Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

Our visit to Germany wouldn't have been complete without a visit to a concentration camp.My friend and I booked a guided tour to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp in Oranienburg, which was about an hour's train ride from Berlin. Although I usually like going off on my own and DIY-ing it, I think it was a good decision to join this tour because I got to learn more about the place and how it figured in history.

Sachsenhausen was intended to set the standard for all concentration camps. It became a training center for SS officers. Can't begin to imagine the horrors that happened inside it's walls.

Oranienburg Train Station

The tour guide said that some of the SS guards lived in these neighborhoods right outside the camp. And it would've been hard for civilians living here not to know of the horrendous crime within the camp walls.

'Work Makes (You)  Free'. Concentration camps were supposedly 'work' camps.

The roll call grounds. The camp is shaped like an equilateral triangle. This makes the prisoners visible to guards wherever they are in the camp.

Our British guide had everyone engrossed from beginning to end.

The SS put barbed wires in front of the electric fence to stop the prisoners who run into it to commit suicide. Those who attempt to do so are shot. Why? To take away that last bit of 'freedom' to take away their own life.

It was said that lethal gas and drug experiments were done here in the camp.

The prisoners' sleeping quarters

Prisoners' wash up area

Prisoner's clothes

Most of the barracks and other structures in the camp were destroyed after the war.

Soviet Liberation Memorial

Public Commute: Going Around Berlin

Among all the cities I've been in, I must say that Berlin has the best transportation system. I was able to ride in their S-Bahn, U-Bahn (subway), tram, bus, train and taxi, and they were all commuter friendly: being very clean, orderly and convenient.

Of course clean and orderly is expected, we're in Germany after all! But what I liked most about Berlin transportation is that you can get a ticket and have access to the S-Bahn, U-Bahn, tram, bus and ferries. We were able to move around the city in 5 days holding onto just 1 ticket! Easy peasy!

How much is the fare?

Fare depends on where you want to go (tariff zone) and the ticket's validity.

Berlin is divided into tariff zones- AB, BC and ABC. AB is basically the metro urban area, ABC includes Berlin's surrounding area and Potsdam. A single ticket for AB zone is 2.60, BC is 2.90, and ABC is 3.20.

We got the Berlin Welcome Card 5-day ticket and it cost us 32.50, which actually comes out cheaper considering we commute at least 5 times a day. The Berlin Welcome Card also comes with a city map and you can also get discounts from different several restaurants, museums and other establishments.


Where to buy tickets:

It's very easy to get the tickets. You can buy tickets as soon as you arrive, usually at the tourist shop at the airport. You can also look for the Berlin Welcome Card sign.

You can also buy the tickets at the stations.  Some stations have stores/stalls (for those who prefer to talk to a person), but most of them only have ticket vending machines. Problem with the machines though, is that some only have instructions in German.

There are also ticket vending machines on the tram, but they only accept coins and again some might not have English instructions.



How to use the ticket:

Once you've bought your ticket, you need to validate it in the validating machine before using it.

And here's why I love Germany even more: except for the bus where you need to show your ticket to the bus driver before getting in, nobody checks the tickets but people still pay for them. Of course they do random checks once in a while, (we had ours checked on the train from Oranienburg back to Berlin), still you have to commend them for following the rules. Honesty system at its best! Hope we can see this kind of discipline and honesty here.

Now that you know where to get the tickets, the only thing left to figure out is where to go! =)

East Side Gallery, Berlin

 When you hear Berlin, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Yep, the Berlin Wall.

The East Side Gallery is a long section of  the Berlin Wall, which closed the border to East Berlin, and is right along the River Spree. It's said to be possibly the largest open air gallery in the world.

 The gallery consists of about hundred paintings and murals by artists all over the world on the east side of the Berlin Wall, thus the name.

Walking along the gallery definitely gives you a sense of history. The paintings create a picture (pun intended) of what the general feeling was during that time. Since these paintings were done after the wall was torn down, the common theme seems to be that of freedom and hope.

The iconic 'fraternal kiss'

The River Spree

How to get there:

You can take the S-Bahn, U-Bahn or the tram, and get off at S+U Warschauer Str. Walk along Warschauer street towards Mühlenstraße, this is just a few minutes walk from stop. When you reach the corner, you'll already see the gallery. Cross the street and you're there!

Sunday in Berlin

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon so we decided that the best way to enjoy it is to eat, do a bit of shopping and hang out in Mauerpark, one of the most popular parks in Berlin.

Every Sunday in summer, lots of people (locals and tourists alike) head out to Mauerpark. There's the flea market where you can buy lots of stuff from clothes, to vinyl records, to souvenirs, and even bicycles. Of course, there's plenty of food and drinks being sold too.

Flea market crowd

Inside the park you'll find families out having a picnic, friends drinking and having a barbecue, while others are simply resting or taking a nap on the grass catching lots of sun. I spent a good hour lying on the grass and enjoyed the first day of summer in the city.

"The sun is out and so are we!"

But the best part of going to Mauerpark is seeing all these artists - singers, jugglers, dancers, magicians - perform for free! One can always show appreciation by dropping some spare change or buying their CDs. I even read that at the Bear Pit, there's free karaoke for anyone who's brave enough to show off their singing prowess. Sayang we didn't see that (maybe it was still early?) because that's one of the reasons I wanted to go to Mauerpark. Here's one of my fave singers that day:

Oh how I wish we could have more parks like this here in the Philippines!

How to get there:

Take the M10 tram and get off the Wolliner Str. stop, just a few steps from the park and flee market.

My European Dream

So I'm back from our 3-week trip to Europe. Boo! :-( We visited mainly 3 cities: Berlin, Amsterdam and Prague. Almost everyone kept asking me why not Paris, Rome, London or Barcelona as they are the most common places to be visited by first time travelers to Europe? Well for one, the friend we're visiting lives in Berlin so we had to choose places that are geographically closer to the city. Secondly, I didn't want to go to these places (yet) because they are the most common choice by almost everyone I know. In short, para maiba hehe. Thirdly (and most importantly), these cities are considered to be romantic destinations, so being a single lady, these are the last places I want to be in right now. Will save those for another visit ;-)

I'll write more detailed posts on each city we visited, but for now, here are my highlights for this trip:

1. Famous landmarks
Of course, the trip wouldn't be complete without visiting these tourist sites.

East Side Gallery, Berlin

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

Charles Bridge, Prague

Old Astronomical Clock, Prague

Amsterdam Canals

The 'I amsterdam' sign

2. Art
I love hanging out in museums so I was lucky I got to visit several. Here's just a few of them:

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Pergamon Museum, Berlin

Kafka Museum, Prague

3. Visit to a concentration camp
I have always been engrossed with holocaust-related history, so this was a must-do for me.

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, Germany

4. Justin Timberlake concert
Hello?! It's Justin! And we were very lucky to be standing really close to the stage!

5. Walking and commuting
I ate ice cream almost every day while in Europe. Seriously! But thankfully I didn't really gain weight because of all the walking I did. I love walking especially when you have a gorgeous view (both nature and people, hehe) so I enjoyed Europe immensely. And, their public transport is very reliable and convenient that I wish I could do it everyday hehe.

Walking around Berlin

How To Get a Schengen Visa via the German Embassy

One downside to being a citizen of our beloved country is having to apply for visa when travelling to non-Southeast Asian countries. I was able to apply for a US visa last 2007 and a Schengen visa just this March. Fortunately, I got approved for both. So now I am hoping to give you some tips on how to prepare and apply for a Schengen visa.

(First and foremost disclaimer, this post is purely based on my experience getting a Schengen visa through the German Embassy so you still HAVE to read through the embassy's website for the documentary requirements and procedures relevant to your circumstance.)

Know where to apply for a Schengen visa.
For this trip, we applied at the German embassy because we're staying here the longest. If you plan to go to multiple countries you need to determine where you're staying the longest, or if there's equal length of stay determine where your country of entry is.

Determine the type of visa.
This is very important because the requirements that you need to submit depend on the purpose of your travel. Examples are for the purpose of business, visiting a fair, visiting family and/or friends, and tourism. For us, we applied for a visa for the purpose of visiting a friend, who will be our host in Berlin. Go to the German embassy webpage and read the descriptions to make sure you're applying for the correct one.

Prepare your requirements.
Take note that the embassy does not accept incomplete documents, so check and double check (or even triple check) that you have everything you need.

If you're also visiting family and/or friends in Germany, you need to prepare the following:
1. Passport and 2 current passport pictures
2. Fully completed and signed visa application form completed online or thru their Callcenter. (We completed this via the Callcenter and we got the printed copy on our appointment date and just signed off on the document. If there's any correction to the information, you can always edit the form and countersign.)
3. Visa declaration form which has been fully completed and signed by hand.
4. Documentary proof of the purpose of travel. Since ours was to visit a friend, we submitted a copy of the informal invitation by the host, containing information on our host's exact residence address, telephone number, her work information, our purpose of travel and the full duration of our travel and stay with her. We also submitted a copy of her passport and residence card. And as an additional proof of our relationship, we included photos of us together and her old employment certificate to show that we knew each other because of our previous employment.
5. Proof of reservation of a round-trip ticket. This will prove that you are returning to the country and not overstaying.
6. Proof of financial coverage of the cost of travel and stay. Since I am employed, I prepared copies of my bank account and credit card statements for the past six months. This is something you need to prepare for at least a year prior to your intended trip- you really need to save, save and save to provide proof that you have sufficient funds to cover the trip.
7. Original travel health insurance with a minimum coverage sum of 30,000 Euros.
8. Proof of employment such as most recent income tax return, certificate of employment and a signed letter of approved leave of absence signed by the employer.
9. Visa fee. On your appointment date, you will be made to pay the visa fee of 65 Euros in its peso equivalent so best to bring the exact amount.

I prepared 3 sets of documents: 1 original and 2 photocopies. Bahala na ang praning hehe. To make sure I got everything covered, I used the checklist from the embassy website as guide. Just to reiterate, it is best to always check the website to make sure that the information you have is updated.

Set an interview appointment
It is advised that you call for an appointment at least one month prior to your trip because of the standard two-week processing. But you can't also book for an appointment really early because it has to be at most 90 days from your intended date of trip.

Be at the embassy for your appointment.
The earlier you arrive for your appointment, the better. Make sure you have all your documents, and all forms are signed and completed as you need to submit all of these during the interview.
For the interview, just relax and answer all questions as complete and as concise as you can. Some basic questions are: how long are you travelling, where are you staying, what is your relationship with and how do you know the host, how are you paying for your trip. Since I was travelling with a friend and he was interviewed before me, I wasn't asked too many questions. I think it also helped that I've had some previous travel experience.
Towards the end of the interview, I was told to expect my passport within 5 days. I took this as a very good sign because from what I've read and heard from other people, you wait from 2 weeks to a month for your passport and that's the only time you know if you've been approved or denied. True enough, I received my visa on the fourth day! Yaaayyy!!!

In just 6 more days and we're Germany-bound. I can barely contain my excitement! I hope to post more helpful tips during the trip and of course, some pictures and details of our itinerary.