It took me a while to get to grips with Berlin. The truly tangible and often awful nature of its recent history, coupled with its sheer size, meant for a while a real sense of the city evaded me. Slowly it started coming together, as my feet found the Brandenburg Gate, or I recognised a U-bahn connection. By the end of my four days, I knew one thing for sure – I would have to come back. Four days was too short, but here’s 8 Awesome Things I Did during my time in Berlin.
Early morning
I kept being drawn back to the Brandenburg Gate. One of Berlin’s icons, my feet found their way there several times when my brain hadn’t quite mastered the city map.
Early afternoon
I wasn’t alone. Hundreds thronged the Pariser Platz, selfie sticks were brandished, group shots smiled for.
Early evening
I liked to imagine the history the Brandenburg Gate had seen, from the original gate that was erected as part of the city walls in the 1730s, to the imposing gate that opened in 1791. The Gate witnessed the battles of the two World Wars that led to its position alone between the two sides of the Berlin Wall, and the two sides of Germany. Finally, with reunification, Brandenburg Gate lost its isolation and became a symbol of Berlin.
Evening at the Gate
The Gate is close to several other sights you won’t want to miss in Berlin – the Reichstag and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Leading to it on one side is the massive expanse of the boulevard Unter der Linden, while to the west the Tiergarten spreads leafy and green. Whether it’s a five minute photo stop or somewhere to watch the world pass by, I’m sure you too will find yourself here more than once on a visit to Berlin.
Stunning, huh?!
Where have your feet led you when you haven’t been paying attention?!
Street art is everywhere in Berlin. Peeping from corners of doorways. Shouting from the sides of huge buildings. Inviting you to look, think, wonder. Perhaps it was my visit to the East Side Gallery on my first day, or perhaps simply the sheer number of artworks. My eyes were constantly drawn side-to-side, wondering what I would see next to challenge or entertain me.
East Side Gallery
Artist unknown
I had read that the area of Kreuzberg, one of Berlin’s less-polished neighbourhoods, was home to some great examples of street art and a little bit of googling led me to this great self-guided walk on Everytrail. I knew I wanted to see a different area of Berlin to the central and Mitte areas I had wandered so far, and this walk includes the famous ‘Astronaut-Space Crusader’. I jumped on the U-bahn down to Kottbusser Tor and followed my nose (and the guide) around the streets.
Astronaut – Space Crusader by Victor Ash
The Wall by Blu
A lot of the artworks on this walk were highly political in tone, from Blu’s Wall to the children pointing a finger gun. This latter work was the one I found the most affecting. Not only do I think that children with weapons are inherently sad, but the location of the artwork and the defeated air of the men sitting beneath it all combined to make a deep impression on me.
Yellow Man by Os Gemeos
Rounded Heads by Nomad
Like the street art that I’ve seen in Naples and in Athens, there was a huge variety in style and scale. I’d love to learn more about the stories behind some of them, and whether the artists had a personal relation to the space they painted in.
The Lads by London Police
Artwork by Stik
Leviathan by Blu
Of course, this is just a teeny glimpse into the ever-changing street art of Berlin – I’ll be sure to look out for more on my next trip!
Where have you spotted street art? Do you have a favourite artist?
(If you spot that I have incorrectly named any of the artists, or you know one that I have not named, please let me know!)
High on the list of Berlin’s iconic buildings, the Reichstag is also home to a fascinating history. I was captivated by its mix of 19th-century imposing stone and modern glass-work, which reminded me of the Louvre’s pyramid. While most of the building is home to the German parliament and thus off-limits, you can visit the dome to marvel at this beautiful architecture and gaze over the city.
Now first things first, for the love of little puppies please register online and well in advance to visit the Dome, rather than following my example. I decided fairly late in my visit (i.e. my last full day) that I couldn’t leave without seeing it, and rather optimistically turned up around 9am on the Saturday to the ticket-office. If you haven’t registered online at least 3 days in advance, you have to queue for a ticket – entrance is free but numbers are limited. The line in the morning was horrifically long, so rather than waste a sight-seeing day I came back at 4:30pm that evening. Given the ticket office didn’t close til 6, I thought this would be loads of time – but the line moved at glacial pace and I ended up being second-to-last through the door! Even the charming company of an Italian tourist in the queue couldn’t keep my mind off the freezing cold, and I’m surprised my fingers could function enough to take the above photographs after I secured my ticket. SO, lesson here: register online via this link. Totally worth it, unless you are really into queuing until you can’t feel your toes. I don’t even want to imagine how long that line must get in summer.
I was especially lucky, given how close I was cutting it, that I still managed to secure my perfect time-slot for the next day, at 8:30am. Not only did this give me juuuuust enough time to visit and make it back to my hostel in time for my early-afternoon flight, but I was hoping to catch a bit of the sunrise over the city.
So, just like the East Side Gallery, a little bit of history for you first up. Opened in 1894, the Reichstag served as the home of the German imperial parliament until it was badly damaged by fire in 1933. After World War II it fell into disuse, as it was never properly repaired and had been further hit by air-raids. The building was not fully reconstructed until after 1995, and unveiled complete with glass dome in 1999 when the parliament moved back in.
With my fellow visitors, I was sped through security and whisked up to the base of the dome by lift. Complimentary audio-guides awaited, and then I stepped in to be awestruck by the incredible mirrored cone that takes centre-stage and the walkways that wrap both up and down.
Got my sunrise, even if it was a little rainy!
Although it was a rainy morning, the views were still fantastic over the city – and I did get to see that sunrise! I’m not always a huge fan of audio-guides, but here it was invaluable, popping up every few minutes to detail what I was looking at and add some history.
This is my ‘It’s freaken early but this is awesome!’ face
Looking towards the west and the Tiergarten
The Reichstag restoration architect, Norman Foster, incorporated a number of interesting features to make the building environmentally friendly. The mirrored panels bring natural light into the heart of the Reichstag, and the gap of fresh air in the top of the dome aids with circulation. There is also the symbolism of bringing light and air to bear on the decisions of the Parliament!
Fortunately for me, my visit to the Dome of the Reichstag was well worth both the long wait and the early start. But say it with me… “Book online to save time!”
Click here for more information on visiting the Reichstag
Have you ever queued for an exceptionally long time for an attraction? Was it worth it?
