Bubbly in Berlin
Ok, so it's a teeny bit difficult to blog frequently when you're constantly on the move, but I haven't forgotten my awesome Berlin experience and I've promised myself and everyone else that I would keep it updated. We've already been to Thailand and we're already in Cambodia, so I'm a little behind, but whatever...we're having fun! But OMG I cannot believe it has already been nearly three weeks since we left Bermuda. It feels like so much longer, and we're just getting started.
My motivation to visit Berlin, of course, was its massive salsa congress; it just so happened that the congress was scheduled during the time we would be in Europe. I'd been wanting to attend for well over a year, but as we all know long-haul travel from Bermuda is so ridiculously expensive, a short stay there made it un-feasible (is that a word?). Enter 2015, and me putting the wheels in motion and finally making it happen! We had two full days before the congress began, so here goes.
I always seem to have good luck finding great hosts and places to stay, and Berlin was no different. We had a cool top-floor apartment seconds from the metro, grocery store and directly across the street from the congress venue...for less than half the cost of a hotel. AND two adorably cute furry feline roommates. Even better, the weather was pleasant, sunny and mild the entire week, making our fleeces and sweatshirts useless during a time we thought we would need them.
Honestly, the timing of our visit couldn't have been better: on our first full day, we hopped on a train and a bus and ventured to Zentraler Festplatz for Berlin's Oktoberfest. Thankfully, the fair ground wasn't crowded (it was a Wednesday night) and we didn't have to wait in line for anything. Originally a celebration in Munich of the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen in 1810, the festival included horseraces, food and beer stalls, and games. Of course the beer-centric version that we see today is what draws the most attendees! Every city and country has its own version of Oktoberfest, and Berlin was no different.
We quickly settled in with a pint of Paulaner and bratwurst to get started, then took a lap around the fairgrounds. We tried our skill at the games, and of course we came away with a couple of silly hats and a banana Minion. We wandered into the main tent where a local folk band was playing some apparently popular German folk songs, because we felt left out of the singing and dancing :( This time we got two massive one-litre steins of Paulaner and Fanta which seemed to be popular. The minion drank them both.
We closed our visit with a bucket of freshly-made salted garlic potato chips and some cotton candy. It was an evening well-spent: we had a great time with the locals, watched some old ladies guzzle pint after pint, and generally soaked up the festive atmosphere. Berlin so far seemed like a happy place!
The following day saw us on a four-hour bicycle tour of East Berlin - and wow! We were able to cover a lot of ground in one day. I loved how absolutely easy it is to cycle everywhere, and it made me wish that Bermuda was more cycle-friendly too. We took in parts of the Berlin Wall, Alexanderplatz, the Soviet War memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, and tons of other locations steeped in history. I remember the wall coming down in 1990 as a child, and I'm happy that I was able to experience the history of it all first-hand in Berlin. Visit www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-wall for the complete story.
Congress time!
Even after cycling around the city for most of the day, there was still fuel left in the tank for the Berlin Salsa Congress warm-up party on Thursday night, and an afternoon workshop. It was just that: a "gentle" introduction to the weekend of salsa madness. I say "gentle" because the workshop and dance floor was jam-packed and even I only got a few dances in before I called it quits because it was already 3am, the crowd was getting bigger, and I had a full day of workshops planned starting the following morning!
All workshops were spectacular, taught by all the big names in Europe that I don't get to see on the other side of the Pond. I usually stay away from workshops due to the lack of leads, but here in Berlin there was actually an abundance of leads, so I felt like a kid in a candy store all weekend *smile*
The evening shows were absolutely mind-blowing. We're talking Cirque du Soleil-quality production here. The "BSC On Air" television-like theme was a brilliant idea, and the shows included live music, standup comedy, aerial acrobatics, hooping, interviews, competitions, prize presentations...oh, and dancing too! Even being two hours long, the shows left me wanting more. I'm so so thankful for the experience and exposure to pro salsa teams on this side of the world, and already I'm super inspired to get training again and level up! It's safe to say that they do everything bigger and better in Berlin, and I'm pretty sure I won't be attending another North American congress anytime soon. The quality of everything - shows, social dancing, organisation, vendors, venues - was far above anything I've ever experienced (though 10+ years of congressing in the USA and Canada) and I can't wait to be in a position, coming this December when we wind up our travels in London, to travel to European congresses more frequently and more cheaply! My favourite thing about a congress though, is the sheer number of different people and styles of dance that I encounter. The only language you need is dance, and everything else (for me anyway) falls into place. I've had some amazing dances that I'm pretty sure left me a better dancer as a result!
Being able to combine salsa and travel is really my ultimate goal, and I'm already reaping the benefits of having attended BSC simply because I have access whole new arena of salsa that has been previously closed off because of the sheer expense of traveling from Bermuda. Finally I have been able to take a step in the right direction! I hope London is ready!
Our visit ended with a great street party on Unification Day, October 3rd, celebrating the anniversary of the re-unification of Germany after the war. We roamed the long avenue leading to the Victory Monument, sampling local food and drink, and soaking up the celebratory air. We were very lucky and thankful that we just happened to be in Berlin during one of the most important holidays in the country's turbulent history. The evening saw us at the Computerspielemuseum (The computer game museum) where we giddily reminisced over video and arcade games from our youth. Many were in perfect working condition, and I tested my skills (still got 'em) on Mario Bros and Tetris.
Berlin was an absolute blast, and we're looking forward to returning sooner than later!
My motivation to visit Berlin, of course, was its massive salsa congress; it just so happened that the congress was scheduled during the time we would be in Europe. I'd been wanting to attend for well over a year, but as we all know long-haul travel from Bermuda is so ridiculously expensive, a short stay there made it un-feasible (is that a word?). Enter 2015, and me putting the wheels in motion and finally making it happen! We had two full days before the congress began, so here goes.
I always seem to have good luck finding great hosts and places to stay, and Berlin was no different. We had a cool top-floor apartment seconds from the metro, grocery store and directly across the street from the congress venue...for less than half the cost of a hotel. AND two adorably cute furry feline roommates. Even better, the weather was pleasant, sunny and mild the entire week, making our fleeces and sweatshirts useless during a time we thought we would need them.
Honestly, the timing of our visit couldn't have been better: on our first full day, we hopped on a train and a bus and ventured to Zentraler Festplatz for Berlin's Oktoberfest. Thankfully, the fair ground wasn't crowded (it was a Wednesday night) and we didn't have to wait in line for anything. Originally a celebration in Munich of the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen in 1810, the festival included horseraces, food and beer stalls, and games. Of course the beer-centric version that we see today is what draws the most attendees! Every city and country has its own version of Oktoberfest, and Berlin was no different.
We quickly settled in with a pint of Paulaner and bratwurst to get started, then took a lap around the fairgrounds. We tried our skill at the games, and of course we came away with a couple of silly hats and a banana Minion. We wandered into the main tent where a local folk band was playing some apparently popular German folk songs, because we felt left out of the singing and dancing :( This time we got two massive one-litre steins of Paulaner and Fanta which seemed to be popular. The minion drank them both.
We closed our visit with a bucket of freshly-made salted garlic potato chips and some cotton candy. It was an evening well-spent: we had a great time with the locals, watched some old ladies guzzle pint after pint, and generally soaked up the festive atmosphere. Berlin so far seemed like a happy place!
The following day saw us on a four-hour bicycle tour of East Berlin - and wow! We were able to cover a lot of ground in one day. I loved how absolutely easy it is to cycle everywhere, and it made me wish that Bermuda was more cycle-friendly too. We took in parts of the Berlin Wall, Alexanderplatz, the Soviet War memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, and tons of other locations steeped in history. I remember the wall coming down in 1990 as a child, and I'm happy that I was able to experience the history of it all first-hand in Berlin. Visit www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-wall for the complete story.
Congress time!
Even after cycling around the city for most of the day, there was still fuel left in the tank for the Berlin Salsa Congress warm-up party on Thursday night, and an afternoon workshop. It was just that: a "gentle" introduction to the weekend of salsa madness. I say "gentle" because the workshop and dance floor was jam-packed and even I only got a few dances in before I called it quits because it was already 3am, the crowd was getting bigger, and I had a full day of workshops planned starting the following morning!
All workshops were spectacular, taught by all the big names in Europe that I don't get to see on the other side of the Pond. I usually stay away from workshops due to the lack of leads, but here in Berlin there was actually an abundance of leads, so I felt like a kid in a candy store all weekend *smile*
The evening shows were absolutely mind-blowing. We're talking Cirque du Soleil-quality production here. The "BSC On Air" television-like theme was a brilliant idea, and the shows included live music, standup comedy, aerial acrobatics, hooping, interviews, competitions, prize presentations...oh, and dancing too! Even being two hours long, the shows left me wanting more. I'm so so thankful for the experience and exposure to pro salsa teams on this side of the world, and already I'm super inspired to get training again and level up! It's safe to say that they do everything bigger and better in Berlin, and I'm pretty sure I won't be attending another North American congress anytime soon. The quality of everything - shows, social dancing, organisation, vendors, venues - was far above anything I've ever experienced (though 10+ years of congressing in the USA and Canada) and I can't wait to be in a position, coming this December when we wind up our travels in London, to travel to European congresses more frequently and more cheaply! My favourite thing about a congress though, is the sheer number of different people and styles of dance that I encounter. The only language you need is dance, and everything else (for me anyway) falls into place. I've had some amazing dances that I'm pretty sure left me a better dancer as a result!
Being able to combine salsa and travel is really my ultimate goal, and I'm already reaping the benefits of having attended BSC simply because I have access whole new arena of salsa that has been previously closed off because of the sheer expense of traveling from Bermuda. Finally I have been able to take a step in the right direction! I hope London is ready!
Our visit ended with a great street party on Unification Day, October 3rd, celebrating the anniversary of the re-unification of Germany after the war. We roamed the long avenue leading to the Victory Monument, sampling local food and drink, and soaking up the celebratory air. We were very lucky and thankful that we just happened to be in Berlin during one of the most important holidays in the country's turbulent history. The evening saw us at the Computerspielemuseum (The computer game museum) where we giddily reminisced over video and arcade games from our youth. Many were in perfect working condition, and I tested my skills (still got 'em) on Mario Bros and Tetris.
Berlin was an absolute blast, and we're looking forward to returning sooner than later!
I trust you got the high score in the arcade :)
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