I am not a doughnut

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We got into Berlin at about 5 pm, and it was already dark. After negotiating the S-bahn whilst having no idea where we were going, we got to our hotel in Friedrichshahn in the East of the city, and immediately hit the streets in search of food. Easyjet can have that effect on people.

Berlin has been, in my lifetime, a divided city, with even its recent history far too complex to go into in a travelblog, but there used to be East (Soviet) and West (erm, Western), and a big wall between the two.

We decided to walk up to Alexanderplatz and look for food there, although we misjudged quite how far down Karl Marx Allee we were and it was a good fifteen minute walk. As Alex was busy, we decided to take the “short” walk up to the Brandenburg Gate, and we just kept walking. We finally ended up in Potsdamer Platz, and as it was the end of November, the Christmas markets were starting up. Famished, we settled for some tasty gluhwein, and the famous Berlin currywurst (mit pommes) which was just enough. We then decided to head back as we were exhausted, and had an early night.

The next morning after breakfast, the first stop was the Reichstag, as the queues get long. It was interesting to see the place renovated, and for once the Norman Foster architecture on the roof actually fits in really well. From there, we saw the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which after much debate within Berlin is now finished. It was incredibly atmospheric, and actually quite creepy. Then we hit the temple of consumerism that is Potsdamer Platz, before going to the Jewish museum. This museum had both good and bad sides, with some incredibly moving and thoughtful exhibits, and to be honest some pointless ones. Finally, to round off the nice day, we met up with friends for dinner.

On our second full day in Berlin, we had a sedate day of gluhwein, the museums and the TV tower (fernsehrturm). We went to the Pergamon museum, which contained a large number of antiquities, including a whole temple from ancient Turkey, and the Ishtar Gate from Babylon, and many other huge and small, and was well worth the entrance fee. We also went to the Kulturforum to look at the art. There was even one painting that contained the artists calling-card of a cucumber. All very interesting, but I can’t remember too many specifics (cucumber aside!)

Berlin is a fantastic city, both old and new, and it’s also a working city. It’s huge, and the museums are spread throughout the city rather than concentrated in one area, meaning tourists and natives mingle giving, in my opinion, a more real view of the place. I’ll definitely be back.

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