Berlin, Germany- July 2011

6 hours on a train, departed from Dworzec Centrainy. I began to sit in my window sided seat with complete anticipation and exhaustion. Waking up at 5 in the morning, hauling your 5 ton bags into a taxi and finding the right train that will take you to a new country was hard, especially after the effects of being hungover and starving. So early in the morning I would of rather been sleeping in my nice Polish bed, and wake up to a 3 course breakfast. Even though these thoughts and wishes went thru my mind I knew I had to depart Warsaw and check out my next destination. Berlin, Germany. Although the train itself was comfortable and relaxing for the 6 hours we were stuck in it. Iv'e never heard of an express train with that many hours till the time of arrival. Another thing that really got me was that you got a numbered seat on the train. I felt as if I was on an airplane on the ground. Trains back home you could sit anywhere you'd like. That's how it should be. Either way the drive was smooth and we arrived to the world of Germany around 12 o' clock. Still hungover from the night before. That didn't stop us from exploring what Berlin had to offer.

My hotel was called the Berlin Plus. It was a hotel/hostel. Iv'e never stayed in a hostel although my room was part of the hotel. My previous thoughts on hostel's were that they were dirty and some what sketchy. But in reality this place was clean, friendly, and filled with a lot of young people. My room was very nice and clean. Equipped with all the finer things. A working shower that had fresh clean water, a television, and clean white sheets. Something that Russia lacked in many possible ways. I was starting to feel like I was back in civilization again. Or at least the right kind of civilization. After settling in, I made my way thru the vast corridors of this ancient looking building. Turns out that it use to serve has a dormitory decades ago. I didn't travel all this way to go to a university. I stepped outside in the drizzling rain, waiting for a taxi to take me to meet up with my 2 friends at Potsdamer Platz. 16 euros and 15 minutes later I was dropped off in front of this mega subway station. I thought to myself, why would Dutch and Ramon want to meet me here? Looking around nothing seemed to catch my eye. That thought lasted about 30 seconds when I began to make my way to a row of stacked walls with colored graffiti all over it. Thinking it was some sort of art exhibit, my mind began to come to its senses. The old Berlin wall was standing right in front of my eyes.

Standing around in the rain was not something I planned to do. Being on the train for 6 hours had me hungry for some good German food. The only problem was no German place was to be found in this area and I was meeting up with my friends in a half an hour. Crossing the street the word Cafe caught my eye. Walking inside I grabbed a menu and sat down. Realizing it was a Mexican restaurant I began to laugh. Thinking to my self that I'm about to eat at a Mexican restaurant in Germany was hilarious all in itself. But it does not stop there. Flipping thru the menu I did not find anything that pleased me. I decided to order chips with guacamole sauce and a cheeseburger. Yes a cheeseburger from a Mexican restaurant, In Germany. Lets recap, I just ordered a cheeseburger in a Mexican joint in the country of Germany. Something does not sound right about all 3 of these things but with the little voice in my stomach saying "Feed me or else" I had not much to do but to listen to it right away. Even if that costed me getting food poisoning. I was in Europe now, if something happened to me I would feel safe going to hospital rather than being in Russia where the word food poisoning might mean getting your leg amputated. Finally Dutch and Ramon found the place where I was eating. A little restaurant called Cancun. We made our way to start touring the city.

While walking towards all the famous landmarks I looked on the ground and saw these 2 bricks lining up on the street pavement all the way back from the subway. I asked my friend Dutch what it was since he's been to Berlin a few times. He told me that it's an outline of where the Berlin Wall once stood. Shivers came to my body after hearing that. Knowing that 30 years ago if i were to even be this close to the wall there would be trouble. We were walking on the West side of the wall which was always good, I then crossed over and my mind made feel cold and hurt, as I was in communist territory. Walking for about 5 minutes we reached this huge gate. The Brandenburg Gate was the only way people were able to travel from west to east or east to west. It was where government official automobiles would travel thru. Just the idea that I was standing in front of the gate-way to the west and east was very unreal. It's big column structures and the statues of horses on top were very impressive.

Making our way thru the gate I took a look around me and it still felt unreal. Ahead of us were flocks of tourist's surrounding two uniformed men in a German and American soldier outfit. Taking pictures with them for a few bucks, I thought to myself that it was good not coming here acting like a tourist. As we made our way a bit further my friend Dutch pointed out the Adlon Hotel. He signaled me to look at the top right balcony room. I asked him why it was special. He replied saying it is the very place Michael Jackson dangled his baby out that window back in 2006. Even though Berlin is not known for this act it was still funny to know that I got to see where that happened. Walking down the main street we saw tons of restaurants and different stores. Looking up in the sky we saw the Fernsehturm Berlin. This was a very tall TV tower, reminded me of the Stratosphere back in Vegas. After seeing how high it was we felt that we needed to go on top of it. Our walk towards the tower began and we passed a lot of fascinating places on the way.

Passing a university, museum's, and more tourist traps we made our way across this beautiful bridge to this Notre Dame type building. My automatic thought was that it was another church and I was 100% right. Where are all the temples and mosques in Europe? The Berlin Cathedral is totally huge. It was built all the way back in 1451 and it serves as an evangelical worship center. Standing right in front of it is a beautiful water fountain with bright green grass and rows of benches where people are seen watching the day go by, reading fine literature that 30 years ago they would of been in jail for reading. Crossing the street I saw a man serving hot dogs on what looked to be a grill. Didn't seem strange until I got closer. This thing was connected to him! He had a metal bar going right under his crotch while he's standing there feeding flocks of ungracious tourists and random pedestrians. If someone decided to run away with out paying this guy would not be able to keep up. Judging my the metal that was so heavily having him chained in one spot. 

The Fernsehturm right in front of us. Powering over Berlin's cityscape as a symbol of connection and strength. Getting closer to it made me excited about getting on top and seeing the great city. Even with the crappy weather and black clouds. We finally made it up the steps where we went around to find a disastrous sight. Over 400 tourists lined up all the way from the upstairs to outside to get on top of this tower. There was one thing that came thru my mind. "No way in hell am I going to waste my time on that line". I guess doing something like going up on top of a tower is very touristy. I thought to my self that since I was on the Stratosphere in Las Vegas that it didn't matter to me. Being on high buildings was just a waste of money. Something that could be used towards a fine dish of schnitzel or great Berlin beer.

Kurfurstendamm shopping avenue is the place to be when it comes to shopping at every store you could think of. From cheap to expensive this place has it all. It would be the equivalence of walking down 5th avenue in New York City. While shopping here I bought a few things at the store Jack & Jones. Which is an english brand from the U.K. It was interesting to look at the different styles that Europeans were into. Cruising around for about 2-3 hours, peeking in every shop was considered one way of seeing Berlin. But in reality I still didn't have the chance to try some real German cuisine. It was time for me to change that. My friend and I found a nice restaurant right on the main street. It was in German words so I figured they had to have something good. Boy was I right. Ordering a plate of the infamous German Veal Schnitzel. After putting the lemon on it the whole thing was watering in my mouth. Sparking water at hand, especially being in Europe still water is not respected.

A trip to Berlin is not complete without checking out it's capital building. The Reichstag is a master piece from the outside. I wouldn't be able to tell you about the interior due to the fact that you need to book 5 days in advance for an inside tour. Even with the crappy weather that was served to us this building illuminated like a light with its beauty. Construction of this building began right around 1871. After an Allied bombing in 1945 the Reichstag's exterior was mostly destroyed. Later years the landmark was reconstructed to look the exact way it was. It was a shame that we couldn't take an inside tour of the building but like I said earlier the outside was enough to have your jaw drop. Besides it wasn't a time out in Germany without having some good beer and a fun night out in the Berlin bar life.

On the last night in Berlin my friends and I had a goodbye feast. Although the original tour's departure meal was in Warsaw we made our own, since all of us were departing ways the next day. We went to some German styled restaurant and I of course ordered something that is well known in Germany. Without any regard of taste I ordered a Pork Knuckle. The actual name did not sound that terrifying until the dish was put right in front of me. It was sort of like a stand off in an old western movie. I didn't know where to start with this thing, it was so oddly shaped and the fat on this thing could of been a full course meal itself. Washing down 2-3 beers my mind told me to go for it and it took all the courage I could get. The meal wasn't as bad as I thought the first couple of bites but it started tasting very fowl. Something that you can get over very quickly. I believe that is what Berlin is all about. Dating back to when the actual wall was put down it was a very sour feeling. People were use to the daily life of a wall separating both east and west and they had to deal with it. Berlin is now shaped in another form. A form of complete young spirit, filled with art, nightclubs, and a yesterday of history. This was definitely a place that I was thankful to check out. It was also sad to leave all the friends that I've made on this journey from the start in Helsinki. But just like Berlin, times change and things move on. Getting a cab back to the Berlin Plus was hard. Packing my stuff and leaving at 5 in the morning for the airport was also a drag.

Warsaw, Poland- July 2011

Arriving in Warsaw was a mission of good will. The thunder and lightning surrounded our 30 passenger tour bus. Before we sat for hours at the Belarus border until we finally reached a city filled with people and civilization. The new and the old are split into two in a metropolis like Warsaw. You have your Old town filled with buildings dating back even before the Jewish Ghetto to your New Town filled with dozens of shopping malls and a central train station. After having a quick breakfast the next morning we were set on seeing all the sites Warsaw had to offer. Whether it being the WW2 antique shoppes or the malls filled with designer clothes. Our bus tour of the city was not exactly what I thought it would be. The tour guide kept on talking about architects of buildings and totally discarded the actual history of this place. We passed by the National Stadium where the UEFA Euro 2012 is being held. There was a lot of construction going on throughout the exterior of it. We also passed the Palace of Culture and Science where you could get a birds eye view of Warsaw.

Old Town

New Town

The Jewish ghetto is now just normal apartment houses on basic city looking streets. There is however a monument dedicated to the Ghetto located right in the heart of it. After visiting the monument we decided to check out the shopping malls in New Town. Located right across from the central train station is a shopping complex called the Golden Terraces. The glass facade of this thing just comes out in a weird shape. Inside there is over a hundred stores ranging from clothes to restaurants. We found a little restaurant inside the mall up in the food court. Knowing that perogie's were the Polish national food I knew i had to try one. They ended up not having meat so I got a cabbage and mushroom perogie. It was honestly one of the best dishes I tried the whole trip. I ate it down in literally 5 minutes. Washing it down with 2 bottles of sparkling water. After the meal I continued to walk around a little. Knowing that my group of friends on the tour wanted to take a train from Warsaw to Berlin we stopped off in the train station to buy our tickets for our departure the next day. It was a smarter idea doing that rather than sitting on a bus for 12 hours. The train would get us there in about 5.

Getting our tickets was a relief knowing that we weren't going to waste a day on a bus. We decided to head over to the Old Town area because we felt that we spent a substantial amount of time journeying thru the newer parts. Both parts are very close to each other. It's almost like you enter a time machine when you go from old to new or new to old.  With the rain dropping down on our head's I was not thinking much of time machines or movies like "Back to the Future". We got to the central square of Old Town where there are benches and umbrellas with people drinking the cheapest beer known to man. Only about 2 euro you get a 24 Oz of beer. Walking around the old looking buildings I stumbled upon an old antique store. I decided to go in and give a look. Searching thru the stuff in the store I realized that it was all WW2 memorabilia. This was legitimate stuff. From old jewelry to papers and uniforms. I ended up buying myself a silver ring with the Polish emblem on it. I could of spent hours going thru the thousands of things they had laying around that shop. 

Around 5:30 we needed to get back in time to get ready for our farewell dinner. Warsaw was the last stop for the tour. Although people were taking the bus to Berlin the tour officially ended in Poland. We went to some beautiful place for dinner. The food was amazing. Mushroom soup, a main course of Duck, and the best cake. My friend Diane was celebrating her birthday that day she turned 32. We got her a cake. At the dinner I was loading up on some red wine. After the dinner there was some drama between me and this australian guy on the tour. We got into a fist fight and I got some good shots on him. The tour manager told me that it would be best if me and my friend Dutch took a taxi and not get on the bus. Nothing like a fist fight in Warsaw, Poland. Not everyday you come home with a story like that. It's funny because the guy I fought is 5 years older than me and 5 times bigger yet I still managed to win. Dutch and I took a cab to meet with our friends who were waiting for us at the Paparazzi Club.

Standing outside for 20 minutes trying to hail a cab was not fun but we were determined to get one. Finally one came and we asked for him to get us to the Paparazzi Club. A great nightclub and bar in the clubbing district of the city. We were let out and we walked inside. There I was greeted by all my friends that I made on the tour. All asking me if I was alright because of the fight. I told them I was fine and that it was nothing to worry about. Since it was Diane's birthday I told them we had to party our asses off. We got a whole bottle of vodka with shot glasses and red bull to mix with. I was taking shots of vodka at the bar since I heard Poland's national drink was Vodka. I didn't understand that because I always thought the vodka in Russia is more famous. Either way I got pretty shit faced. It was fun being surrounded by people that seemed like friends you've known all your life. Around 2 in the morning we had to get back to the hotel. We were waking up at 4 AM to be able to catch the train at 5:30 to Berlin. It was very hard that morning to get up.

Warsaw, Poland. A place where the word ghetto has air lifted a million galaxies away. A place where the old meets the new. The shopping meets the history. Where fist fights in the street end up taking you to great nightclubs and bars. This city is one of a kind. My thoughts on Poland before even coming here were that it would be a very depressing place. Very farm like and cold. Wow, I was completely wrong. This place is more alive than a new born baby. People of all ages can come here and have a good time. Between the museums and the nightlife. Definitely a place I could picture myself coming back to visit again one day in the future. A 6 in the morning train did not sound like such a fun thing. But in the world of a traveler you need to pack your bags and move on to the next destination. Berlin, Germany.

Brest, Belarus- July 2011

On our drive to Warsaw we stopped off at a little town by the name of Brest. Being told on the bus that we were stopping off here I came to the conclusion just by hearing the name of the place that I was going to like it. In the town of Brest there is a huge historical landmark called the Brest Fortress. t is one of the most important Soviet World War II monuments commemorating the Soviet resistance against the German invasion on June 22, 1941 (Operation Barbarossa). As you walk thru the huge star entrance you see plaques dedicated to the soviet resistance during the German-Soviet War. The greenery around this place is beautiful. A little pond is found walking over one of the bridge heads. All of a sudden you see this huge statue of a man's head looking down in despair. This statue commemorate's the heroic defence of the frontier stronghold during the very first weeks of the German-Soviet War.

To the left of the head statue is remnants of blown up buildings that were attacked during the war. Going down and picturing what they would of been like before the attack was a cool feeling. Walking up and down the cellars of these old buildings, now nothing but old bricks. After taking a good look at that we made our way to the center of the statue where there was a flame going in respect to the monument. Plaques of words in cyrillic writing probably noted the people killed in this town's tragedy. Row's of flowers help add a sense of peace in the surrounding area. A monument this big made me feel like I was at Mt. Rushmore. Circling around it showed us other buildings that got destroyed during the German-Soviet War days.

The Brest Fortress is a breath taking historical site that anyone in Belarus must check out. With it's dedication to such a sad incident it's monumental statue really does it justice. Stopping off here was fun while it lasted but we couldn't forget about that long 7 hour drive to Warsaw, Poland. While finally getting to the border of Belarus and Poland the Belarus border patrol kept us waiting. They complained that some people's visa's didn't have a receipt or a date to show when they became active. I ordered my visa months before the trip. We ended up sitting there for 3 1/2 hours. Especially with the cloudy weather and lightning the humidity began to come onto our bus. Leaving us there sweating watching the movie Grownup's. At that moment I wanted to be back at Brest monument. Finally the guards let us thru and we were on our way to a whole new country. Poland.

Minsk, Belarus- July 2011

After a long drive from Moscow on our way to Poland, We stopped off in the country of Belarus. Formally Russia, Belarus has a population of over 9 million. Staying in the city of Minsk which happens to be the capital we saw a lot of interesting sites. Minsk is located right dead and center of Belarus. Although this region use to be owned by Russia. It technically still is due to their economic problems. Russia pretty much pays for everything for this little country. If the word Communism was brought up you could say the country of Belarus was sort of like that. Due to the fact that another country is paying for everything their doing. Putting all that behind Minsk was another city that needed to be explored. Being their for only one night that didn't give me much time but I was destined to get the most out of it as I could. Starting with the casino. Our hotel hosted a strip club and casino. It's funny cause with rackets like that that's how the country generally makes their money. I lost about 25 American dollars playing blackjack but it was still a cool experience. The lady still even asked for my passport when I was trying to cash out. We called it a one way casino. They only want the money going one way and that's to them.

After a great Russian 3 course meal it was time to take the city walking tour. This place was so small I couldn't believe it's considered a country's capital. Making our way up a few blocks and up this hill we reached yet another historic church. The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is located right in the middle of Independence Square. As we made our way up a little further we found another church and a bunch of nice restaurants. This place didn't seem to have much night life but in return a lot of good pubs and restaurants. After walking around for a while I knew that I had to go check out a pub in the area. 

Our tour than got down to a river/lake. Formally known as the Svislach the length of this thing goes all thru the city of Minsk. While crossing a bridge I noticed a bunch of locks scattered on the gate. I sat their and thought about it for few seconds and realized that couples would stencil their name into the lock and lock it around the gate. They would then throw the key to the lock over the bridge into the water. Representing that they will stay together forever. Since its nearly impossible to find the right key under the water. It seemed like a very special thing. I never heard of a symbol like that. As we walked over the bridge we got to this other monument. The monument is called the Island of Tears. It's in memorial for all the soldiers that never returned home. It's design shows a bunch of black figured angels with facial features lined up around this white light house looking structure. Looking at it especially with the sun going down was a very symbolic feeling. Looking out on the lake and seeing couples paddling on little paddle boats added to what was going on around us. We walked a bit further and a statue caught our attention. It was of an Angel boy with his eyes over his face. His wings are spread out. This whole island seemed to be dedicated to lost ones in war. Many couples come here and stroll thru the different monuments.

As our walking tour came to an end we chose to stay in the center in town and find a pub to drink at. With so many selections around us we couldn't help notice the boat restaurants laid out on the lake. From the view we could see the whole skyline of the city standing right behind it. We found one pub right next to the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. Let me just add that a bar next to a church is just a great location. After Wednesday ashes you can grab yourself a cup of whiskey and coke. My friends Jeroen, Ramon, and I sat down and began to look at all the people walking in and out. I had a few whiskey and cokes and we also ordered some dish that tasted like chicken fingers. We liked it so much we got a second round. I guess that Russian dinner earlier wasn't enough after walking around Minsk and drinking some alcohol. We walked back to the hotel from the pub around 1 AM. It was starting to rain and thunder, weather that we were not use to coming from Russia's humidity. It seemed like a long wet walk back to the hotel but on the way we saw traffic lights that had smiley faces on them. I thought that was pretty funny.

The city of Minsk was small and very easy to get around. Before even getting there I heard bad rumors about how dangerous and shitty it was. Those people were wrong. Iv'e never seen such a beautiful place to relax for the day. I don't think anyone could of been as wrong as the things I was hearing about it. Between the beautiful monuments and the locks of couples on the gate to the pubs filled with great locals and cheap liquor, I did not find one thing wrong. Of course besides me losing 25 dollars at the black jack table but you always have to prepare yourself for losing. I thought it was very funny that our hotel had both a casino and a strip club, also a bowling alley. It was like staying in a Las Vegas resort but in the middle of an impoverished nation. Independence park which is located right in the middle is a great place in the summer. I'm sure they have a lot of festivals and events, even concerts that happen daily.