Student's Take On Berlin!

This morning, in a shady corner of the courtyard at the CIEE Global Institute, I snuck a few questions with two participants. Sophia can be spotted chatting with a program leader or making up songs. If you're looking for Amelie, find the girl with the strawberry ice cream in hand! 

What is one of your favorite places you’ve visited so far in Berlin?

Amelie: “Definitely the Reichstag building and the Kurfürstendamm was cool too.” “Oh, Greifswald was really fun!” (Greifswald, is not in Berlin; however, last weekend we took an overnight trip to the Baltic coastal town) 

Sophia: “I liked exploring Mitte! Like the Brandenburger Tor because it was really cool to get to walk through it on our way to the Reichstag and that was something I really wanted to do!”

How would you describe your language classes to someone not in our program?

Amelie: “It’s fun! It’s not just taking down notes, today we played a what I'm packing in my suitcase game to practice what we have been learning. We move around a lot, it’s not your normal kind of class!”

Sophia: “It’s kind of scary at first because it is all in German, but you kind of just get used to it and that’s actually better because you can learn more. I think its better because we don’t have tests! It’s a lot more of a conversation based class and not just sitting there!”

What is one thing you want to do before we leave Berlin?

Amelie: “East Side Gallery, it’s a place where you can see a lot of the Berlin wall and I want to go because it kind of shows a little part of the history of Berlin. It has pictures that people have painted that help us understand and see it through the eyes of other people. I also really want to go to the Fernsehturm!” 

Sophia: "I want to go see Olympiastadion, that’s what I’ve wanted to see the whole time here. It is such an old piece of history that is still pretty much fully standing, especially after the war destroyed a lot of historical pieces in Berlin!”

We hope you make the most of your time left here in Berlin. Here is a short list of some ideas to consider during your free time! 

East Side Gallery - longest section of the Berlin Wall covered in murals, free

Jewish Museum - a very well designed and interesting museum (not far from CIEE-take the 248 bus on Zossener Str.), 3 Euro w/ student ID

Wannsee Beach - on the outskirts of Berlin a sandy beach on the lake Wannsee, 3.50 Euro w/ student ID

Berliner Unterwelten Tour- tour of old bunkers and subway tunnels, prices vary based on tour choice ~ 10 Euro w/ student ID

Berliner Dom - go inside and then up to the top of the dome for a view of the city, 5 Euro w/ student ID

Siegessäule- (the victory column) climb the 285 steps for a view of Tiergarten and the city, 2.50 Euro w/ student ID

Gedächtniskirche - a church mostly destroyed during WWII now a memorial, free

Zoologischer Garten - Berlin Zoo, 10.50 Euro w/ student ID

Gendarmenmarkt - beautiful architecture on a platz, shopping and other sites nearby

DDR Museum - museum with lots about daily life in the GDR (including a Trabi you can sit inside!), 6 Euro w/ student ID

KaDeWe - big department store opened in early 1900’s

Kurfürstendamm - shopping street with lots of fancy stores

Get out there, have fun, explore Berlin, stay hydrated, take pictures, make memories!