Beginning in Berlin

Berlin was an interesting place to arrive in at night. There is very little exposed by the streetlights which hints at a different country and culture. We went for an uninspired dinner in the train station and a quick wander before bed, hoping that the exhausting plane journey would help us sleep through the jet lag.

After a reasonable sleep for the first night, we set out for a breakfast spot I found on a blog, which was a real find - which 2 days in Berlin made even more clear. The city does not have a massive gastronomic culture. It was so good though, I had to order a second coffee.



After breakfast, we spent some time getting our bearings and locating tickets for our walking tour 'Alternative Berlin' suggested by Gemma, who had taken it about 3 weeks before us. Starting at Alexanderplatz with the famous, yet ugly, TV Tower, the walk took us to no other tourist spots, and introduced us to the subculture.

One of the sights on our tour, and our guide.

The entrance to Haus Schwarzenberg Street Art Alley

The tour left us in a 'market' with African and Caribbean food trucks.

Now on our own, we noted our proximity to the East Side Gallery.

This 'open-air' gallery is a collection of art painted directly onto the largest remaining section of the Berlin Wall. It is 1.3km long, and 118 artists from 21 countries contributed to the Gallery in 1990. Most of the art has a strong political message, often linked to the Cold War.

The most famous, and memorable is 'Dmitri Vrubel’s Fraternal Kiss'. Based on a historical photograph, the art shows the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev kissing the East Germany President Erich Honecker. It is deemed a 'socialist fraternal kiss' is a ritual meant to demonstrate respect between two states, however, both the photograph and more-so the painting depict a more enthusiastic approach than necessary. Brezhnev was rumoured to have observed about Honecker: “As a politician, rubbish…but what a good kisser!

Walking in a roundabout way back to the hostel, we went through Checkpoint Charlie. A former border crossing during the Cold War, it clearly marks the divide in the now unified city. The third crossing to be opened by the Allies (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie...) was famous before it's numerous Hollywood appearances due to numerous illegal crossing attempts made at the site.

As the sun went down (around 3.30!) we arrived at the incredible Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The site is an example of the interesting approach taken by the German's when they memorialise those who have suffered in the past. Just like the 'stumble-stones' (Stolperstein) dotted around the streets, the Memorial is about using the environment around you to connect with the purpose physically.

The stumble stones are designed to trip you up, make you bow your head in respect as you read them, and pause during your day to think about those they commemorate. The Memorial is designed to make you feel lost, vulnerable and disoriented. The 2711 tomb-like structures are slightly morbid, and the numbers overwhelm you. The uneven ground puts you off kilter. As you contemplate the reason behind the Memorial, these physical responses help you connect with the concept so much more effectively than reading another plaque in a museum.

Moving on from the Memorial, we made our way to Brandenburger Tor. The Gate was built for the simple reason of defining the end of Unter den Linden, (a main road) and modeled on Athens; Propylaeum. Fairly early though, Brandenburg Gate was involved in militant conflicts. Napoleon Bonaparte stole the chariot sculpture (the Quadriga) as a victory trophy. It was the site of the victory procession when Hitler seized power, and was a key landmark in divided Berlin, offering views of the 'death-strip' and glimpses over the Iron Curtain. It was here that Ronald Regan delivered a speech audible on both sides of the wall: "Mr. Gorbachov – tear down this wall!". After the reunification of Berlin and it's reinstatement as the capital, the Gate has been transformed into a symbol of unity. 4000 people gathered at the Gate to prevent 300 anti-Islamists from marching in 2015, and 130,000 protested homophobic attacks as rainbow lights lit up the columns.

After moving our bags to our new hostel, we headed back to Alexanderplatz to our first Christmas Market. 

The next day we assessed a few places we still needed to see and revisited some in the daylight.

Our morning walk.

The Reichstag Building - the seat of Germany's Government.

The Reichstag Building is topped with an ultra-modern glass dome, and for the small price of an airport-esque security check, you can climb it. Due to bureaucracy, we came back to that at sunset.

Bebelplatz - with St. Hedwig’s Cathedral on the right. 

Bebelplatz is surrounded by a plethora of interesting buildings with fabulous architecture and varied history.  The most notable is the infamous burning of 20,000 notable books by Members of the Nazi German Student Union. One of the books burned was by Heinrich Heine and includes the quote “That was but a prelude; where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people as well.”

Today, through a misty glass ceiling, you can look down onto an empty library under the cobblestones. The barren shelves have enough space for 20,000 books.

The Berlin Cathedral

Outside the Pergamonmuseum. We did not go inside, as the drawcard - the 2nd century BC Pergamon Altar was closed for renovations. And has been for over 4 years. Grr.

Our last stop before catching our night train to Prague was the Reichstag Building and a climb up the dome. The sun was setting and Berlin was bathed in a warm glow that belied the temperature. It was a beautiful way to say goodbye.