Berlin, Germany

There is so much to see, do and explore in Berlin! Berlin is heavy in history and has numerous independent art galleries, hip stores, amazing architecture, and unique nightlife. Jordan and I got to explore the sprawling city with my dad and his girlfriend. Read up on our three day adventure!

Day 1:

We checked into the Ritz Carlton in Potsdamer Platz quarter.  The location was hard to beat–right in the heart of Berlin.  

From the hotel we walked to the Reichstag, the seat of the German parliament.  The facade of the building dates back to before WWII, and was damaged by fire and by bombing in wartime. It sat empty for 50 years until after the fall of the wall when Norman Foster designed a new building within the old edifice.  The new glass interior represents the transparency of the German democratic state after reunification.

The building is dedicated "To the German People"

We made a reservation ahead of time (few weeks in advanced) to go inside the dome. I recommend taking the audio tour that you can pick up on the rooftop terrace, it has great information about the building, the Bundestag (legislative body), the work of the Parliament, and the sights that you can see from the panoramic views.

From the top of the dome you can look down and see the Bundestag in session through the glass floor–pretty cool.

We had lunch at the Reichstag restaurant called Käefer Dachgarten. Everything on the menu looked delicious.  We started off with a few appetizers, and our main course was veal meatballs (with a truffle sauce, potato-cucumber salad, and white mushrooms) and the breaded schnitzel (with potato-leek salad, potatoes, wild cranberries and greens).

From the Reichstag we went to Berlins' "Central Park"–Tiergarten Park. Once the hunting grounds for the king, Tiergarten is one of the largest urban gardens in all of Germany, spanning over 500 acres.  It is a great place to relax, ride a bike or take a stroll.

Having very serious conversations

Day 2:

We met Michael Saß, from DriversGuide Berlin, who helped us experience the past, present and future of Berlin through architecture, monuments and memorials.

We started in the Baroque city centre with its grand squares and boulevards built in the 17th and 18th century.  The grand boulevard, Unter den Linden, is lined with palaces, splendid buildings, and statues.

The Gendarmenmarket is one of Berlin's most elegant squares. It is enclosed by three buildings, the Franzosischer Dom (French Cathedral), the Deutscer Dom (German Catheral) and the Konzerthaus (Concert House).  I'm sure at Christmas time they must have a great Christmas market!

The square is bustling with tourists and people enjoying a cup of coffee from the local cafes

There are many great architectural developments, since the fall of the wall that we saw.  The first being Parisner Platz, where you can find the famous Berlin landmark the Brandenburg Gate.

The Brandenburg Gate was located in East Berlin right behind the Berlin wall.

Today it is symbol of the Cold War division of Berlin into East (communist) and West (free democracy).

In the square Frank Gehry designed the DZ Bank building...They certainly don't make banks in the states like this!

For lunch we had traditional Berlin street food–Currywurst. It's pretty delicious and if you ask any Berliner if they like it you won't find one that says no. What makes it so good? Well, it's a sausage that is deep friend and cut into pieces, smothered in a ketchup-like tomato sauce, sprinkled curry powder and served with either french fries or a bread roll.

We have the Soviet Union to thank for Currywurst; during the Berlin Blockade in 1949 the city ran out of their usual sausage condiment: mustard. So a resourceful woman Herta Heuwer experimented with mixing curry powder into ketchup and it was an instant hit. It's worth every bite!

After lunch our sweet tooth had us stop in at the Rausch Confiserie for a quick chocolate fix. They had more truffles than I could even dream of. Jordan and I were feeling adventurous and tried a dark chocolate truffle filled with balsamic vinegar, it had a unique flavor and was surprisingly good. Of course we bought a couple more traditional types just in case we were disappointed.

There were more Cold War sites to be seen in Berlin.  We went to the infamous border crossing: Checkpoint Charlie which was once the dividing line between capitalism and communism, separating the free man from the confined. Now it is a tourist trap where people dress up in army gear and you can pay to take pictures with them.

We visited Bernauer Straße which is a much better representation of the Wall then Checkpoint Charlie. This was the site of many escapes as the buildings were incorporated into the wall. At first only the first two floors were blocked off, allowing freedom for the brave of hearts willing to jump into the nets held below by West Berliners. 

When the borders were closed in 1961 many people were cut off from their families and friends in the other parts of the city. Those that were desperate for freedom tried to reach the West by going under the Wall.  Many fugitives worked digging escape tunnels (Fluchtunnel 57) without any tools to provide new ways to flee.

Around 5,000 fugitives escaped through the tunnels.  Many were shot, arrested and died in unsafe conditions trying to get to the west.  We visited their memorial along the wall.

Today it is hard to imagine people being cut off from their families and friends who live only a few blocks away in the space of a single night.

There is a lot of Jewish history in Berlin that Michael showed us. We started with the Peter Eisenman-designed “Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe”. The memorial is made of concrete slabs of different heights that you can walk through.  It is left up to your own interpretation as to what the slabs represent, when I walked through it gave me a sense of discomfort and I felt claustrophobic. 

I loved the historic Jewish Quarter–Scheunenviertel.  It is now bustling with galleries, boutiques, and cafes tucked away in charming 19^th century courtyards.

On the cobblestone pavements there are tributes to Jews who were in turned during the Holocaust.

I really enjoyed visiting the Museum of Otto Weidt.  During the war Weidt employed visually impaired Jews to make brooms and brushes in his workshop.  He saved many people from persecution and deportation, helped to falsify documents, and hid families from the Nazi regime. 

If the Jewish history in Berlin wasn't heavy enough we went to the collection point at Große Hamburger Straße, from which 56,000 Berlin Jews were deported to concentration camps.

We ended our second day looking at very cool architecture 

The Philharmonic Concert Hall

Bauhaus Buildings

And a really good dinner of peking duck at Restaurant Jolly.  The restaurant is on the same street that the German chancellor Angela Merkel lives on, and if you're lucky you might just sit next to her at dinner!

Day 3:

You can't go to Berlin without visiting a museum because there are so many!  There is an island in the middle of the Spree River with five to choose from: the Pergamonmuseum, the Bode, the Neus, the Alte Nationalgalerie and the Altes Museum.  This island was in East Berlin territory so brand new museums were built in West Berlin resulting in twice as many museums as most major cities after reunification.

We visited the Jewish Museum-one of the most impressive contemporary architectural structures that I have ever seen. 

The exhibits were really well presented and I especially enjoyed the Garden of Exile, where forty-nine tilted columns stand on a sloping plot of ground. When standing in the garden I definitely felt isolated and disorientated, like the Jews who escaped before the Holocaust must have felt as they faced gaining a foothold in their new homes.

 "One feels a little bit sick walking through it.  But it is 

accurate, because that is what perfect order feels like

when you leave a history of Berlin."

Daniel Libeskind

The museum traces the arrival of the Jews and their contributions throughout history as well as the hardships they faced.  I really enjoyed the museum and recommend taking the audio tour while walking through the exhibits. 

On our last afternoon we wandered the streets looking at the local street art 

WOW Berlin was amazing! I think three days is the shortest amount of time I would recommend staying.  I have found many reasons to come back again and hope to do so soon. In my opinion it is undoubtedly one of Europe's most vibrant international cities.