3 DAYS IN BERLIN
Day 3. The Mauerpark and the hell bus!
Standard time. One hour less of sleep! How much I would need it. I gather all my stuff in few minutes and off I am, destination Mauerpark. Every Sunday a fleamarket is here held. And I can say it's very, very big! Many hawkers are still setting up the stalls. Prices in general are anyway too high for a fleamarket, in my opinion. I buy some Coca-Cola glasses and my backpack is now completely full! Here you can find a lot of different street food, from Chinese to Turkish, from Italian to French, from Mexican to Uruguayan. I take 2 sticks filled with cheese and I taste them while walking to Arkonaplatz, just few minutes walking, where another fleamarket takes place. This looks more 'specialized', and the prices are higher than before. From here, the Berlin Wall memorial in Bernauerstrasse is not so far. You can enter for free the museum and read some real facts about people trying to escape, and people who sadly lost their lives in the attempt. Climbing up on a little terrace, you can see how the Berlin Wall was built. It was not just the wall..many barriers were set up to avoid any escape. In this zone, many times people try to get to the other side, inventing sensational ploys.
The idea now is to head down to Kreutzberg, a young a stylish neighborhood south of the Capital, but it's too far away. So I come back to the Mauerpark. It's Easter Sunday, the weather is lovely and it's not very cold. There are street artists, bands playing, people barbecueing..people taking it easy. I sit down in the amphiteather and I watch a couple of exhibitions, both very nice. It's time to walk back to the ZOB, my time here is coming to an end! After a 7 km walk, I'm very close to the ZOB and very hungry. I still have to try the Doner kebab. I read somewhere that Berlin was one fo the first city to which the Doner cuisine has been exported. Indeed I can count this on one of the best Doner I've ever had. For €3,30 I get one with grilled aubergines and peppers and grated feta cheese on top. It tastes just amazing.
I get in the bus and I start to sleep. Well, I try. I'm destroyed and I take my boots off. I have a look on the pictures thinking how beautiful is this city, so plenty of history, so full of life. Suddenly the driver draws near the edge of the highway. I turn back to ask what's going on, but I understand it by myself. The bus is on fire! We all hurry to get off, a guy tries to open the emergency door but it doesn't work, but in less than one minute we are all out. I have my backpack with me but I feel some strange cold down..Ops. My boots. I do not even try to fetch them, but I record and photograph everything. In few minutes the rear part goes up in flames. Police and fireworkers are here in 15 minutes and luckily nobody is injured. I'm just damn cold, my feet are freezing. I smoke all the fags I didn't smoke during these three days. In a hour or so, another bus pick us up, and I'm finally back in Bremen..the end. Almost.
Standard time. One hour less of sleep! How much I would need it. I gather all my stuff in few minutes and off I am, destination Mauerpark. Every Sunday a fleamarket is here held. And I can say it's very, very big! Many hawkers are still setting up the stalls. Prices in general are anyway too high for a fleamarket, in my opinion. I buy some Coca-Cola glasses and my backpack is now completely full! Here you can find a lot of different street food, from Chinese to Turkish, from Italian to French, from Mexican to Uruguayan. I take 2 sticks filled with cheese and I taste them while walking to Arkonaplatz, just few minutes walking, where another fleamarket takes place. This looks more 'specialized', and the prices are higher than before. From here, the Berlin Wall memorial in Bernauerstrasse is not so far. You can enter for free the museum and read some real facts about people trying to escape, and people who sadly lost their lives in the attempt. Climbing up on a little terrace, you can see how the Berlin Wall was built. It was not just the wall..many barriers were set up to avoid any escape. In this zone, many times people try to get to the other side, inventing sensational ploys.
The idea now is to head down to Kreutzberg, a young a stylish neighborhood south of the Capital, but it's too far away. So I come back to the Mauerpark. It's Easter Sunday, the weather is lovely and it's not very cold. There are street artists, bands playing, people barbecueing..people taking it easy. I sit down in the amphiteather and I watch a couple of exhibitions, both very nice. It's time to walk back to the ZOB, my time here is coming to an end! After a 7 km walk, I'm very close to the ZOB and very hungry. I still have to try the Doner kebab. I read somewhere that Berlin was one fo the first city to which the Doner cuisine has been exported. Indeed I can count this on one of the best Doner I've ever had. For €3,30 I get one with grilled aubergines and peppers and grated feta cheese on top. It tastes just amazing.
I get in the bus and I start to sleep. Well, I try. I'm destroyed and I take my boots off. I have a look on the pictures thinking how beautiful is this city, so plenty of history, so full of life. Suddenly the driver draws near the edge of the highway. I turn back to ask what's going on, but I understand it by myself. The bus is on fire! We all hurry to get off, a guy tries to open the emergency door but it doesn't work, but in less than one minute we are all out. I have my backpack with me but I feel some strange cold down..Ops. My boots. I do not even try to fetch them, but I record and photograph everything. In few minutes the rear part goes up in flames. Police and fireworkers are here in 15 minutes and luckily nobody is injured. I'm just damn cold, my feet are freezing. I smoke all the fags I didn't smoke during these three days. In a hour or so, another bus pick us up, and I'm finally back in Bremen..the end. Almost.