Take advantage of the unique flavor Berlin has to offer. CEA offers a variety
of local immersion activities to match your interests. Whether you enjoy music
concerts, clubs, sports, cooking classes, language exchanges or something
entirely different, our resident staff can help you get involved in the local
culture. Here are just some examples.
Walking the Wall
Where exactly was the wall? Most visitors still want to see what little remains of the Wall, yet it has been so completely erased that even Berliners hesitate when describing its course through the city. Starting from the Allied Checkpoint Charlie to the Brandenburg Gate, students will follow the route of the wall and learn the history of 28-year separation of Berlin. They will see the longest stretch of wall still remaining and understand why it was erected, how it fell, and how Berlin is dealing with the scars of its past. Entrance to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum is included.
Gourmet Tour
Berlin has a great number of eateries to choose from, both ethnic and German, with new restaurants opening up every week. CEA staff will show students some of the most interesting places to eat. An aperitif, a starter, a main course and dessert will be served each in different restaurants in Berlin-Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg. Local chefs will explain how each course is prepared. Typical Berlin food includes Rouladen (rolled stuffed beef), Spanferkel (suckling pig), Berliner Schüsselsülze (potted meat in aspic) Hackepeter (ground beef) and Currywurst, a sausage served with tomato sauce made with curry and pepper. Guten Appetit!
Jewish life in Berlin
Students will stroll through three centuries of Berlin's Jewish history with a tour of the city's traditional Jewish quarter. The triangle between the new Synagogue, Oranienburger Straße and Große Hamburger Straße was once the centre of Berlin’s Jewish life. Traces of the old Jewish community can be found by visiting the New Synagogue, the galleries of the Jewish Renaissance, the Old Cemetery, and the Rosenstraße, site of the only demonstration against the deportation of the Jews during the Nazi period. The tour will end with a visit to the controversial Holocaust Memorial.
Berlin by Bike
Half of Berlin’s households don’t own a car-- Berliners like to bike. Since Berlin is flat, green and highly accessible by bike lanes and quiet streets, even in the center, biking is certainly the way to go. Students will see Berlin’s main attractions and delve into the city‘s amazing history during this half-day guided bike tour. Highlights include the Berliner Dom, the Opera House, the Kronprinzenpalais, Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island, Lustgarten, and the Fernsehturm (TV tower) at Alexanderplatz, the highest building in the city at 368 meters. Get pedaling and immersed in Germany's liveliest city!
