Three Ways to See Berlin_#1

Berlin, Germany.  Sightseeing Options

#One_The Orientation Walk

101 Uses for the Berlin Wall

More Wall Art

All too soon it was time for our train ride to Berlin.  We were happy.  Trains came with comfy seats, power outlets and included wifi…brilliant!  It didn’t take too long to realize though, that photos taken from a train travelling at the speed of light, are never going to be wonderful.  Still, it was a good time to take stock of our journey so far, give GS’s mouse an opportunity to escape (our technology woes continue!) and to work on our post-tour tour of Germany.

East Side Gallery on a stretch of Inner Wall

Our hotel was located in Friedrichshain, close enough to trains and trams to get us round the many top sights of Berlin.  Although considered a trendy boho area, the walk to the station required a dash past some locals who neither knew nor cared about this designation.  One young couple begged pleadingly for coins with a cup curiously marked (in bold letters) “F*** You”; another meowed for attention.  Lost souls, all.  The area is also home to other contrasts.  The East Side Gallery, a stretch of the Berlin wall, is covered in memorable (some more than others!) artwork and the Oberbaumbrucke (1896), a stunning bridge with a confection of towers, turrets, archways and crenellated walls, typifies romantic Germany.

Obviously a tourist hot-spot despite the rain

Before & After photos of the Brandenburg Gate

 

Getting lost in the
Holocaust Memorial

An Orientation Walk however, showed us another side to Berlin – that is, before a storm sent us scrambling.  We’d arrived at Brandenburg Gate too busy listening and taking photos to notice ominous dark clouds building quickly behind.  A short stop under the Gate revealed that it was a mere decorative trifle (ie didn’t offer much cover), so we hot footed it past the labyrinthine Holocaust Memorial to shelter at a snack bar.  

We waited for the weather to clear (ever so hopeful!) sampling local beer & wines plus an interesting development in the art of cooking sausages, the currywurst.  Even before you begin to groan, let me tell you, it is sliced sausage swimming in tomato sauce (so far so good – the Queenslander in me respects this!) but then it’s heartily sprinkled with raw curry powder.  No seconds on that, thanks!  And believe it or not, there’s even a museum dedicated to this savage beast… 

Signs of crass tourism....and curry badly mistreated

Reflective Pool at the former Ministry of Aviation Building

Well, the rain did clear for a wee bit so we continued on to look for Hitler's infamous bunker, once part of the massive & complex Reich Chancellery, now a simple car park.  Across Leipziger Strasse, the former Ministry of Aviation (in German, Reichsluftfahrtministerium or Luftwaffe Headquarters) reminds us how imposing the Chancellery must have been.  Grand architecture as a statement of power – we’d seen similar last year in Bucharest, Romania (The grandiose Palace of the Parliament)!  

Not far behind is Potsdamer Platz, formerly a gate into fortified Berlin and from medieval times, part of a trading route across Europe (Paris to St Petersburg).  In 1930, its reputation as a brassy entertainment district (thinking “Cabaret”) was bolstered.  Now it’s the destination for viewing incredible modern architecture (and eating sublime apple tart with lashings of cream – energy boosting of course!).

Waiting near Checkpoint Charlie for the weather to clear. 
It's decision time. Stay in the rain, or train home.

We stopped briefly at the Topography of Terror with its standing segment of outer wall.  Built on the site of former SS and Gestapo Headquarters, it is indeed an imposing memorial.  Not far away is a further reminder of divided Germany - Checkpoint Charlie.  At this point the rain really settled in so we decided to finish our tour, on paper, back at the hotel. 

TV Tower, the Fernsehturm
behind an artistic pink pipe?

For anyone interested in following our tracks, the plan was to end back at Alexander Platz, leaving Checkpoint Charlie for Gendarmenmarkt Historic Market Square; taking in Book Square and the Book Burning Memorial; admiring the German History Museum GHM; before taking a break to consider a slice of East Berlin at the Berlin Interactive Museum DDR.  Finally, it is possible to zoom heaven-wards in an elevator to admire the view from the TV Tower, Fernsehturm, on a clear day.  Shoppers can linger at Alexander Platz (for hours).  Time then to train underground, back to our hotel.   

After all this activity, our thoughts were otherwise on food, so off we went to explore the student quarter, settling on a pub packed with students well into a cocktail frenzy.  The food served was appalling (mmm, shocked?) so backtracked to a Thai hole-in-the-wall serving aromatic curries with life-reviving properties!