2020 // Europe on Film
Hamburg, Berlin & Vienna
Germany & Austria, February 2020
Europe trips always manage to be a whirlwind - well that’s mostly because I try to cram in as many locations as possible in order to justify the hundreds of dollars I just spent. The plan was to visit Patty in Hamburg, her new home, then trapeze wherever we pleased. We settled upon Berlin and Vienna; the former a sprawling city with something different around every corner, the latter somewhere new we could all cross off our lists.
Our arrival took a major detour as we were rescheduled and forced to spend a night in London. Not ideal, not terrible. I hadn’t been back since I studied abroad and dragged our jet-lagged bodies to the major museums and landmarks based on instinct and memory, all in about three hours. Exhausted, we made our way back to Heathrow and eventually to Hamburg.
Reunited with Patty (and Ben!) and crammed into their little European car, we were taken to her favorite spots dotting the city. Surreal spires peek out between the urban buildings, all amongst the industrial brick and bridges. Between cramming in as much as possible, the three of us completely took over the living room of their one-bedroom apartment. I am thankful for good friends and gracious hosts. We got out of Ben’s hair pretty quickly, and the girls were off on the autobahn heading to Berlin.
God, I love Berlin. I didn’t think I’d love it as much as I actually did. Apparently, Germans don’t really like Berlin which is ironic. It’s evidently where the misfits go. Berlin feels like living in black and white. Everyone dresses in black. It’s gritty. Graffitied walls. History on every single corner, serving as reminders of a tumultuous, bitter past. It’s a city aware of its past, attempting to rewrite its future. There’s the Topography of Terrors documenting the inconceivable realities of torture conducted during World War II. The Reichstag dome atop the parliament building was intentionally created for transparency, symbolizing the people watching over their officials and holding them accountable. The city is strung together by a carefully calculated and intricate, efficient transit system. Cool bars are hidden on every block. A plethora of vegan options for Patty. Art scattered throughout each neighborhood. The only question was what would you stumble upon next. We happened to be there during the Berlinale, and I vow to return and attend it.
The worst part of Berlin that I personally experienced, is the airport. For it being a major city and hub, my god, the airport looked like a jail with its barbed wire fence and grim exterior. It was actual hell to get to and find our gate. Luckily we dodged a carry-on fee (take that Easy Jet) we should have paid for and witnessed a beautiful sunset from the sky, before landing in Vienna.
Despite the frigid cold, Vienna is quaint. There is an air of aristocracy, elegance - maybe that’s because we passed couples dining out on their Friday evenings dressed in suits and shimmering dresses heading to the opera. Armed with an extensive list of recommendations, we set out to explore more art, museums, and sights. Steeples are wedged between the baroque buildings to create the stereotypical European postcard, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s quite lovely. There’s a mix of Germany and France, at least that’s how I interpreted the city. The pristine sidewalks and white facades and horses pulling carriages made it feel like a fairytale come to life.
Having a whole weekend in town, Tobi showed us a proper Viennese outing on Saturday night. It turned out to be absolutely more than we bargained for…we each had a bottle of wine and then some, and ended the night at a salsa club. It was great fun at the moment, but the next morning we had the worst collective hangover that utterly debilitated us for a whole day. We tried our best to tour around but ended up bingeing Love is Blind on Netflix and eating gelato. and that is honestly one of my favorite moments of the entire trip.
Back to Hamburg we went as COVID-19 escalated in Italy. We read the reports and shrugged, boarding the plane back to the US. Lauren, Hannah, and I made it back in one piece and squeezed in our Europe trip.
I’m constantly astonished by friendships and their ability to transcend across continents and time zones, especially now that we’re all starting to splinter and go down different paths. It was incredible to visit Patty and witness the new life she is building. I am grateful that we manage to keep in touch, and comforted that when we’re together in person, it’s as if nothing has changed.
