Berlin, unfortunately, is not as beautiful as Prague (you can thank WWII for that!) but it is SO full of history and I am disappointed to say that I was only able to spend a day and a half there. There's so much to do, see and learn, and I only scratched the surface!
HISTORY
History is EVERYWHERE in Berlin. Our walking tour was even more amazing than the one in Prague (we had fabulous weather!) and our guide was this hysterically funny twenty-something Irishman who had been sunburned since February. We saw Museum Island (it's exactly what it sounds like...an island with museums on it), Checkpoint Charlie (the famous spot on which people could legally cross the Berlin Wall), and the former Nazi headquarters (which is, ironically, now a tax office).
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| What was supposed to be the Protestant "Vatican". It didn't do its job. |
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| The world's largest marble bowl. On Museum Island. Congrats, Berlin! |
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| Memorial to victims of war. |
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| Checkpoint Charlie |
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| Communist propaganda mural on the side of the former Third Reich Headquarters. |
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| Brandenburg Gate |
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| Reichstag |
My two favorite parts of the tour were Hitler's Bunker and the Memorial to the Jews Murdered in WWII (yes, that's what it's called). Hitler's Bunker isn't even visible and it's completely inaccessible. If you weren't on a tour, you'd have no idea that it was where it is. Now, communist style apartment buildings and a parking lot rest on top of the hunker in which Hitler killed his wife Ava and himself. There isn't even a plaque to mark the spot due to fears that it would become a Neo-Nazi pilgrimage location. What's even better is that the place is covered in dog poop. Apparently, Berliners bring their dogs specifically to this location to relieve themselves on Hitler's bunker. Brilliant, eh?
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| Standing on Hitler's Bunker |
Across the street is the aforementioned memorial which is TOTALLY AWESOME! It's definitely a sort of impressionist art piece. It was built by an architect in 2005 and exactly what it is is completely up to interpretation. It's basically a stone valley covered in lines of tall grey stone rectangular prisms. The architect basically wanted to convey massiveness, anonymity, and intimidation so that people would get a feel for the severity of the 6-11 million lives lost in the Holocaust. And it is located directly across from Hitler's Bunker. Berlin is not just full of history, it's full of irony.
We also saw parts of the Berlin wall...it's completely underwhelming. Granted, it used to be 2 walls with a "death strip" in the middle but it's only about 12 feet tall and 1 yard thick. The most famous part of the wall is called the East Side Gallery. I met a guy Andrew at the hostel Monday morning and he spent the day with Kate and I. After the tour and several museums, Andrew took us to the East Side Gallery. In essence, a collection of modern artists were commissioned to add graffiti to this well-maintained mile-long stretch of the Berlin Wall. I'm definitely a fan of graffiti (Graffiti is everywhere in Europe but there is a ton of great stuff in Berlin!) and any form of modern art so I'm so glad Andrew took us there.
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| Berlin Wall. I expected it to be more intimidating. |
PILLOW FIGHT!
Sunday night, Kate and I wandered around this area called Under din Linden. It encompasses a large shopping square as well as the TV Tower and the Fountain of Neptune.
As we were walking, we began to seen more and more feathers and fuzz flying through the air. It was getting in our hair, our noses, everything. We got to the end of the road at the Brandenburg Gate and the entire plaza in front of the gate was covered in feathers up to a foot high! Turns out, there was a massive pillow fight that was organized via Facebook in the middle of the square. And we only missed it by a few hours!
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| Feathers and fluff |
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| Pillowcases hanging from a tree. |
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| Yeah, there's fire coming out of his tuba. Totally BA. |
Kate and I had a cheap €3 dinner at a Kebob place Sunday night (falafel...yum) so we wanted some authentic (yet cheap) German food for dinner on Monday. This is complicated for me because I don't eat beef, pork, or any kind of red meat and I haven't for about 4 years. German food is ALL PORK. Andrew convinced me to break my rule since I will probably never be back in Germany again. That's right, people. For the first time in 4 years, I ate pork. And it was delicious! Grilled bratwurst with sauerkraut and potatoes. If that's not a German meal, I don't know what is. It was yummy, yes, but, unless I'm in Germany again, it was the last pork product I will ever eat. I only bend for Germany.
Random Stuff
-Berlin boasts the tallest freestanding structure in all of Europe, the TV tower. Because of the way the ball reflects light, it reflects a crucifix onto Berlin that you can see form the top. It's called the Pope's Revenge. We didn't make it up to the top because it's hella expensive (€15).
-Germans are much more friendly than I expected. The language makes them sound so mean!
-I learned a new German word: Scheisser (SHY-ZER)...it means sh*t. Bull scheisser is a commonly used phrase in Germany.
-There is an awesome grungy, alternative scene in Berlin. It's very modern and a lot of the people are so edgy. Even better, no one cares. Take notes, America. Acceptance is where it's at.
-The cross walk lights are SO CUTE. They're called the "amplemann" and there's a huge tourist market for it...into which we totally bought. There's even a store called "The Amplemann Store" and you can get everything in the amplemann shape, from gummies, umbrellas, and bags to towels, bookends and jewelry. I don't know who first decided to capitalize on their crosswalk signs but, let me tell ya, they're rolling in some serious cash right now.
-Recognize this hotel?
How about now?
This is in the main square in front of Brandenburg Gate and is where Michael Jackson dangled Blanket several years ago. Fun fact!
I have no idea how to say "goodbye" in Dutch so...goodbye from Amsterdam!
~Britt
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