Ich bin ein Berliner (and no one thought he meant donut)

An urban legend has grown up around JFK's infamous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech that people in the crowd thought he meant "I am a jelly donut" and therefore chuckled at the silly American President. In reality, no one actually thought he meant that, but I have had a Berliner donut and it is quite yummy. Like basically every food in Berlin.

Because I've spend so much time attempting to catch up on blogging about the places I've traveled, I haven't had time to post about the little things I love about Berlin. So here is an entire post dedicated to the amazing food Berlin has to offer.

Unlike any of the places I have lived previously, Berlin is a city that offers food on every corner in the form of  Imbisses (Imbiss essentially means "fast food stand"). I can easily get a hot, filling meal on the go anywhere in Berlin for between 2-4 Euro. Today, I was in the area around Französicherstraße and Friedrichstraße when I decided I was hungry and wanted döner. Sure enough, I walked for five minutes in an arbitrary direction and found a döner stand.

But what is döner?

THIS. Also, with a hot chocolate beside it.

Above is pictured a döner kebap im brot which is actually a Turkish dish. Berlin has the largest population of Turkish people outside of Istanbul, and so döner has become so much a part of Berlin's culture that it is considered very Berliner, even though it isn't German. It is basically lamb, onions, lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes with garlic, yogurt, or spicy sauce all wrapped up into an amazing mess of yummy-ness. My friends and I would usually get this at least once a week because it is quick, easy, and only costs between 2-3 euro depending on where you go. And they are sold absolutely EVERYWHERE.

However, standing above all other döner and all other places in Berlin is Mustafa's, a tiny, tiny stand in the middle of Kreuzberg that has a half hour line at all hours of the day (I've been by there at 1AM and the line still stretches down the sidewalk) because of its reputation as the best döner stand in the entirety of Berlin. People swear by it, and so, of course, we had to try it. And it definitely was good. 

Here is my friend Alicia in front of Mustafa's. You can see how tiny it is.

Alicia, Lisa, and I with our döner.

Mustafa's does add potatoes and cheese to the döner which most other places do not, which makes it extra good. Also, someone must have done an excellent job getting the word out, because this place is so popular only through word of mouth. 

Another extremely popular, and extremely Berlin food is currywurst. Unlike döner, which is originally Turkish, currywurst is not only very German, but specifically Berlin. Like döner, there is a currywurst stand on every corner.

What is currywurst exactly?

THIS is currywurst mit pommes.

You HAVE to get currywurst mit pommes and the pommes mit mayo. That is the only way to go I have learned in the bajillion times I've eaten currywurst in Berlin. Basically, currywurst is sausage smothered in ketchup (but not quite the same as American ketchup) and powdered with curry powder. It sounds a little odd, but it is one of the best thing you will ever eat. Pommes is, obviously, fries and you can order them smothered in mayo. Yes, it is rather a heart-attack inducing meal, but SO WORTH IT. Also, you eat with the tiny fork and stand together with other people at a table.

That is also something that is very German and doesn't happen in many other countries. Table sharing. It is socially acceptable in a full restaurant to sit down at a table with other people. Waitresses will tend to seat people in different parties at the same table when a restaurant becomes crowded. And so, when eating currywurst standing up outside, people crowd around the tall, metal tables and eat until they are finished.

You can see what I'm talking about in the picture below.

Curry 36 is one of the most popular destinations for currywurst in Berlin. My friends and I were here many a time at 2AM (considering it is right across the street from our favorite bar) and it was always full. It is right down the street from Mustafa's too, and many times people will wait in the shorter line for currywurst and then eat their currywurst and pommes while waiting in line at Mustafa's. In my opinion, that is the way to live.

Berlin is very "multi-kulti" as they say in German, and full of every kind of food you can imagine. 

Sara and I eating Eis (ice cream) in Charlottenburg. Ice cream in Europe is not nearly as good as American ice cream.

Ritter-Sport chocolate. This has been my life-source during my stay in Berlin. I've had at least 3 of these a week. This is one I created myself at the Ritter-Sport factory. Because that's a thing. And its awesome.

Brandon and I eating Schawarma, also a Turkish food, in Kreuzberg.

Sara and I eating Gozleme at the Turkish market.

And, of course, nothing beats washing it all down with good, German beer.

There are so many more dishes that I don't have pictures of, like schnitzel, bratwurst, spaetzle, and the incredible spread of breakfast brötchen. That is definitely something I am going to miss about Germany. The excellent, excellent food.

And then spring came to Berlin

As the semester has come to an end, my life in Berlin has become to feel more and more like a dream. It is as if the last real thing I remember was playing with my dog and cat that sunny afternoon on January 7 before I departed for the airport to catch my flight here. Somewhere in the middle, when I had the routine of classes and homework, my life here felt real, solid, but in this past week since classes have ended, I am feeling more and more like Berlin is a world that is slipping too quickly through my fingers.

And, of course, right as I have to leave, the weather turns beautiful. I had thought Berlin was alive before, but it was only stirring slightly in its winter sleep. With the sun and warm weather, Berlin has come to life, brimming with energy, people, and events. Bikes speed down the bike lane and people are out walking and running along the streets. As soon as it hit seventy degrees, us Americans were out parading in our shorts, skirts, and short sleeves, while the Germans gave us crazy looks on the S-bahn as they are all still huddled in their jeans and winter coats. They, perhaps wisely, do not trust the weather.

In my free time since I finished my exams on Tuesday, my host dad has been taking me out to enjoy Berlin. On Tuesday night we went to a German pub in Charlottenburg with his friend Andre and his wife Brigit and watched the big semi-final fußball (soccer) game between Bayern and Barcelona. Barcelona is the best team in the world, but Bayern killed them 4-0. I also got to try my first German schnitzel, which many if my friends claim is nothing more than a giant chicken nugget, but I think it is much better than that.

I was lucky to be able to spend two days with Brandon Verna, a good friend who is studying in Nantes, France this semester. He spent five days in Berlin with our German friend Matthias Bifolchi.

Enjoying some Schawarma in Kreuzberg

On Thursday, my host dad took me out to Wannsee, one of Berlin's most famous lakes.

The BVG, Berlin's transportation company, has a ferry that you can ride across the lake in with your transportation pass. We rode across and back.

Again, Germany's history is inescapable. The house pictured below is where the Wannsee Conference took place on January 20, 1942, and Himmler's "Final Solution" was created.

A sailboat on the Wannsee

The dock on the other side of the lake.

Gerd at the Wirsthaus where we ate a late and very good lunch.

With classes over, my days are suddenly free, so I got all my souvenir shopping done on Thursday.

Sara and I eating ice cream at Wilmersdorferstraße in Charlottenburg.

Sunday, we were blessed with an insanely beautiful day. It was warm and sunny, and my host mom directed me to a park called Britzer Garten which was full of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen. I wandered the park for two hours and still did not see everything, and the three euro admission was completely worth it. Each day that I stay longer in Berlin, I realize more and more how much I adore this incredible city. I have less than a week left now, and as my experience here sinks more and more into a dream-like landscape, I will let you see for yourself what I mean through the incredible photos I took at Britzer Garten.

This baby goat tried to eat my camera.

Viking Land and the North

The second week I was here, circumstances out of their control changed for my host family (the Kroupas: Gerd, Elke, Anna, and Lara) which forced them to be away from home more frequently than they had anticipated. Months would pass between the times I would see my host dad, Gerd, and Elke would only come home for a few days when she needed to go to work. Many times it was only Anna and I in the house, but half way through the semester she moved out to her own apartment, so the last month I have been alone in the house more often than not. But I honestly haven't minded. I am always out with friends, or in class, or traveling. I understand that they're going through a rough time, and when they are home, we have a wonderful time together.

This past weekend, Gerd wanted to make up for our lost time, and so he took me up to the small town of Schleswig in the northern most state of Germany to see a Viking town. This is only the single best way anyone could ever "make up for lost time" with me. As some of you may remember from my post about Denmark, I have had an intensive obsession with Vikings since I was twelve.

The small town of Schleswig lies directly on the other side of the river from the ruins of what was once one of the most important Viking trading towns, Hedeby (Haithabu or Heiðbýr). As it turns out, Gerd's nephew Bernie and his family live in Schleswig and live only five minutes from Hedeby, which I had grown up reading about.

Gerd took me to the town of Mölln, where he grew up. It was a beautiful northern German town.

Sign heading toward the Viking museum!

Cool tree

We were blessed with an insanely gorgeous day. After we spent some time in the museum, we headed out down a path toward where the old city used to stand. All that remains now are the old earthen city walls.

Walking on top of the wall

The coolest feature of this exhibit was by far the Viking houses remade in the center of where the city used to stand. I could hardly contain my excitement as we neared the site.

VIKING HOUSES

Not only were there Viking houses, but there were people DRESSED UP AS VIKINGS.

EVEN A VIKING BABY.

THIS IS A VIKING DRINKING. He was also making Thor's hammers out of metal.

Me with a Viking shield!

Me with a VIKING HOUSE!

A Viking working with wood

Hedeby was right on the water as it was a center of trade.

Unfortunately we only had about two hours total at both the museum and the village, but just the fact that I was standing where real Vikings had walked, was seeing Viking artifacts with my own eyes, and witnessing a very convincing reconstruction was enough to make me very, very happy. We even finished up the outing with a glass of meed at a cafe called Odin's. 

It was very special to be included in such a warm, loving family. Bernie and his wife Heike have two daughters, Kati, who is 16, and Anni, who is 12, and the three of us were basically best friends by the end of the weekend. I could instantly tell how much the family loved being around each other, always laughing and joking together, and it made them fun to be around. I could especially see how much the girls loved Gerd, and it made me realized just how incredibly lucky I was that I had been placed with my host family. They were incredibly and overwhelmingly warm and welcoming to a stranger from America.

Kati, Anni, and Gerd

That evening, Kati, Anni, and I played kareoke until our voices were hoarse, and I had a very good night's sleep.

The next morning, Gerd and Bernie took me on an adventure from ocean to ocean, heading first toward the Ostsee (the Baltic) then turning back around and trekking over to the Nordsee (North Sea). 

Gerd and I at the Ostsee.

Obligatory foot photo at the Ostsee.

We spent some time walking along the beach in our bare feet, enjoying the sunshine, the water, and the sand. Then, it was time to head back to the car and drive the hour to the Nordsee, with Gerd audibly wondering if the water would be wieder Weg (away again). The Nordsee has an incredibly dramatic tide change every six hours, with the water retreating for miles and miles before coming crashing back at high tide. We managed to hit the coast at low time. The ship below was resting on dry land.

There was a cute little pier with souvenir shops. There were piggy bank ducks with names on them, and since we were in Germany there were no ducks with my name on them, but there was one with my mom's name! In the US, you can ALWAYS find my name, but never my moms. I found this hilarious.

Husum on the Nordsee is known for their Fischbrötschen (fish sandwiches), so Gerd, Bernie, and I ate them for lunch in the sun. 

Reflection of clouds in the remaining puddle.

The Slick, muddy area of low tide.

Sheep!

Gerd and I at the Nordsee.

The mud was deeper than I expected.

A lot deeper.

My weekend in Schleswig with my host dad and his family was one of the most special of my semester. God has worked in so many incredible ways these past four months, but this weekend especially affirmed it to me. I felt such a special connection with this family and my host dad, and was so incredibly welcomed and encompassed by the love this family shares. I am so thankful for each of them and I hope I will someday meet them again in the future.

Heike, Kati, Bernie, me, Gerd, Anni.