Fall Break, Part 1: Berlin

Still from "The Simple Life" with Paris and Nicole.

The night before I left for my fall break, I made an interesting decision: to go out and get blackout drunk with Kathleen, Andrea, and Arianna, all NABA friends, until the wee hours of the morning. This ill-fated decision, which brought me home well past 3 am, left me just 2 hours to sleep before having to "get up for my flight to Berlin." Well, I missed it. So, the next morning, in a mad gay frenzy, I took a bus straight to the airport and did something I thought only happened in movies like Home Alone: I walked right up to the ticket counter and bought a one-way ticket to Berlin, an action that set me back 200 euros, a stopover in Stockholm, and hours of self-loathing.

However, I'm so glad I did. Not about the missing the plane part, that part sucked. And to say that Berlin is an amazingly beautiful city, with gorgeous architectural and cultural assets would be...frankly, a lie. What I did see, however, was a city that had been stifled by so long by historical and political rules (most of which are still extremely hazy to me), came out on the other side like a bat out of hell and turned itself into a mecca for partying, drugs, and meeting people both strange and open in a way that would make even the most notorious "party cities" like Barcelona or my hometown of New Orleans blush.
Stopover in Stockholm. Can you believe they sell reindeer pelts everywhere!?

On my first night, I met some of the guys at the hostel, who were all very nice. My friend David and I went out to a couple of small and slightly sketchy bars/clubs around the hostel and the next morning, I had plans to go to the Berlin Zoo & Aquarium.

This is the first time I had ever seen a chameleon...and I instantly fell in love. How could you not, with those eyes!

I came to the conclusion that zebras are one of the most underrated animals...I love how simple but varied they are...We should respect them more.
This was definitely my favorite thing at the zoo/aquarium...A small indoor pond that held tons of koi. Not that exciting, right? However, I guess over the years they have become accustomed to being fed and therefore come right up to any hands or fingers that break the surface of the water. I sat here for such a long time, nursing my hangover, and letting the little guys come up to me. It was actually very unexpected and peaceful.

Okay. So this is the only photo I have to remember what will from now on be known as the best night of the trip (and I mean this entire trip, to Europe in general). My roommates and I, (David, Troy, and Paul) and another hostel buddy Adam decided to throw inhibitions to the wind, put on our freakum' dresses, and go to the biggest club in Europe. It's called Berghain, and you should totally research it a little bit. Such an amazing group of people, we all had so much fun dancing until 8:30 am (believe it or not, when we left the club it was broad daylight and there was a line of about 200 people waiting to get in). See what I mean about Berlin being the "real" party city in Europe? If you're ever in Berlin, you should totally go to this place. It's an old factory, huge rooms and ceilings, great to explore, and the party really doesn't stop.

The best part? On the way home in the cab, Halo came on the radio.
Then, later that day, we got sufficient rest, David and I went to see the sights of Berlin. I was still in a bit of a daze from the night/morning before, so I wasn't the best photographer or human in general, but I managed to get a couple of photos of the city.

There are bricks throughout the city streets that outline where the Berlin Wall once stood.


I am loving the weirdness of the Berlin metro system, especially the camouflage seats (devotees will remember my obsession with all-things camouflage).
Come Monday morning, it was time to leave the hostel that gave me such a great time in Berlin. I have to hand it to myself for kind of putting myself out there and staying at a gay hostel, and believe me, the risk was so worth the reward. I don't believe I have ever gotten luckier as far as people in a hostel, and aside from going out and all of the fun that goes along with that, I met some really amazing people, including a really special one that I know I'll see again one day, hopefully soon. My last night in Berlin was like a dream, one that I hope to recreate some day, and I know I will. The whole trip to Berlin went off without a hitch, aside from the missed flight (and I think something had to go wrong, and it was kind of lucky it happened in the very beginning of the trip), and I will never forget it. And so glad I did it alone!

I boarded a train at Berlin's uber-amazing (and brand new) Westbahnhof station for Praha (Prague) and enjoyed a few hours of much-deserved rest.

Next stop, the Czech Republic!