ships, and seeing all of the boats on the water. As it looks like this will be our last September in Rotterdam (*gasp*), we definitely took full advantage of the opportunity, and the great weather, this year.

-S

Check out more pics on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanickmoses/sets/72157624792145249/

UPC (still) Sucks

Preface: Chad recommended that I wait a few days from this original incident, to let myself cool down a bit. So, I have... but my post hasn't changed, haha.

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As the name of our internet router suggests, UPS SUCKS. The lovely cable & internet provider for millions of unhappy customers in the Netherlands has again proved they are the best, at being the worst.

I’ll try to make this long, boring & complicated story short.

1. We shared a cable/internet subscription with our upstairs neighbor, Simo. We have one account, one modem, and two cable boxes


2. Simo was moving back to Finland end of August


3. Simo & Chad both called UPC Customer Service (at 10 cents/min) a total of three times, to confirm that they understood that only One of the Two cable boxes was being returned, and the other box, along with the whole account, should be left active


4. Each time the CS agent assured them this would happen as they wished, and the account would not be cancelled


5. September 1: the entire account was cancelled, and we have no cable, and soon to be no internet


6. Chad calls CS again. Not happy (understatement). 20 minute conversation later, it seems our only option is to return our current cable box and modem, because they cannot reactivate our old account, and then we must go to the UPC store downtown, open a new account, and pick up a new cable box and modem

Let me make sure that is clear, so you can understand how ridiculous it is. We currently have a cable box and a UPC modem in our apartment. They cannot do anything with these boxes, cannot reactivate them or transfer them to a new account. We must mail them back. Then we must go to the store and get new ones, along with a new account. GAH!

Every time something like this happens I think to myself, “I should no longer be surprised by stuff like this.” But, each time I am. My brain can’t comprehend their lack of common sense.

Chad was then transferred to the complaints department, and luckily spoke to a very calming lady. She took down the complaint for the two CS agents who assured Simo that the account would not be cancelled. She also promised to refund us the charge for the CS calls, since they did not resolve our issue, as well as refund us the new setup charge we will have to pay for our new account.

The silver lining to all of this hassle, is that when Chad signed up for a new account we also got 6 months free of the Film 1 channel, because of a promotion they were running.

-S

Bavaria City Racing

Once again, Rotterdam hosted the Bavaria City Racing demonstrations. And, as can usually be predicted for a festival day, it rained. haha. Nevertheless, it's fun to go and see.

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They have Formula One & Grand Prix cars, as well as giant racing trucks (I don't know their official name). They close off the major streets in the city center between the red bridge and the Hofplein fountain circle, and people line the streets to watch. The cars really make such a loud noise when they speed by!

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I suppose if you're really into cars, you might find this a bit more interesting than we do, but it gives our friends an excuse to get together and have some drinks on a Sunday afternoon. ;)

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-S

Ahh… weekends in Europe; Part Twee

It’s been a while since I’ve written about a random weekend day that we’ve had in Holland. This Saturday was a wonderful day, and the weather was lovely (a.k.a. warm and sunny, which is what it should be in August, but rarely is here).

We decided to forgo the gym so that we’d have more time to relax. We had a bit of good luck to start the day off, because we needed to take our bikes in for some minor adjustments, and were able to do so quickly and easily. This may not seem like a big deal, but these types of things are big victories for us, because typically things that should be “quick and easy” here are difficult, frustrating, and take forever.

We then took a stroll around the market in the city center. We didn't buy anything, but I still like to look at all of the displays of fruit, fish, bread, and everything else you can imagine from bicycle parts to clothes to furniture.

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Because the weather was so nice, it was absolutely packed. So we quickly made our way over to our favorite bagel shop (and the only one in Rotterdam), Bagels and Beans. We sat on the terrace & enjoyed our bagel with cream cheese & coffee. Chad had his favorite: multigrain bagel with honey walnut cream cheese. And, I had mine: everything bagel with sun dried tomato cream cheese. Lekker!

The weather was so nice, that we decided to bike out to the lake in Kralingen, on the east side of Rotterdam. We first stopped by Albert Heijn (the grocery store) to pick up a couple cold beers. We biked once around the lake and found a bench in a beautiful area near the bridges, windmills & trees. We sat and talked for a couple hours and had a couple beers. It was really relaxing.

On the way back to our place we heard the loud horn of the giant cruise ship that was parked in the river. This typically means that they are calling for everyone to get on board because the ship is leaving. So, we biked down to Veerhaven (just down the block from our apartment) and found a spot in the grass to sit and watch with the other people that had gathered. The ship is really huge in the water, and taller than most of the buildings on the shore. When it turns around it takes up the entire width of the river. We waved at the people on board, and they waved back. :)

That night we met up with Erin & Jake to watch the movie Inception. Great movie, and it provides a lot to debate about afterwards. We had some drinks at O’Sheas and then called it a night. Keep in mind, everything we did today was within walking or biking distance from our apartment.

Now that we are in our last year here, I’m starting to think about things that I am going to miss when we leave. Days like today are definitely one of those things. Simple but great.

-S

More pics on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanickmoses/sets/72157624924274286/with/4976473659/

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

(and buses, trams, metros, boats, bikes...)

People often ask us how we travel around to so many different countries, when we don't know where to go, and don't speak the language. I thought I'd share some of the tips and tricks that we’ve learned that help us plan our trips. Maybe you’ll find them helpful.

(*Note: now that Chad is equipped with an iPhone, many of these things are much easier to do now. However, I’ve listed the “old fashioned” non-iPhone methods for those of you (such as myself) who are still in the stone ages.)

Everyone likes to prepare in different ways when they travel. Some what to know every detail, others just hop on a plane and wing it (no pun intended). Me? I'm a PLANNER! This involves lists, reservations, researching the area, etc. Lists make me happy. :) Chad is a good balance for me because he reminds me to keep a certain amount of spontaneity in our trips. The times when we just wander around a new city without any plan or agenda are usually some of the best experiences we have.

I apologize that this is a bit of a long post, but once I get going, it’s sometimes hard to stop myself. Here’s what I’ll lay out for you:
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• Picking a Location
• Determining How to Get There
• Finding a Place to Stay
• Planning the Fun
• Handling the Languages
• Arriving and Getting Around
• Our #1 Travel Rule

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Picking a Location

This is the fun part. For us, we have such a long wish-list of places to visit that it is easy to identify the options, but it is sometimes also hard to decide because they are all so nice. The countries closest to us, and therefore easiest to travel to, are the Western European & Scandinavian countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, UK, Norway, Sweden, Finland, etc.

There are the usual famous cities to see (Paris, London, Rome, etc). But, we also like to see some of the smaller, less touristy cities. When we went to Paris, we also rented a car to drive up to see the beaches at Normandy. Our first trip to Italy, we went to the tiny coastal villages of Cinque Terre. When we went to Barcelona, we planned an extra four days to relax on the island of Mallorca. And so on. Sometimes, getting out of the big cities, or at least out of their centers, is the best way to get a more authentic feeling of what an area is really like.
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Determining How to Get There

Some countries like Belgium, France, Germany, and even the UK, we can easily reach by train. Others, while physically accessible by train, are much quicker to get to by flying. For example, you could spend 20 hours traveling by train if you really wanted to get to Italy that way, but it’s more time efficient to hop on a 2 hour flight. So, I first look up how long the train ride would be, and weigh the time & cost with that of a flight.

To check the train schedules, you often have to look at the country’s own website. For the Netherlands, it is NS.nl, which we are very familiar with. But, if we are taking the train to Germany, we may need to also check their website.

How do we do this? First, I’d throw the words “German rail” into Google Translate (my Favorite Google feature!) It returns the German words “Deutsch Bahn,” which I then throw into Google. The first hit happens to be the correct one: bahn.de. Luckily, most of the country specific train sites have an “English” button at the top to switch the language to English.

Usually, when we are booking multiple country train travel, we first check the times and prices online, and then we go to the train station to buy the tickets directly from the ticket office. For some reason which we don’t understand, they always seem to use their magic powers to find cheaper options than what we see on the website.
If we decide a city is too far to go by train, then we look into flights. Two great search sites are Kayak.com & Momondo.com. However, Europe also has a few discount airlines which make hopping from country to country very cheap, and these don’t always show up on the search sites. Ryan Air and Easy Jet are the two most common. These airlines sometimes don’t fly to the major airports, because this helps them to save money. For example, when we flew to Cambridge, we flew out of Eindhoven, instead of Amsterdam’s Schiphol.
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Finding a Place to Stay

After we’ve chosen where we’re going, we look for a place to stay. Our favorite website to find cheap hotels is booking.com, but we’ve also used hotels.com, cheaphotels.com, and the like. A simple Google search for “hotels in Paris” will also do the trick.

We may also check out the local hostels, which can be a wonderfully cheap option. Two of the many websites are hostelworld.com, or hostels.com. Contrary to popular believe, you don’t always have to share a bedroom and bathroom in a hostel. Often times you can book an entire room with a private bathroom all to yourself. Sure, the room may have 4-6 beds in it, but who cares. We are only sleeping there, and we are out exploring most of the day.

It is also important to know that the place you are staying is not a roach motel, or on a sketchy street, so before booking, we always check tripadvisor.com. It is a great website that houses a collection of unbiased personal reviews, from people that have actually stayed there before. You can get an idea if the place is ‘as advertised’ on their website, or if you should avoid it and find another place. I also try to do my part and write brief hotel reviews after our trips.
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Planning the Fun

When we first moved to Holland, we bought a 'Let’s Go, Western Europe' book. It’s a very thick book, but we just cut out the pages from the city we are going to, and only take those with us. It also has some helpful city & metro maps. This book offers a lot of suggestions including places to eat, sites to see, and things to do.

For the larger trips to Paris & Barcelona (and Amsterdam because we are there all the time), we bought a book called 'Top 10.' This has lists of the top 10 of everything in each section of the city (i.e. museums, parks, restaurants, tapas bars, pubs, city views, etc). Trip Advisor is also a good place to see reviews on the top activities that people enjoy in a city.

We usually do a bit of research and identify the main things that we really don’t want to miss. Then we also leave plenty of time open & unplanned, so we can stroll around without a map, get lost, and find some of our own hidden treasures. Like I said above, these are usually our most memorable experiences.
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Handling the Languages

Yes, it is true that most people in Europe know at least a little bit of basic English, and many speak it fluently. However, we don’t like to take advantage of this if we don’t have to. It feels like cheating. Plus, you will not get as much of an authentic experience if you don’t try to speak the native language.

(*Tip: Do remember, that no matter where you are, people can understand what you are saying because you speak English, so no bad mouthing or gossiping at any time.)

Now, obviously we can’t learn 10+ languages fluently in a matter of days. But, we do learn a few simple words and phrases that get us through 95% of the situations we encounter.

You’d be surprised how far you can get with just:

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• Hello
• Goodbye
• Please
• Thank you (very much)
• Where is… (the toilet)
• I would like…
• How much…
• The bill, please
• Numbers 1-10
  

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While we are on the plane or train traveling to the country, we will try to study & familiarize ourselves with these, and other simple words. Also, in our Let’s Go book, there are usually a couple of pages of phrases & words, which we carry around with us. Then, we can check the pages for a quick reference before we need to order food or ask for something. We usually practice saying it to each other first, which can be quite funny. We say the same word or phrase over and over until we think it sounds ‘right.’

Many times we don’t pronounce thing perfectly, or we are using the incorrect word order, but it is rarely a problem. The people we have encountered always appreciate that we are giving forth the effort to try to speak to them in their own language. They are happy to help correct us, or teach us how to say something, or even switch to English if needed.

I always try to consider being in their position. If someone came up to you in the US and just started speaking French, you would look at them like they were crazy, & maybe even be offended because they are in your country and not speaking your language. However, if someone is at least trying to communicate to you in English, even if it’s bad pronunciation or grammar, you will be more sympathetic towards that person and very willing to help them try to find what they need.

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Arriving and Getting Around

I think one of the toughest parts of the whole trip is when you first step off of the plane or train in the new city. It can be slightly overwhelming to see all of the signs in the new language, and a bit tricky at first to get yourself orientated. Usually if you walk around you can find a public map of where you are, and this will help to at least identify which way is North.

If you’ve planned ahead, you can really help yourself out by having a printout of walking, or public transport, directions from the airport or train station to your hotel. And for you iPhoners… don’t bet on the fact that you will have wifi or internet available right away, even when you plug in that local sim card, so paper printouts are still the safest bet.

Once you have checked into your hotel or hostel, it’s smooth sailing from there. This will be your home base, and you can then figure out how to get to everywhere else from this location. They will also usually have a helpful map of the city, highlighting the main attractions and public transport stops. Now go out and put those new language skills to use!

Figuring out the local public transportation can also be tricky. Each city is different, but generally all follow the same general format. You normally purchase tickets beforehand, from a machine (if it has an English option), or from a ticket office. Sometimes for buses you will purchase them directly from the driver, but not always. Then, make sure you are going in the right direction by checking the map for the name of the last stop on the line towards where you want to go, and hop on board the one that is headed in that direction.

For trams, metros & buses you normally scan or stamp your card when you get on and off. Other times, like on a train, you just get on and sit down, and an attendant will come around and check that you have a ticket. Public transport is generally very efficient, cheap (much cheaper than a taxi), and gets you exactly where you need to go.

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And finally, I want to share one last thing with you:

Our #1 Travel Rule

#1. Don’t complain.

We adopted this rule early on, and we’re glad that we did. The point of traveling to another country is to experience something New. This means that not everything will be the same as what you are used to. Besides, wouldn’t it be boring if everything was the same?

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• Hotels, shops, and restaurants may not have A/C
• You may not get ice in your glass every time
• Service may be slow
• The TV channels and movies won't be in English (*gasp*)
• Your US credit card may not work in every restaurant or store
• When you ask for water, you will likely have to pay for a bottle instead of getting free tap water
• They may not have the foods you are used to
• People don’t clean up after their dogs, so watch your step
• The local foods may look strange (Try it anyway!)
• The ticket machine may only take local bank cards or credit cards
• Public transport may be late or cancelled, or just completely crowded & hot
• People may push or bump into you more, as their personal space may be much different than in other places
• Lines may be long
  

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Not complaining is not an easy thing to do at first. But, simply starting to become aware of when you complain, and gently pointing out to your travel partner when they do, is a great start. In the end, it makes the trip that much more positive and enjoyable for everyone.

It has also helped us to really expand our capacity to be patient, which will help us no matter where we go next in life (including *eh hem* possibly New Hampshire).

I guess if we had a #2 travel rule, it would be to Have Fun. But, for us that goes without saying. ;)

HAPPY TRAVELS!

-S