I capitalized on another opportunity to tag along with Rick on a work trip. However, only the first night was actually work-related. The rest of the weekend we were on our own. I'm glad I took this opportunity as Berlin was never on my "must see" list. I would have never seen this beautiful and exciting city that is so rich with history. As soon as I booked the trip and started telling people that I was going, I started hearing wonderful things about Berlin. Several people told me how much they loved it. I couldn't believe it as it wasn't on my radar screen!
Berlin is a city where old meets new when it comes to architecture, history and culture. The Eastern part has come a long way since the fall of the "Wall" in 1989. A lot of restoration work has been done on the buildings and today it is a thriving area for tourism. As a matter of fact, Rick, who was in Berlin for the reunification, couldn't believe it was the same city. Where once the two sides stood in stark contrast of each other, it is now difficult to tell where East Berlin ends and West Berlin begins. Except for the fact that the western part is fairly modern and suburban. There is still a fair amount of construction taking place. But the city has come a long way. I found it to be one of those cities, like Paris and London, where you can spend several days and not run out of things to do.
Berlin is a city where old meets new when it comes to architecture, history and culture. The Eastern part has come a long way since the fall of the "Wall" in 1989. A lot of restoration work has been done on the buildings and today it is a thriving area for tourism. As a matter of fact, Rick, who was in Berlin for the reunification, couldn't believe it was the same city. Where once the two sides stood in stark contrast of each other, it is now difficult to tell where East Berlin ends and West Berlin begins. Except for the fact that the western part is fairly modern and suburban. There is still a fair amount of construction taking place. But the city has come a long way. I found it to be one of those cities, like Paris and London, where you can spend several days and not run out of things to do.
Aside from the cold, rainy weather of early March, we had a fantastic trip. If only the photos could give justice to the city. Oh well, you'll just have to imagine what it would look like on a nice, sunny day!
Brandenburger Tor
This is an old city gate and one of the most popular and historic symbols of Berlin.
Holocost Memorial
Interesting memorial to walk through. A bunch of white blocks of different sizes and heights that form a maze. There is also and underground museum, but we didn't go.
Reichstag
This is the parliament building. You can visit the glass dome at the top (closed when we were there) and the viewing deck on the roof. Both which offer a great view of the city. We went at night so we got to see the city all lit up. However it was bitter cold and windy so we didn't stick around long!
Interesting Buildings and Sculptures
We saw a lot of modern sculptures throughout Berlin. They were just kind of random and often looked out of place amidst their surroundings. Here are some pictures of a few of them.
We saw a lot of modern sculptures throughout Berlin. They were just kind of random and often looked out of place amidst their surroundings. Here are some pictures of a few of them.
Rick took a picture of the Mercedes building in honor of our new car.
There were several of these red and blue figures around town.
Museum Island
Known as Museumsinsel, this is a peninsula in the middle of the city that contains a large museum complex. The island, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is pretty impressive and several of the museums are housed in magnificent buildings.
Goofy hat that Rick just had to have. I was not very happy about this purchase so he had to take this picture himself.
The first room you walk into contains a reconstruction of The Great Altar of Pergamon, a massive stone podium about one hundred feet long and thirty-five feet high, which dates from 180 to 160 BC. It was located in the ancient Greek city of Pergamon (modern day Bergama in Turkey). I was blown away right from the start!
Ramones Museum
There were several of these red and blue figures around town.
Checkpoint Charlie & The Wall
There is a small section of the wall that remains for visiters to see. There is also a set of panels nearby that describe significant events pertaining to the wall and Checkpoint Charlie, which was one of the main crossing points between East and West Germany during the cold war. Especially interesting were the descriptions of both successful and unsuccessful escapes that took place. There is a museum at Checkpoint Charlie, but we didn't go in it. I just took a cheesy, touristy picture with some men dressed up as guards.
Museum Island
Known as Museumsinsel, this is a peninsula in the middle of the city that contains a large museum complex. The island, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is pretty impressive and several of the museums are housed in magnificent buildings.
Goofy hat that Rick just had to have. I was not very happy about this purchase so he had to take this picture himself.
The Pergamonmuseum
This is the one museum we visited on Museum Island. It contains a collection of huge architectural showpieces unearthed by German archeologists from various ancient civilizations and reconstructed inside the museum.
This is the one museum we visited on Museum Island. It contains a collection of huge architectural showpieces unearthed by German archeologists from various ancient civilizations and reconstructed inside the museum.
The first room you walk into contains a reconstruction of The Great Altar of Pergamon, a massive stone podium about one hundred feet long and thirty-five feet high, which dates from 180 to 160 BC. It was located in the ancient Greek city of Pergamon (modern day Bergama in Turkey). I was blown away right from the start!
Unter Den Linden
"Beneath the Lime Trees"
Unter Den Linden is the name of a long, wide boulevard that cuts through the center of Berlin. It is lined with many beautiful buildings and is a great place to stroll and take in the architecture. It was originally a bridal path that linked the Stadtschloss with the hunting grounds of the Tiergarten. The lime and walnut trees planted along it were removed by the Nazis to make room for processions and then replanted by the Communists.
Neue Synagoge
Ramones Museum
Rick saw an advertisement for this and just had to go. I didn't really understand the connection between The Ramones and Berlin. Rick thought that it was because the Ramones wrote a lot of songs that had to do with Berlin and the war. As it turns out, there was just some guy who had a huge collection of Ramone's memorabilia and decided to donate it to this tiny museum. I wasn't that interested so I sat in the adjoining cafe and had some tea.
East Side Gallery
This gallery is not only possibly the largest open air gallery in the world, it is also a symbol of freedom. After the fall of the wall in 1989, artists from all over the world came to Berlin to paint on a 1.3km section of the wall that still remains. There are over 100 paintings of which most are done in graffiti style. Before the fall of the wall, the east side was blank as people were not allowed to draw, write or paint on it. For me, this gallery was one of the most moving pieces of history in Berlin!
"Many Shit"So the owner of our hotel was a funny man who spoke English well enough, but not perfectly. We decided to go to a flea market that takes place every Sunday so we asked him for directions. After giving us some great advice on how to get there, he said "many shit there". Needless to say, this expression has stuck with us! Europe is full of flea markets called brocantes where, if you look hard enough, you can find some real gems. However, most of the time they are full of "many shit". Rusty nails and twisted bits of wire are common items for sale. The guy was right, there was "many shit there". On this particular Sunday, however, we got lucky. Rick found some rare, bootleg CD's and I bought a nice leather wallet.
Hackescher Markt
This was a pretty neat area packed with restaurants and bars. There was also an interesting complex of shops that were housed in bright buildings that surrounded cute little courtyards.
This was a pretty neat area packed with restaurants and bars. There was also an interesting complex of shops that were housed in bright buildings that surrounded cute little courtyards.
East Side Gallery
This gallery is not only possibly the largest open air gallery in the world, it is also a symbol of freedom. After the fall of the wall in 1989, artists from all over the world came to Berlin to paint on a 1.3km section of the wall that still remains. There are over 100 paintings of which most are done in graffiti style. Before the fall of the wall, the east side was blank as people were not allowed to draw, write or paint on it. For me, this gallery was one of the most moving pieces of history in Berlin!
Tachles Art Center
This is a funky art gallery located in a dilapidated building coverd with graffiti. The building is 4 or 5 stories high and the galleries are reached by winding your way up an old staircase. There is a bar on the top floor that is open on one side. We went at night so we really got the full-on experience! The place was filled with young, alternative folks. There was a concert going on in one of the galleries, but there was a pritty high cover charge and we knew nothing about the bands so we skipped it. Plus, we were much older and way less hip than the rest of the crowd!
"Many Shit"
Kaiser Willhelm Church
This church was mostly destroyed by bombing in 1943. An old spire remains and the bottom floor has been made into a memorial. There is a new church built right next to it.
DDR Museum
We enjoyed this small, interactive museum that showed what life was like during communism. It contained things like products, music, clothing, and model apartments. They even had a Trabi that you could sit in and pretend to drive.
This church was mostly destroyed by bombing in 1943. An old spire remains and the bottom floor has been made into a memorial. There is a new church built right next to it.
DDR Museum
We enjoyed this small, interactive museum that showed what life was like during communism. It contained things like products, music, clothing, and model apartments. They even had a Trabi that you could sit in and pretend to drive.
