Berlin

I don’t normally have an expectation of a city before arriving as I have learned that there is so much more to a place than the tourists and media portray and we all see things differently. So many people tell me that Munich is a much better city. Bavaria is more what you expect Germany to be like. I did come to Berlin for the Berlin Wall and WWII history. People have described Berlin as “a dirty city” but I like my friend’s description “a grunge city”. That makes it sound more bohemian than slummy. There is a beautiful park, Tiergarten which is twice the size of Hyde Park in London and 2/3 the size of New York’s Central Park.

I did the tourist things visiting parts of the Berlin Wall which remain standing, Check Point Charlie, the border of the East/West Berlin, Brandenburg Gate, cathedrals, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

The spot where Hitler and his wife Eva allegedly committed suicide has been filled with concrete, buried, never to become a “memorial” is now a carpark and a small grass area with a sandpit.

I went to Potsdam and did a horse and carriage ride around the perimiter of the palace grounds. I didn’t do enough research on this and at 10 Euro, it was ok, but you could not get off to take pictures. I would recommend a hop on hop off for this area.

I walked around a lot of Berlin and there is so much good food here. Great cafes, restaurants and I bought precooked zuchinni fritters, schnitzel and a few nights had these delicious foods instead of going out for dinner.

A surprise event was CSD, Christopher Street Day Gay Pride Parade held in various European cities. There are so many young people in Berlin!! This day attracts around 1 million people from around Germany. Celebration of all LGBTQ+. In comparison to with my beloved Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, this is more a rally rather than a entertaining celebration but with no less colourful characters.

I stayed in the Grimm’s Hotel am Potsdamer Plaza which is a themed hotel and I got the Hansel & Gretel room. I didn’t realise this when I booked it though. It is located on the one of the canals which connect to the Spree River. There are lovely parks along the canal and on a sunny day you will find people sunbathing, playing bocce in the bocce courts, table tennis tables, sand pits, play equipment, skate park, basketball rings and I loved seeing people enjoying all parts of the park. It is very close to transport to get you around Berlin easily.

The bear is the symbol on the Berlin’s coat of arms and these art sculptures around the city promote tolerance and peace amongst the world’s many different religions and cultural groups. Here are just a few.