Berlin and Potsdam

---

I first set foot in Berlin in the summer of 2003. I was in the transition period between school and university and had decided to take 3 months out to explore Berlin and Madrid before beginning my studies. During my two months in Berlin, I fell in love with the city and for that reason decided to return this year to show the city off to my partner who had never been. I would never normally return to a destination I have already been to, however in this case I was definitely willing to make an exception. Berlin is certainly a city worth visiting and is my personal favourite in Europe. Unlike many other capital cities, Berlin is relatively inexpensive and no matter where you are in the city you will have no problem with navigation. Berlin’s public transport network is one of the best I have ever used!

During our first morning in the city we decided to join a bus tour. We thought this would be the best way to spend our first day, relaxing and taking in all of the sights. One of the sights which we really hoped to see was Gedächtniskirche. The original church was built in the 1890s however was badly bombed during WWII. I strangely couldn’t remember seeing it on my visit to Berlin in 2003 however knew exactly where it was and what it was supposed to look like. During the tour the audio announced that we were just about to approach the site however we couldn’t see it and were quite baffled as to how such a large structure could just disappear. The ironic thing was that we had just been standing in that exact area moments before and appear to have been completely oblivious to its existence. After going back to hunt for the church a few days later, we were saddened to realise that the structure was actually covered by scaffolding and is currently undergoing renovations. A hideous eyesore of a structure covers the entire church so you can’t even get a glimpse at what is underneath. I got a strange feeling of déjà vu at this point and am convinced that this is possibly why I don’t remember the sight from before. I am also now sceptical that it actually exists 😉

One activity which I would definitely recommend if you are planning to visit Berlin would be the city tours. These tours are absolutely fantastic and are available in the following areas: Free walking tour, Third Reich, Red Berlin, Potsdam, Alternative, Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and a Nightlife tour. We opted for the Third Reich and Red Berlin tour and found these to be of excellent value. Not only are these tours highly informative but they are also led by guides with a vast range of knowledge who are able to answer any questions you may have. All tours meet in the afternoons at the Brandenburg Gate and are approximately 3.5 hours in duration. I increased my knowledge immensely during these tours and got the opportunity to visit many sights which I would have been oblivious to otherwise.

Berlin’s art scene is fantastic and one of the most interesting sights of Berlin is the East Side Gallery. Here you can walk along the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall. This is well worth a visit and it is quite easy to spend a whole afternoon here, enjoying all of the art which represents the freedom of expression the new Berlin represents. It also depicts this dark period of Germany’s history in a powerful way. I almost never managed to find it however. Despite living in the city for 2 months and claiming to know where this section of the wall was, I somehow managed to head up the completely wrong side of the train track before realising I was on the wrong side and having to walk all the way back to where I started. Some tour guide..

The Reichstag is one of my favourite pieces of architecture in Berlin. Getting into the building however it is not an easy task. I remember visiting in 2003. I walked up to the front entrance, cleared through security and in I went. I tried to do the same thing in 2012 and this is what happened:

We arrived at the security entrance which now stretches all the way out to the main road. Here we were greeted with a shifty look and a clipboard. We were then asked if we were on the list. Well obviously we weren’t as we were unaware of any list. We were then advised to register online or join the queue across the road to get an entrance pass. We crossed the road and were delighted to see a queue about a mile long. After standing in the queue for 10 minutes without any sign of movement, we agreed to come back later. Later however did not appear to be any better. We then decided our only option would be to register online. A straight forward option you would think. Once on the website however we were greeted by an overly complicated webpage which asked which date and time you would like to visit. The nearest date with availability was two days later. (Plan ahead if you are pushed for time!) We were then asked to list our preferences in order, first, second and third. It feels like you are filling in your monthly supermarket shop! You are then informed that you will be contacted in due course if your selection has been successful, by email, which is ideal when you are travelling. Fortunately we were lucky enough to be ‘successful’ and finally got our entrance tickets for the Reichstag. On the date of our actual visit it felt as if we were entering the most secretive location on earth. Guards escort you throughout the entire building in military procession and your movement is completely restricted until you are right inside. It is definitely worth the visit however and you are provided with an excellent free audio guide when you do finally arrive.

If you are considering visiting Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp I would strongly suggest going on one of the organised tours. We decided to go it alone and from our own experiences feel that this wasn’t the best idea. The concentration camp is free to enter and you can pay if you would like to hire an audio guide (EUR3.00). We decided to purchase this and the information desk explained that the full tour would last approximately 2 hours in duration. Upon beginning the tour we realised that this would not be the case. The audio guide is informative but each station has about 30 minutes of information. As there are roughly 40 stations this is a lot of information. The vast bulk of the information is also purely individual case studies. In my opinion I would personally suggest taking the above tour or if you are short on time there are plenty of information boards located throughout the area where you can find all of the information you will require.

We decided to visit Potsdam during our time in Berlin. I never had the chance to visit the last time I was in the city and had heard lots of brilliant reviews about this little town, well known for its castles and stunning gardens. We unfortunately made the mistake of attempting to visit Sachsenhausen and Potsdam on the same day which turned out to be a bit of a bad decision. Sachenhausen is a good hour out of the centre by S-Bahn and we spent at least four hours there. Potsdam is then another 2 hours on the S-Bahn from there, as they are both on opposite ends of the city. For that reason it was 5pm before we finally reached Potsdam. We made the most of our visit nonetheless and enjoyed walking round all of the castles before dark. Potsdam is beautiful and a lovely peaceful town well worth a visit. My partner nearly never made it out alive however. He had only come travelling with one pair of shoes and although they were causing him a great deal of pain and ripping at his feet, he was adamant that he didn’t need another pair. One and a half weeks of walking/hobbling later, he finally admitted in Potsdam that he was unable to walk more than 10 metres (without screaming out in pain) and we went and bought him a new pair of shoes the next day. Men! 😉

One night we were out for dinner and had a group of disgruntled customers sitting opposite us. I overheard the man of the group complaining to the waitress about his schnitzel. I’m not too sure exactly what was said but the schnitzel was taken away and replaced shortly after, nothing too unusual about the situation. What was comical about the situation was that shortly afterwards the group asked for their bill. The waitress came and collected the money. As the group were about to leave the waitress came back over with an angry look on her face and commented that on this occasion they would be permitted to leave without paying a service charge but they would not be able to leave without paying again! Pretty amusing considering the fact that they were unhappy with their meal… When we then came to ask for the bill, this came with 'service charge 😊' written on it. Subtle. I do wonder what would have happened if we had of left without leaving a tip… Maybe we should have tried!

One last sight that I would highly recommend would be the Jewish memorial located next to the Brandenburg Gate. This memorial is extremely powerful and represents all of the murdered Jews throughout the Holocaust. The memorial consists of pillars of concrete of different heights. This basic concept has been designed in a way in which it doesn’t look impressive from a distance, however when you are actually walking round the structure itself you feel a sense of eeriness and remembrance. It is quite a moving piece of work and I think a great tribute to all who were lost during the war. There is also a museum located in the middle of the memorial which provides detailed information about the Holocaust. This museum is free to enter and the best WWII museum I have visited, very moving.

One aspect of Berlin which I found amusing were the ‘bin raiders.’ Absolutely everywhere you go in Berlin you are witness to a number of people, normal looking individuals included, raiding the bins. This seems to be a normal pastime for many. They appear to be looking for plastic and glass bottles. I can only imagine that the government has introduced some sort of incentive for recycling these bottles and many have taken this to the extreme in order to raise money/coupons. Very amusing, but shocking at the same time. Two minutes after dropping your bottle into a bin, you can be sure that a bin raider will pass by and snatch it. Keep your cameras at the ready!

Berlin has been and continues to be my favourite city in Europe. The food is perfect (pizza better than Italy), there are quaint little restaurants and cafes on every street you go to outside of the centre, the culture is fascinating and the history is intriguing. Berlin offers something for everyone and provides an atmosphere that you won’t find anywhere else in Europe. Berlin is a must for all travel junkies and definitely a city that I will be returning to time and time again!

---