Zagreb ✈️ Berlin
Default Cappuccino
Airport coffee isn’t that bad.
Zagreb International Airport
It was time to say goodbye to Zagreb (we hardly knew ye). Little did we know we were in for quite a trip today.
We took off around 6am and headed to find a taxi. It seems that taxis in Zagreb aren’t in the business of being waved down. We had seen about four or five before we concluded that going back to the train station, a ten minute walk, was the best way to get a ride. After a half hour ride listening to campy Croatian pop (half asleep), we arrived at the Zagreb airport.
The airport itself was small. We had many kune left to spend (Bryan overestimated the cost of the taxi), so Yennie found some strange Croatian treats at the duty free, including some spicy peanuts, dried Dalmatian figs, and herbal hand lotion made. Sure, why not.
We’ve become quite accustomed to the half-rituals of intra-European flights, like never having boarding times match what’s on your ticket, or having your gate changed at the last minute. We’ve also become entirely wary of “waiting in line” to get boarded, since we all seem to get corralled onto the same bus that drives you around the tarmac to your plane. We got on the bus, only to wait maybe 10 minutes and learn that we should get off the bus and wait at the gate. We waited another 45 minutes before they re-boarded everyone, get onto the plane and learn that it was because they found a puncture in the plane’s tire. Our captain mentioned that the repaired damage was “within safe range,” so we were okay to fly. 😳 Thanks for the assurances…
The flight from Zagreb to Berlin is embarrassingly short: 1.5 hours. But, we were surprised with a last minute flight change, wherein our captain landed us at Schoenberg Airport, not Tegel. He estimated that the thunderstorm in Berlin was too dangerous to fly through, so we landed at the other regional airport, instead. Everyone on the plane was groaning and moaning. We were given the option of deplaning, which we promptly took. We had been traveling already for 6 hours, so it was time to peace.
Boarding the bus to take us to the tarmac, they had us wait for about ten minutes before they alerted us that we needed to re-enter the terminal. We realized our flight was going to be delayed. We waited an additional 45 minutes. Eventually we got back on the bus and finally arrived at our plane. Our captain later mentioned to us that they had found some mechanical issues, but due to differences in quality control between Croatia and Germany (huh?) they realized that the errors were within acceptable tolerances. So we could take off. Thanks for the assurances… 😅
The one hour flight went well until the very end. Berlin was in the middle of a thunderstorm, so our captain decided to land at the other airport in the city to avoid the bad weather. After landing, we waited for awhile on the tarmac again before the call was made to let passengers deplane if they so chose. Rather than wait out the storm and fly to the original airport, we chose to leave.
Then, we made it to the train! The Berlin train system is extensive, but luckily German station agents are thorough and precise in explanation. We would go to Alexanderplatz and transfer to the U-Bahn to get to our hotel in Mitte. Oh wait, another surprise! There is an undetonated WWII bomb in a station on the train line. We have to get off and transfer to the U-Bahn much earlier to get to Alexanderplatz. We only figured this out because a nice German woman on the train explained this to us. Yennie panicked, “A bomb?! On the train line?!” The German woman brushed it off and reassured us, “Oh, this happens all the time here.” Welcome to Berlin.
By the time we arrived at our hotel in Mitte, we were ready to get a bit to eat and explore the city. The plan for weeks was to get some Korean food at Kimchee Princess, a Korean restaurant in Kreuzberg. The last time Yennie was in Berlin, she went to the restaurant after a 3-week trip in East Africa. Maybe it was because she was so deprived of Asian food that she remembered it as tasty. But, the feelings for her were just the same: she needed kimchee! The meal did not disappoint: we had kimchee doobu, fried kimchee on a bed of steamed tofu (this is OG drunk people food, good with beer and soju), daenjjang jjigae, stinky soup, and roast goo-ui, grilled, un-marinated beef. HOLLA!
Since traveling for about two months, we’ve discovered that essentializing national cuisines in big cities just doesn’t work. What we love and miss most about being in a diverse part of the world is that you can find and eat your homefood wherever you are. Berlin is famous for a few foods, which we love, but it is celebrated much more for its diversity and healthy appetite for everything. 🍽
Lübzer Pils
Eco-friendly Tip: Always get what’s on draught.
Kimchee Princess, Skalitzer Str. 36, Kreuzberg
