Have Bag, Will Travel: Berlin

I'm a history buff. Since my AP Modern European History class, I've been adding places to go to the ever-increasing list of destinations. Getting to travel around Europe was a wonderful experience because of the vast amount of history the continent has seen. The U.S. is an infant compared to everything Europe has seen.

Towards the end of my study abroad trip, I spent a month exploring all the countries I didn't have a chance to get to before. One of those cities was Berlin. I honestly wish I could have spent more time exploring Germany as a whole, but with such a short timeframe, I decided to stay in Berlin for four days.

I'd done a couple free walking tours before Berlin, but I swear I did more walking in those four days than I've ever done. A German friend from high school met me in the city and showed me a few of her favorite restaurants before meeting up with a tour group. I've never been gladder to be a tourist on one of those excursions. I learned more about the history and the culture through a 20-year-old history student that I could have learned in the classroom.

The coolest part of it all was seeing all the places I had learned about from the Reichstag building to the Berlin Wall to the gravel parking lot above the bunker where Hitler hid. The most wonderful thing about Berlin is that it doesn't shy away from its past. In fact, it displays it prominently. Instead of burying bad memories, the city highlights them as if they don't want history to repeat itself.

I enjoyed the first tour so much I signed up for two more - learning more about East Germany after WWII and visiting a concentration camp right outside of the building. I still get chills when I think about it.

Berlin is such a new city. It's still rebuilding from the war, and the damage is still evident. I like to compare Berlin to Chicago, all streamlined and clean, while London is more comparable to NYC.

I would love to go back to Berlin because even after those three tours, I could still go back and learn more. I recommend the city to anyone who has an interest in history because the city doesn't just present it. Berlin showcases it.