Hi,
i went to the Pop-up-Shop in Berlin yesterday and I wanted to share my experience with you.
Berlin is about one hour away by train from my hometown and I arrived at about 8:30am at the main station. It takes about 15 minutes by city train from the main station and a 10 minute walk to get to the shop.
I booked the first time slot for the day at 10am. I arrived half an hour early and there were about five people already waiting. As the time went by, more and more people came and as it was getting close to 10am, there were about 30 people waiting.
About 5 minutes before opening, suddenly loud music started playing and I could hear them blasting Black Swan although the doors were still closed 😂
When they opened I had to wait just about two minutes before I could enter. They just scanned the QR-Code and that was it.
People on Twitter complained about sold out stuff and that the staff said that the restock was still stuck at customs. I can confirm that they hadn’t many „small things“. About 90 percent of the stock were clothes. But they also had Tiny Tan plushies, snowglobes and foldable bags, make up brushes, mic drop house slippers, a necklace, mic drop wallet, tumblers, some In The Soop merch like a mug, a towel set, a bag, house slippers and something that looked like a little mini carpet. I ended up buying the In The Soop mug, a Map Of The Soul Tumbler and two pairs of socks.
I don’t know much about merch prices but I found many of the items heavily overpriced. Here are a few examples that I remember: the In The Soop bag was 70€, other bags were about 45-50€, the In the Soop mini towels were about 45€, the necklace was 60€ I think. The basic t-shirts were 50€, sweatshirts and jackets were about 75€-85€, hoodies were 100€. The highlight was a (very beautiful I must admit) In The Soop denim jacket that cost 280€ 😂
I ended up paying 40€ for my four items and I was happy that I found something for me at least.
A few days before my trip I found an old video from 2014 of BTS visiting Berlin for a photoshoot. I also remembered Jungkook visiting a place in Berlin in the Bring The Soul documentary (it was Ep. 6 for all of you that might be interested). I did some research and I found some of the places that they visited and decided to do a little BTS sightseeing tour.
Most of the places were just a few walking minutes away from the shop. My first stop was the East Side Gallery. The Gallery are parts of the Berlin Wall that devided Berlin into West-Berlin and East-Berlin from 1961-1989, back when Germany was devided into West-Germany and East-Germany. The wall is covered in beautiful graffiti artworks. On the other side of the wall, there is the [riverside of the river Spree](https://imgur.com/a/qQdNWur) where BTS did the first part of their photoshoot.
My second stop was the [Oberbaumbrücke](https://imgur.com/a/yr6VskZ), a really beautiful bridge, where they also took some photos. I managed to snap a pic from the [pathway and the beautiful ceiling](https://imgur.com/a/aEMfYtG) of the bridge where they also posed for some of the photos. Here is a beautiful view of the [Spree](https://imgur.com/a/0thDA9j) as it can be seen from the bridge.
Right across the street from the bridge there is a little [park](https://imgur.com/a/s8S2Ffu) with a wall covered in graffiti, where they also took some photos. And I also remember Namjoon and Taehyung hilariously imitating some pidgeons 😂
My last stop was the Gendarmenmarkt, also known as the most beautiful place of Berlin. In the Burn The Stage documentary Jungkook was sitting on the stairs of the concert hall and on that exact spot he said his famous words „But regret is part of being human“.
I reall looked forward to sit on the same stairs he once sat but when I arrived there, the whole place was under construction, so I just managed to take a photo of the [Deutscher Dom](https://imgur.com/a/YHhb27g) and that [statue](https://imgur.com/a/edxAu0x) that is beside the steps of the concert hall. Both can be seen in the episode. Here is another view of the [Deutscher Dom](https://imgur.com/a/YF6vIfl), from the other side.
This was the first trip ever that I did on my own and it was one of the best days of my life. I struggle with anxiety so this trip was really *really* challenging for me but everything went smoothly and I learned so much about myself and what I am able to do. If BTS didn’t came into my life, this trip wouldn’t have happened, because nothing or no one could push my out of my comfort zone like they can. I’m really thankful for how they made my life better.
I‘m sorry that this was such a long post but I really wanted to share my experience with you. If some of you have the possibility to visit Berlin and the shop I totally encourage you to go. Berlin is a beautiful city with a lot to see.
by KookiesMikrokosmos