The Berlin Renaissance

           One thing that I know I'm going to do while in Germany is visit Berlin. My college is a few hours west of the city, and it's hard not to go to the capital if your in a different city. However, most people just stick with the Western side, the 'less sad side,' and the more accepted side of the capital. Ever since the Berlin wall was created during the Cold War not many people think of Eastern Berlin as a great place to go due to the influence of the USSR, but what they don't know is the cultural revolution that has gone through the city since the fall of the wall and the Soviet Union. Now the city is full of art, culture, and people finally expressing their feelings from their time confined, and what's even cooler is that in November the 20th anniversary will happen so hopefully something will still be going on around the time that I'm there.

           So East Berlin has some several cool attractions to see and appeal for students. Art students would love to go see the contemporary art made during the cold war and how it changed after that. You can see the difference between the more blocky, dark art during the occupation and the bright and colorful art of the more modern age. There are several galleries and museums dedicated to art alone. History majors will find their home with both WWII, WWI, and the Cold War museums as well as several other German history museums and libraries to visit. The cuisine, culture, music, and art are just a few things you can see during the trip there. The nighttime life is also very popular among younger crowds, so if you're more of a night owl then this is a good place to go. Clubs and popular hang out spots are all over the city, and what better way to see the people then to join them? So if you needed a good place to let off some steam it would be there. With Education in the morning, good food for lunch and dinner, and then a cool place to hang out at night where could you go wrong with Berlin?

           Travel is easy in Berlin. You can use trains or planes to get there as well as driving or traveling on a bus. Once in the city it would be very easy to walk to almost anywhere, drive if needed, or hail a taxi or bus to get you where you need to go. More often than not there are student discounts, if provided the proper documentation, that could get you a bus pass for the weekend without breaking the bank. Hostels are easy to grab and generally inexpensive, but hotels are also an option to stay in. Some things you have to see, if you're a history major like me, would be the Stasi Museum and Prison (which used to be the HQ for the secret police and a very chilling reminder of what was going on then), Museum Island (an 'island' of different museums that held everything from the cathedral, art museums, and history museums in an easily accessible area), and the Berlin Wall History Mile (a walk along the parts of the Berlin wall that still remains today). For night life there are several different clubs that are made up of everything from old places and wastelands of the Berlin Wall (like Kunshthaus Tacheles or Potsdamer Platz), to large chunks of courtyards that are busy full of shoppers in the morning and clubbers at night (like the Hackesche Hofe). Be sure to check out the local bars to sample some of the local beers (which come in as many flavors as you can think of), the currywurst (a more spicy version of sausage), Kartoffelsuppe (potato soup), Armer Ritter (a take on French toast), and sample the Berliner Wiesse (the Champagne of the North).  When you're ready to check in for the night EastSeven Berlin Hostel is a place to go; it's had several positive reviews and even won a few awards. A great way to save money would be to buy the 'Welcome to Berlin Card' which allows several discounted or free museum trips, maps, and discounts for food.

Tentative Itinerary:

Friday:

• Arrive 9 am
• Breakfast 9:30 am
• Check into hostel 10 am
• Check Point Charlie museum 11 am
• Lunch 3 pm
• Walk along Berlin Wall 4 pm
• Dinner 7 pm
• Free time 8 pm
• Sleep 10 pm

Saturday:

• Breakfast 8 am
• Museum Island 9 am
• Lunch 2 pm
• Stasi Museum 4 pm
• Dinner 7 pm
• Rest 8 pm
• Night life 12 am

Sunday

• Breakfast 9 am
• Check out 10 am
• Kunsthaus Tachel 11 am
• Lunch 2 pm
• Potsdammer Platz 3 pm
• Depart 6 pm

Price list:
EastSeven Berlin Hostel - about $42 per night
Food - Breakfast $3.80 - $8.86; lunch - $5.06 - $12.66; dinner - $8.86 - $18.99
Beer - $3.16 - $5.06 per drink
Nightlife - varies depending on person but about $6.33 - $15.19 for cover charges and $5.70 - $7.59 for cocktails
Walk along museums - generally free
Check Point Charlie - students - $12.03
Museum Island - student 3 day pass - $15.19
Kunsthaus Tacheles - varies depending on shop but anywhere between very cheap to very expensive. free to look around
Stasi Museum - students - $5.06
Potsdammer Platz - free
Metro/Bus - $1.90-$3.29.
All day bus pass - $8.48
Welcome to Berlin Card - $23.42

Overall Cost:
3 breakfasts average $6 each
3 lunches average $11 each with three beers average $12
2 diners average $15 each with two beers average $8
2 nights stay $42 each
Museum Island average $15
Stasi Museum - $5.06
Nightlife entry fee average $12 with one cocktail averaged $6

about $264.72 if getting everything