Girl Meets World: Because one is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do...

“Because one is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do...” Three Dog Night’s one hit wonder has officially become my theme song as today marks my “one month left” mark. With that said, it was somewhat heartbreaking flying home from Copenhagen last weekend knowing my European travels were over (at least for this rendezvous). 19 major cities... in 11 counties... in 8 months. How fast it’s all happened but WHAT a blast it’s been.

My last trip started last Saturday as Leslie, Christine (Leslie’s friend from home), and I flew to Berlin. I was really looking forward to Berlin because I had not been to Germany yet and have heard such great things about the country... and not to mention, I love German men! Also the fact that my mother’s side of the family is dominantly German, I felt like I was going to get a better sense of my ancestry and get more in touch with my inner roots- like finding out what type of beer my great great grandmother drank and how my great grandfather must have chowed down on some currywurst. Once we touched down in Berlin and checked into our hostel (shout out to Berlin PLUS- highly recommend to any Berlin travelers), we made our way over to one of the still-in-tack chunks of the Berlin Wall. This part was really close to where we were staying and was the longest part still together and standing today. It is now covered in art murals and is overall very eccentric, yet rad. After our “awe” moment of seeing the Berlin Wall in person, we met up with Isabel! Isabel is the German girl who was an au pair here in Paris but is now back in Germany going to school and working. It was great to have her around not only because I’ve missed her, but also because she speaks German! Leslie in Paris, Isabel in Berlin... I’d say I’ve been pretty lucky having “crutches” every where I go. Besides translating for us every step of the way, she was really great at playing tour guide as we followed her around, literally, every step of the way. Next stop was Check Point Charlie which I didn’t know a lot about before coming except that it was a main attraction of the city. This Berlin wall crossing point between West and East Berlin was part of the Western Allies terrain and the only point visitors could cross from West to East and back again. Turns out, it got it’s name from the alphabet because it was the third checkpoint of the Allies, Checkpoint “A”- Alpha, “B”- Brava, and “C”- Charlie. Why Checkpoint Charlie is the most famous? Where Checkpoint Alpha and Checkpoint Brava are? Umm... Isabel?? However, see below for a picture I had to push and shove to get (and pay 2 euros) with two American Soldiers (or at least dressed up as) standing guard at the checkpoint. Just because I live in Europe doesn’t mean I still don’t fall for the tourist traps from time to time.

Right next to Checkpoint Charlie was a cool outdoor free exhibit showing the history of the wall and checkpoint which was really educational and great seeing how this all came about. Also right next to Checkpoint Charlie was Starbucks which was very cultural and educational as well :) nothing screams ancestral-knowledge like a grande soy sugar free vanilla latte.

Next on the attraction list: Brandenburger Tor. This massive stone triumphal arch was the former city gate that ran along the Berlin Wall and now is one of the most well-known landmarks in all of Germany. So much in fact that the outline of this arch is plastered all over the metro windows like wall paper. Walking through Brandenburger Tor you hit the street that is like the Champs- Elysees of Berlin. Along this street there are a restaurants, shops, Starbucks :) and hotels. One of the hotels is Hotel Aldon which I had to take my touristy picture of because it was the spot that Michael Jackson notoriously showed off his baby over the balcony.

As we continued to stroll on, we arrived at the most touching, pensive, and emotionally tough thing I’ve experienced in a while, the Holocaust Memorial and Museum. Walking up to this big square, you are uncertain to what these abstract grey cement blocks are for. Walking though the wavy aisles, you get lost as if you are in a maze, unsure to which way your friends went and a sudden surge of loneliness captivates you. This memorial felt different than any other memorial I’ve seen. You can’t put your finger on it but there is something undisputingly powerful there. With these big blocks swallowing you in, you have no idea how many people are even walking around, and your thought process becomes obstructed. It had a way of taking you there. How did the Jewish people feel? How could human beings do this to other human beings? How was the creator of this memorial able to capture you thoughts and emotions this way, through cement blocks? There is no other way to explain it unless you step foot there yourself. The feelings were overwhelming yet captivating.... and this was before you even enter the underground museum.

Leaving the Holocaust Museum was extremely somber. There is no dry eye and not a trace of a smile on any of our faces. How are we supposed to carry on with our trip after reading dozens of hand written letters and seeing hundreds of pictures from people at Aushwitz? A letter from a mother to her daughter read, “We are leaving tomorrow for God knows where. I’m hugging you, in tears. I would so much have loved to hug you again, my poor child. I will never see you again.” As I said, this was an absolutely troublesome place visit but I don’t think my trip to Germany would have been as complete without seeing it. As they say, the show must go on but this is one place that I will surely never forget.

That night, we had a great dinner followed by a fun night out with Isabel. We ended up going to a place my friend Monika had suggested, Berghain. Normally I don’t go into too much detail about my nights out, but this one was definitely noteworthy. Doors don’t even open until midnight and the place itself was an old run down factory of some sort that has been transformed into one of Europe’s biggest clubs. We met two French guys in line and once the doors finally opened, we learned real quick just what we were in for. A 60 year old man with tattoo’s all over his body and face comes out looking like he wants to kill every last one of us in line. The four of us were about 30 deep in line, with a couple hundred waiting impatiently behind. Monika warned me under no circumstance, do NOT speak standing in line once doors open. Luckily, I had my German crutch Isabel by side. The 60 year old, who Isabel and I started to call “Chancellor” (because Germany is not ran by a President, but by a Chancellor) was all business. Within less than a minute of doors opening, he had already told the first ten people in line they were not getting in nor would they ever and to go away. With no visual clue as to why they weren’t getting in (they looked completely normal to me), I started to get nervous as we made our way to the Chancellor to be deemed worthy or not of entering. The next dozen or so don’t get in either! All I can think is, what is going on here?! This place can house a couple thousand people and doors just opened, why can’t anyone go in? It is now our Judgement Time and the Chancellor looks real hard at us. He asks in German how many our group is? Isabel tells him four which made me immediately think game over, he’s not going to let us in with guys. But to all of our surprise, we are granted access and the heavenly gates (or just rusty old industrial door) opens and we are in! The four of us try to contain our excitement and we walk into the completely deserted warehouse and are the first ones in the club. The club is so strict, not even cameras are allowed and have to be checked with your coat. We made our way up to a lounge area and got a drink, knowing we had probably a good hour to kill before enough people were inside for it to feel like we were at a club (maybe longer, depending on The Chancellors selection process). To this day, I’m still baffled by my experience getting into this club.

The next day, we decided to do the Hop On Hop Off bus which in the past, has turned out to be a great way to see a city with limited time. Unfortunately, this bus trip I was less than impressed with. Maybe it was largely due to the fact that Berlin is mainly just a lot of different big buildings. Don’t get me wrong, lots are very cool architecturally built buildings, but nothing that blew me away. Also, for being a prominent European city, it differs from others because it doesn’t have too many really old buildings or landmarks because so much of the city was destroyed during the second world war.

Being thankful to finally take our last “hop off,” we met up with Isabel and went to Mauerpark market. Now this is where we’re talkin’! This massive spread flea market was the epitome of hipster heaven and had everything you could imagine from vintage jewelry, to handmade scarves, to the most delicious treats and german hot spiced wine. We loved this place and came away with a couple great finds and christmas presents :)

After chowing down on some authentic German brats, walking around all the vendors, and watching some street bands perform (talk about cuties), we made our way over to the GDR (German Democratic Republic) Museum. This place was way more rad than expected and also extremely hands on and informational. Here I was able to learn way more than I ever did in school.... did I say that out loud? I meant to say I learned so much about Germany post WWII and how oppressed the citizens were and how the country was truly on the brink of communism. As mentioned before, Berlin is different than other major European cities but one advantage this city had was how recent most of the history is. Walking around Rome is remarkable yet mind boggling because it’s hard to truly grasp how long ago Caesar and the Roman Empire were walking those same steps. Walking around Berlin, however, seeing the Berlin wall, going to the Holocaust museum, learning about the GDR, this is all things that have happened even in my grandparents/ parents lifetime.

Next to the GDR Museum is the Berlin Dom (cathedral). I really wanted to check this out but it cost 10 euros to go inside! I decided to beat the system and go inside during their Sunday night service. It was great killing two birds with one stone, seeing this massive, beautiful neoclassical cathedral and getting to see first hand a German church service. Although I couldn’t understand a word besides the priests “guten tag,” I enjoyed getting to pop in for a few minutes and check it out. Places like these speak loudly to me to how lucky I am and how unbelievably blessed God has made my life.

Leaving the GDR Museum, the girls and I had a great dinner and I got to eat Spaetzle! These German noodles I fell in love with back in San Diego when my friend Volker (a German exchange student studying at SDSU at the time) made them for me. So unhealthy.... so mouthwateringly delicious. Besides sushi, Spaetzle I think might earn a top spot on my favorite foods list. Rolling out of the restaurant, we decompressed a little back at the hostel and said goodbye to Isabel as she had a late night train to catch back to Hamburg where she lives. Leslie and I decided to go out (duh) and we ended up at a club called Chalet. Like the previous night, this night was also noteworthy because of how different this club was than any other “club” I’ve been to. Have you seen the movie Animal House? It was as if were walking the set with John “Bluto” Blutarsky himself. This boarded up old mansion had been converted into an electro music club house and Leslie and I couldn’t help but laugh as we roamed the halls of this fraternity looking house, going from room to room, feeling an eerie similarity to the movie, Animal House.

Getting a quick nap was all we could muster before heading to the airport to go to Copenhagen. But like I say, I’ll sleep when I’m dead :) For now, I was really looking forward to getting to go to Scandinavia! Once in “Copes,” we were instantly loving this city. We ate lunch a cute cafe followed by a stroll down their popular shopping street, Stroget. This street is the longest pedestrian street in the world (3.2 km or 2 miles), has a Top Shop, Urban Outfitters, and lots of other cute Scandinavian shops. Needless to say, I liked this street.

We decided to give the Hop On Hop Off bus another chance... strike two. The one big thing I will say about these buses is when you arrive to a city and have no idea where to go, they are convenient for getting a broad overview with a little audio background information as well. Cities like London, Budapest, and Vienna were great cities to do this with. However, both Berlin and Copenhagen I think I could have done better on by myself than with the help of a one hour, 25 euro bus ride. Our first time we hopped off was at Nyhavn which had a long canal running through the center. It was very quaint and cute and we were able to see their state of the art Opera House that sits right on the water. From there we “hopped” back on the bus to go see the much anticipated Little Mermaid. Our audio guide prepped us by saying “New York has their Statue of Liberty, Paris has Lady Eiffel, and we have our Little Mermaid. She is so famous here, people travel from all over the world just to get a glimpse of her. In fact, she is the most photographed person or object in all of Denmark, even more than the Queen.” Stoaked to see this chick, we get off the bus and walk out to the water. Looking around, expecting to find some phenomenal masterpiece, we see a beaten up bronze statue sitting on a rock in the water. THAT is it?

Okay, so we were less than impressed with The Little Mermaid, but the history behind much of Copenhagen’s famous story writer, Hans Christian Andersen, was fascinating. Just like Barcelona has Gaudi, HC Andersen is the man everyone associates with Copenhagen. He has written numerous story tales including The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina, and more. All which have inspiring backgrounds stemming from the city. Even his Tivoli Gardens (which were unfortunately closed due to Christmas decorating) are said to have inspired a certain man named Walt to open his own grand imaginative theme park in California.

The next day there we started off by taking a bus over to the Norrebro area which was my favorite area of Copenhagen. One side not, being that it’s November and the “Movember” movement is officially underway, all the Copenhagen buses have huge plastered mustaches on the fronts of them (see picture below). I loved it! If you’ve been to Paris, Norrebro is the Marais of Copenhagen. Trendy, hipster, rich. Lots of boutiques and cafes lined the groomed streets and we were on a mission to find Lyst cafe for their famous cinnamon rolls. Mission accomplished. The cafe was adorable and we could have sat in there all day and just sipped tea and people watched. After our great breakfast, we strolled through a park/cemetery which was so beautiful, especially at this time of year, and back across a bridge that reminded me of being in Boston. We made our way to Rosenborg Castle where the kings and queens used to live back in the 16/1700s. King Christian IV was Cope’s dude of dudes. He was the longest reigning king of Denmark, reigning for almost 60 years. The best part of seeing this castle was seeing Denmarks Crown Jewels which are on display here. After being absolutely jaw dropping blown away by the Jewels in London, I was eager to see how another country with royalty matched up. The verdict was impressive... but not England.

Next on the list was Christiania. This area of Copenhagen we had little information about other than it being an “artsy” area. I’m still confused on how there were no indicators or better hints towards us walking straight into their “green light district”.... but we did. With tons of artistic graffiti and hippies everywhere you looked, it was definitely a “cultural experience” and interesting walking around this area. We’ll leave it at that.

Wednesday came in the blink of an eye and it was our day to fly back to Paris. We had a later flight so I was still able to take advantage of the day and see a few more things. Bright and early, after a coffee and danish pastry (how could you not), I went over to their big department store called Magasins. Here, at the top floor, is where HC Andresen himself used to live. They’ve restored this attic and made it open to the public to get a glimpse of what his life was like.... or so that’s what I read. I got to the top floor and just like Tivoli Gardens, closed. This time due to water damage to the floor. Get it together Copenhagen!

I ditched that idea and went over to Round Tower which had some cool history as it was built for King Christian IV and used simultaneously as an observation tower, church, and university library. Inside the tower itself was a pretty plain spiral ramp. They didn’t have stairs because they often needed to push cannons up to the top. The view from the top was great but not nearly as great as where I went next. Our Savior Church was closed (shocker) when we tried to go the day before so I tried again today and with success. Hiking to the top was my cardio for the day and the very tip is so narrow, only one person can fit at a time. This view took my (already breathless) breath away. From the top you can see everything and one thing I had my eye on was the Osemund Bridge. This bridge connects Denmark to Sweden and is so massive, it can be seen from space. It was awesome getting to see, take a look for yourself in the picture below. One thing, however, that is not captured here is the wind that was so powerful, taking my iPhone out to take a picture made me beyond nervous!

Checking the time, I headed back to the hostel to pick up my bag and somewhat dismally made my way to the airport, knowing not only this trip, but all my travels in Europe were coming to an end. Overall, this trip was different from my other trips due mainly in part to the weather. Bundling up to go sight seeing was just a different experience than throwing on some shorts, sandals, and sunglasses. But nevertheless, great, as all my travels have been. Europe has officially made me hooked on traveling and never wanting to stop exploring the world. If I had to pick a winner for this trip, surprisingly the three of us unanimously said Copenhagen. Berlin was great and the German people are some of the nicest I’ve met in Europe, but with Copenhagen's understated vibrant, quirky vibe and distinct districts, it definitely won my vote.

Once back in Paris, I had a few days left of the two week school break and what great timing for my birthday to fall on! I had a great time celebrating on Saturday night with Leslie and Lindsey at the club, Showcase. This location couldn’t be any more idealistic as it sits right underneath the Alexander III bridge, pertched nicely right along the Seine with a great view of the Eiffel Tower. Not too shabby. Than on Sunday (my actual birthday), I decided to do the most cliche thing I could think of, go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Since I’ve been here, I’ve only walked up to the second tier with Grace over the summer so today, Lindsey and I rode the elevator all the way to the top. Most people say they can feel it sway from side to side when standing at the very top, but besides my slight headache from the night before, I didn’t feel it. Nevertheless, awesome views and it feels great being somewhat of a “local” as I look out and can name everything in sight. I rounded out my birthday with a family dinner with the Ricke’s and Leslie. I was a little hesitant about how I’d feel spending my birthday away from California but without a doubt, it was one of the best I’ve had and everyone here truly made me feel so loved :)

** Author side note: this blog was written before I made a spontaneous decision to do one last trip! Thom pointed out to me that I have two full weekends here in December, not just one as I had thought. Once I realized that I hoped on kayak and looked for cheap european flights for the first weekend of December. Looks like I’ll be needing to build up my beer drinking abilities and wear some green... Dublin, Ireland, I’m coming for ya!