My first stop during the Holiday Break was Berlin. I had passed through that city many years ago but never had an opportunity to actually see it, and I’ve heard interesting things about it. Following the history path, along with few friends, I signed up for a walking Nazi tour. Our tour guide – an Irish history geek, was a gem. He was full of interesting facts and stories and his voice was loud and clear so everyone in the back could hear him 🙂 We started at the Brandenburg Gate, stopped by the Reichstag building for a quick history lesson of how Hitler came to power, continued to Soviet Memorial, Holocaust Memorial, Hitler’s Bunker site and finished with some more dark Holocaust stories. The evilness of World War II strikes me over and over again. More than 60 million people died, of which 10 million were Jews.
The most famous Graffiti on the Berlin Wall “My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love”
More or less 70 years ago, Germany was only for Germans as they were considered to be the superior race. It’s interesting to notice now, that these times are long gone and Germany has one the most diverse population in all of Europe. Berlin is full of Turks who own delicious Doner Kebabs – a perfect late night food, Middle Easterners, and other Europeans, especially Poles whose language I could hear all over the city.
Berlin is a strange city. On one hand people are free to drink on the streets, so you can see them with bottles of beer and other alcohol on the streets and in public transportation. You can see drunk people, drugged people, and bizarre looking people. But on the other hand, people follow the rules – they do not cross the street on the red lights and sort the trash religiously. I followed some rules and broke others. I walked around with a beer in my hand but I also crossed the street on the red light and took public transportation without a proper ticket. I guess you can call me a rebel!
Traditional German Christmas Market with Glühwein, or mulled wine, which I couldn’t get enough of.
Spotted Santa drinking Glühwein.
I spent 2/3 of my life in Poland and 1/3 in the U.S. My biggest struggle after living abroad for such a long time is…where is my home? My immediate family lives in the States but we have a house in Poland that my parents build over the past few years. Although I never lived in it, it feels like home. It’s an oasis. It’s a place where I reset, recharge and forget about everything. There is nothing better right now than waking up in the morning and eating handpicked raspberries from the garden and drinking coffee on a terrace. Nothing better than lying in a hammock under the shade of trees on a sunny day. And nothing better than watching falling stars on a beautiful night on a clear, non polluted sky.
So this is it…The day has come and I’m on my way to Poland. Packing was successful and I ended up checking a bag that was about 6 pounds below limit (but my mom filled it with 6 pounds of candy…). As always, I arrived at the airport too early so I’m snacking on crackers and hummus at the United Club (found few expiring passes in my wallet 😁). Few tears were shed today and a few more goodbyes were said. The ones with my family were the hardest because I won’t see them for a year. I’ll miss Chicago but I’m taking my Chicago spirit and pride with me by wearing a Blackhawks shirt all the way to Europe 😃 Adios!
Wayfarer & Luggage 