Olympiastadion Berlin

The good thing about blogging about trips you took two and a half years ago means it doesn't matter if you write the post a week later than you'd planned to. How's that for a silver lining? :)

After having such a great time at Munich's Olympic Park, I was beyond excited to see Olympic Stadium in Berlin. It certainly didn't hurt that the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games are kind of a big deal -- Jesse Owens? Louis Zamperini? Pretty historic, yes?

We went right after taking a bike tour around the city. That tour was NOT good to me, and my pelvis was bruised to the point where it hurt to bend at the waist. And if I remember correctly, the U-bahn line we needed was closed that day, which made for a little bit of concern about getting lost. But the stadium did NOT disappoint! It's beautifully classic on the outside and a giant, imposing structure on the inside; it's been renovated in recent years, but it still very much looks like a Nazi creation. We spent a good chunk of time in the stadium before walking around the complex (the grounds are free for exploring, but the stadium costs several euros to enter). You can peek into the open-air aquatic center, and there's a whole walkway of memorial statues for each Olympic Games, and those giant Olympic rings? It's such an incredibly cool place! There's also a little museum space/gift shop, where I bought a little bag of rubber shavings from the track. Because WHY NOT?

Sigh, I loved Berlin. Give me currywurst and a few hours to run around in this stadium and I'd be happy as a clam! (But seriously.)