Germany and Greece. They both start with G, but that's about all they have in common. Team Jooster's latest trip is as antonymic as one can get. Efficient versus profligate. Organized versus chaotic. Solvent versus teetering perpetually on the edge of bankruptcy... Boring versus the life of every party? Actually, Berlin would beg to differ.
Hotel Casa Camper certainly lives up to Berlin's edgy reputation. Rock tries to claim some edge cred by standing near the edge.
In artsy Berlin, there's a hidden message in the mundane. A mere shop sign or a deeper commentary on the rise of the East through the ironic appropriation of a beloved American cultural icon? Ok, maybe it's just a sign.
Mei is about to learn how to say "don't touch my asparagus!" in German.
Berlin is so hipster it makes Williamsburg skinny jeans look like XXL.
Museum Island is where all Berlin's best museums are concentrated. You know Berlin is cool when that moniker doesn't elicit an outraged commentary from Rock on how only Manhattan can lay claim to such a lofty title.
Which way to the boom boom beats? Nothing shouts hipster louder than cruising the streets in a special edition Woodstock Combi.
Hang on, I think you may have the wrong religion there dudes.
The fountain of youth? You don't need that in Berlin, everyone is young when the party lasts till daybreak.
Even the plants get in on the edgy vibe.
Any guesses on how you say Coca-Cola in German?
In most places this is considered graffiti. In Berlin, the streets are the best museum of all. Mona Lisa is looking quite the girl about town in her Ray-Bans. Forget the enigmatic half-smile Leonardo, she's not going to pick up around here unless she has some serious eyewear.
Speaking of serious eyewear...
The gritty, post-industrial laneways of Berlin put some wings of the MoMA to shame. This is where the art meets the people. And where the people meet the biers.
Mei's long lost sister is a little wrapped up in herself.
Talk about the hipster's love of the ironic; the photographer becomes the photographed.
A biergarten that doubles as a ramengarten? Is this a cool city or what?
You never know what you'll find in the next doorway. Probably a tourist ruining the grunge factor of the neighborhood.
Most of Berlin was tragically razed in the war, but fortunately some gems either survived or were lovingly rebuilt.
The Kreuzburg neighborhood gives the Lower East Side of Manhattan some stiff competition. Eclectic cafes, hidden bars, even a canal that's a lot more fragrant than Canal.
No one does chocolate cake like the Germans. No one eats chocolate cake like the Rock.
The Polaroid is making a comeback in the retro hipster universe. So why not take it to the next level with... wait for it... a photo booth! Or rather, a photoautomat.
A hat shop? You mean people don't just buy on Amazon out here? How old school is that?
In most cities, you buy credibility at the wheel of a Maserati. Out here everyone can squeeze into skinny jeans so you've got to take things to the next level to earn your hipster badge of retro-ness. Bring on the Beatles!
When there's not enough land for the biergarten, build an extension.
You can always find the way to East Berlin by spotting the Soviet TV tower. Or you could just follow the cool crowd on their single speed bicycles.
Your nose may be a little short. Better tell some lies.
Of course, Pandas are the obvious way to sell a beach bar.
Back in the old days, this was to keep the East out of the West. Now it's to keep those lame faux-hipster Westsiders from invading the hyper-cool loft apartments, speakeasies, and locavore purveyors on the other side.
Good idea, test the snipers' marksmanship before attempting the crossing. If your hat no longer keeps the rain out, you probably want to pick a different spot to scale.
Hey mon! You dudes feel like climbing a wall today?
Only in Berlin do you find dedicated train carriages for parking your bike in. No more than one gear allowed, of course.
Note: delete this photo before starting the Greek part of the trip. They don't take kindly to German bankers. What do you mean you expect us to work every day? Seriously?
A reminder that this city wasn't always united by a love of tight denim legwear.
The Brandenburg gate is a bit too touristy, but it's place in history cannot be denied. A world was divided and then reunited here.
Who said the German football team plays a dour game?
The Reichstag, home of the German parliament and, more importantly, a nifty Norman Foster designed dome feature.
No one does efficiency like the Germans. Compare and contrast to that decrepit underground cesspit known as Penn Station.
If you can see the plate underneath, it's not a proper Wiener schnitzel.
Forget gentrification, this is hipsterfication in full flight.
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