Adventure Run

It is officially summer in Berlin. The amazing weather has emptied the classrooms and filled the parks with  sunbathers and musicians; the paths are filled with joggers--including myself and Mia. 

Instead of going to class, we decided to take a run up to Teuflsberg. With a view like this to do some yoga and lay in the grass while listening to music and soaking in the sun, you cant really blame us though, right?

After spending some time relaxing after our run, we  decided to continue our run to the abandoned spy station nearby. After running up yet another mountain, we started circling the premises until we found a hole in the fence to climb through. Unfortunately, what we didnt know, was that this spy station is not entirely abandoned. Currently, it is running as a tourist attraction. A tourist attraction where you have to pay to get in, not the kind that you break in to.

Our prison

Our sad faces were only temporary

Spending less than five minutes near the spy station, we were approached by a woman speaking German. Happily, she brought us to a very unhappy, heavily tattooed security guard, who was not amused that we did not speak German. In near perfect English, he began shouting at us, and asking how we got in. After a few minutes, he told us that we either had to pay for tickets for the attraction, or that the police would get involved.
As we had no money (we were on a jog), he suggested we leave our iPhones as ransom while we went to get money. Instead, we used our iPhones to call someone to come bail us out.

As we waited for our hero (thanks again, Tom) to come save us, we reflected on the situation, and realized that it was actually quite hilarious.



After being afraid for the first 10 minutes, we decided to make the situation better by playing some music and even befriended one of the security guards--he didnt end up letting us free though.

"On Top of the World",  "Let Me Take a Selfie", and "I Spy" were just a few songs that kept us ironically entertained while we waited for an hour and a half for Tom to arrive with our 14 euros bail money. Every time a new tour group would arrive, the guards would notion at us and shake their heads--but it was kind of cool feeling like a celeb! I am pretty sure that the security guards knew we didnt take them seriously because we kept on smiling at them, even though there were 10 large men and a heavy gate keeping us from escaping.

Unfortunately, our adventure didn't end with the detainment. Leaving the spy tower through the "proper" entrance brought us onto a road that we have never seen before. Phones almost dead, we decided to try to find our way home without technology, even though the sun was setting and we were in a forest. Every person, bicyclist, and noise terrified us. After sprinting through a twilight-like forest for about half an hour, we found our way to a road, which led us to the S-Bahn station of Grunewald. Deciding to take the risk of riding without a ticket, we sat down on the first train which would take us to a stop where we could switch to the S5 (the train to take us home). Moments within sitting down, a man approached us.

Instead of asking for our tickets, he sat uncomfortably close to us. We ended up moving to different seats, and getting off at the next stop, where we hid under a staircase until he left.

I say this very frequently, but I dont think  I have ever been happier seeing the "Eiffel Tower."  The 20 minute walk from Westkreuz seemed like an eternity, but it was an eternity full of hope, and a realization that we were almost home (after being gone for nearly 5 hours).

Prague with Easter

 Having looked through countless of my friends’ Facebook albums from their semesters abroad, a weekend trip to Prague seems to be one that most American college students take while spending a semester in Europe. When the opportunity to satisfy a stereotype arose, I naturally took it—not to mention that this trip would mark the 20^th country I would have visited.  I was especially excited for this trip, as I would not be traveling alone! “Prague with Easter” was the Facebook group, and I was so excited to see more and more people joining. 

 I’m not entirely sure how many people in total came to Prague from HWR, but I spent most of my time with 6 other people from 4 different countries—the US, Brazil, Norway, and the Netherlands.  While there were quite a few of us from the same university in Prague, I found it odd that we all ran into each other so frequently throughout our stay despite staying at different hostels throughout the city.  Overall, we had a fantastic time despite obstacles we faced with the hostel, location, and nightlife.  (Berlin truly ruins nightlife in other cities).  

Upon arriving in Prague, I learned that my hostel did not exist. Holding back panic-tears, I found free wifi—something that is quite common in the city—and quickly booked another one. The hostel turned out to be fantastic, and close to the city center! Meeting up with the rest of the group at the Charles Bridge, we decided to go to the largest nightclub in Central Europe—Karlovy Lazne.  While it may be the biggest, it certainly does not compare to anything in Berlin.  The club seemed to be geared towards male tourists, as the club was 90% guys--the creepy kind.  The club also had free wifi—which is actually unheard of. We gladly left a little after 1 am—the time we leave to go out in Berlin. 

The next day, I moved into the hostel where everyone else was staying in. It was cheap, outside of the city, and sort of gross. Even though we were all a bit freaked out by the sights and scents, it matters most who you are with and the city which you are exploring. We had a great lunch in the city center, as we were there for Easter weekend, and the Easter Market was in full swing. We did a free walking tour of the city, and went back to our hostel to get ready for the Party Boat we had booked. Again, this was an example of Berlin ruining nightlife. I ended up spending my night on the boat on the top deck looking at the city from the river at night, away from the “party”. After the boat ride ended, a group of us went to McDonalds where we enjoyed a McBox, and then went up to Prague Castle at night. It turns out that Prague is a city that, in fact, does sleep, as the lights were shut off by 3.

The following day, we returned to the castle, but this time, we could see the magnificent view of the old city and river. After yet another traditional Czech meal, we explored the Hrad, and after our photo shoot, we went back to the old city for dinner.  By now it was Sunday, and we realized that there was no point in trying to go out again, as both “weekend” nights were a bit of a disappointment, so we headed back to the hostel with what was probably the worst beer and wine any of us have ever unknowingly purchased.

On Monday, we gladly checked out of our hostel, and headed for the city.  One of the guys and I stayed behind and got coffee and breakfast, while the others went to see the John Lennon Wall. Over breakfast, I met a woman from New York in the bathroom, who talked to me for probably 15 minutes about hair and traveling.

Overall, I found Prague to be extremely beautiful, romantic, and a great place to visit with a great group of friends. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to come with (aside from the few that stayed in Berlin).   I also learned that nobody checks for tickets on the Trams in the city. We had numerous journeys, and not once were we stopped (or fined) for not having purchased tickets.