Reset search
Satellite
Search this area

Germany
Friedrichsfelde

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
  • TravelerChakra Shakers Eastern Europe
    1121
    Day 1

    Hello Berlin

    July 22, 2024 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    What a city Berlin is. It has such a free, accepting, non-judgemental vibe. Graffiti, squats, community living, no bras, no bling and of course vegan everything. The streets and parks are unbelievably clean, and the people are so laid back, welcoming and full of smiles and vivacity. It feels safe and wholesome.
    We arrived late at night but the train to the city centre was clean (apart from a pile of vomit), bright and on time. We decided to walk the 45 minutes to our home exchange. What a wonderful way to be initiated into Berlin. I soon realised that unlike in the UK or Portugal, I didn't need to scrutinise the dark pavement; there simply was NO dog mess to avoid even in the alleyways.
    I could talk for hours about the genius of the home exchange system. I often thought it was such a waste that homes are empty as people travel and we give our money to hotels living in impersonal boxes often without even a window. Home exchange is the answer!! We had received detailed instructions from our host Angel and easily found the key in the lockbox on the bicycle outside the apartment complex. It took some investigating to find the lift in the dark but then we were in his bright apartment and now it's our temporary home for a week, for free. It's perfect. All the work getting my home ready for home exchange was worthwhile. Watch out world, here we come!
    Our 1st full day in Berlin was spent just walking and absorbing the city, oh and putting Chakra Shaker (and Wild Flower) stickers up. The art on the old Berlin wall, the graffiti everywhere, the green parks, the bridges and canals. Free, earnest people just going about their business. No tourist shops or particularly obvious tourism.
    We wandered back towards the apartment through Kreuzberg, which is so, so cool and then happened upon a window display advertising events at 'Wild at Heart'. What a thrill to see our poster front and centre. A surreal twist for the squarest girl at school to be headlining on a Saturday night at the coolest club in the coolest zone of the coolest city! I was writing to Paul on the plane and said that I often feel numb, like I've been sleeping in snow. Well, playing rock n roll is the defrost, living in the microwave for a couple of hours.
    And the food report for the day is not entirely what I expected, but delicious. A marzipan croissant, green chilli fried chicken and a vinaigrette coleslaw.... and a delicious pasty stout..... and a cherry porter.
    We're meeting the incredibly generous Marcus from 'Frontal Uranus' today. He is not only providing us with drums and backline but is now also driving us to our gig tonight and setting up a show on Friday.... all in exchange for opening for us on Saturday night. We've never even met him. The contact came from Grimm, an old school, true punk friend of Joe's. Grimm has bent over backwards to help. Sadly, he's no longer in Germany, so we won't meet him. ... something to do with being arrested for wearing a Palestine style scarf.... maybe not such a free city after all!    Read more

  • TravelerBerlin break
    Day 3

    Day 3 - 23,861 steps

    August 16, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Last night we decided, with regret, that if we were going to enjoy the remainder of the holiday, we were going to have to spend some of our remaining time in two groups: one group consists of those people who can a) walk without grimacing, and b) rise from slumber before noon. The other group (let's call them the Warhammer club) consists of those who are not able to tick both boxes a) and b).
    So this morning saw Matthew and me heading off for the Hauptbahnhof (Berlin's main station) to fulfil our first task, which was to discover whether there was any feasibility to our "day trip to Leipzig" plan for Thursday. Lots of very helpful people in the ticket office and info places. At one point, I apologised for not speaking German. The reply was "You don't have to be sorry. Everyone in Berlin speaks English." However, it was going to take a lot longer and cost a lot more to get to Leipzig than previously thought, so reluctantly Matthew had to abandon his hopes of showing Thomas and me the highlights of the CYO's visit there last summer.
    However, the following couple of hours revealed Berlin in a much improved light and convinced him that we really ought to explore it more. We tubed to Museumsinsel and were immediately impressed by the grandeur of the buildings there. Took lots of pictures for Andy's benefit :-(    Read more

  • TravelerCroatia, Italy, Paris & Berlin
    Day 38

    Berlin Day 2

    September 19, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Kerstin had to work today so I booked in on a tour to Sachsenhausen. I managed the U-Bahn (much to Kerstin’s surprise) and got there on time. It was a train tour so we trained out with our guide and then I stayed on after the tour finished and caught a train back. Sachsenhausen was a concentration camp and is now a memorial to all those who both perished and survived. It was built by the Nazis in 1936 - before the war and at that time the main prisoners were political ones. As the war progressed it was used for Jews, Gypsy’s, criminals, those classed as asocial, homosexuals, etc. It was a male only camp. As it was so close to Berlin it was also a training camp for the SS and so many atrocities were committed. The infirmary area holds details of the experiments and more that were inflicted on the prisoners (not inmates as inmates infers that there has been a judicial process such as a trial). Our guide Amelia was so passionate about telling the story and at the end iterated a quote (see the photo). As you can imagine i left there shell shocked. I know I have been to a concentration camp before but ….. On the way back I passed an ice cream shop and thinking i deserved something to lighten my day, I had a Kerstin special of Spaghetti Eis. Yum! Made it back to town and thought while there i would trek up the Berliner Dom. Another magnificent cathedral. A quiet night in. NB - actually had Germans understand my attempts at Deutsche sprechen today - very exciting.Read more

  • TravelerIl muro della discordia
    2
    Day 4

    Prigione della Stasi

    September 3, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen
    Ci sarebbe da scrivere ore. Provo a essere stringato. Era una "fortezza" nazista e i sovietici se ne appropriano dopo la guerra. Ci portano i prigionieri politici, senza essere sicuri della colpevolezza o meno: sono colpevoli fino a prova contraria...che non esisterà mai! I "peggiori" vengono messi in camere anguste in cui la luce non viene spenta mai e la si punta in faccia al colpevole! I piantagrane sono mandati nelle celle di isolamento nere in cui la luce, anche se presente, praticamente non la si avverte. In queste camere di isolamento ci si va perché si è provato a parlare con qualcuno in carcere, perché si canta, si fa rumore, si fischia...
    Quelli che collaborano vengono messi in stanze triple, in cui la luce viene spenta di notte! E se fanno i bravi, possono andare per 30 minuti in queste celle senza soffitto a passeggiare e vedere il cielo, col secondino al piano di sopra che gli puntava il fucile. Questa era la prigione della Stasi a Berlino Est.    Read more

    See translation
  • TravelerBerlin
    11
    Day 3

    Berlin Tag 3

    May 20, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Christoph muss arbeiten und Caroline und ich machen uns in den Tierpark auf.
    In Berlin gibt es zwei Zoos: im ehemaligen Westberlin den zoologischen Garten (ältester noch bestehende Zoo Deutschlands und angeblich der artenreichste Zoo der Welt) im ehemaligen Ostberlin den Tierpark (größter Landschaftstierpark in Europa).
    Nach etwas abenteuerlicher Parkplatzsuche (wir waren nicht die Einzigen, die am Pfingstmontag bei relativ schönem Wetter in den Tierpark wollten) werden wir gleich nach dem Eingang mit dem Anblick der unglaublich süßen Prairiehunde belohnt. Es gibt gerade Nachwuchs und alle sind mit fressen, graben und spielen beschäftigt.
    Die Parkanlage ist noch deutlich größer als in Schönbrunn, die meisten Tiere haben sehr schöne, große Gehege und zwischen den Gehegen spaziert man durch den Wald.    Read more

    See translation
  • C2C Berlin 2024
    Day 1

    Festival dag 1

    March 1, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Afgang 7.00 og ankomst 14.00
    Dagens første arrangement, var en writers round i Passionskirche i Kreuzberg.
    Vi gik 5 km, og ankom til en lang kø udenfor kirken. Det betød at vi fik dårlige pladser og desværre også dårlig lyd.
    Aftenens musiske indslag var en fæl skuffelse, men selskabet var til gengæld fint.
    På vej hjem gik vi gennem nattelivet, men i stedet for at besøge barer og drikke øl, gik vi i netto for at købe havregryn og juice.    Read more

    See translation
  • TravelerInterrail Trail 2023
    Day 71

    East Side Gallery

    November 13, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Next, I hopped off at the East Side Gallery. A 1316m continous section of Berlin Wall on the Spree banks, now an open air art gallery with the murals painted directly onto the Wall, which I walked with a cuppa break needed from the cold 🥶

    A few of my favourites, including famous socialist 💋 designed to show onlookers that 'Our relationship is closer than that between capitalist countries. It is not about who profits; it's based on humanity, love, and peace.'

    Dishonest like the rest of the talk about brotherhood, with the Eastern bloc held together by force - and everybody knew it.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope
    Day 33

    Berlin

    October 17, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Today I arrived in Berlin. I saw the Reichstag Building, the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial for the Roma and Sinti people (gypsies) and the Jews, the Jewish museum, the Fuhrerbunker (the place where Hitler killed himself), Checkpoint Charlie, the Cathedral, the Pergamonmuseum, and the Berliner Fernsehturm, which is the big spike thing.Read more

  • TravelerBerlin break
    1
    Day 5

    Auf Wiedersehen Berlin

    August 18, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Spoiled ourselves with a really nice Italian again for our last evening down a street Andy had seen the evening before, Kopernikusstrasse. Staff were super nice, and offered us all shots on the house - boys were quick to accept! Three Amaretti and a Spiced Rum went down very well, ending a really super day.
    I never find it easy to enjoy the last day when there's transport to catch, and today (30°+, bad back etc) was no exception. At least the kids don't need me to pack / clear up for them any more - Thomas had prepared well in advance for a fast getaway. Quite enjoyed the random final breakfast ingredients too! Out of our slightly odd accommodation by 11, underground from Frankfurter Tor for the last time, stowed bags at Hauptbahnhof and found a bus (dodging the sun where possible) to Potsdamer Platz area. Settled on Mall of Berlin for snacks (might as well have been in Milton Keynes), before Matthew and I made a very quick foray into the Platz itself. Very impressive modern buildings, but obviously a place that comes to life after dark (lots of building work happening too). Bussed back to Main Station, bags collected, hot S9 train endured to Flughafen (possibly my favourite German word) and very easy progress made through to final pizza slice and flight home.    Read more

  • TravelerBerlin break
    Day 1

    Day 1 - Frankfurter Tor

    August 14, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    After hardly any sleep last night and with Andy walking well beyond his capacity just to get to the apartment, day one was a settling in sort of day. Our apartment is 'unusual' - it has glass doors, mirrors everywhere, four double bedrooms, all with huge high ceilings, but very little in the way of kitchen facilities. Fine with us, as it transpires that eating out in this area is really good value. The local eateries operate a 'self service' strategy, so you order directly with the chef, take whatever bottles you want from the fridge, and watch the busy world go by from your pavement table. He yells when your dishes are ready, you collect them from the pass (adding any toppings as needed), and enjoy. And no money passes hands until you leave. We dumped our bags late morning with Gabriel and left him cleaning our apartment whilst we ate lunch at Pizzeria Meyman. Freshly cooked and absolutely delicious. Gabriel had vanished in our absence, although the washing machines and dryers (2 of each) were still full and operating. Is that weird? We chose bedrooms (boys thrilled to have one each!) and napped. Matthew and I made it out later to scout for transport options for tomorrow and dinner options for later. Chose Pizza Vira. When you're us, Italian is really the only option! Again, waking Tom post-nap proved difficult but Matthew's powers of persuasion (and use of Netflix) proved up to the task. Groundhog Day sandwiched our evening meal - we remembered that we first watched it with the boys in a Heidelberg Air bnb exactly 4 years ago.Read more

Join us:

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice