Camryn Rosenstein's Day in Berlin
Ratings
Review
8 am: The sky is cloudy, drizzling rain falls down. The brisk cold air is refreshing
compared to the heat wave, we we're in just a couple days ago. 9 am: Men and women are
walking to work, everyone dresses very well. You can tell the tourists from the locals. The local's
dress minimalistically with a pop of color and the perfect mix of old and new.
10:30 am: Rosenthaler metro station is bustling, there is a new train almost every minute. It
was confusing at first to find how to get to Alexanderplatz but luckily the German's are very kind
and helpful! Our train arrives and we get on, I think everybody knows we're American's because
I'm holding a folding map. Awkward...Another give away was the fact that we were talking
somewhat obnoxiously loud. Probably shouldn't have done that! 11:15 am: The sky is still
grey but I enjoy walking the streets of Mitte that way. I felt like we weren't tourists anymore, just
some angstridden teenagers roaming the streets, what we do best. The window displays were
mesmerizing, each one unique in it's own way. From one design you could tell the brand's
consumer, identity, signature look! Noon: After walking many blocks, turning many corners,
and then reverting to Google Maps, we found Neue Wache! There were many tourists posing
for pictures or using their selfie stick to take a selfie. Zeughaus was right next to Neue Wache,
which was the German History Museum. However, we recognized it from all the posters of a
naked man with red lipstick on, that had been following us all over the metropolis.
12:50 pm: After exploring some more historical treasures, we found a rickshaw. I had
been wanting to go on one,ever since we had seen them the first day we got to Berlin. I know it
was such a "touristy thing" but it looked so fun! When in Berlin became my new motto! While
taking in all the beauty of the city on our ride, we were planning out our afternoon. The talk of a
record store came up and our driver overheard us so he took us to the "best record store in
Berlin." 1 pm: Dussman das KulturKaufhaus (Dussman Department Store) was basically a huge Barnes and Noble but it was much prettier and modern. If you wanted to escape your job
on lunch break, this was the place to go. Five floors of literature, poetry, vinyl records,
notebooks, stationary, art, documentaries, biographies and much more. It was a fete of all that
was great in our big bad world. 1:45 pm: Briskly walking towards the store I had been
dreaming about going to in real life, it was right there in front of me. MONKI! When I walked in, it
felt like I had been transported to every "hipster" girls closet. When I think of the word hipster, I
believe it is some one who forgets the trends and creates their own look which usually turns out
really cool. She is not afraid to be different. One corner of the store was like walking into a
updated school dance, with a disco ball, and mirrors everywhere. They had 60s and 70s retro
meets hippie, minimal with a twist, just plain crazy and funky and a huge sale! I noticed that
there was some another store on the other side, and I thought it was mens clothes because the
store itself was the opposite of Monki. Suddenly my eyes stopped on a pair of jeans, they
looked exactly like the boyfriend ankle jeans from Acne Studios. They were women's and 45
euros! Much better than the 200 dollars in America! The store was called Weekday, and it had
men and women's clothes. No other two stores could be different than Monki and Weekday yet
they were put together.......Upstairs was even more Weekday clothes, comfy tees for 10 euros,
dresses for 30 or 40 euros, jeans from 35 euros and so much more! It kinda reminded me of a
more sophisticated Brandy Melville. I tried on everything I could possibly fit in the dressing room,
changing from one thing to the other, racing against the clock! By the time I went to check out, I was sweating and it was cold in the store! We ran to grab a cab as soon as I got my receipt.
Finding a cab at 2pmduring the week was like trying to find a pearl on a white carpet.
After standing in the street risking our lives, we finally got a cab. When I got in the cab, I took a
huge breath. Phew! Beige was all I saw as we drove down the hectic Friedrichstrasse center.
Beige Mercedes, Volkswagens, and BMWs swarmed this frenzied area. Americans, driving in a
Mercedes Benz for a form of quick transportation is “pretentious”, as if Germany is showing off
their power and wealth. However, since Mercedes’s are made in Germany, it’s like buying a
Prius in America. 3:30pm: DOME! WOW! ITs SOOOO PRETTY! I think I might of been a little
too excited to walk by the Berliner Dom, but how could you not look in awe! 3:35pm : As
soon as we walked into the DDR museum, I heard French, German, Chinese, and British
voices. There were throngs of translators all throughout the place. I tried to stay with a buddy
while going through the exhibit, but that was often hard for me because I took like 5 minutes at
each explanation or artifact. Compared to the many other museums we had gone to, this was
definitely the best for kids and teenagers because it kept you engaged with the interactive
learning. I found a part of the exhibit, talking about the woman of Germany post WW2, East
Germany compared to West Germany. West Germany kept up with the latest trends, which
was the Mod look, the US adopted from the UK starting with Twiggy. Beehive updos, shift
dresses,trousers, and penny loafers were featured in the photos from 1950-1960 ish Magazines from Germany. Better yet, there were samples!
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