Berlin: Incredible Architecture
My bus arrived late that night, so my friend I made in Prague, picked me up late and took me to see the Brandenburg Gate, which was illuminated with a warm glow against the dark night. It was raining but since we were the only ones there, it felt a bit magical.
Saturday I saw the majority of East End Gallery, walking along tons of graffiti and wall art. Alt-j was blasting through my headphones and I felt like I was walking on clouds. Decided to take the forty minute walk to the Berlin Cathedral since it was nice and sunny out, so I walked along the river. On the way I saw many statues, beautiful architecture, and walked along a cute little cobblestone road that had many shops and restaurants.
The Berlin cathedral was beautiful from afar, but exquisite up close. The sun came out just as I sat down to eat my snack, and the gold in the building reflected brilliantly from the sun. I fed the little birds my leftover bread. I named one Tom, who came so close to me he was practically eating out of my hand. (Miss you, Tom.) They’re much cuter than the pigeons in Prague, and about the size of my hand, hopping around to fight for the crumbs of bread. My green jacket served as my blanket, and I tossed my pens out of my bag and drawing pad so I could sketch the cathedral. It wasn’t easy, as the front was under construction and I had to improvise. Nonetheless I still enjoyed myself, and an older gentleman even came over to compliment me and said he enjoyed my style and could tell I draw from the heart. It was a beautiful compliment.
Luckily for me, there was the Berlin Art Market going on just behind me; so naturally I spent a good half an hour walking around. I supported a local artist, whose style was so distinct and the piece I bought instantly drew me in, due to the reminder of the yellow fields I saw on my ride to Berlin.
Met up with my friend again for his football (soccer) tournament, where I met more kind-hearted people. We cheered for the “Gatos” and it made me laugh that there was also a “beer cup” going on. Whoever’s team has the most tally’s per beer, wins. Then we went to a Korean restaurant, where one of the girls had to translate the menu for me. They all talked in English, which I found really nice that they were consciously including me in the conversation, when they could’ve been speaking German or Spanish.
Next day I wandered around aimlessly again, starting with the streets of Victoria. Little coffee shops, thrift stores, and restaurants decorated the streets along with greenery and florals. Since it was Sunday everything was mostly closed, but still nice to roam around with no destination and nowhere to be. Time seemed slow and I didn’t have any objectives or deadlines on my mind.
Overall Berlin was a nice quick weekend trip! It was more relaxed and I was so grateful to just drink German beer and laugh with new friends while watching soccer.
Those are the moments I’ll treasure forever,
xx Shelby
