East Side Gallery

On my last day in Berlin I was confident in my metro riding abilities so I decided it would be the perfect time to check out East Side Gallery. I met Elizabeth at Silo Coffee for breakfast because it was close to the wall. This part of Berlin was blatantly hipster and walking around I definitely felt self conscious like I didn't belong. The food was delicious, though, so 10/10 I'd recommend making the trek. Plus, there were quite a few Russian restaurants and a ton of street art which always steal my heart.

The East Side gallery contains the longest stretch of Berlin Wall still standing today. Painting of what is now known as the East Side galley began in 1990 (I was just 1 years old!). The outdoor museum contains around 100 murals from artists in 21 countries. The artworks all represent freedom and a better world for all people. In 2009 reconstruction began to bring the wall back to life after years of erosion and vandalism ruined many of the pieces.

The most famous painting is probably the one of Leonid Brezhnev and Enrich Honecker kissing. The Russian words say, "God help me stay alive," and the German words underneath say, "Among this deadly love." It was created by Russian painter Dmitri Vrubel, and was based off a real kiss both men shared in 1979 celebrating 30 years of the GDR. You might have seen a similar picture recently which is derivative of this famous image. By the way, Brezhnev and his wife created this calendar and I absolutely need it. While it was impressive to see it in person, there was a long line of people waiting to take a picture in front of it. I just barely snapped this photo at a moment in between a change of people.

There were just so many more murals that I didn't even photograph. It was difficult trying to navigate the people the sun and there wasn't much room between the side walk, parked cars, and street to take decent photos. I tried to take photos of the ones that captivated me the most, but I struggled with that too because as I was looking through them a lot just didn't turn out well. It's definitely worth the visit though just to experience history and what it must have been like to have a country like Germany reunited again.

Have you heard of East Side Gallery before?

Mauerpark

After we realized the roundhouse was a bust we stopped into some hole-in-the-wall place to grab a drink because we were all hot from walking in the sun. We were going to visit another abandoned place, but, after Cheryl went to check to see if we could actually still get to it, we realized it was torn down. She felt bad that nothing was working out and offered another suggestion of going to Mauerpark. It didn't bother me that we couldn't explore anything because I know the nature of abandoned places and it was cool enough just seeing the outside of the roundhouse. We said good-bye to Elizabeth, who had other plans, and headed to Mauerpark.

One of my favorite things to do is go to flea markets, and it just so happened that every Sunday there is a giant flea market. Most markets I've seen in other countries are just people sell cheap Chinese products. I was so happy to see vintage items and a lot of handmade items from local artists. It was so crowded so I didn't take pictures inside the market (except for the one above). I was able to buy some artwork from a local artist which I try to do everywhere I travel and since I hadn't seen any street artists this was the next best thing.

After walking through the market she took me to the top of a hill where there is an ever revolving art display on what used to be the "death strip," or the no man's land, that formed from the two parallel walls of the Berlin Wall. Not only can you view the street art but you can watch artists create their works. People are so talented with a can of spray paint! The best part is the work is constantly being painted over so every time you visit you'll see something new. Graffiti on the park side of the wall is completely legal as well according to the website!

If you don't like crowds I'd suggest you don't attend on Sunday because, along with the flea market, there is live karaoke. The karaoke was started by a Dubliner named Joe Hatchiban (that's a fake name by the way) when he decided to bring his stereo equipment to the stone amphitheater. He's been doing this since 2009 and, weather permitting, is there every Sunday at 3. 10 years later he's still drawing quite the crowds. The couple people we listened to were really good but there's no way I'd ever do that even for a million dollars. I wouldn't subject the crowd to such horrible singing.

We didn't stay for very long, but it was nice to experience something so quintessentially Berlin and see all the people Berlin has to offer. Cheryl and I finished our evening by grabbing tacos at a restaurant called Nenes. We watched part of the World Cup and talked for a really long time. If you ever visit Berlin make sure to check out her blog. I managed to navigate the tram and made it back to my hostel. I'm always amazed that I'm an adult capable of navigating a foreign city alone.

Boquerón & La Poza del Obispo

January 4 & 5, 2018 

After leaving San Juan we drove to Boquerón - or I'll clarify that I drove there. They finally convinced me to drive and it was one of the scariest things I've done. Julio got me out of the San Juan traffic, but then I drove the rest of the way. I was too short for the pedal and I ended up driving through mountains. I think it might have been better had I had a nicer car (no complaints though, the car was free), but it is what it is. I don't like driving in new places where I'm unfamiliar with how the traffic drives. We made it safely, though.

We were there for two nights, and I only have 4 photos to show for it. I wish I had more of the town because it was cute and quaint and you could walk with no problems. This was also where we saw the most damage from Hurricane Maria. Boats lined the shores and trees were uprooted. Yeny took us to this one beach town where they used to rent cabanas and it was completely closed to guests. It was a government run resort so they usually offered housing for cheaper, but there is uncertainty to whether or not the government will put the money in to restoring it. I mean it's June 14, 2018 as I write this and there are still people without power on the island.

The town was pretty lively at nights so we spent the evenings going to different bars and trying different foods. All of which were amazing. There was a gay bar and a lot of gay couples in this town, and I'm always surprised how accepting other cultures are. The USA isn't Russia, but we still have a long way to go in terms of accepting others as equals. Our days were spent on the beach enjoying the sun before we had to go back to the frigid Cleveland temperatures. I even managed to go most of the trip without getting sun burned. The only thing that got burned was my feet because I didn't apply the sunscreen evenly. That sun is brutal though, and I can't imagine how burnt I would have been if I hadn't obsessively applied sunscreen all day every day (I'm on a medication for acne and was told NOT TO GO IN THE SUN).

January 6, 2018

We had one full day left in Puerto Rico because our plane wasn't leaving until 2 a.m. We spent it driving back to Arecibo so we could finish cleaning up the house and packing our things. The last thing Yeny wanted to show us was La Poza del Obsipo. When the waves are calmer you can see a natural pool made from the limestone that protects you from the harsh waves. Unfortunately, the waves were extremely rough that day so I wasn't able to get a great picture of the pool.

There was this cool wall that we walked past to go up on the hill, and I was drawn to the crumbling stone. As I was doing so research for this post I noticed that in all the pictures I saw the wall was completely standing. I'm going to assume it was damaged because of the hurricane, but don't hold me to that. The wall below says, "La poza no se vende, se defiende (The Poza is not sold, defend!)" meaning that places like this beach should be for the benefit of all not the rich who plan to privatize it.

That night we went to the airport only to find out our plane was delayed a few hours. When we eventually boarded they accused someone on the plane of stealing this little metal pole that went into the security door. When no one fessed up to taking it they made us get off the plane. To make a long story short we were stuck in the airport for 24 hours with the promise that we'd leave a little bit later, a little bit later. That's what they kept telling us. Eventually everyone on our plane got fed up. There was basically a mob forming asking for answers. It was a mess, but thankfully they rebooked all the remaining people and we were able to make it back to Cleveland via Orlando with no issues. I did end up having to miss a day of work because we didn't make it in time. However, I'm just adding another 5 year story to my life's memoir. You can read more 5 Year Stories here.

I'm not a beach person, so I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed Puerto Rico. Did you find Puerto Rico surprising at all?