Welcome to Kreuzberg
Quick post about today’s travels. Early morning Easy Jet flight from Paris to Berlin went by without a hitch. We arrived at our hostel, Comebackpackers, and was welcomed with one of the best hostel setups I’ve seen yet.
The place was started by two backpackers, so they definitely had everything done flawlessly. I especially love the college dorm feel of the place, and I can imagine this is what it would’ve been like to live at International House in Berkeley. Tons of people sitting in the common room, chatting away, and having a good time. A 16-person hostel with space to spare. Nice clean bathrooms and showers. Oh, and a full-service laundry option – finally clean clothes on the way!
The district we’re staying at for the next three days is Kreuzberg, and in the ten hours I’ve been here (including a three-hour nap), this place has already become my favorite of the trip so far. It’s also known as X-Berg and is one of the rising trendy districts in Berlin, home to a 30% immigrant (mostly Turkish) population and undergoing gentrification, with a lot of students and young professionals moving into the area. It’s got tons of cheap Turkish food, a great nightclub/bar scene, and I’ve seen enough posters of music concerts and festivals to know this place likes its music.
The apartment buildings surrounding our hostel are an eclectic mix of Soviet-era structures, newly-developed lofts, and everything in between. Lots of bright graffiti artwork, bicyclists, and outdoor produce markets – a very vibrant area, for sure.
For dinner we had 2.50-Euro doner kebab wrapped in flatbread. There were blocks and blocks of Turkish fast-food restaurants and the food is all ridiculously-cheap and nicely-portioned. After dinner I walked by an ice cream shop and had a 1 Euro cone of vanilla gelato.
I’m really liking this place, and we’re looking forward to tours of the city tomorrow and possibly a concentration camp later this week.
Stay tuned and read about my other days spent in Paris and London!
Steps taken: 14,097 | Miles walked: 4.67
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Jelly donuts at randomtidbitsofthought.wordpress.com.
