Prenzlauer Berg
Once I got off at Schonhauser Allee U-bahn station, I wondered around. Not knowing exactly where I was heading, I arrived at a park at Seelower Strasse and Paul-Robeson-Strasse. It’s a safe, neighborhood park with a soccer field and two playgrounds.
If you sit quietly and take the time to see what people are doing and what's going around, you can hear birds chirping, see the colorful autumn leaves falling from trees, a group of friends having a picnic, people playing with their dogs, and people sitting at the benches talking or lounging away. It felt very peaceful as I absorbed everything around me. It was different from all the other places I’ve posted in this blog. No tourists were around and it was wonderful to see another facet of Berlin.
If you sit quietly and take the time to see what people are doing and what's going around, you can hear birds chirping, see the colorful autumn leaves falling from trees, a group of friends having a picnic, people playing with their dogs, and people sitting at the benches talking or lounging away. It felt very peaceful as I absorbed everything around me. It was different from all the other places I’ve posted in this blog. No tourists were around and it was wonderful to see another facet of Berlin.
The next place I wondered to was Gethsemane Church, on Stargarder Strasse and Greifenhagener Strasse. At first, I thought it was a normal church; however, information panels inside and in front of the church let visitors understand the historical events that have occurred there. For example, Pastor Walter Wendland, his family, and the community offered a safe haven for persecuted Jews and thousands of protestors gathered here during the Peaceful Revolution (1989). It made it more clear to me the various impact churches have. In my mind, I’ve always associated them with mainly helping the poor. Learning that churches and their community have protected diverse groups and encouraged human rights activism expanded my appreciation of what churches and it's community has accomplished.
After looking around I left and walked along Stargarder Strasse. That’s when I saw Eispatisserie Hokey Pokey. Since I did some research about amazingly delicious restaurants and shops in Prenzlauer Berg, I knew I wanted to try Hokey Pokey’s ice cream. The guy was really friendly. He was great because he explained any questions I had and even had the patience to translate and describe around 25 flavors. I got a scoop of Tonkabohne mit Weißer Schokolade (Tonka beans with chocolate) and Hokey Pokey (vanilla with crispy caramel bits). Tonkabohne mit Weißer Schokolade was absolutely delicious, especially the chocolate. It’s the best chocolate I have had so far in Berlin. As for the caramel in Hokey Pokey, it looked like molecular gastronomy was used to make it. How fun and cool!
Overall, I like Prenzlauer Berg a lot. I will be coming back!
I am assuming this is your 'alone' assignment... sounds delicious! Make sure you always incorporate a little bit about the assignment into your post -- it would have been nice to hear what you thought about experiencing the city alone, for instance!
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