We left Prague with a sigh, for two reasons. One, we had both really enjoyed being there - the people were nice, the food was cheap, and the sights were beautiful. Two, it was ridiculously early when we got up to catch our train to Berlin. We arrived in Berlin around 1pm, eager to return to Germany after our earlier escapades in Munich. The train trip was without incident, and upon arrival at Berlin Hauptbahnhof, we found an underground metro map in order to find our way to the hotel. Deciding that the S-Bahn was the best way to get there, we walked up to the S-Bahn platform on the top of the station. We were stopped by a German man in a DB (Deutschbahn, the train network) uniform, who kind of looked a little like Joseph Goebells. He said to us, in broken English (which we weren't used to hearing from Germans): "The train… not driving". There was no reason given, and I dared not ask for one in case he was actually Goebells reincarnated. The platform was deserted, and the underground (U-Bahn) platform was just as deserted. We decided to jump in a cab, and this cost just nine euros to take us to our hotel (ten after the required 10% "tip"). Upon arriving at our hotel, we checked the news to discover:
So much for German efficiency.
We also read online (or rather, Shannon read online) that the Pergamon Museum, along with all the other national museums in Berlin, would allow free entry on Thursday nights after six pm. The Pergamon Museum is one of Berlin's most important museums (musea?) and features a Greek marble altar and a gate from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. We only had a couple of hours to kill before nightfall (thus the good photo taking opportunities become limited), so we decided to head for Museum Island to check out the Pergamon. As we were still before the 6pm "free" cutoff time, we walked around the island for a bit, taking in all the sights and smells, and had a brief stroll on Friedrichstraße, one of the main city streets in Berlin. Hunger then plagued us, so we headed to the nearest fine dining establishment for a good meal. This turned out to be, incidentally, a restaurant named "Corroboree", an Australian restaurant. I had no idea "Australian" was even a food type, so were both interested to see what would be on the menu. There was a "Toowoomba" burger, which looked tempting. They also had only the finest Newcastle beer, along with the obvious Fosters. I decided against drinking Australian beer in Germany, as this is a sin that not even God could forgive.
Leaving the restaurant satisfied, we headed for the Pergamon. We were told upon entering that this free entry after 6pm on Thursdays no longer applies, and is "old informations". Thanks a lot, Shannon! So we bailed, as we didn't feel like paying the exorbitant entry fee to see some old Greek marble (Let's face it, after seeing the Parthenon, no other Greek marble compares anyway) and headed home for an early night's sleep.
The next day, we set out for Zoo Station (on the U2 line, the laughs will never end) for our Berlin Walking Tour. The guide's name was Carlos, authentic German for sure. He was friendly and very knowledgable, and we set off on the now operational S-Bahn for Hackescher Markt. On the way, we went past Bellevue Palace (home of the President of Germany) and we also went past Angela Merkel's Chancellery, which is an ugly building in the shape of a Washing Machine. We also briefly saw the Reichstag (now called Bundestag) and the victory column, which was pretty grand looking.
After getting off the train, Carlos detailed 800 years of Germanic history for us in about ten minutes. Then, it was on to the sightseeing! We saw the museums on Museum Island (this time during the daylight, which was nice) and the guide pointed out to us the museum where the famous bust of Nefertiti is domiciled (Neues Museum). He told us that the Germans refer to this bust as "the most beautiful woman in Berlin". We then went to the Lustgarten (great name, literally translated to pleasure garden) where Hitler would address the troops standing at attention. Lusty!
Then it was on to the National War Memorial, where visiting foreign dignitaries come to lay wreaths for fallen soldiers. The guide told us that the statue inside was sculpted by the mother of a German soldier. This mother was a pacifist and hated the idea of war, however she reluctantly signed the papers saying that her underage son could join the military. Her son was quickly killed, and as a coping mechanism for the anguish she felt, she sculpted the statue of a mother holding her dying son. Underneath, an inscription dedicates the statue to the victims of war. Above the statue, the roof is open, so that the elements can have an impact on the way the statue looks at all different times of the year (when it is dry, or raining as it was today).
We then went to the square where the infamous book burnings took place prior to the outbreak of war. To mark the spot where the fire burned, a quote from Heinrich Heine from 1820 (one hundred years prior to the Nazi book burnings) was inscribed. I forget the exact translation, but it was something like "When you start burning books, you finish by burning people". An eerie prediction.
Near this brass plate & quote, the square holds a second monument constructed in a typical German style. The Germans have an interesting way of acknowledging the events of the second world war. Rarely do they provide information regarding what their monuments mean, or why they designed them as they did. They have a very simplistic aesthetic, and then they let you make your own mind up about what meaning to draw from their monument. The second monument was an Empty Library (as seen below) under the floor of the square. Ways that this could be interpreted: as the library cannot be entered, neither can you enter the past - you can only reflect upon it. The library is always lit - the obvious fire reference, but could also signify the light of humanity. The empty shelves - probably the most obvious of all. Or is it? You decide.
After this, we went to the Brandenburg gate, one of the old city gates that overlooks the "Death Strip", the no-mans-land that separated the Soviet controlled East Berlin and the American occupied West Berlin after World War II.
It was named the Death Strip, as any East Berlin citizen attempting to defect into West Berlin would be shot on sight by the Soviets. Also near the Brandenburg Gate was the Hotel Adlon, famed for Michael Jackson hanging his baby outside the balcony some years ago. So, the tour covered pretty much all bases.
Oh, I can't forget to note the guy in the Darth Vader costume posing for photos with tourists near the gate as well.
After a quick stop for a snack, we headed to the Jewish Holocaust Memorial, a stones throw from the Brandenburg gate. It's an interesting memorial with no formal interpretation or meaning noted at the site itself - (as is the German way). It was built on uneven ground, and takes the shape of thousands of concrete pillars of differing heights and angles, in a grid formation. The guide suggested that this may be to symbolise a graveyard. Also, once inside the uneven labyrinth of concrete pillars, one becomes quickly disoriented, an intentional characteristic designed to put you in the shoes of the victims of the Holocaust.
The tour then took us to the site of Hitler's Bunker, the Fuhrerbunker.
Well, on top of it anyway. It wouldn't be a very good bunker if you could see it, would it? This is the bunker where Hitler married his mistress Eva Braun a day before he completed suicide via cyanide tablet. Worst. Honeymoon. Everrr. We couldn't go inside because apparently the Ruskies tore it apart when they occupied this part of town. I believe this to be a conspiracy, and believe that Hitler is still alive in the bunker to this very day.
We then went to the "Topography of Terror", where the former headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS were located in Berlin. A section of Berlin Wall near this location was preserved.
Then it was on to Checkpoint Charlie, the point where foreign diplomats and the like were admitted from East Berlin to West, or vice versa. A few actors at the Checkpoint still dress in US Army uniforms to the delight of tourists willing to shell out their hard earned coin for some satirical photographs. By this point it was snowing heavily, and thus Shannon and I both look like drowned rats.
The tour then finished, and Shan and I decided to go to the East Side Gallery, a section of Berlin Wall preserved with political artwork regarding the separation of Germany, and the terror caused by Communism and Fascism. There was some highly thought provoking art work there, however the snow had yet to let up and thus we now looked like drenched, iced rats.
As it was getting dark, we headed for our hotel, to await our midnight train to Amsterdam.
So much for German efficiency.
We also read online (or rather, Shannon read online) that the Pergamon Museum, along with all the other national museums in Berlin, would allow free entry on Thursday nights after six pm. The Pergamon Museum is one of Berlin's most important museums (musea?) and features a Greek marble altar and a gate from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. We only had a couple of hours to kill before nightfall (thus the good photo taking opportunities become limited), so we decided to head for Museum Island to check out the Pergamon. As we were still before the 6pm "free" cutoff time, we walked around the island for a bit, taking in all the sights and smells, and had a brief stroll on Friedrichstraße, one of the main city streets in Berlin. Hunger then plagued us, so we headed to the nearest fine dining establishment for a good meal. This turned out to be, incidentally, a restaurant named "Corroboree", an Australian restaurant. I had no idea "Australian" was even a food type, so were both interested to see what would be on the menu. There was a "Toowoomba" burger, which looked tempting. They also had only the finest Newcastle beer, along with the obvious Fosters. I decided against drinking Australian beer in Germany, as this is a sin that not even God could forgive.
Leaving the restaurant satisfied, we headed for the Pergamon. We were told upon entering that this free entry after 6pm on Thursdays no longer applies, and is "old informations". Thanks a lot, Shannon! So we bailed, as we didn't feel like paying the exorbitant entry fee to see some old Greek marble (Let's face it, after seeing the Parthenon, no other Greek marble compares anyway) and headed home for an early night's sleep.
The next day, we set out for Zoo Station (on the U2 line, the laughs will never end) for our Berlin Walking Tour. The guide's name was Carlos, authentic German for sure. He was friendly and very knowledgable, and we set off on the now operational S-Bahn for Hackescher Markt. On the way, we went past Bellevue Palace (home of the President of Germany) and we also went past Angela Merkel's Chancellery, which is an ugly building in the shape of a Washing Machine. We also briefly saw the Reichstag (now called Bundestag) and the victory column, which was pretty grand looking.
After getting off the train, Carlos detailed 800 years of Germanic history for us in about ten minutes. Then, it was on to the sightseeing! We saw the museums on Museum Island (this time during the daylight, which was nice) and the guide pointed out to us the museum where the famous bust of Nefertiti is domiciled (Neues Museum). He told us that the Germans refer to this bust as "the most beautiful woman in Berlin". We then went to the Lustgarten (great name, literally translated to pleasure garden) where Hitler would address the troops standing at attention. Lusty!
Then it was on to the National War Memorial, where visiting foreign dignitaries come to lay wreaths for fallen soldiers. The guide told us that the statue inside was sculpted by the mother of a German soldier. This mother was a pacifist and hated the idea of war, however she reluctantly signed the papers saying that her underage son could join the military. Her son was quickly killed, and as a coping mechanism for the anguish she felt, she sculpted the statue of a mother holding her dying son. Underneath, an inscription dedicates the statue to the victims of war. Above the statue, the roof is open, so that the elements can have an impact on the way the statue looks at all different times of the year (when it is dry, or raining as it was today).
We then went to the square where the infamous book burnings took place prior to the outbreak of war. To mark the spot where the fire burned, a quote from Heinrich Heine from 1820 (one hundred years prior to the Nazi book burnings) was inscribed. I forget the exact translation, but it was something like "When you start burning books, you finish by burning people". An eerie prediction.
 |
| The brass plate marks the spot where the books were burned |
After this, we went to the Brandenburg gate, one of the old city gates that overlooks the "Death Strip", the no-mans-land that separated the Soviet controlled East Berlin and the American occupied West Berlin after World War II.
It was named the Death Strip, as any East Berlin citizen attempting to defect into West Berlin would be shot on sight by the Soviets. Also near the Brandenburg Gate was the Hotel Adlon, famed for Michael Jackson hanging his baby outside the balcony some years ago. So, the tour covered pretty much all bases.
Oh, I can't forget to note the guy in the Darth Vader costume posing for photos with tourists near the gate as well.
After a quick stop for a snack, we headed to the Jewish Holocaust Memorial, a stones throw from the Brandenburg gate. It's an interesting memorial with no formal interpretation or meaning noted at the site itself - (as is the German way). It was built on uneven ground, and takes the shape of thousands of concrete pillars of differing heights and angles, in a grid formation. The guide suggested that this may be to symbolise a graveyard. Also, once inside the uneven labyrinth of concrete pillars, one becomes quickly disoriented, an intentional characteristic designed to put you in the shoes of the victims of the Holocaust.
The tour then took us to the site of Hitler's Bunker, the Fuhrerbunker.
Well, on top of it anyway. It wouldn't be a very good bunker if you could see it, would it? This is the bunker where Hitler married his mistress Eva Braun a day before he completed suicide via cyanide tablet. Worst. Honeymoon. Everrr. We couldn't go inside because apparently the Ruskies tore it apart when they occupied this part of town. I believe this to be a conspiracy, and believe that Hitler is still alive in the bunker to this very day.
We then went to the "Topography of Terror", where the former headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS were located in Berlin. A section of Berlin Wall near this location was preserved.
Then it was on to Checkpoint Charlie, the point where foreign diplomats and the like were admitted from East Berlin to West, or vice versa. A few actors at the Checkpoint still dress in US Army uniforms to the delight of tourists willing to shell out their hard earned coin for some satirical photographs. By this point it was snowing heavily, and thus Shannon and I both look like drowned rats.
The tour then finished, and Shan and I decided to go to the East Side Gallery, a section of Berlin Wall preserved with political artwork regarding the separation of Germany, and the terror caused by Communism and Fascism. There was some highly thought provoking art work there, however the snow had yet to let up and thus we now looked like drenched, iced rats.
As it was getting dark, we headed for our hotel, to await our midnight train to Amsterdam.
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