Blogs from Berlin, Berlin, Germany, Europe - page 154

Europe » Germany » Berlin » Berlin January 4th 2003

How do you spend a day in Berlin? First of all, hearing the conductor on the train on the way to Berlin saying that "it's 18 degrees below zero" is kind of a turnoff. Upon arrival, one option is to buy a daily public transportation pass and go around on random, getting off at random stops. This works for a while, at least until you have seen Alexanderplatz, the only place you really know. Then you realize that this is not very efficient. So a better method is to call an old-time buddy you haven't seen in over 5 years, bug him in his final exam studies, and make him lead the tour. That's when you’re getting somewhere. Reichstag is a good start. Interesting architecture, with an upside cone hanging over the deciding politicians like the ... read more

Berlin

Europe » Germany » Berlin » Berlin May 8th 2002

TV tower

Bellini

Touring German cities is often problematic - it's unfair to focus on a city's complicity with horrific crimes from a half century before, or its being the centerpiece of the Cold War, but in the case of Berlin, the past oozes to the surface whether you like it or not. There's the playground built above Hitler's bunker to dissuade Neo-Nazis from making it in a shrine. The border of the Wall unexpectedly appears underfoot, even when you're not looking for Checkpoint Charlie. The Brandenburg Gate looks like a Hollywood backdrop with the bustling traffic swirling around the wide strasses. The TV tower that the Russians built looms over the city and bullet holes still dot the dilapidated buildings on the eastern side. All this while the hundreds of cranes slowly sanitize the past. There are more ... read more

Berlín, 13 años después

Europe » Germany » Berlin » Berlin March 25th 2002

Baerlin

Temoris

25 DE MARZO DE 2002 En Berlín estuvimos Romi y yo durante un mes, de marzo a abril, mientras ella cubría una corresponsalía de su agencia de prensa. Yo había estado ahí en 1989, viajando de autostop con Mauricio y la peruana Marissa. Tres semanas después de nuestro paso por ahí, nos hallábamos en Madrid, leyendo que el Muro había caído y sin dinero para regresar. Hoy todavía se nota el peso de aquella división. No sólo en los restos del Muro que todavía hay, ni en el ilustrativo pero descuidado y mercantilista Berliner Mauer Museum (Museo del Muro), sino en el costo económico y social que ha tenido. El sector Este sigue siendo mucho más pobre, con una parte importante de la población desempleada o malpagada, en trabajos inadecuados para sus capacidades. Sorpresa: La capital ... read more

The Berlin Wall

Europe » Germany » Berlin » Berlin August 26th 2001

Cassandra86

The Berlin Wall was pretty crazy. Only there for a day though. All I thought about was nazis for some reason. Loads of punks in the city.... read more

Day 11 - Berlin

Europe » Germany » Berlin » Berlin July 12th 1997

Kidcarm

Day 11 Occasionally time is irrelevant. Sure, I was scheduled to check out of the hotel by 11AM but I was going to juice my stay for all it was worth. 8:00…9:00…9:30…my eyes were open, but I did not dare to wake up the rest of me. Covered by twelve inches of fluffy comfort, I just laid back and basked in the glory of my opulence. Usually, when one stays in hostels in Europe they wake at 7AM, have a quick shower, eat their pittance provisions and are tossed out into the street by eight. They sleep in rooms with six or eight other travellers. They get to endure the stench of others, tolerate their snores and ignore their personal eccentricities. Of the three, the last one is the hardest to cope with. Some of these ... read more

Day 10 - Berlin

Europe » Germany » Berlin » Berlin July 11th 1997

Kidcarm

Day 10 “Achtung!!” “YOU vill get up and you vill get up NOW!!” “Achtung!! Achtung!!” Ahh…the melodic sounds of a German alarm clock. Like a good Kraut, I obediently opened my eyes to the bellow of a hoarse campground kommander at 7AM but like a good Canuck I defied Colonel Klink's orders, turned over and continued to sleep off my hangover. Ten minutes later…the colonel brought in reinforcements, namely a man who shook a bell beside my throbbing head. That worked. With ponderous pace, I gradually dragged myself out of bag. For reasons unclear, I couldn't stomach food. I was even unable to force coffee down. Sitting on picnic tables within the compound, with envy, I watched my fellow refugees suck back cups of delicious fresh hot coffee. The bastards did it just to spite me. ... read more

Day 9 - to Berlin

Europe » Germany » Berlin » Berlin July 10th 1997

Kidcarm

Day 9 Like a good German, I arose from my sleep at 7:30 AM, bid ‘auf weidersehen’ to the noisy bastards, swiftly scarfed down my morning Muslix and coffee and headed off to the train station. I hit the train station and locked up my luggage for a few hours before my departure. For some reason, I had to get out of there. I just didn’t get the right vibes. Sure, it is beautiful, for an industrial port, but we bombed the shit out of it during the war and there aren’t many sights left to see. Looking to the bible, I passed by the Rathaus and checked it off in my guide. The Rathaus was the city’s town hall. Very nice, very closed, thus very useless to me. I followed my trek to an empty ... read more

In The Aftermath of History

Europe » Germany » Berlin » Berlin April 10th 1992

Berlin Cathedral

waterfia

I have sometimes overslept on trains back in England (usually due to alcohol) and I’ve been woken up by the guard when the train has been sitting at the last stop for half an hour. That would not have been a good idea on this train as its ultimate destination was several hundred miles away in Moscow. I suspect that I wouldn’t have got anywhere near that far before being woken up by customs officials, soldiers or the police, but it was an interesting thought. I had arrived in close aftermath of all the historic events that had taken here two years previously. In fact I remember all that taking place when I was previously travelling and was working in Melbourne (see ) at the time. There were the memorable images of Mr Baywatch / Knight ... read more

Conference in Berlin

Europe » Germany » Berlin » Berlin September 13th 1980

Remains of the Kaiser WIlhelm Church on the Kurferdam

Home and Away

In September 1980 I attended a conference in Berlin, and decided to take Linda along. To get there by car we had to pass through East Germany, which required flag orders under the agreement that partitioned Berlin into four zones, one each for the US, UK, France and the Soviet Union. The Soviets were required to grant access to the other three countries forces following the Berlin Blockade. Crossing the border was interesting. We had to give our passport and papers to the Soviet border guards, not to the East German guards. We then had two hours to reach West Berlin. We could only drive on the autobahn that went directly to Berlin, which was built by Hitler and had not been maintained since. If we didn't arrive in Berlin within two hours they would come ... read more

Brief history of Germany

As Europe's largest economy and most populous nation, Germany remains a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20t...more history

Forum Topics for Berlin

24 hours in FrankfurtPosts: 7

Travel to GermanyPosts: 10

Berlin, Institute for C...Posts: 1

Traveling Around and Ne...Posts: 5

The 177th Munich Beer F...Posts: 8

MBA in GermanyPosts: 1

CasinoPosts: 1

Best Hostels in BerlinPosts: 4

Train from Frankfurt Ai...Posts: 2

want to travel around G...Posts: 3

Who needs Dbahn coupon ...Posts: 1