After our weekend in Dublin, Colin and I headed to Berlin for a few days. We got in Monday morning and left Wednesday afternoon and we were able to get quite a bit done in our few days here. I’m struggling to find the right words to describe Berlin… this city is wacko and unlike any other I’ve seen. There really is something for everyone here. The city is known for its artwork, culture, and history. Berlin’s history is so unique and I’m sure that’s one reason why so many people love it! One thing that I really did not like about this city is the graffiti that is everywhere. I’m sure others appreciate this about Berlin, but it wasn’t my favorite aspect of the city and makes everything look run down in my opinion. Additionally, this city was pretty dirty and definitely one of the dirtiest I’ve seen in Europe. Anyway… its history and culture make up for a good part of the dirt and graffiti!
Our first stop in Berlin was a late lunch and we decided to try spätzle at a restaurant called Spätzleexpress. Spätzle is a type of pasta made with fresh eggs that’s very common in Germany and Austria. The first few bites, we weren’t sure what to think but it definitely grows on you! Since the menu was in German we pretty much ordered blindly and our dishes turned out to be pretty different; mine (on the bottom) was made with lots of cheese and ham and Colin’s (on top) had a lot of mushrooms. I really enjoyed this and would definitely eat it again.
We spent some time at the Topography of Terror museum to learn about Nazi Germany. Interestingly enough, the museum is located on the grounds where the SS headquarters were during the Nazi regime. You could spend hours and hours here just reading everything about the Holocaust! With only a few days in Berlin, time wasn’t on our side so we got through the museum in about an hour.
Part of what remains of the Berlin Wall is located right outside of the Topography of Terror museum… Exhibit A of how crazy the history is in this city!! Like I said, the Topography of Terrors is right where the SS was headquartered during WWII in the 1930s and 1940s. The Berlin Wall was built in August of 1961, a good 15 years after WWII, and divided East Berlin from West Berlin during the Cold War. We went on a three hour walking tour of Berlin and our tour guide told us a lot of interesting facts about the Berlin Wall. The purpose of the wall was to keep Western “fascists” from entering and overthrowing East Germany but it was actually used to stem mass defections from East to West. Our tour guide said that the border between East and West was randomly closed in the middle of one night and nobody was aware of this ahead of time. Our guide gave the example of children who were staying over at a friend’s house for a sleepover in the east when they lived in the west or vice versa and parents were freaking out about how they would get their kids home! Parents had no idea how long the border would be closed and had to decide if it was best for their kids to live with them on one side of the wall or perhaps live with a grandparent who lived on the other side of the wall. The border stayed closed and was heavily restricted for 28 years. If you lived in the east, you couldn’t go to the west. Likewise, those living in the west couldn’t go to the east. This affected jobs, doctor’s offices, grocery shopping… literally everything. The Berlin wall completely surrounded West Berlin and was 97 miles long. It actually wasn’t torn down until 1991, and when you walk around the city you can see how it doesn’t make sense and they’re still trying to form one uniting city. This is so bizarre as this change was less than thirty years ago! Just about every other city worldwide has been established with little change for much much longer. To make things even crazier, in WWII, over 70% of Berlin was bombed and destroyed, so you see a few old, historical buildings which weren’t affected by the bombings that are randomly scattered throughout the city. Oh, did I mention Berlin is nine times the size of Paris?! There is so much history here and this is exactly what I meant when I said this city is *wacko* and doesn’t make a lot of sense.
While we’re talking about the Berlin Wall, I must mention the East Side Gallery! This is a series of murals that are painted on a section of the Berlin Wall that still remains today. I said that I’m not a fan of the graffiti everywhere in this city, but the East Side Gallery is my one exception. The artwork is much better than the general graffiti you see on the streets. The East Side Gallery is close to a mile long and it’s really fun to walk along it and try to depict the meaning of each mural. I took a few photos of my favorite murals:
We also saw the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The total cost of this memorial was 27 million euros and it was first opened in May of 2005. The architect, Peter Eisenman, did not share the meaning of his design with the intentions of leaving it up to each viewer to formulate their own meaning. There are 2,711 concrete slabs throughout the memorial that are different sizes and heights. Since the memorial is entirely up to your own interpretation, there’s not much else I can tell you about it!
Our tour took us all over the city and our guide was so informative! I was impressed with her knowledge of so many different aspects of the city, especially because she told us she was from the UK and only moved to Berlin maybe 7 years ago (I can’t quite remember exactly how long ago.). She took us to the spot where Hitler’s bunker was located in Berlin and where he committed suicide. The underground bunker was completely destroyed by bombs after the war. All that remains now is a grassy area that is surrounded by apartment buildings. Our guide said that residents who let their dogs out to go pee often have them pee on the grass where Hitler’s bunker was, which I thought was pretty funny.
The Brandenburg Gate is one of the most famous monuments in Berlin and has been around for more than 200 years. During the Cold War, it symbolized the division between East and West Berlin and is located right along where the wall was. It was the backdrop for President Reagan’s famous speech, “Tear Down This Wall!”. Now it symbolizes peace and unity.
Our tour guide told us that historically there haven’t been many things named after women worldwide, so Berlin is making an effort to lessen this gender gap and name more things (like streets) after women. She told us to pay attention to street signs as we walked around the city and she was right–there were quite a few named after women!
Everything we ate in Berlin was so good. I think it’s been the best food I’ve had on any trip–not because of one meal that blew me away, but because every single thing I ate during my time here was really good. Our Airbnb host gives tours of the city, so we asked him for some recommendations on the best places to eat in Berlin. He told us that if we’re looking for the traditional German beers and sausage to hit up Curry 36, a food vendor found a few places around Berlin. That we did… and we are so glad we did! Nothing special about it, just really good German food. We also tried Berlin’s famous currywurst (below) at a local restaurant!
A few more photos from Berlin! First is the Berlin Mall, which was huuuuge and had everything, second is the Konzerthaus Berlin, a concert hall on the Gendarmenmarkt square, third is the Berlin Cathedral Church, fourth is Checkpoint Charlie, and last is a photo from the Haus Schwarzenberg area of Berlin (also recommended we check this area out by our Airbnb guide… the photo kind of gives you a feel for the graffiti that’s everywhere in the city).
We also knew we had to try a döner kebab in Berlin! This was our last meal in Berlin…. and Colin and I would both agree that it was the BEST meal in Berlin. We were told that it’s the fast food of Berlin and none of the locals admit to eating it, yet they all do because they can’t resist! (And after trying it… I totally understand why.) The photo makes the kebab look so simple, but the flavors were heavenly and what made the kebab so delicious. The döner kebab was first sold in West Berlin in 1972 by a Turkish immigrant and Berliners sure are proud of their kebabs!
Hopefully, now you have a better understanding of what I mean when I say this enormous city is bizarre and so unique! There really is something for everyone here and the history of Berlin is fascinating. I have friends who have visited Berlin and loved it and others who hated it — you really just have to pay a visit to this city to truly understand the vibes here!
Words From Abroad 