Let It Go

When you have to get something out of your system, I’d strongly advise that you do.  Trust me, you’ll be happier that way.  If you’re feeling gassy or bubbly, let it rip until you’re as flat as a can of coke left out on a California afternoon.  If you’re feeling sad, cry a river, and if you’re concealing a super power that allows you to turn things into ice, let it go, let it go, don’t hold it back anymore.  In all seriousness though, some times, getting something out of your system leaves you lighter and happier.  Other times, it leaves you heavier and happier.

Take döners for example...

Ever since my experience with my first döner… yesterday…(I have a problem, I know…), I’ve been craving for my next one.  I swear it’s not my fault.  That garlic sauce that they spread on your döner?  It’s not garlic sauce—it’s actually laced with crack.  So, naturally, this döner craving had to be dealt with, and being as responsible as I am, I dealt with it.

Located on Torstraße 125, 10119 Berlin, a few friends and I had our second of many döner experiences at Grill und Schlemmerbuffet Rosenthaler Platz.  Afterwards, we took a nice stroll around the block and came upon Efa’s Frozen Yogurt on Weinbergsweg 24, 10119 Berlin.

Efa’s was apparently voted as one of the top 10 frozen yogurt shops in Berlin, and I can definitely see why!  Their yogurt is extremely smooth and thick.  They also sweeten their yogurt with agave nectar rather than sugar!

Once we had our sweet treat, we continued with our wanderlust to Kadewe, the largest department store in Berlin!

And luckily for me, there was a farmer’s market going on across the street!  Some things, as much as you try, just don’t and never will leave your system.

And with that, I also don’t see why I would want any beautiful beautiful market to ever ever leave my system!

Being in Germany, this farmer's market, as well as I'm sure many of the ones I'll be going to, sold sausages in a case! 

Here are some of the things I picked up!!  So, apparently it's white asparagus and strawberry season here in Berlin!  I haven't had the chance to pick up any white asparagus yet, but the strawberries are absolutely delicious!  They're so tiny, and I'm not too sure if they're wild, but if they aren't, they're everything I'd ever imagined wild strawberries to be!  

Oh, it's been a happy day.  The power of getting things out of your system--what did I tell ya?

Cheerio,

Kimmy

Döner Mind If I Do!

Sometimes instead of giving you lemons, life gives you two days’ worth of classes a week, and instead of making lemonade, you take those days off and you get yourself a döner!  Trust me, you’ll thank me later!

Today, I spent a good portion of my afternoon wandering the streets of Kreuzberg by the Mehringdamm U-bahn station!  From my few days in Germany, I’ve found that the weatherman could be quite mean, and hence, the weather, quite variable.  One day, it could be perfect weather for a picnic, while the next could just be anything but perfect.  So, because the days where the sun shines, the birds chirp, and the people picnic, are so far and few in between, you really have to take advantage of each and every one.  And so naturally, I did.  Or I guess you can be the judge of that!

 Recommended to me by a beloved friend, Mustafas Gemüsekebap, located on Mehringdamm 32, 10961 Berlin, Germany, was also mentioned in several blogs and “Best of Berlin” lists.  A Yelp and Trip Advisor favorite, I can definitely definitely see why.

Let me tell you, if you could put heaven in a wee little pita pocket, this is it. I got a chicken döner with an extremely delightful chili and garlic spread and all the veggies, which I swear included mint...and of course there was feta!

Afterwards, I strolled around for a bit and came upon a few markets and fruit stands!  

I also came upon some panties that could brighten up anyone's day.  Fortunately, my day was bright enough as it was, so I decided to pass these up!

And what lunch is complete without a dessert?  I stopped at this pleasant little ice cream parlour called Vanille & Marille, located on Hagelberger Str. 1Kreuzberg. There were a bunch of kids lined up outside the place, so I was pretty positive that I made a good choice.

And the ice cream itself was confirmation of my good decision making skills!

And believe it or not, my day is far from complete!  I'm actually in a rush to get ready for the Berlin Philharmonic Performance tonight, so I'll have to leave you here! 

Until next time,

Kimmy

Friedrichstraße in Pictures

Tomorrow, we’re taking a class trip to see the Berlin Philharmonic!  How stoked am I on a scale of one to very?  I’d say extremely stoked!  Unfortunately, because the event is classy rather than trashy, we’re not allowed to wear sneakers or flippy floppys, so my friend was in desperate need of some appropriate shoes for the occasion.

This called for a trip to Friedrichstraße, a shopping district in Berlin that not only had a Zara, but also had a Birkenstock store!  What more could you possibly ask for?  And guess what…Birkenstocks are cheaper here than they are in the US!!!  I will try to contain my excitement, and my Euros while I’m at it, because what good are Birkens when you’re starved and dying of hunger? 

So, I walked away from Friedrichstraße with empty hands and a full wallet.  And lucky for you, a relatively full camera as well!  Enjoy!

This was the subway station!  I'm still getting the hang of public transport here! 

This stand and stands similar to this are found all over the tourist areas in Berlin.  They usually sell beers and fast foods such as döner kebabs and currywursts! 

The best of the wursts!  Hardyharhar, aren't I clever...

This was the view of the Spree river from the station!

Until next time,

Kimmy

Berliner Means Donut

You know your priorities are lined up all nice and orderly when you choose to write a blog post over an assigned essay.  But I figured that a post was long overdue, and so, here’s a “Hallo!” from Berlin!

I kid you not when I say that Hallo is one of the few German words I know.  Whoever said that ignorance was bliss was obviously familiar with German while in Germany.  I can literally recite the number of words I know in German—wait, why don’t I do so, and you can keep a tally for me.  Don’t worry; you’ll only need one hand.  Strasse, which means street, Hallo, which means hello, bitte, which means please, platz, which means place, and Berliner, which means donut.  And that’s five!  A high five if you’re feeling supportive and encouraging!  I do intend to expand my German vocabulary though… All I need is a little bit of patience and a whole lot of time and I’ll be well on my way away from ignorance, and towards bliss!

Until then, this language barrier has proven to be a daily struggle.  Actually, I’m being a bit dramatic.  It’s only been four days here, and although that isn’t much, I already feel as if I’ve had a nice a taste of the German life and the Berlin experience!  Our program directors actually went out of their way to ensure that our first days in Berlin were not only memorable, but that they would also leave an extremely pleasant taste in our mouths that would leave us craving more.  

On Sunday, two days after our arrival, we took a bike tour around the city with Fat Tire Bike Tours and hit up most of the tourist hot spots and landmarks.  Unfortunately for you lot, I was too preoccupied with not falling off my bike or getting hit by an aggressive taxi driver, that I didn’t manage to snap any pictures…but there’s still time! 6 weeks of time to be exact! 

After about 4 hours of biking, we ended up at a Biergarten in Tiergarten called Schleusenkrug and located on Müller-Breslau-Straße, 10623 Berlin, Germany.  I wasted no time and went straight for a bratwurst!

This little beauty came straight from the grill, and was plated with a sauerkraut salad on top of a delightful bed of couscous!

After dinner, we decided to complete our German experience by having some German beer.  I call this particular one baby beer, and in all honestly, I bought it for the baby and the pop top.  I mean, look at that face, and that top!  How could I resist?  Easy..I didn't.  This beer was super bubbly and light.  Can you tell that when I'm not a full time student, I spend my time as a beer connoisseur?

This little guy doesn't look as fun as the first one.  And trust me, it didn't as fun either.  This one was much darker, but surprisingly it wasn't bitter despite the hints of coffee.  

It was overall a really fun day despite the biking in the rain.  Oh wait...I forgot to mention...we biked back from the Biergarten in the rain.  When I said that our program directors went out of their way to make our first few days memorable, I meant it. 

Tschau! (Courtesy of Google Translate...)

Kimmy

Fat Tire Bike Tours: http://berlin.fattirebiketours.com
Schleusenkrug: http://www.schleusenkrug.de