![[Germany] Departure — Preparation before the trip and some random thoughts](/images/berlin-1.webp)
[Germany] Departure — Preparation before the trip and some random thoughts
Berlin Strolling Diary
Just arrived, let me share the attractions I visited in the past few days using the museum pass!
This is like my travel diary. If you want to know about ticket purchasing or transportation information, feel free to leave a message!
Taipei Taoyuan — Berlin Brandenburg
First, let me share the airline I chose for this trip. The ticket price was the main consideration, so we chose to fly with Lufthansa.
Although there were two layovers (first in Bangkok, then in Munich), the layover times weren’t too long, but overall it took about 20 hours to finally reach this distant country.
On the way from Bangkok to Munich, I chose Jewish cuisine. There were two meals during the flight, but there are only a few options for kosher food, and I feel like I've tried them all...
Many airlines allow you to pre-select special meals, and my recent preference is to try the Jewish cuisine offered by all airlines.
It's worth mentioning that because there are many strict restrictions on kosher meals, the flight attendants will ask if you need to check if it's completely sealed before heating it up.
Back to the main topic, our ticket price was a total of 29,696 TWD, which isn't as expensive as I imagined, but sitting in economy class for such a long time is really super uncomfortable.
For the return trip, we didn't just choose the cheapest flight; we considered the layover times because we didn't want to have a long layover.
At that time, the lowest price was actually around 28,000 TWD, with the following flights:
After buying the tickets, it was time to start packing (I spent about a week packing), planning to stay for three months. While packing, I struggled a bit about what to bring. Should I bring a lot of clothes?
To conclude, I ended up packing half a suitcase full of instant noodles, about three sets of clothes, skincare products, medications, and charging cables.
My luggage was that simple :)
Mobile Internet
But it’s not like I didn’t prepare anything. I activated the international withdrawal feature on my debit card, withdrew a fixed amount of foreign currency, and paid off the card fees to avoid overspending.
The most important thing was buying internet access. I purchased a 30-day 10G eSIM from Verizon, which was quite expensive, but it seems to work a bit smoother?
I sincerely recommend everyone to buy an eSIM when going abroad, but remember, you must not delete it! Because the QR code can only be scanned once!!!
I actually compared the roaming fees of traditional telecom companies, and it turns out that buying a SIM or eSIM from any platform is much cheaper! However, using roaming is still more convenient 👀
The prices are as shown in the left image ⬅️
It seems that some blogs have discount codes that can save you more. If you need it, just search for eSIM, and you’ll find a bunch of articles!
Cash and Credit Cards
You really shouldn’t underestimate this; in Europe, you can almost go out without cash (although it’s not quite at the level of Alipay in China), unless you want to use the restroom. Some restrooms require cash, but if you’re willing to look, there are still places that accept credit cards.
Before departure, I discussed with my family how much euros to bring with me. Luckily, I didn’t listen to them and brought too much QQ
I originally wanted to go to Switzerland, but later abandoned that idea because I really ran out of money, even though I had already exchanged Swiss francs…
I brought a total of 500 € and 100 Swiss francs. Most stores accept credit cards, but there are a few situations where cash is needed:
- Using the restroom: about 0.5~1 €, you can exchange for small bills to avoid using large bills 😭
- Buying ice cream: many places only accept cash (possibly due to high transaction fees)
- Some restaurants have a minimum card payment limit (3 euros, 9 euros, or depending on the owner’s mood)
Airport Section
When I took a domestic flight in Japan before, my luggage didn’t get checked through to the destination, possibly because I booked the tickets separately.
I was particularly worried about not having enough time to claim my luggage in Munich and check it in again for Berlin.
However, airlines are not that inconsiderate; who would want to claim their luggage again during a layover?
Transiting in Bangkok! It was around 11 PM at that time.
The layover time seemed to be an hour and a half, but it was definitely not enough... We ended up rushing straight to the boarding gate. Bangkok airport is super big!
During my first layover, I didn't know I had to go through security again, and all my water was confiscated 😵
The last meal I had at Taoyuan Airport was at Ji Guang Xiang Xiang Chicken.
After eating crispy fried meat with separate crispy skin in Berlin for a while... I suddenly miss the chicken cutlet from Taiwan where the skin tightly adheres to the meat 🤤
🙋♀️ Does anyone know why European fried cutlets tend to have "skin and meat separation"?
After a ten-hour flight, feeling dizzy, we finally arrived in Munich!
The duty-free shop had just opened, so I took the last bit of time to shop around (even though I didn’t buy much 😆).
The sky was beautiful ✨
The domestic flight from Munich to Berlin was super small! Only four people in a row 😳
Fortunately, I was lucky enough to be assigned to an exit row seat, which was super spacious and comfortable.
It seemed like there weren't many checked bags, but we still waited unexpectedly long. Finally, after waiting for all the luggage, we called an Uber, which took about 30 minutes and cost only 52 €.
Three checked bags plus three carry-ons all fit in! For someone like me who often gets denied rides, this was really a blessing 😌
Before leaving the airport, I also saw an advertisement for the Berlin Welcome Card. If you're traveling short-term, it's really good, but for long-term stays, I would recommend buying a monthly ticket directly.
Upon arriving in Berlin, everything felt new, but also a bit bewildering (?).
There was always a feeling of “Oh my god, am I really in Europe?”
This is where I will end the first entry before the trip! I will update weekly with other fun attractions, so stay tuned 😚
I originally wanted to let AI write the article, but I found that the articles generated by Gemini and ChatGPT were quite similar and not very satisfying.
This month, I think I won’t subscribe to anything!