Berlin - Day 3 (Part II)

Scavenger Hunt

The Scavenger Hunt was a 5 hour activity that Mr. Mobini designed in order to lift up our spirits after visiting the concentration camp. We were given 12 different tasks of which we needed to complete 10 of and the winners receive free dinner. The tasks had us go to different landmarks in Berlin and get our pictures taken. Chris, Willow, Aaron, and Jessika teamed up together while Renee and Katie, Elena and Jena, and Karanjot and Connor were in their own groups.

We (Karanjot and Connor) took the S Bahn to Alexanderplatz in an attempt to get some food. Unfortunately, we did not get any food and ended up getting lost for about 20 minutes. After getting back on route, we walked to the Babelplatz. That is where the Nazis held book burnings. We waited for a group of old ladies to finish up taking their pictures before we promptly took pictures of us lying on the ground next to a memorial commemorating the event. The group of old ladies started to laugh at us. After that, we walked to Checkpoint Charlie, which is where the border crossing between East and West Germany was. The task asked us to pose as guards at the checkpoint, so we decided to cross our arms as bouncers. Next we went to the Topography of Terror. That is where the old SS and Gestapo headquarters used to be. We took some pictures, read the information, and then wrote two small paragraphs reflecting our feelings. Since a large portion of the Berlin Wall was still up close by, we decided to complete our next task there. The next task had us take our pictures while standing in no man’s land next to the Wall. After that we took the U Bahn to the Brandenburg Gates and walked over to the U.S. Embassy. Unfortunately we were unable to complete our task at hand as the police officer that we were to shake hands with and get our picture taken with said that it is against policy to take pictures of people in uniform or to touch a police officer. Next we completed our next task of getting a silly picture of us taken under the Brandenburg Gates. After that we walked a short distance to the Parliament building. The task that we had to do there had us get our picture while planking in front of the building. Next we walked a long distance to the Victory Tower to get our pictures taken next to it. For one extra point we climbed up all of the stairs to the top of the tower. The climb was long, but the view was spectacular. After that we took the S Bahn to the entrance of the Zoo. We got our pictures taken next to the main entrance. For another extra point, we had some live zoo animals in the background. With only one task left to complete, we rushed over to the S Bahn and rode over to the Ostbahnhof. Once there, we got a complete stranger to pose with us as we pointed at the platform 11 sign. Then we rushed onto the train and sped walked over to the hostel.

After showing Mr. Mobini our glorious accomplishments, we were rewarded with free dinner. We had traditional Berlinian dinner consisting of currywurst, doener kebab’s, and Thai food. It was good food and a really fun excursion. See you in Colonge! –Connor and Karanjot