After spending the past month in Berlin taking a study abroad course, I have fallen in love with the city.
The first thing I noticed about Berlin, on the ride from Tegel airport (which, I must say, is the most confusing airport I've ever been to due to its ring-shape and individual gate check-in/security), is the fact that it isn't a pretty city. Grafitti littered the walls and much of the construction was done after WWII, which destroyed much of what had previously been Berlin. After much confussion with the cab driver (none of the four students in the cab spoke any German and the cab driver spoke very little English) over the umlaut on the o in Schoenholzerstrasse and his electronic navigational system, we arrived at our apartment in Mitte (the central district). Our flat was right off the Bernauer Strasse, one of the most famous streets along which the Berlin Wall ran. Today it is home to the Berlin Wall Memorial. In August 1961, however, it was the street over which many East Germans leapt from apartments over the wall into the West (Bernauer Strasse itself was in the West, but the apartments directly to one side of the road were in the East). It is crazy to think that my bedroom window looked out onto the former death strip that separated East and West Germany. When walking to the nearby tram stop at Wollinerstrasse, we walked along the red-brick line that runs through the city marking where the Wall once stood, looking at buildings that had literally had their front ends cut off to separate them from the street so people could no longer jump out of windows.
Anyway, our neighborhood was quiet and nice, near the M10 tram line, the U8 U-bahn line, and a short walk from Nordbahnhof which has the S1, S2, and S25 S-bahn lines. Our classes were in trendy Prenzlauerberg, a neighborhood in the former east (right next to Mitte). Due to its nice location, many of its apartments have been renovated since the wall came down. We had class each morning for three hours, and often in the afternoon we went to sites around the city that related to the class themes.
The Sunday that we arrived, we had a quick tour of the city along bus route 100, but it was rainy so we more-or-less darted around Alexanderplatz and Potsdamerplatz while looking at some other big sites from the bus route. As a matter of fact, for the first 10 days we were there, it rained pretty much every day. The first week, we went to the Deutsches Historisches Museum (National History Museum) and the Jewish History Museum. The girls also went to a Christian Dior exhibit near Potsdamerplatz, and a few of us visited the Reichstag, climbing the magnificent dome, and the Holocaust Memorial.
Our first major assignment was to explore the city. My group had the Schoeneberg (SW of Kreuzberg). We wandered around its streets more-or-less haphazardly, stopping at a cemetary and Winterfeldtmarkt. We ended up at te more famous end of Schoeneberg (bordering Charlottenburg), which holds KaDeWe Department Store, the largest on the continent. It had dazzling displays, and we ate a ridiculously priced meal at the food court on the top level (I payed something like 16 euros - had to use my credit card because I didn't have enough cash - quite different from the 3 euro Thai or Italian places we were used to!). We ended up our tour by wandering along the Kurfurstendamm, one of the city's main shopping streets full of crazy fountains and sculptures and the Europa Center. We finally ended at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, one of my favorite sights of the city.
The next week included visits to Tempelhof, an old airport that is slowly being phased out of use but which is where the Berlin Airlift of 1948 occurred, and Sachsenhausen (the concentration camp near Berlin, a separate entry). The final two weeks were spent attending different sessions with politicans and economists to learn about the current place of Germany and Berlin in the world.
We were lucky enough to get to see both a soccer game, one of the craziest experiences of my whole life to see the packed Olympiasadion screaming for the Berlin team. We also got to see a crazy NFL Europe game. Since it's now been cancelled, actually the last regular reason home game for the Berlin Thunder ever. At night, we wandered around some areas to bars, finally deciding that we liked hanging out at Hackeschermarkt and sipping drinks during happy hours (any time before midnight) on the outdoor patios. It was a great place to people watch and we certainly met some strange characters there. Occaisionally, we ventured to the more pricey Potsdamerplatz, whose dome is awesome to gaze at at night.
Because I know this was disjointed since it is one entry for an entire month in Berlin, I'm making a list of the different sights I saw, with recommendations for anyone who is planning a trip to Berlin.
Things to do in Berlin (in East to West order; my favorites are starred):
1. Prenzlauerberg - A trendy district and a beautiful residential area to stroll around to see a less conjested side of the city.
2. The Berlin Wall Musuem - off of Bernauer Strasse, a near the Nordbanhof S-bahn station, there is a musuem dedicated to the Wall as well as a patch of the Wall left untouched as a memorial.
3. Alexander Platz - the center of the former communist east, this area has the feel of the old GDR with its monumental style arhitecture. Look at the TV tower, a symbol of Berlin, but I'd recommend not to go up in it. I've heard it is an overly pricey tourist trap. Additionally, Alexander Pltaz is a main U-bahn/S-bahn connector station to many destinations in the former east.***
4. Nikolaiviertel - A charming and quaint section with an olden day feel rare in the city. Nice to stroll through and buy souveniers or to have lunch overlooking the river.
5. Explore the Berliner Dom, the massive Cathedral on the banks of the Spree in the Museuminsel (Musuem Island). If you go inside, you can climb to the top for a magnificent view of the city.***
6. If you have time, check out the Museum Quarter. People say the Pergamon Musuem is the best musuem in the city. It has a few huge recreations of ancient sites, such as Babylonian City Walls or Ancient Greek Alters, but I thought all the type overtouted this musuem, which was nice (espeically on such a hot day), but not one of my favorite sites of the city. If you only have time for a few musuems, I'd recommend the nearby German history musuem as a good introduction to Germany and the city).
7. Sit outside at a cafe in Hackescher Markt, a lovely S-Bahn stop across the Spree. Its brick station lined with yellow flowers gives way to a pretty square lined with cafes and restaurants, which at night turn into great places for a beer or cocktail. Most of the happy hours are 6pm-midnight...a great place to start the evening.***
8. Stroll along the Unter den Linden - the main street between the Berliner Dom and the Brandenburg Gate, lined with the operas, Humbolt University, and the gigantic Russian Embassy.
9. Jewish Musuem - one of the most architecturally interesting buildings in the city as well as a modern musuem with interesting information and exhibits.
10. Brandenburg Gate - A must for photo moments, but honestly only a 15 minute stop to look around.
11. Reichstag and the Government District - Absolutely a must to go into the Glass Dome for a beautiful view of the city. If you go on a cloudy day or at dusk/night (it is open until 10 pm), you won't have to wait in line. The building is magnificent - in my opinion the most interesting piece of architecture - a fusion of old and new Germany - in the city. The other government buildings, in new wave style, are also interesting.***
12. Holocaust Memorial - A must see. Amazing tribute that makes one really reflect. Rows of stone stelae at differing heights and a mini musuem underneath. Highly, highly recommend.***
13. Potsdamer Platz - The wall went through this area, which became prime realeststate in the city center when the wall came down in 1989. Now it has a great mall with European classics (i.e. Hagen Daas, H&M, Zara, etc.) and the Sony Center, with its open-dome enclosed center. Another great place to sit at an overpriced cafe outside to have a drink at night.***
14. Berlin Zoo at the Tiergarten - Spending time at the zoo, if you have extra or are with childen especially, is nice. Look for Knut (Ka-Nuit), the cute and cuddly polar bear that has recently made headlines across the world and the zoo a tourist hotspot.
15. Kurfurstendamm - Main shopping street - the largest department store on the continent - KaDeWe is on this street, and is worth a peek. A cautionary note: the food court at the top is pretty good, but quite expensive - my meal turned out to be 30 euros! As you walk along the street, check out the malls and shops to each side. This is such a nice area to explore the modern, western side of Berlin.***
16. Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church - This churc was bombed in the war, and left in ruins as a memorial. It is one of the coolest sites in Berlin!***
17. Schloss Charlottenburg - Castle built for Queen Charlotte - nice to walk around gardens and area.
18. Olympiastadion - The 1936 Olympic Stadium, another piece of Speer architecture. It has an eerie feel when empty, but you'll hardly notice during the excitement of a soccer match - highly, highly recommended if you go in season. I also went to an NFL Europe game which was so much fun due to the crazy fans, unfortunately, NFL Europe is no longer in existence.***
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