Berlin

A city with a lot of history.  I was lucky enough to spend 3 full days exploring the city with my friend Fudge.  Many major events have played out in this city in the last century, and the effects of World War 2 and the Cold War are still very evident.  About 90% of the city was destroyed during the later part of WWII and most of the buildings are newer.

Today it has become some sort of center for artsy and alternative youth and has a very cool feel to it.  There are a lot of immigrants of various ethnicities in the city, making for a vibrant population with lots of different kinds of people.  This became evident when I met and befriended my seatmate on the plane ride – a Portuguese fellow named Miguel who had previously lived in Berlin and told us all about the highlights of the city.  The German flight attendant was also a character; when asked by Miguel what clubs were popular he sat down next to us and chatted us up.  Easy Jet.

We began our time on Friday with a 3 hour walking tour of the city to get a lay of the land and learn more details about it’s past.  We started at the infamous Brandenburg Gate, and continued through to see the Reichstag (German Parliament), Holocaust Memorial, the mock up of Checkpoint Charlie amongst various other frequently visited sites.

Brandenburg Gate

The Reichstag

Berlin's Holocaust Memorial

Some guy named Einstein went here?

On a walk through the Tiergarten

Shooting up the TV Tower, we found the view from above to be cool, but somewhat unimpressive.  Taking a 40 second elevator ride to the observation point somewhat trivializes the view, as if it’s too easy to reach.

The always visible - TV Tower

Berlin at our feet

Much more interesting was the view from the Berliner Dom, a large church built in 1905 and rebuilt after the war.  Architecturally overstated, it looks kind of ridiculous, yet still quite impressive.  The best part was the view from the observation deck around the dome where we watched the sun set over the city (and you have to wind your way through a series of small stairways and passages to get there, no elevator!).

The Berliner Dom

I found Germanys approach on their very dark and shameful points in history very honest and direct.  In a museum titled ‘Topographies of Terror' the Nazi history is addressed and documented.  An unflattering building on the site where the former SS headquarters stood (before being reduced to ruble by the allies) documents the rise of Hitler and the National Socialist Party.  It attempts to explain exactly how such a terrible régime could come to power as a form of education and warning to future generations to prevent the events of past from ever reoccurring.

A corner riddled with bullet holes.
 Some soldier was taking cover right behind this as a battle ensued.  Who was he?

Signs of the Berlin Wall are very evident throughout the city, and portions of it still stand.  The last rendition of the wall, the 4^th generation, is that which so famously was overcome by the citizens of the city. It was actually 2 walls with a so-called ‘Death Strip’ in between, and a section of this is preserved for onlookers.

An existing portion of the Berlin Wall

What it looked like

The preserved 'Death Strip' between the two walls

There is also the East Side Gallery where artist painted a long portion of the wall after it’s failure.  So that’s where those famous paintings come from…

East Side Gallery from 1990

There are many other notable sights that we saw along the way, and the city is crammed full of spots to visit.  It’s probably obvious by now that I like history, and I must apologize if this bores anyone who reads this expecting only stories of my adventures.

On the topic of adventures, Berlin boasts quite a nightlife, something we had to experience as well.  And the Jägermeister flowed - turns out they actually do drink the stuff in the fatherland.

Movies about Berlin that I now want to watch again:

-The Tunnel

-The Lives of Others