I came back home from Berlin on Monday night, and the trip was great! My family and I drove 6 hours by car to Berlin and for 5 days we stayed at a design hotel in former East Berlin. Every morning they offered the most yummy breakfast buffet, I miss it already haha! So yeah, Berlin was my holiday destination for this summer. It's a city you can't visit in one day, it's massive! The weather was so hot. I heard this week will all be cloudy and rainy, I guess we were very lucky the sun was shining! We took the Hop on-Hop off bus tour to get an overview of the city and in this way we were able to visit everything that seemed interesting. My first impression of Berlin? What a huge, happening city!! There are people everywhere at every hour of the day. All I can say is, ''Berlin, du bist so wunderbar!''
Das Brandenburger Tor
Der Berliner Fernsehturm, 368m high
The restaurant rotates once every 30 minutes
Der Berliner Dom
After so many years, I think there are still some historical differences left between East and West Berlin. I find it very interesting to pass a modern street in West Berlin and then just around the corner you walk into another street which is full of nostalgic buildings of the wild, early days in East Berlin. I am not saying that East Berlin is all old and stuff, but yeah, here and there you still see some differences even though most of the buildings are renovated.
Truth be told, I have to admit that I actually find East Berlin, especially Alexanderplatz, the 'happening' part of the city as there are plenty of acts and performances at the streets in the evening. West Berlin, on the other hand, seems for me the modern part of the city. The Kurfurstendamm has got so many big-name shops, including the biggest department store called KaDeWe. Note: you have to visit this store, it's amazing!!
The Berlin Wall, West Berlin
In Eastern Berlin you get a taste of life during the Cold War years, especially if you visit Checkpoint Charlie, which was the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East and West Berlin. Furthermore, the East Side Gallery, which is the east side of the Berlin wall is also nice to visit. It shows 105 paintings as a memorial of the division of the city.
Checkpoint Charlie
Through the entire city double rows of cobblestones mark
the original leap of the Berlin Wall
East side gallery, East Berlin Wall
Not only the Cold War was an important happening in the history of Berlin. World War II was also very important. I noticed that Berlin doesn't pay much attention to this war. However, there is a museum that shows and explains the entire period from beginning to end. You are also able to visit the place where the Führerbunker of Adolf Hitler once was located and where he committed suicide, but to be honest, there is nothing much to see since it was destroyed. I believe that there are still some underground parts of the bunker left, but on the surface you only see a parking-lot, some trees and a board with the bunker map and some explanations.
Down below you can see the Holocaust Mahnmal, aka The Memorial for the murdered Jews during Wold War II. This is also a must-see. It is designed to experience the feeling of isolation and disorientation, symbolic to the Jewish experiences during the holocaust.
And here are some random pictures of the city:
Skyline Berlin
Schloß Bellevue, official residence of the President of Germany
Der Deutsche Bundestag
Make love, not fashion
Berlin's street art
In my opinion in Berlin is everything possible. It's a modern, happening city where you can still see some wonderful, touching differences between East and West Berlin. If you like city trips, go and visit Berlin. Do some research on the history, take the tour bus, go shopping and have delicious meals. I assure you, you'll have a great time!
