Monday 2 January 2017

Berlin Trip 2016 - Part 1


Hi guys! I guess this is my first post in 2017! So last year I was fortunate enough to travel to Europe, which has been my dream since I was little. Since I traveled mostly on my own, I only got a chance to go to three countries, which are Germany, France, and Netherlands. I spent most of my trip in Berlin because I attended a conference called ESC or European Students' Conference, which was held annually in Berlin. My travel guide post will be divided into: airport, accommodation, transportation, connectivity, tour, tourism attractions, language, and of course, food and shopping! Basically the first part will consist of the technical stuffs, while the second part will be more about the activities. So without further ado, let's start the first part!

Airport
Berlin Tegel Airport. I arrived at night so the view pretty much looked like this. The airport is quite small for an international airport (photo credit: cnn.com)
Berlin Schönefeld Airport (Flughafen: Airport). I arrived early in the morning so the view pretty much looked like this. The airport only caters low-cost carriers, mostly low-cost European airlines (photo credit: parkvia.com)
I arrived in Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL) by plane from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) after a short transit in Hamad International Airport (DOH). Berlin has two airport, Berlin Tegel is the main international airport that serves major international flights, while Berlin Schönefeld Airport (SXF) is the secondary airport that serves low-cost airlines. Berlin Tegel does not have any direct train route and the only public transportation available is bus. The bus will take you to the train station and from there you can simply go to your desired destination. This is the public transportation logo in Berlin so once you have arrived in Berlin Tegel, look for this sign: 

BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe; photo credit BVG.de)
When I arrive in a new country, the first thing that I will do is to find a SIM card. Unfortunately, I could not find any store that sold SIM card when I arrived. I did not see any SIM card counter nor any convenience store that sold SIM card. I didn't know whether they didn't sell SIM card on the airport or it was just me who could not find it. Luckily, this airport was equipped with free Wi-Fi for an hour and luckily I already jotted down the public transport route to my hostel and my hostel's address. 

Tip #1: Remember to jot down your accommodation address and public transport routes (the train/bus number, route, stops, etc.) as thorough as possible. I use the screenshots from Google Maps and saved them on QuickMemo+

Accommodation
The idea of solo travel in Europe after graduation is hostel-hopping! Europe is famous for their friendly hostels so I decided to try hostels during this Euro Trip. Previously I was impressed with the hostel that I stayed in when I was in Izmir, but back then I wasn't comfortable staying in a shared room so I had a private room with shared bathroom, but now I decided to give it a go! Hotels are quite expensive in Europe, especially if it is located in the city center. Besides, I was traveling on my own so the idea of splurging the money for a hotel room was too much for me. They did not have female dorm so I stayed in a mixed dorm, meaning that the room had 10 bunk beds which were occupied by male and female. Each bed had its own reading light and small locker. The small locker did not come with padlock as well so you need to bring your own padlock. Unfortunately they did not provide luggage locker so you needed to keep your luggage locked at all times. 

After a thorough research in Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Hostel World, I decided to book the conference's partner hostel, which was The Circus Hostel in Berlin. The hostel was highly recommended and it only cost €23/night, which was a total steal! (please note that the price was exclusive of tax) The location was also nice because it was located right in front of the Rosenthaler Platz station. They have tram stops as well in front of the hostel so it was a nice location. People in the hostel came from all around the world such as Australia, Israel, France, and USA, and so on. They were very nice; they greeted me when I first arrived and they recommended few spots to be explored around Berlin. They also taught me some necessary words and helpful tips in Berlin and also around Europe, since most of them also did Europe Trip along the way. They have separated male and female shower room and toilet outside the room. The bathroom and toilet were surprisingly clean and the bathroom was equipped with a hairdryer as well! This was equipped with hostel also had a cozy cafe downstairs called Katz & Mauz where you can enjoyed the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet for €5! As Germany is famous for their beer, they also happen to have their own brewery underground! The staffs were also nice and helpful. They spoke English very well and you could ask them anything related to your stay in Berlin. Overall, I really enjoyed my stay in this hostel and I highly recommend this hostel if you're looking for a hostel experience in Europe!

The Circus Hostel front porch (photographed using Nikon J3) 
The common room slash the main lobby. Notice that there was a tram passing in front (photographed using Nikon J3) 
Katz & Maus cafe & bar (photographed using Nikon J3) 

(+) Pros: 

  • Strategic location, right in front of Rosenthaler Platz train station and there are tramways in front, meaning that the tram stops are adjacent from the hostel.
  • Clean, separated shower room with hairdryer
  • The all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet for €5. Nice selection of cereals, milk (they had soy milk for lactose intolerant people like me), breads, spreads, vegetables, fruits, for the value of €5!

(-) Cons: 
  • The room was not equipped with AC so it was quite hot even though it was autumn at the moment...
Tip #2: Always do your research! When it comes to hostel, you want to make sure that the location is strategic and safe, the bathroom is clean, and the staffs are helpful. Therefore always go to Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Hostel World to check the reviews to make sure that you have a good stay during your trip

Tip #3: Prepare a small bag that you will bring every time you go to the bathroom/toilet and put them outside your luggage (or next to your bed). The bag should contain your clothes, underwear (if you are going to change them), toiletries, towels, and water dipper a.k.a gayung. If you think that bringing gayung is such a nuisance, buy a bottled water, pour the bottled water into your own drinking bottle, and use the bottle as gayung (just make sure that you don't drink from it). Don't forget to use flip flops if you want to go to the bathroom

Tip #4: You can drink water from tap in Europe, so make sure to bring a drinking bottle and keep it in your bag

Transportation
Above: S-Bahn, below left: bus, below right: U-Bahn. (collaged from multiple sources) 
The public transportation in Berlin is managed by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG). BVG manages the city's U-Bahn underground railway, tram, bus, replacement services and ferry networks, but not the S-Bahn urban rail system. I only got the chance to use the U-Bahn, tram, bus, and S-Bahn. U-Bahn and S-Bahn are basically trains, but U-Bahn goes underground while S-Bahn goes above and/or on the street level. What I like about the transportation system is that apart from the fact that they are connected to each other, you only need one ticket to use all kinds of transportation in one day. You can buy the ticket from the ticket machine which are available in each station or in the counter. Once you have bought the ticket, you need to validate the ticket before starting your journey. Ticket validation machines are located on all platforms at the S-Bahn and U-Bahn stations and in case of trams and buses inside the vehicles. 

Please remember that there are three options when you buy your day ticket. AB tickets, BC tickets or ABC tickets depends the zones that you will travel. The price for the day ticket is between €7-€7.60, depends on your the zones. Since I only travelled around zone AB, I bought the AB ticket on my first and second day (during the conference days, the transportation ticket was covered in the conference fee by showing the conference ID), and I bought the ABC ticket on my last day because I travelled to Berlin SXF to catch a flight to Paris. In Berlin, there is no tap machine or access gate on the station and the vehicles, but remember that ticket officer can jump in randomly and check your ticket! So always remember to buy and validate your ticket before using the public transport! Do not freeload!! 

Berlin public transportation zones (photo credit: http://www.s-bahn-berlin.de)
The main train station in Berlin is Berlin Hauptbahnhof, which means Berlin Central Station. This is by far the largest and the best train station I have ever seen! This train station serves regional and European train network, which makes this station very huge! Instead of having railways next to each other, they have railways above each other. They have shops as well inside the station and they even have their own paid shower room for layover. The shower room is in one complex with the toilet and changing table for babies, which makes this train station is the ideal example for a central station. Plus, since it is paid, the toilet and shower room are super clean because the cleaning officers clean the rooms periodically after few usages. I believe all central train stations (or even airport) in the world should have this kind of facility!

FYI, this train station has its own U-Bahn route (U55) to Bradenburger Tor (Bradenburg Gate, the icon of Berlin). The U-Bahn only goes back and forth from Bradenburger Tor to Berlin Hauptbahnhof. I believe this is especially built for those who have a layover in Berlin Hauptbahnhof and want to visit (and take a picture with) the best-known landmark of Germany. A very clever idea indeed!

Undoubtedly one of the largest train stations in the world. The airport may be small but the train station is massive! (photo credit: morgenpost.de)

Tip #5: Download VBB Bus & Train App on Play Store (or VBB Bus & Bahn on App Store) for convenient travel using public transportation. All you need to do is type the location and they will find the available routes for you. This is the official application from the  Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB), a transport association run by public transport providers in Berlin & Brandenburg. You can also use MapWay if you don't want to switch application throughout your Euro Trip. I didn't try using VBB offline but my friend tried using MapWay offline and it worked! 

VBB interface (don't worry, there is an English language option available) on iPhone (photo credit: itunes.apple.com)
MapWay interface on iPhone. I took it from my friend's phone when my phone ran out of battery, we were in Mehringdamm to tried the best doner in Berlin and I was about to go back to the hostel. (photographed using Nikon J3)

Connectivity
Unlike Australia, it is easy to enjoy a free Wi-Fi in Europe. Most of train stations, hotels, and public places like malls have free Wi-Fi. Most of my friends did not even buy a SIM card because free Wi-Fi are everywhere. Buying a SIM card was quite an effort for me because well, some people don't speak English in Germany and as I have mentioned before, I couldn't find a store that sold SIM card at the airport. At first I went to an electronic store called Saturn in Alexanderplatz based on the recommendation of the hostel staffs. They did sell the SIM card, but they did not know how to activate it and instead they told me to activate it on my own. The activation steps were very strange as well, which consisted of calling your friend's German number (Well, I did not know anyone with a German number on my second day in Berlin) and they did not even ask for your passport like they usually did in other countries. The instructions were written in German and the activation website was also in German. I forgot to the name of the SIM card provider but it was not a large provider like Vodafone, O2, or T-Mobile, so I decided to find a new one. Besides, they said that the SIM card could only be used in Germany so it was quite a hassle if I needed to buy a new SIM card when I arrived in Paris or Amsterdam. 

I googled the list of cellphone providers in Germany and looked up their stores around Alexanderplatz. I need a SIM card that can be used in Paris and Amsterdam as well so I wandered around their stores and asked about this option. After a thorough search, I found a T-Mobile store and luckily their staffs are very helpful (they spoke English very well) and they helped me activate my card (FYI, they asked for passport, I think that is the standard procedure to ask for ID to buy SIM card around the world). At first the LTE service was inactive and the internet was very slow  so I came back to to them later and asked for their help. Apparently it was due to the dual SIM card option in my phone (I use LG K10 with dual SIM card slots) and they helped me to set the option so that my phone would have the LTE service. It cost €20 including credits and it lasted throughout my Euro trip although it seemed a bit slow at the end due to the limited remaining credit. Overall, you can simply utilize the free Wi-Fi which is ubiquitous in Europe or if you need to stay connected with your friends and families, I highly recommend T-Mobile because they have partner providers around Europe so you don't need to buy another SIM card when you travel to a different country. Danke schön, T-Mobile!

(To be continued to Part 2)