Las Fallas-Fireworks and Light Shows!

Fallas has ended, and I can’t wait to talk about it.  A lot has happened, so I am going to break up the major events into several posts so I don’t make an overwhelmingly long post.

Before coming to Valencia, I had never heard of Fallas.  Even when I arrived in January, people would talk about it so nonchalantly that I never gave it a second thought.  But when we came back from Berlin a week before Fallas and found double the amount of tourists in the streets, churro stands everywhere, and monuments being built, we knew it was going to be big.  If you have never heard of the festival, you can read about its history in my La Crida post.

We came back on a Sunday night, and everything seemed normal.  It was not until the next morning that I realized how many people there were in the streets, how many more fried food options there were, how much louder the city was, and how awesome the next week was going to be.

There were light shows every single night starting at 8pm, and would repeat every thirty minutes.  If you know me, you know that I LOVE lights.  Show me some pretty lights, and you have won me over.  You can say I was in heaven.

I have never seen so many fireworks in my life.  The frequency of explosives not only surprised me but also the beauty and loudness of their fireworks shows. Every single day at 2pm, there was “la mascleta” in Plaza Ayuntamiento, the main square in Valencia.  These fireworks focus more on the noise versus the visual appeal, although there were some very pretty shows on some days.  It was a daytime firework show louder than anything you will experience.  Thousands of people packed into the square to watch the explosions and get their ears blown out.

If we were in America, we would never be allowed to get that close to a fireworks display.  However, there we were about 20 feet from where they were lighting up dangerous explosives.  Every single time I watched them, I feared for my life.  I swear either my ears were going to blow out, my phone microphone would blow, or I would get hit by a firework (and I did). Then at night, they lit up the castillos.  These night time shows were more about visuals than the noise, although the finale was always extremely loud.  It would go on for 15 minutes and end with a huge bang.  These were probably my favorite part of fallas.

In addition, literally every other person had fireworks and would set them off right next to you.  Even little babies played with miniature fireworks.  To add to all of the explosive noises, marching bands walked through the streets every morning.  I felt like I was in a war zone with all of the chaos and noise.  It was one of the loudest weeks I have ever experienced, but completely worth it.

The Berlin Wall & Concentration Camps

We had a great time the first two days we were in Berlin.  The next day was more pensive as we visited the East Side Gallery, the most famous part of the Berlin Wall, and Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, the closest concentration camp to Berlin.

I had no idea that the wall was so beautiful.  There was some real talent involved with its murals.  We walked along it for about half a mile until we turned back and headed to the concentration camp.

Seeing Sachsenhausen was a humbling experience.  To walk through the buildings where thousands of people were imprisoned, tortured, and killed made me appreciate the freedom that I have today.  It still blows my mind that the Holocaust only occurred around 70 years ago, and there are still survivors alive today.  It also makes me ashamed to be considered human, seeing what our kind is capable of.  No other animal could be capable of doing this.

The concentration camp dampened my mood for a little bit, but the next day I did my best to have a positive outlook.  The day was filled with more sightseeing, food, and shopping.  We went back to both of the chocolate places and ate more!  We ended our four days in Berlin with a drink and a lovely train ride back to our hostel.

Their lights were adorable

Berlin has definitely been the most modern city that I have visited so far in Europe.  I could see how people consider it the culture capital of Germany.  Now it is back to Valencia where it will be Fallas next week!

Berlin, Sightseeing and FOOD

After two amazing days traveling by myself, I met up with my roommates in Berlin.  Our time in Berlin was a stark contrast from my incredible day in Cinque Terre the day before.  Cinque Terre had beautiful views and nature, and Berlin was filled with buildings, history, and hipsters. (I never knew how hipster Berlin was.  It rivals San Francisco)

The first thing I noticed about the city was their extremely impressive train system.  I’ve always wished that Los Angeles had better public transportation, but Germany’s trains just made our metro system look like a literal piece of poo.  It really is embarrassing.

After settling in to our very trendy hostel, we set out to explore the city.  Our first stop was Checkpoint Charlie, the famous crossing point between East and West Berlin.  We snapped a few pictures and then set out for the Brandenburg Gate and the Holocaust Memorial.  The Holocaust Memorial did everything that it should.  It amazed me, made me feel overwhelmed, confused, and a little claustrophobic, very fitting for what it was representing.

My roommates LOVE chocolate, so when the front desk recommended a fondue place and chocolate store, we had to go to both.  I must admit they were both very good.  The first place was called Fassbender & Rausch, a fancy restaurant and retail store with high end chocolate, chocolate sculptures, and fondue.  It goes without saying I probably gained a few pounds.  The chocolate store was called Ritter Sport, a place where you could make personalized chocolate with anything you want in it.  It is pretty good chocolate, so I would be excited if you are in my family, because I’m bringing some back for you.

The next day, we met up with my roommate Nicole’s cousin, who lives in Berlin.  He showed us around the city and then took us to Ka De We, a mall with the most heavenly food court.  We went straight for dessert.

My favorite picture from the trip. He genuinely looks scared. I suck at carrying dogs. I don’t know where to put my hands.

Finally, we ended the day with a visit to the Reichstag Building.  I was amazed that this building was free to visit given that we have had to pay for literally everything since we had gotten to Europe (I miss free water!).  I must say I’ve never seen a building like this before, and I recommend everyone visit if you’re in Berlin.

The only decent picture I got of the building because it was so massive that I could not fit it using my regular cameras.