4th January - Berlin
Trip Start
Dec 26, 2008
1
9
28
Trip End
Jan 26, 2009
Berlin,
Germany
Sunday, January 4, 2009
One of the best things about the apartment is its proximity to Eberwalder Strasse station, which is about 1 min away on foot. We got a three day ticket, jumped aboard the train and headed off to Alexanderplatz station.
We walked around the square gazing up at the Berlin TV tower that was shrouded in low cloud as it was snowing/sleeting, then decided to head toward the Berliner Dom. The Dom is an absolutely magnificent church, both inside and out with its massive copper dome crowding the skyline with 4 smaller domes spaced about it
Berliner Dom
. We arrived just before mass but did briefly have a look around inside and were both most impressed. As we left the bells tolled for mass and were very loud indeed.We crossed the bridge to Museum Island and decided to visit the DDR Museum first. The museum is quite unusual as it is very "hands on" as you investigate life in East Germany during communist rule. Darren was shocked that he was completely unable to fit into a "Trabi" sedan unless he lay down along the back seat. The museum covered all aspects of life at the time - school, holidays, work, the police, the punk movement, media and homes. It was very interesting and we both enjoyed it very much.
We wandered through the icy slush around Museum Island for a while then headed to the Pergamon Museum. Here we bought a three day museum pass after queuing for a short while, which was nothing compared to the huge queue that was out the door by the time we left. We grabbed an audio guide and settled on the "highlights tour" it suggested. We started at the Pergamon alter that is just breath-taking. It is as enormous as it is awe-inspiring, certainly a fitting altar to Zeus. The next section we went to was the Hellenic architecture where we checked out a temple to Athena, then the Roman section which contained another rebuilt temple facade that was also incredible
Brandenburg Gate in the snow
.We then walked through to the see the Ishtar gate, built by Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon during the height of his rule. The size of the place is staggering and the brickwork is perfectly preserved, mostly of the deepest blue color. We then wandered through some of the lesser exhibits that were nowhere nearly as impressive as the highlights package so we decided to take off past the huge line that had built up outside.
Heading down Unter den Linden toward the Brandenburg gate we passed through a little craft market where Darren bought Penny a silver angel charm (we were close to Berliner Dom at the time) and we both a got coffee mug to use instead of the pitifully small cups in the hotel room. After both of us gazed in appropriate awe at the Brandenburg Gate and Darren took approximately 500 photos, we decided to leave the Reichstag and its great view for a day when we might be able to see something and headed off towards Potsdamer Platz. On the way we found something else that wasn't there last time Penny was in Berlin: the holocaust memorial. It is an incredible monument made of 2711 concrete slabs, each of which is unique. It is like walking through a concrete forest with uneven ground. It is meant to be disorienting, and it is. Underneath it is an information centre giving information about the holocaust, including a room where biographies of Jewish individuals are read out in English and German
Darren and Brandenburg Gate
. The aim is to name as many Jewish victims of the holocaust as possible.We staggered out of there and along to Potsdamer Platz where we inspected the line where the Berlin Wall used to be and then had a satisfying late lunch of pea soup (Penny) and sauerkraut plate (Darren) and beer before making the long trek back to the Gate, back along Unter den Linden, now with its trees beautifully illuminated, trawling through a few of the numerous souvenir shops along the way, and to Alexanderplatz. There Penny, who was prepared to test the limits of her bladder by hanging on until we got back to hotel, was convinced by Darren to give the public toilets a go and for the bargain price of 50 Euro cents ($1) experienced the best public facilities she has ever used.
After some time resting our various aching body parts, reading, internetting, and so on, we headed a few doors down the street to share a pizza and a large salad (mothers please note) before more of the same back at the hotel and, eventually, bed.
