In collaboration with Esteban, we went to Berlin for 7 days in order to meet the partners and host families. It was the first time on German soil for both of us; and frankly you are not disoriented once you arrive. I’ll tell you in this blog, how the city of Berlin disappointed us a bit. 

From the first steps on Berlin’s ground, the most difficult thing is to understand how to reach the city centre. There are so many different ways to get around, that you get lost quickly and even google maps is not able to help you. After taking a train, a metro, then a bus, we finally arrived at our accommodation located about 10 minutes from the centre of the capital. However, we have to admit that the city is very well equipped with public transport and especially on time. 

What surprised us as soon as we arrived was the discipline of the Berliners, when the light is red for pedestrians, no one crosses even if there is no car on the road. It’s sure a change from Paris ahahah. The city is also super clean, and yet very few cleaners clean it. 

I have always heard that Germans are English speaking and that communication with tourists is fluent, I think I have been proven wrong. Indeed, whether it is with the host families or even the partners, communication in English is super difficult, English you are afraid as they say. Especially with Esteban, we expected to see a flow tah the Eminem, we found ourselves facing people who spoke as well English as Ribéry speaks French. 

As far as going out is concerned, it’s not the best city for partying, but it’s very cool to have drinks in typical Berlin bars. We were there for the Champions League match Real de Madrid VS Paris, Berliners really like sports. I can see how it’s hard to sit still when a genius like Karim Benzema scores a hat-trick. Anyway, all this to say that Berliners know how to have fun anyway. 

To sum up our week and our feelings, we were very happy to go there but we won’t come back. The city is cool but it really looks like what you can see in France. The most interesting part of Berlin, I think, is its history, which is extremely well illustrated through museums and decorated underground stations. International Horizons can help you build your internship project, so contact us here!