New Year's Eve at the capital of Germany: Berlin
Every year there's one of Europe's largest open air parties on New Year’s Eve celebrated on a two-kilometer long stretch between Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column in Berlin. The festival's program includes live music performances, light and laser shows, and DJ sets. Along the festival area, food stands offer snacks from all over the world.
We were far from the stage but they had screens projecting every some meters. Even though we couldn't understand a thing they were saying or singing, we enjoyed ourselves, danced and consumed from the local kiosks. We ate döner kebab, crepes and had a glass of wine.
At least we learned to countdown in German. Zehn, neun, acht, Sieben, sechs, funf, vier, drei, zwei, eins, FROHES NEUES JAHR!!!!
Security Policy
Admission to the festival area is free. To prevent overcrowding, the area is closed-off at a certain point. Security checks are carried out at all entrances. It is prohibited to bring any kind of fireworks, pointed or sharp items, or any other items which could be used as weapons. This also applies to glass bottles, backpacks and other large bags.
My husband and I didn't know what we were getting into. We got to the area around 9pm and there was more than 500,000 people in front of us. It almost gave me a heart attack until I saw that there was a security check point every 500m approximately.
Getting there
We drove 6 hours to Berlin on the 29th of December. On our way back home, we had to put some local gasoline into our car because there weren't any U.S. bases nearby. But we found a route to get us to the closest one and filled up our tank. To clarify, German gasoline is approx.. $1.50 per liter. That is 50% more than the average world price of gasoline.
Accommodations
We stayed in a private room in an Airbnb. We talked with the owners of the house and shared the bathroom and kitchen with them. We didn't care about the amenities much because we only went there to sleep. We stayed close to the city center but still we used public transportation (metro and bus) to get to the city attractions.
Interesting note: Fireworks are legal in Germany. We went to sleep at 4:00am and still could hear and see fireworks going off everywhere.
Interesting note: Fireworks are legal in Germany. We went to sleep at 4:00am and still could hear and see fireworks going off everywhere.
Food
On December 30th, we ate home before leaving and had hotdogs on our way and when we got to Berlin. We had dinner in Phoenix Restaurant with a Groupon I bought with anticipation. I also called and made a reservation a week before.
On New Year's Eve, we had breakfast at Salz & Zucker using a Groupon and reservation as well. For lunch, we ate at the apartment from the snacks we brought.
Funny note: I left a bowl of Spaghettis and ground beef in the fridge. When I came back, it wasn't there. The owner of the house had decided to clean the fridge, thought it was an old meal she had cook and threw it away. I laugh now, but at the moment I was pissed off.
What to do
On December 30th, we took the bus and train to the World Time Clock, Berlin TV Tower, Rothes Rathaus, Berlin Cathedral, Holocaust Museum and Gendarmenmarket.
On New Year's Eve, we took the train to the Berlin Memorial where the Berlin Wall was located. We walked over the Oberbaumbrucke (bridge) where we could see the Molecule Man in the water in the distance. Also, we entered in the protestant church named Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial. On our way to all tourist attractions, we found many Christmas Markets. We went back to the apartment, took a 2hr nap and went back to the city to see the Reichtag, the Branderburg Gate and the Victory Column. The long stretch were the party took place.
Sad note: There were many streets closed around the area where New Year's Eve party was celebrated. We didn't know this until we tried to catch a bus at 12:30am that never came. We got lost in a train station, we didn't want to walk too far by ourselves because it wouldn't be safe so we kept trying to figure out the routes in the maps but nothing helped because the buses and trains that would take us to the apartment couldn't get there. Also, we tried using an app to get a taxi but never came either. So we decided to hop on a random train that would at least take us out of the pedestrian area. We ended up switching 3 times of train but at 3:30am we were finally in the apartment.
Overall, we had a great time in Berlin and the are many things to see and do. If I ever go back I want to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
