There’s a German saying about Berlin. “Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin” (“I still keep a suitcase in Berlin”)
And I can see why!
Berlin is this amazing city in Europe that might as well be its capital. There is so much culture and life here that makes it incomparable to any other main city. We spent a long weekend here in April 2013 to satisfy my boyfriend’s craving for techno. A lot of the city’s main attractions are free of charge so this is an excellent city trip if you’re on a budget.
But before we hit the techno scene, we hit the attractions. I wanted to focus more on the impact of the Cold War and the Berlin Wall; it was not hard to find. And the best way we decided was via bike riding!! There are several bike rental companies in the city that charge only 10 euros a day. Worth the cost and an excellent way to see the entire city.
Checkpoint Charlie was the entry point of American soldiers in and out of East Berlin. At the end of World War Two, the Allies split Berlin into four sections: the French, American, Russian and British sectors. Naturally, the Russian sector was what we know as East Berlin and they cut it off from the rest of the Western world. Today, you can see the difference between East and West just by looking at the architecture. The Western side has more modern buildings while the Eastern side has the same industrial style block look.
Our hotel was on the East Berlin side at the Holiday Inn at Alexanderplatz. Alexanderplatz is one of the main stations in the city and usually has a lot of street performers in the area. In this picture is the old Television Tower that was used while the wall was still up. You can climb to the top to see a lovely panoramic view of the city.
There are pieces of the Berlin Wall scattered throughout the city for all to see. The East Side Gallery is the only piece of the wall that is still intact and runs for 1.3km in its original position. A must see!
Brandenburg Gate is the most iconic architectural structure in Berlin. It was located on the West Side of the Wall and has served as a victory post for several years. This is a pedestrian zone with lots of coffee shops (including a starbucks) to grab a drink and enjoy the view.
The Holocaust Memorial is quite unusual compared to other memorials in Europe. This is in the heart of the city and has created some discussion on what the symbolism of the memorial really means. One of the things I love about this city is how it en-captures its history right in the middle of everything, for all to see.
The Trabant was the staple car of East Berlin while the wall was up and quite the basic car!! We ran across Trabi Safari and just had to take advantage of the opportunity. My boyfriend was beyond excited for the opportunity to drive this car–but beware! You need to know how to drive a manual or you can not do this tour. Even my experienced man killed it several times 🙂
Our tour was through East Berlin because let’s be honest, both of us were more in love with the East over the West.
We hear a lot about the bad people and the victims of war but it’s rare there is a memorial to heroes. When the wall was built on this street, tunnels were built to get people out of the East side and into the West. This touching memorial honors the people who helped save lives and get people to safety.
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