Herrr Brrrlin!. Review on Berlin

On a cold cold day in European February, what does one do to keep warm? One explores places! One of the stops being Berlin that I dubbed "Brrrlin" since it was so cold when we landed there. Nevertheless, the history and present both are so rich in this German city, that we brrr’d our way through with pleasure!

As we learnt in Europe, the best way to see any city here is to walk through or to take the city transport. We grabbed the Berlin Welcome Card almost as soon as we landed after an overnight train journey.

The tour began at the Hackescher market with the view of the tallest building(rather a tower) in Germany. Our guideJakob, a local that spake with a British accent, was well versed with the history and gave us some useful insights too. East Berlin, sandwiched between the Berlin wall and the wall surround Berlin that divided Germany in two parts was the hub of all the happenings. It got bombed as many times as it got resurrected only to be bombed again. And then there were the eccentric Frederiches and Wilhems and the Frederich-Wilhems who wanted to spread their reach beyond Prussian empire. Boy!

We walked through the erstwhile East Berlin traversing the many cathedrals, [would have been, but no longer exist] palaces, the museum island, the site of the infamous Nazi book-burning at Opernplatz, the Jewish cemetery with the glass dome of the Reichstag at a distance,  the famous Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie,  concluding at the palace of Charlottenburg. Thanks to Jakob, though our feet were hurting a bit, but the hour and a half long walk was made enjoyable. Checkpoint Charlie especially has many legends around it with people trying to escape and even managing to keep alive for love and what not. It was amazing!

Until you notice the bullet holes in the pillars at the museum island, or the remains of the wall, on the surface, the city looks fairly modern and neat, to the point of appearing anti-septic. But it is not. Anti-septic, I mean. History has done so much damage to the land, but with the people’s never-say-die attitude, it has always bounced back.

So, after the grim history lesson, we decided to explore the brighter side of their lives, which took us to the Potsdamer Platz in the evening. The lively, packed streets, even on a cold, rainy evening said something, but we weren’t ready for the marvel that was theSony Center! What was it? A total out of the world, beautiful, festive structure! We enjoyed Gluewein(hot wine with spices! It is amazing and also available across the cities in EU) brew and moved on to find a place to eat. Potsdamer is full of eateries, so you can pick n choose according to your budget.

The next day called for shopping, but be warned that Sundays, most places will be closed. The tourist stop at the Alexa Mall however, was open. So, we basically took the metro from one place to the other and revisited some of the attractions. We made a quick stop at the famousBerlin Zoo and I managed to see my first Polar Bears and a Panda live and right across [in cages or islands]! They are so adorable, from a distance and over huge barriers, of course. The snow white wolves and penguins were pretty too, but the smelly hippo and the carnivores in their tiny cages, not so much. Point to note is that they do have open spaces outside the cage, but the extreme cold conditions demand that they be kept in captivity. The pride of lions with their two little cubs kept everyone amused for quite some time with their antics.

A revisit to the Brandenburg in the evening was definitely on the cards. And to add to the fun was trying to spot which window of the Hotel Adlon might Michael Jackson have dangled his baby from! I know, that’s wicked, my apologies! [snicker]

And thus we winded up out Brrrlin trip with a happy dinner and some more Gluewein. Wish you the same!

Photos uploaded on Flickr at https://flickr.com/photos/mons/sets/72157603847168520/

Travel Costs:

Return Train Tickets – Depends on whether or not one has the Eurail pass

Accommodation – Approx Euros 65-70 at a B&B and Euros 30 in a hostel

Food - Approx. Euros 15 a meal

Local commute – Weekend Welcome pass for Euros 18

Misc. Costs – Walking Tours approx Euros 12, Museum entry fee approx. Euros 10/- each

Total Costs - Approx. Euros  100~ Rs. 6, 000 /- per person for a weekend