Berlin - what a town!

Trip Start Sep 03, 2008
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Trip End Nov 13, 2008


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Where I stayed
(Berlin hotels)

Flag of Germany  ,
Sunday, September 28, 2008

Since the reunification (ie: the end of the Berlin wall) it isn't quite correct to refer to East and West Berlin; however the nature of building development, and traffic lights, certainly highlights there are differences between two sides of Berlin.
Lets start with the architecture. With the falling of the berlin wall, suddenly the space between the east and west, the "kill zone"; nicknamed for the bonuses east-berlin guards were paid for shooting a defector; became available to developers. Imagine if you will what would happen if a large expanse of land suddenly became available in the heart of Sydney! As a result, there are some very interesting constructions in the strip.
The free walking tours in Berlin are fantastic! Well, they are free, sort of. The tour guide operates under a "tipping" arrangement. If you like the tour, you tip him what you thought the tour was worth to you. Our guide took us through all the main places in the heart of what was East Berlin, including seeing the location of the bunker where Hitler killed himself at the end of WW II; it is a car-park, with very little there to indicate that is the location. Interestingly it is diagonally opposite a major Jewish memorial, and not far from the Brandenburg Gate.
Shellie and I will stay in Berlin, exploring the sites, until we head off to Frankfurt to collect our car to continue with the remainder of our journey. I will post a few photos in due course.
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