BErLiN iS oFF tHe WaLL

When we first arrived in Berlin we were overwhelmed by the size of this city. We new there was magic to be found, but we didn’t know exactly where to first look in this gigantic city that was once divided by East and West.

It has created an urban world of mystery and enchantment from a vicious history of war and division from Cold War. Decrepit buildings are etched with art and graffiti, creating a city filled with color and artistic expression.

The abundance of youth storm the streets in the Summertime after bearing the burden of hunkering down through harsh Winters. Berliners are alive, bustling in the streets and parks, and partying until sunrise is the norm.

We first stayed in a gigantic hostel called the Aletto Kudamm Hotel & Hostelin in West Berlin. Fantastic hostel, but more of a gigantic hostel then a gathering place where traveler’s lounge together in community spaces. The bed included buffet breakfast was the best I have seen in Europe.

I was impressed with the transit system here as the metro was extensive and accurate, and there was the street tram and bus.

Although it is a big city, you can get anywhere you want very fast and cheap. Furthermore, on the weekends the metro runs 24 hours around the clock.

We played a show in Berlin at Kater Holzig on a beautiful, sunny Saturday.

On the weekends, Kater Holzig is an open flea market with handcrafted bohemian goods and art. There are various kiosks with great food, drinks, and ice cream.

Pünamí swapped sets back and forth with an energetic soul band.

We couldn’t have asked for a better venue to perform in Berlin. We connected with so many great people. Kater Holzig transforms itself at night into a booming, popular nightclub. Sometimes it can be challenging to get pass the door man and make an entrance as they are unpredictably picky.

I moved out of my hostel and was invited to stay with a local friend, Vanessa, who I met years ago while living in Cadiz, Spain.

Vanessa was an amazing host, giving me keys to her apartment and inviting me out to go wakeboarding and skiing on Lake Wannsee on Sunday.

Her good friend, Jochen, has a beautiful house on the lake with a cool boat and jet ski.

There was an armada of sailboats and motorboats on the lake enjoying the day.

After exhausting ourselves on the lake, we went back to Jochen’s place and cooked pizza.

I love how European friends cook together and hang in the kitchen. We ate on the balcony with a great view of the lake – I couldn’t have asked for a better Sunday.

Vanessa also showed me around town a bit, taking me to Mauerpark and the remnants of the Berlin Wall.

There were plenty of performers and bands in Mauerpark.

I also went for a long walk by myself exploring Museum Island and Hackescher Market.

Berlin is such an amazing city filled with such great artistic energy and fantastic food. Vanessa and I had dinner out our last night at a very popular Thai Restaurant called Monsieur Vuong.