BRLN!

I decided to squeeze in just a quick post about my trip to dirty BERLIN.

Everyone there actually looks like they participated in Macklemore's "Thrift Shop" video, and Berlin looks like a huge, grey, dirty place... really trashy, and alternative, but this basically is the charm of Berlin! Take it or leave it.

I went there last Friday (which is ALREADY a week ago! Feels like yesterday to me..), and I met my friend from Paris -who lives and studies in Hamburg though- Anna at the Bus stop in Berlin.

Let me tell you a quick story about the fabulous(ly cheap!) FlixBus you can use in Germany to get from A to B. Ticket prices start from 1€ (if you're really lucky), but I paid 30€ for my roundtrip, so that's still cheap!

However, don't forget about your human needs.. YES! It won't come in handy, if you really have to go to the restroom during your ride (and I was stuck in that bus for 6h... ok we had 2 stops, but still!!! 6h 'til the next "real" restroom).

From Hannover to Berlin (which took about 3h) I was in my seat and didn't know what to do.

"WELL, DUH, USE THE BUS TOILET!!"

NIET! I didn't because:

a) it's SO TINY! The bus driver himself said, everyone over shoe size 6 will have to go in there backwards (say whaaat, I'm a size 9!!!) and then most importantly 

B) The bus driver asked us not to frequent the toilet too often, for it could OVERFLOW!!! WAAAAHHHHH IMAGINE! You already feel bad enough having to go to the tiny toilet and then you're kind of relieved (I guess..) and then the toilet's full!!

Omg.. didn't want to risk that. So I sat there for 3h, having the biggest stomach ache of my life (I wasn't sure if I'd be able to walk, once we arrive in Berlin...), but hey! I survived!

So, you better think twice, if you can handle it! 

However, I have a few hints to give you, to make your bus ride as comfy as possible.. but more about this later on!

The service in there was as fantastic as it can possibly get in a bus though: They offered free Wifi, the two bus drivers were funny, and you could also buy drinks and snacks on board if you wanted.
They didn't show a movie though, what made me kind of sad.. probably would have been a good distraction of my situation the last three hours.

Anyway...

Anna and I met in Berlin, easily found the metro/tube/underground station, and took the underground to Rosenthaler Platz in Berlin Mitte (which is basically not far from Alexanderplatz, and in the heart of Berlin), to visit our friend Pedro, who now lives there.

We originally met him by coincidence in a metro station in Paris, and he's originally from Barcelona, but has lived (as I've already mentioned) in Paris and now in Berlin.

He fetched us at the underground station and his beaaaaautiful apartment was just a few steps away.

We basically talked a lot for we haven't seen each other in a very long time and in the evening his other friend from Barcelona - Jaume - came (for he currently sort of lives with Pedro until he finds his own place).

Then, we went out for dinner in a Sushi restaurant (AOKI) right next to Pedro's building and it tasted AMAAAZINNGGGG!!!

In AOKI

Overestimated the amount of Sushi I'll get.. wanted more!!

Afterwards, we prepared ourselves to go out to "SISYPHOS".

in Pedro's bathroom haha

However, we ended up in "WATERGATE" later on and stayed there until the early morning!

Watergate was really awesomeeeeee, for they played dope electro music (like almost any other club in Berlin)! 

Sadly on our way home it rained like there's no tomorrow, but we got home quite dry haha

The next day we just slept, and rested at the apartment. 

Like I said: You have to take or leave the Berlin charm. We left it where it is haha

Pedro cooked something for breakfast/lunch for us his specialty: Genuine Italian Pasta with Pesto Genovese, Parmigiano regiano and truffle oil!! It was so DELISH!!!

Pasta à la Pedrito

Later on I went outside with Pedro though to stroll around and look through some boutiques, and there were even some vintage stores I saw on the TV show "Shopping Queen"! So I was pretty excited, but the things there weren't that nice... actually they were pretty ugly! I've seen better thrift shops.

I thought this looked nice!

However, Pedro found something he really likes in a small boutique, and I call it: "The Harry Potter look" hahahaha 

But it looks good on him though!

In the evening, we were back at Aoki's, and this time we -Anna and I - ordered more Sushi than the day before, and again, the food was amazing!

Ru-Salmon-InsideOut + Tuna-Asparagus-InsideOut+EbiMaki I think.. but I'm not sure.. or California Maki

Later, another friend - Markus aka LA DIVA- of Jaume and Pedro came to Pedro's place.

We then all had fun using the Photobooth on Jaume's Macbook.

Normal Us

Doing the MILEY CYRUS

Photo Booth madness

Do the VOGUE

Then we went to another (gay) club, which was quite an experience hahaha we felt like the young Carrie in "The Carrie Diaries"! But to be honest: Where else can you find music by Cher, Madonna, the Spice Girls and Britney Spears in the club??? :p

We enjoyed ourselves big time, but went home at around 5, for we had to get up early the next morning to go back home.

SchwuZ

So, when we got up, Anna and I went down to Aoki's again and got our breakfast/lunch there

Mine is the upper one: Makarel Maki, California Maki, Spicy Ebi Maki
Anna's: Makarel Maki, Surimi Maki (that's what I think!) and Octopus Nigiri

Then we left Pedro's at around 2 PM, which was just in time, for we were surprised it took us 45 minutes to get to the bus station!

At around 3 PM it was time to say goodbye also for Anna and me, and our ways parted...

Then -you know what it is- my toilet-fear was back on track! 

However, I found some helpful hints to make your every bus trip better:

1) Bring a little snack! It's not good to travel on a (nearly) empty stomach (I guess that's why I felt ill on my way to Berlin, probably was hungry!!!!). I had small crackers which I also ate during my trip!

2) Bring a travel neck pillow if you can! My main activity in the bus was sleeping, and I had nothing even close to a pillow with me... But I can sleep anywhere!

3) Bring a book, or a movie, or your Game Boy, or a magazine, or your studying material with you! You'll easily get bored (I underestimated how quickly 6 h pass by... it does take a while!)

4) Bring enough to drink and chewing gum/mints with you

5) Go to the restroom BEFORE you get on the bus, even if you don't really have to: It has a psychologic effect, because your body thinks "Oh, I don't have to go to the restroom, I was just a couple of minutes ago!" (At least that was my impression...)

6) Best is going on a bus ride when you're tired: Sleeping is the best way to pass your time!

All in all I had a fantastic weekend, and it's kind of hard being back to school now, but I guess that's life, and that is what makes traveling so special: You don't do it every day!

So: Safe trip, and just go somewhere you always wanted to go for a weekend, especially when it is "just around the corner" :)

x J.