The Loveliest Spot in Berlin

Hiya! I interrupt my fangirl rambling about films and series to talk about something a bit different, which I couldn't help not share with you.

So, last week I went on a little city trip to Berlin with some of my friends. I'd been there before, and really love that city. It might not be as romantic as Paris or energetic as London, but it certainly has character. It might be heavily scarred in the past, but it holds it's history well. Now even to my surprise, it was here, in this growing, modern city, that I stumbled upon the most quaint, charming little hang out spot.

After dinner one night one of my friends and I decided to roam the city. Near our hotel on the Oranienburger Strasse, we decided to take a different route and explore. It turned out to be a great idea, as taking all these little streets took us away from the bustle of the city and led us to a more relaxed, quiet environment. We found ourselves living the true Berlin experience, coming across little local hang-out spots and cafés that were far away from the busy streets crowded with tourists, and filled with true Berlin crowds.

We almost got a little lost in these streets, trying to weave our way back to the main road again. Our little adventure brought us past some hidden gems, like a church Martin Luther King once preached in, a Holocaust memorial and a shop that sold all Irish goods - it was really random.

When we found our way back to the main road we decided to walk back to the hotel via the park on the Oranienburger Strasse, which we had already designated as our daily breakfasting spot. As we crossed the park for the first time, we discovered the most precious of hidden places - or at least hidden to us. Round the back of the park - the Monbijoupark - it is bordered by the Spree, and on the other side of the water lays the impressive Bode-Museum. Next to the water there is a little spot with palm trees and cute little lights where you can sit and enjoy a drink - or a few - which you can get at a bar area, that is actually next to an open-air theatre! There is also a dancefloor where people were dancing in pairs to the lovely twenties music that was being played. You could even grab a pizza there! The whole thing was just absolutely lovely. When we arrived it was just getting dark, and as the sun went down it was just a bit magical. The twenties music, the people dancing, the lit-up museum on the other side and the boats going past - it kinda felt like A Midnight in Paris.

My friend and I were really impressed and sat there for a long time, drinking wine and chatting away - we did not want to leave. I imagine most of the people there were locals, and the whole place just did not have a touristy feel at all, which just made it that much better.

So my dearest readers, if you ever find yourself in Berlin, and are looking for a nice spot to unwind, go find this little corner in the Monbijou Park. It's just a little bit of heaven - if you're into that sort of thing.

Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen (GISHWHES)

Let's clear something up and simultaneously talk about something really awesome I've done last week: GISHWHES. For those who have been following me on twitter or facebook it might have been somewhat of a mystery what this GISHWHES was that I kept referring to. Well, Gishwhes - or that long name in the title that I don't care to repeat even though I've already written more words now than I would have if I'd rewritten the name - is a scavenger hunt set up by the amazing Misha Collins, who one might know from the tv show Supernatural (or perhaps the cinematic masterpiece that is Stonehenge Apocalypse). However, I think more people know him from the former, and a lot of the participants of GISHWHES are also in the Supernatural fandom.

So what exactly do I mean when I say scavenger hunt? Well, this is how it works. You sign up for GISHWHES, and either chose a group to be part of or you are assigned a group by GISHbot. At the beginning of the hunt - which lasts a week - a list of items is uploaded to the GISHWHES website, and for each item your team can receive points. Pretty straightforward right? Well, don't be fooled, the real challenge is in actually doing the items, as they are many a times ridiculous, crazy, amazeballs, or sometimes just downright impossible. Some examples from this year's list, which my team executed:

A family of at least four enjoying a formal dinner. All of the place settings, serving utensils, dishes - basically every non-food item above the tablecloth - must be made from Legos.

Get all of the checkout employees at a supermarket to wear "Mishacolypse" masks as they ring up customers. They all must be working their individual registers when you take the picture. There must be a minimum of four checkout workers. The more cashiers, the more points.

Sing a harmonized duet rendition of "Eye of the Tiger" with someone standing 30 yards away from you. The camera should be centered between the two singers and we should be able to see both in the frame. -Stefanie Bumbaru

These were totally ridiculous but so much fun to do. Then there were also ones that were just really really cute:

“When I grow up, I want to be...” Have a child dress up as what they want to be when they grow up (lawyer, doctor, ballerina, dragon-slayer, etc.). Then stage the photo in the environment they would be working in.

There were also a bit more serious items, like becoming a bone marrow donor, or getting a CPR certification. There was one my team members were able to do which we were all very proud of, which was: There is a retirement home in Baltimore, MD called Rolland Park Place. My grandmother lives there. Bring flowers, chocolate or funny homemade or store-bought cards for some of the residents. Since this is a bit nepotistic, if Rolland Park Place is out-of-the-way for you, do the same at another retirement home. You must interact with the residents. My awesome teammates called up a retirement home and went to serve cake to them and hand out flowers. The video that resulted from it was just lovely, seeing those people smile and be so happy that these random things were happening to them. It makes me kinda emotional just thinking about it.

But that's also what GISHWHES is about. We were really lucky to be paired up with some amazing people from Utah who were as enthousiastic and dedicated to the hunt as we were, and we ended up doing some great things. I think we were all very proud of each other when it ended, and a bit sad of course.

So guys, if you feel like going crazy for a week, having loads of fun, doing some great things for humanity and also regaining some faith in your fellow humans, sign up for GISHWHES. It's such a rewarding experience and you'll meet some great people from all over the world. And there's just this kind of family feeling that you are all in this crazy thing together.

Want to know more about GISHWHES? Here is the official website and what the man himself has to say about his little project: Misha's Musings. And hey, there's even a Wikipedia page: TAKE A STROLL THROUGH SOME MORE INFO. There are costs involved for signing up, but if you really don't have the money to sign up but to have a burning desire to do so, you can apply to get a free admission.

Oh and perhaps this is also important, there is a reward for those who win! This year it's a trip to Croatia with Misha for the winning team. My team wasn't in it to win, but just for the fun. So just kow that you do not have to work your ass of or do things you might not be comfortable with if you do not want to.

If anything, I know I'll be signing up again next year! May the hunt grow bigger every year! (And I mean, we're on our way, as NASA and a few celebs got into it this year already)

I leave you with a picture of our awesome team.

An image of each of the members of your team in Brady-Bunch style grid format. Photos should be mug-shot style with each team member holding a black and white sign stating their city and country of residence.