Berlin, Germany
My parents flew into Hamburg and stayed there for a couple of days and I met them there from Dublin. They absolutely loved Hamburg! One of their favorite things was this 200 year old tradition of going to this fish market really early in the morning. The fish market is an enormous open warehouse with people selling anything you could ever want. There is also live music, people drinking and dancing, and fresh food. The party starts at 5 am, or is the after party from the night before. At 10 am, the church bells ring and everyone goes to church! I'm sure they can tell you more about it then I can. My first night there we went to this 400 year old restaurant that was in the basement of a building. It was so unbelievably delicious. We had very typical northern German food, fish, beef, potatoes and vegetables. It really felt like we were living in the old ages because of how small the restaurant was. Each room only had 3 or 4 tables in it and then there was a small bar. It was really great.
We took a two hour train ride from Hamburg to Berlin. As I have mentioned before, taking the trains in Germany is very easy. The only complicated part was managing the train stations with many suitcases. Hamburg was cold, but the weather in Berlin was great. It was sunny and warm, not too warm but not too cold. It was perfect.
We took a two hour train ride from Hamburg to Berlin. As I have mentioned before, taking the trains in Germany is very easy. The only complicated part was managing the train stations with many suitcases. Hamburg was cold, but the weather in Berlin was great. It was sunny and warm, not too warm but not too cold. It was perfect.
Anhalter Bahnhof
Our hotel looked kind of like it was supposed to be in a cruise ship. The bathroom doors were swivel style and you could basically see through them. The kitchen was curved around the bathroom. Weirdest of all, the toilet was separate from the bathroom and actually looked like it should be in an airplane.
One interesting fact about Berlin is that is actually a big swamp. So, in some of my pictures you will see these big pink pipes running through the city. This is because for any construction project, the pipes have to constantly drain the water from the area. This is also why there are no skyscrapers in Berlin.
After we dropped all of our stuff off at the hotel, we walked outside to explore. The first thing we came across is the picture of the building to the right. Obviously, Berlin has a ton of history and we were prepared to see a lot. This building is known as the Anhalter Bahnhof. Anhalter is the name of the street it is located on and "bahnhof" in German is a train station. Anhalter Bahnhof was originally used to take people as far as Munich, Frankfurt and Leipzig. In 1839, when it opened, this was a big deal. It was quickly becoming the "gateway to the south". However, the fate of this up and coming train station was permanently altered by WWII. Under Hitler's plan to change Berlin into the capital of Germany, he banned the use of this building as a train station. During WWII the Anhalter Bahnhof was used to deport almost 55,000 Jewish Berlin citizens between 1941 and 1945. This was almost one third of the entire Jewish population living in Berlin. Using 116 trains, groups of 50 to 100 Jews were deported from this station. This deportation did not stop until March 27, 1945, when Germany's defeat was already inevitable. The Anhalter Bahnhof quickly became a target for the Allied forces and was devastated by American and British bombs, and Soviet artillery shells. You can see the after math of the bombing by the looks of this picture. This is the only remains of the train station.
One interesting fact about Berlin is that is actually a big swamp. So, in some of my pictures you will see these big pink pipes running through the city. This is because for any construction project, the pipes have to constantly drain the water from the area. This is also why there are no skyscrapers in Berlin.
After we dropped all of our stuff off at the hotel, we walked outside to explore. The first thing we came across is the picture of the building to the right. Obviously, Berlin has a ton of history and we were prepared to see a lot. This building is known as the Anhalter Bahnhof. Anhalter is the name of the street it is located on and "bahnhof" in German is a train station. Anhalter Bahnhof was originally used to take people as far as Munich, Frankfurt and Leipzig. In 1839, when it opened, this was a big deal. It was quickly becoming the "gateway to the south". However, the fate of this up and coming train station was permanently altered by WWII. Under Hitler's plan to change Berlin into the capital of Germany, he banned the use of this building as a train station. During WWII the Anhalter Bahnhof was used to deport almost 55,000 Jewish Berlin citizens between 1941 and 1945. This was almost one third of the entire Jewish population living in Berlin. Using 116 trains, groups of 50 to 100 Jews were deported from this station. This deportation did not stop until March 27, 1945, when Germany's defeat was already inevitable. The Anhalter Bahnhof quickly became a target for the Allied forces and was devastated by American and British bombs, and Soviet artillery shells. You can see the after math of the bombing by the looks of this picture. This is the only remains of the train station.
The Berlin Wall
One of the remaining pieces of the Berlin Wall
The next thing we accidentally stumbled across was the Berlin Wall. There are some parts of the wall placed in the center of a plaza, but most people walked straight past it. We didn't think that it could be possible that the Berlin wall was just in the middle of these office buildings. But, it was. There is also a trail in the street made of cobblestones that marks where the wall would have been. It really cuts through the city.
In my opinion, the most interesting thing was being able to see the clear differences between east and west Germany. We spent pretty much all of grade school and a lot of high school learning about WWII. I know it is different for me, because my parents actually remember the night the wall came down. For me, it was like all of these far removed concepts of history were becoming real. All of the things I had read in history books that I thought I would never see finally had a face and a meaning. You could see the people that were alive when this was the fundamental issue defining their daily lives. You could see where families would have been split up. It was no longer this "idea" in a history book- it was real life.
One area of another plaza had a few fragments of the wall with newer paintings on them. They read "Still more walls to tear down" and there were paintings of current dictators on them. What a powerful message. I am surprised that those images haven't hit world wide news, because I would think the rest of the world could benefit from Berlin being the country to say 'look- THIS is what happens when you have a dictator in government.'
Most of the city is still under construction. Every where you look, the skyline is filled with cranes. One of the things they will do is cover and old building in glass until they have time to come and restore it. Although much of Berlin was destroyed by bombs, the effort to clean up the remaining buildings is still underway. This is one of the ways you can see that Germany, but Berlin especially, is really trying to change how their image. They rarely ever mentioned Hitler in any of the tours we went on and we thought this was a little surprising. It was a huge part of the city's history, but it was almost like that is not their focal point anymore. We read that Germans refer to the period after the war as the "Economic Miracle". This is interesting because it puts a positive spin on recovering from an enormous, life-changing event. It is like they realized they had a lot to make up for and are still working on it.
In my opinion, the most interesting thing was being able to see the clear differences between east and west Germany. We spent pretty much all of grade school and a lot of high school learning about WWII. I know it is different for me, because my parents actually remember the night the wall came down. For me, it was like all of these far removed concepts of history were becoming real. All of the things I had read in history books that I thought I would never see finally had a face and a meaning. You could see the people that were alive when this was the fundamental issue defining their daily lives. You could see where families would have been split up. It was no longer this "idea" in a history book- it was real life.
One area of another plaza had a few fragments of the wall with newer paintings on them. They read "Still more walls to tear down" and there were paintings of current dictators on them. What a powerful message. I am surprised that those images haven't hit world wide news, because I would think the rest of the world could benefit from Berlin being the country to say 'look- THIS is what happens when you have a dictator in government.'
Most of the city is still under construction. Every where you look, the skyline is filled with cranes. One of the things they will do is cover and old building in glass until they have time to come and restore it. Although much of Berlin was destroyed by bombs, the effort to clean up the remaining buildings is still underway. This is one of the ways you can see that Germany, but Berlin especially, is really trying to change how their image. They rarely ever mentioned Hitler in any of the tours we went on and we thought this was a little surprising. It was a huge part of the city's history, but it was almost like that is not their focal point anymore. We read that Germans refer to the period after the war as the "Economic Miracle". This is interesting because it puts a positive spin on recovering from an enormous, life-changing event. It is like they realized they had a lot to make up for and are still working on it.
The Brandenburg Gate
The next thing we walked to was the famous Brandenburg Gate. This is a former city gate that was rebuilt in the late 18th century as a triumph arch. It was commissioned by King William II as a sign of peace in the country. Now, it is one of the most well-known landmarks in all of Germany. It is located in former west Berlin and suffered a great deal of damage in WWII. It was restored in 2002.
All throughout history, this gate has been the center of events. Eventually, it became the center for media and television coverage, with many prominents figure speaking in front of this gate. In 1987, President Ronal Reagan addressed West Berlin here. In 1994, Bill Clinton spoke about post-war peace here. In 2009, the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, walked through the gate with Gorbachev as a party of the "Festival of Freedom". Angela Merkel grew up in east Berlin under communist rule. After WWII, the Berlin Wall was placed directly next to the fate so that no one could approach it.
When the Nazis reached the height of their power, they used this gate as the symbol of their power. During the Revolutions of 1989, the gate symbolized freedom and the desire to re-unify Berlin. Thousands of people gathered near the gate to protest and eventually, to celebrate. On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall, Berlin hosted a "Festival of Freedom" celebration around the gate.
All throughout history, this gate has been the center of events. Eventually, it became the center for media and television coverage, with many prominents figure speaking in front of this gate. In 1987, President Ronal Reagan addressed West Berlin here. In 1994, Bill Clinton spoke about post-war peace here. In 2009, the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, walked through the gate with Gorbachev as a party of the "Festival of Freedom". Angela Merkel grew up in east Berlin under communist rule. After WWII, the Berlin Wall was placed directly next to the fate so that no one could approach it.
When the Nazis reached the height of their power, they used this gate as the symbol of their power. During the Revolutions of 1989, the gate symbolized freedom and the desire to re-unify Berlin. Thousands of people gathered near the gate to protest and eventually, to celebrate. On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall, Berlin hosted a "Festival of Freedom" celebration around the gate.
The Berlin TV Tower
The Berlin TV Tower is located in east Berlin and was built in 1965 by the German Democratic Republic to be symbol of the power of the government and the prosperity of the city. It was designed to be so tall so that no matter where you were in west Berlin, you would be able to see this building. The TV Tower remains an iconic symbol of Berlin to this day, as it is the tallest building in Germany. This TV Tower was actually modeled off of the TV in Stuttgart and the Russian satellite Sputnik.
One legend associated with the TV Tower is that because of the structure of the building and the sphere, when the light strikes just right the reflection forms the shape of a cross. Immediately, residents named this shadow the "Pope's Revenge". No matter how many coats of paint the architects put on the sphere to change its reflection, the cross still appears as the reflection. This was neither planned nor predicted by the architects. Some people still consider this the building's only flaw.
The TV Tower is intentionally the tallest structure in Germany, because the government that commissioned it wanted proof they were the best. It used to be a symbol for east Berlin's success and power,
When we visited the tower, it was a 40 second elevator ride to the top. You can see the entire city from the top. It was beautiful. Even cooler, the top floor is a restaurant that rotates around 360 degrees. This is where we tried Berlin's delicacy, curry wurst. It really is good food- then again, all food in Germany has been delicious.
One legend associated with the TV Tower is that because of the structure of the building and the sphere, when the light strikes just right the reflection forms the shape of a cross. Immediately, residents named this shadow the "Pope's Revenge". No matter how many coats of paint the architects put on the sphere to change its reflection, the cross still appears as the reflection. This was neither planned nor predicted by the architects. Some people still consider this the building's only flaw.
The TV Tower is intentionally the tallest structure in Germany, because the government that commissioned it wanted proof they were the best. It used to be a symbol for east Berlin's success and power,
When we visited the tower, it was a 40 second elevator ride to the top. You can see the entire city from the top. It was beautiful. Even cooler, the top floor is a restaurant that rotates around 360 degrees. This is where we tried Berlin's delicacy, curry wurst. It really is good food- then again, all food in Germany has been delicious.
Culture
Berlin was a very interesting city to visit. Everywhere you look, you could feel the significance and the importance of the buildings around you. In east Berlin, you could really notice a clear difference in the architecture of the buildings. You could see which buildings would have been built under communist rule. East Berlin was almost all under construction. You can tell it is taking them longer to restore the city because they started to restore it later than west Berlin did. It was absolutely fascinating. As far as economics goes, there is no better place to learn differences in economic policies than Berlin. You don't need a textbook to realize the direction each path took the city. The thing that really stuck out to me was how cautious the community was with speaking about the war. They want to portray the image that it happened, but they are rebuilding and creating a new image of Germany. It is almost like they don't want the war to be the focus of the city.
Aside from the vast amount of historical importance in the city, it was really cool for me to see the differences between northern and southern Germany. They really love curry wurst in the north! We tried some of it in the Berlin TV Tower and it was so delicious. Also, we noticed that the people were significantly taller in north Germany. I did not notice the difference in their dialects, but I am sure it existed. Berlin was absolutely wonderful. I feel like I learned more in three days, and will remember more, than I ever did in History classes. It resonates more when you can see what you are learning about. You can walk in the same streets you learn about. I loved Berlin.
Aside from the vast amount of historical importance in the city, it was really cool for me to see the differences between northern and southern Germany. They really love curry wurst in the north! We tried some of it in the Berlin TV Tower and it was so delicious. Also, we noticed that the people were significantly taller in north Germany. I did not notice the difference in their dialects, but I am sure it existed. Berlin was absolutely wonderful. I feel like I learned more in three days, and will remember more, than I ever did in History classes. It resonates more when you can see what you are learning about. You can walk in the same streets you learn about. I loved Berlin.