Berlin

Last weekend, I decided to jet over to Berlin. I’ve never actually been to Germany aside from a million layovers, so I was excited to check another place off my bucket list. My love of history made me choose Berlin. I've always wanted to learn more about the Cold War and see the Berlin Wall.

On Friday, I took the first early flight out. It was a beautiful, perfect day in Berlin, and I walked to the office that day, which I loved experiencing. I casually walked by Checkpoint Charlie on the way there - history is all around you! I stayed late that night in the office taking calls and was really tired by the end of the day, but excited for the weekend!

The next morning, I awoke to the most beautiful sunrise out of my hotel room window. I was so excited to get out and get my legs moving. I did a three-hour Cold War walking tour, and it was harrowing, enlightening, and fascinating all at the same time. We covered a ton of places, including Brandenburg Gate (where Reagan made his famous speech), Palace of Tears, Alexanderplatz, and the Berlin Wall. It was so sad to hear about the real people and families affected by it. From there, I made the long trek to the Stasi Museum, which was equally disturbing and fascinating learning all about the spies and paranoia during that era. After that, I took a long 1.5-hour walk back to the main city center, did some shopping, and got a massage to decompress a bit.

I went to bed that night feeling very enlightened and got up around 3 AM the next morning to head back to Dublin. When I got back on Sunday morning, I went for a sea cold plunge to refresh myself before running errands and getting organized for the workweek ahead. Berlin was gritty and beautiful in its own way. I felt the impact of the war there — it was almost in the air. It was such a whirlwind of a trip, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.