Berlin

Just before we officially wrapped up the summer, Scott and I got to escape for a long weekend to Berlin. It was our turn on our weekend away babysitting exchange we arranged with friends here. I had been to Germany a few times before, but never Berlin. It's pretty far east, and it just never made the itinerary. Now that we've been, I can't believe it took this long to go; it's an amazing city!  We had a wonderful three days exploring the many faces of Berlin.



The Brandenburg Gate, which was sadly largely obstructed by a temporary event set-up right up against it, so any dreams of that postcard shot of this famous structure were dashed.  Bummer.


The other side of the Brandenburg Gate is inherently less photogenic, but probably the best angle during our visit.


The thought provoking Memorial to the Murdered Jews.  The word "murdered" is used most decidedly throughout the memorial.  At first glance it looks to be a bunch of giant rectangular, grey stones.  Certainly eye-catching, but not all that inspiring.  At first.


It isn't until you walk among the stones that you see, or rather feel, the message it is designed to convey.   You don't initially realise that the stones are not all knee-high, and as you walk farther into the memorial the floor begins to curve downward and the stones are suddenly towering many feet over you.  Walking through you quickly learn it's only possible to navigate single-file, and suddenly you are walking alone.   Alone wandering these cavernous stone passageways that never seem to lead anywhere, you begin to feel disoriented and even bewildered.


It may not look like much at first, but I think this memorial is genius.








You can imagine what a task it is to keep this place clean and free of thug gatherings this kind of structure might attract in this modern world.  24-hour security ensures it is reserved for its intended purpose.  The designers even went so far as to apply a spray-paint resistant chemical to each block to foil potential graffiti artists.  And unbelievably the company who provided this chemical was the same company who produced Zyklon-B used in exterminating Jews by the Nazis.  Upon discovering this, the company gifted the anti-graffiti product to the memorial in a display of penitence.  It seems as if Germany cannot ever fully pay for "its" sins.


In front of the Reichstag, the German Parliament


The River Spree


Conference calls


From the top of the Reichstag





I had to make a written request including our full identity details to get tickets to visit the inside of the Reichstag.  Our names had to be cleared by the German government before they would issue us a time-slot, and we had to present our passports at entry.  It's official: we're not terrorists!


Views over Berlin, and the Brandenburg Gate, from the Reichstag


The dome of the Reichstag











Thrill seeking off hotel rooftops in central Berlin





Fernsehtrum Berlin, the Berlin Space Needle if you will



Views from our dinner table inside the Fernsehtrum


Fernsehtrum Berlin at night


U-bahn at night





On our second day we took a 5-hour bike tour through the city.  It was one of the funnest things we have ever done.  I'm a big fan of cycling your way through new cities.  So much fun!


Berliner Dome


The square where ceremonious book burnings were carried out by the Nazis, and interestingly a small book stall selling many of the titles burned in this square sits opposite the square in a quiet, but firm proclamation against the evil Nazi ideologies.


Straddling the "wall"


Berlin Wall markings


Checkpoint Charlie, the famous crossing point between east and west Berlin during the cold war























There are a handful of places where the Berlin Wall still stands.  This section was left as it was and is now the backdrop for a museum chronicling the infrastructure for the Nazi operations.























One of a few remaining sniper towers


On the bike tour


This may just look like a boring car park.  It is, and that's just how the German government wants it to remain.  It is in fact a car park for the apartment building pictured, but it's also directly over the bunkers used by the Nazis in WWII, and most significantly where Hitler shot himself.  I knew the story, but it never struck me as something so real.  Standing on the very spot where he and his wife committed suicide was a kind of feeling that is hard to describe.  There isn't a plaque or any kind of marking.  It's just a car park.  The German government has chosen to keep the suicide bunker sealed out of public view so as to avoid any possibility that this place could become a shrine for neo-Nazis.


Remember these windows?  Michael Jackson and baby Blanket ring any bells?





Berlin Column of Victory


The Reichstag





Berliner Dome





During the cold war east and west Berlin had many distinctions, some more important than others.  Traffic signals were no exception.  The fat, stout pedestrian signals were used in east Berlin, while taller, slimmer versions were used in west Berlin.  Samples of each can still be seen throughout the city today.  I love learning fun little facts like this about places.






Perhaps the most famous stretch of the Berlin Wall still standing is here at the East Gallery.  The Wall here not only stands as a monument to the history of Berlin, but it provides an outdoor canvas for some interesting art.















































Gendarmenmarkt, the prettiest square in Berlin








Berlin by night











Berlin might have more museums than any other city on earth.  It has an astonishing 170 museums!  We hit two of the best to see some remarkable antiquities.


Gate of Ishtar, Babylon, 575 B.C.








Pergamon Altar, 2nd Century B.C.


Waiting for our train back to the airport


Anyone familiar with the famously prompt rail system in Germany might see the humour in this photo :)