From Paris to Berlin

Back in November we booked a trip to Berlin and last weekend it was finally time to set off. 

Early Sunday morning we boarded our orange airbus and were Berlin-bound for a 4 day trip. On landing we made our way through the airport, negotiated the German ticket machine and were on our way to the train platform. After a small mishap involving me running back off the train to the platform to validate the ticket then back onto the train in record time, we were bound for the city centre. 

AlexanderPlatz and the Fernsehturm

We got off the train at Alexanderplatz which was a short walk from our hotel. We were greeted immediately by the huge iconic sight of the Fernsehturm (the TV tower) which stood high above the skyline on such a clear and sunny day. Below the TV tower is the Weltzeituhr (world time clock) which shows the time in every capital city in the world. After wheeling our suitcases to the best possible angle and taking a few photos we hurried in the cold to the hotel. 

Now shortly before this trip I realised my German stretched little further than 'mein hut der hat drei ecken' (thanks Dad). I therefore tried to master some useful German phrases before we went on our trip. However, despite having studied French and Spanish to degree level and therefore foolishly thinking I could master any language, I simply could not get my head around German and was somewhat relived when the receptionist spoke perfect English and I was saved from further embarrassment. 

Berliner Dom by night

Once checked in and having put on a few extra layers we headed back out to explore the area. We wandered through Alexanderplatz and down towards Museum Island past the beautiful Berliner Dom. After a long day we decided to head for some traditional German dinner. We ended up at Brauhaus Georgbraeu where our guidebook promised us authentic German food and atmosphere. Well, I'm not sure it gets more authentic than boiled pork knuckle, sauerkraut and red cabbage, served with a beer and a schnapps. Full of pork knuckle (in Sam's case; I went for the lesser intimidating Goulash) and Apple Strudel we headed back to the hotel. 

Memorial to the Jews

Day 2 started in a café for breakfast where again my poor German was spared by the Italian and Portuguese baristas. Once full of pastries and coffee we started our walk for the day. We were hoping to go up the TV tower on this morning but when we left the hotel we could only see the bottom of it, so didn't think the view would be too good! We instead started our morning walk at the Holocaust war memorial. The memorial itself is a collection of different sized concrete blocks arranged in maze-like rows which visitors are encouraged to find their own individual path through. On that morning the memorial had a covering of snow and the cold made the experience more sombre and sobering. A short walk from the memorial is the original site of Hitlers' bunker and the place where he took his own life, little commemorates this site except a small information sign. The memorial is well worth a visit, its vast size is overwhelming yet thought provoking.

From here we visited the Brandenburg Gate. I couldn't help but compare it to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in size and shape but today being one of the most important symbols of a unified Germany it really is quite the spectacle. We then walked, hurridly as it was now snowing, to the Reichstag; the original post unification redesigned government building of Germany with its famous glass domed roof. From here we walked towards Gendarmenmarkt a beautiful square which houses a Concert hall sandwiched between a German and a French Cathedral. It was also the point where my fingers and toes were completely numb and we made a wise decision to stop for coffee. After a caffeine fix we visited the DDR museum, which gave us an insight into what life was like in the East of Berlin before the reunification. I have to admit before our

Gendarmenmarkt

trip I knew very little about the History of Berlin and the Berlin wall so this museum was quite insightful. It struck me as strange to be visiting a museum about something that seemed so alien but was within our lifetimes. 

Thankfully by this time the clouds had cleared slightly and the top of the TV tower was visible so we took the opportunity to go up. We travelled 203 metres upwards in 'Europes fastest lift'* which unnervingly had a glass roof which the guide encouraged us to look up, I politely declined and kept my eyes firmly shut the entire way, Sam informed me it was a good view. Slightly dizzy and wobbly we admired the fantastic views across Berlin just as the sun was setting and the fog was beginning to roll in. 

After a quick rest and a well needed warm up back at the hotel we headed out for our evening meal. We went to a restaurant called 12 Apostel that is built under a railway bridge with church like decor and a beautifully painted roof. We decided to venture away from pork knuckle and towards the more favoured national dish of our Italian counterparts; pizza. The meal and the service didn't disappoint. Also the menu was mostly Italian, of which my pronunciation is marginally better than my German so great result all round. The temperature had really dropped and the pavements had become quite the ice rink while we were in the restaurant so reenacting a scene from Bambi we made our way back to the hotel.

We decided our second sightseeing day was to be 'Wall Day'. We spent the morning walking the old route of the wall through Berlin, starting at the well known 'Check-point Charlie'. Almost unrecognizable from 30 years ago, some of the original features of the crossing point were still in place. We spent time looking at the timeline of stories, photos and historical records from the end of World War Two through to the present day. To learn of how many people risked their life and indeed lost their lives at this exact point just because of a man made wall was quite humbling and sadly, in this political climate, quite relevant. 

Checkpoint Charlie

Berlin Wall

From here we walked along one of the longest sectors of the original wall and passed one of the first watch towers to Potsdamer Platz. Once a huge wasteland divided by the Berlin Wall, has since the reunification become the sight of major redevelopment but still has pieces of the wall outside of the main U-Bahn station as a lasting reminder of its history.

Burgermeister

We then took the U-Bahn into East Berlin and in search of what our lonely planet guide had promised as 'one of the best burgers in Berlin'. I can back up that claim, that not only did Burgermeister (housed in the old toilet of a U-bahn station) provide us with one of the best burgers in Berlin, but possibly one of the best burgers I'd ever eaten**!



All full of burger we walked over the river to the East Side Gallery, a 2km long section of the walk, decorated by commisioned art work following the reunification. The artwork is fantastic but what I found amazing about the experience was due to the sheer length of the section of wall, it felt almost oppresive to even stand at one side of it: giving a small insight into what life would have been like living in a city divided in so many ways. The photographs of the artwork cannot do it justice, so if you ever find yourself in Berlin it is well worth a visit.

We then enjoyed an evening of good food, great beer and reflection of what had been an educational and interesting trip to one of my now favourite capital cities.

Early the next morning, after the most disappointing airport breakfast, we were back orange air bus-bound to Angleterre. Now we left the hotel at 7am, wrapped up in about 5 layers as it was -1 degrees. When we landed in Manchester it was a tropical 7 degrees, we felt like we'd landed in Spain and quickly had to lose a few layers before driving back to Hullywood.

All in all a fantastic trip to a brilliant city.


*avid blog readers will remember the time I called the lift in Tour Montparnasse 'Europes' fastest lift', I am unsure which one is actually the fastest.

**this is quite the claim when you consider how many burgers I've eaten.