What can I say but ‘I love Berlin’. In fact, Berlin would be
the only city where I would consider purchasing one of those ridiculously tacky
“I *heart* (insert random location here)” T-shirts. No, I tell a lie, I would
never purchase one of those! But modern day Berlin is quite an amazing city; a true mecca for artists, and a place
where freedom of expression is the norm. Quite ironic when considering the
city’s history.
We arrived in Berlin by train from Olomouc in the Czech
Republic and once we arrived we were slightly surprised, and delighted, by how
inexpensive the German capital was. Much cheaper than the rest of Western
Europe, and the rest of the major German cities that we have visited for that
matter.
Six days we had put aside for our time in Berlin, and we had
no problem filling them to the brim. There is so much to see and do in Berlin;
you could literally spend months or even years there.
Our days were filled with museums, art galleries, city
parks, shopping and an awesome walking tour.
The walking tour took us around the inner East Berlin quarter, incorporating
nearly all aspects of Berlin’s full history. From the early Prussian years,
through both World Wars and also the Western/Soviet (Eastern) split of Berlin.
Along with a fantastic guide who was as witty as he was knowledgeable, the tour
gave us a great base on which we could build our itinerary for the next few
days, narrowing down what we wanted to see and experience. Rather than taking
you day by day through our stay in Berlin, I will simply talk about these
experiences we had.
The Pergamon Museum is one of the most unique and awe
inspiring in Berlin. It houses almost the complete Forum from Pergamon (ancient
Greek city), moved stone by stone from its original location and reconstructed
within the museum walls. It’s been quite
a common past-time in many European cultures over the centuries; find something
amazing in an ancient land or city and take it back to your own town in some
vain attempt to make your place more interesting - thinking ‘That’ll look
lovely next to the Lavender in the courtyard.” None the less, moving past
my opinion that ancient buildings and sculptures should remain in their
original locations rather than being poached by whichever greedy so-called
‘Explorer’ wants to bring some more tourists to his country, the museum is
breath taking. Along with the Pergamonian Forum, the museum also houses one of
the original city gates to the lost city of Babylon! Pretty incredible I have
to say. The German History museum is also a must. Alongside obvious
concentration on the happenings surrounding the two World Wars, the exhibits
also give you an insight into the other aspects of German history, most of
which is quite positive however never talked about.
There are many monuments, memorials and tributes to the
victims of not just the holocaust but of all war and tyranny throughout Berlin.
All are quite moving, and respectful. This is something the Berlin people can
pride themselves on. My personal
favourite (if one can have a favourite – it was simply the one that touched my
soul more so than the others) was the Memorial to ‘All victims of War and
Terror’. The Building is simply one large room with an open aperture in the
roof and ceiling. In the centre of the room in a large sculpture depicting a
Mother on her knees clutching the lifeless body of her dead child. The
sculpture was created by a German artist who lost her entire family through
war. It is also said that under the sculpture, within the floor of the building
is a crypt containing two bodies; one an unidentified Jewish man found in a
mass grave, the other an unidentified German soldier found on a battle field.
The eyelet in the roof allows the weather to bear down on the sculpture giving
it a new feeling whether it be raining, shining or snowing.
Another must visit memorial is the ‘Topography of Terror’.
Built against the backdrop of one of the sections of the Berlin wall which
still stands, this memorial concentrates on the tyranny imposed by the Nazis
through the 30’s and 40’s. It depicts not just the horrific effect the Third
Reich had on the Jewish people, but also on all of Europe. Again, quite moving.
A visit to Berlin must include seeing the Memorial to the
Murdered Jews of Europe. Thousands of Solid Grey columns and differing in
heights over a hectare or so. You walk through it and it creates such an eerie
feeling inside of you. I couldn’t tell you what exactly the designer meant when
he created it, neither can anyone as he kept it to himself, but everyone has
their own opinion. (You can look at the pics and make up your own mind)
However, aside from Berlin’s very unfortunate history, I
don’t want you to think that all the city has to offer is doom and gloom. I
mentioned earlier that the city is a mecca for young artists. Well, where there
are artists, there is freedom of expression, and where there is freedom of expression,
there is an incredible nightlife!
In order to sample as much as we could of what the Berlin night scene had to
offer we did some shopping around for a truly unique guided tour and eventually
found the ‘Anti-Pubcrawl’ tour. Instead of taking you to the usual touristy big
nightclubs and bars, this tour was run by local boys and consisted entirely of
underground night spots. We visited a bar in a bomb shelter, a live Rockabilly
band room, a reggae infused soul bar, and, my personal favourite, a full-on
Gothic Rock Metal Bar. I am used to seeing Rammstein clear the dance floor at
parties back home, but here, once the intro to ‘Du Hast’ started the crowd went
nuts and absolutely flooded the dance floor! Seriously amazing stuff!
I am positive that Berlin has not seen the last of us. We
will be back for sure!
