Berlin, Germany
Trip began like any other trip; a bored mind and an idea. I had four days off of work and nothing to do. A couple of friends have been mentioning that they were going to Berlin for the weekend and kept asking me how I liked it. My response was always the same, I haven’t been yet. Apparently I have set up a reputation for myself, that I have traveled everywhere in Germany.
So after a wasted morning riding around on the post shuttle and staring at electronics I shouldn’t be thinking about buying, I had a brief text conversation with my beloved. I had mentioned about how some of my friends have headed out to Berlin and I’m just bored riding around post. That’s where this adventure begins.
I was basically pushed into going to Berlin and kicked off my timid behind. Being that it was almost noon, it would have been much too expensive to get a train ticket on such short notice but I was made aware of mitfahrgelegenheit. As I cringed at the word the first time I heard it I came to find out in simple it was ride-share. People that were already traveling to an area would post their routes and if you wanted to ride along, you just cover part of the gas. And as luck may have it there was a ride leaving that night. I was given a script to follow for proper etiquette in requesting a ride in German. With so far the only plan was getting out to Berlin, I didn’t know where I was going to stay or even really how I was going to get back. But stuff was moving and I had to get back to my room to pack a backpack. Two pairs of socks and underwear, two shirts, a sweater and a jacket plus the cloth I’m wearing and my camera. That was my total packing list.
Leaving from Mainz to Berlin would take 6 hours, and the clock was slowly approaching 6 pm before we would start our journey, my ride-share was Melly and her 14 year old son which made for an interesting ride since Melly didn’t speak much english and would use her son to try to get her point across. As the sun set over the horizon, the darkness of the autobahn made me feel like I was traveling cross country from California to Texas; the length of the I-10, the darkness only interrupted by the occasional truck that dominates the roads at night. It was somewhat familiar, even the nodding off that made me remember how much I hate driving long stretches of road; but not Melly, she said that she has been making the same journey for about 3 years. She was a Berlin native but has made the move to Mainz following her boyfriend. She told me about her life, living in East Berlin behind the wall and expressing that it wasn’t all bad; talked about her parents and her children. There is something completely different about traveling with strangers, listening to their story and having them share a piece of their world with you; there is a strange comfort there.
As the hours kept passing midnight was quickly approaching. There is an eerie piece to any city when you wonder the street at night. The roads where completely empty offering an unobstructed view of the city. The main road leading to the main train station offered glimpses to many of the great structures that hundreds of people travel thousands of miles to visit every year; it was like a preview of what my days had to come.
Once at the main train station I figured out my lodging accommodations for the next few days; a nearby hostel because I didn’t go to Berlin to enjoy the luxury hotels but rather rough it, hugging my backpack while I sleep. Sharing an eight bed room I slept feeling hopeful for what the day had in store.