Berlin

Chris and I were both really excited for this stop. Not just to see this amazing city full of history, but it gave us a chance to catch up with Nigel who we haven’t seen since New Years. I have to start off by saying that I love this city. I sit here writing this blog in Tempelhofer Park which was once an airport, laying in the grass, sipping my tea. Well under a quarter of the city seems to be awake at this hour (10am) and there are a handful of people who are enjoying this park with me. Berlin has so much green space that you would almost forget that you are in a bustling city.

Nigel lives in the hipster side of town. It is full of little cafes, funky bars, beautiful large parks and even a church that contains a bar!  One of the best things about Germany is not only the beer, but also the laws around drinking in public…. Which is almost non existent. People walk around after work holding a beer, drinking on the train ride home or sitting in a park. It is absolutely wonderful!

Berlin is full of secret gems and underground hot sports. Nigel has been an amazing tour guide and showed us many places not on any tourist map. Our adventure included visiting this small bar in Nigel’s neighborhood which has drawings on the walls, random furniture as seats (such as car seats and bathtubs), a foozball table and board games.  We met some of Nigel’s work friends at a large empty industrial warehouse that was full of at least 40 food carts. They sold literally every type of food, even drinks or desserts. Chris and I got these amazing beef tacos with extreme hot sauce and guacamole while Nigel tried the Korean hot dog and 48 hour roasted steak.

On Saturdays at the end of Nigel’s street, just in front of the church, is a market full of about 10-20 stalls. The locals were out buying fresh fish, vegetables, flowers and coffee. We bought lattes from a barista selling coffee in a kart that, in some way I still don’t understand, is drive-able. On our way home we stopped for traditional potato pancakes. This man and his wife were making these large fresh potato pancakes in a small tent. Traditionally they are topped with either apple sauce or sour cream but that day he was using an apple and pear sauce which was to die for.

Nigel shared some of his favourite restaurants with us. The first was Schillar Burger. A small burger joint on his street that sells the most amazing burgers with sweet potato fries. I got the BBQ and bacon burger while Christ got the chili cheese burger. They were amazing. The second restaurant was this great Roman noodle place near the water.

Berlin is full of so much history that it would take months to hear it all. We were shocked to hear that in the two years that Nigel has lived in this city he has yet to do a tour of it. So obviously we dragged him along on our walking tour. The plus side to having Nigel tag along was that it was like having a second personal tour guide who filled in all the little details along the way. Plus when the tour was over we stopped at this sweet bar and enjoyed our beer on lawn chairs looking out at the river.

On our tour and throughout our days in Berlin, the most interesting things we saw were:

• Most of the main tourist attractions like what’s left of the wall and the Brandenburg Gate.

• The Jewish Memorial: The artist did an amazing job. The concrete blocks look uneven when you stand on the street but upon entering the memorial it is a whole new experience. The blocks are different hights but the ground is also uneven causing the blocks to raise high above you. claustrophobia, confusion, drop in temperature and the feeling of unease are just a few of the feelings you feel while you walk through the simple, dark, sobering memorial.
  • The Jewish museum located under the Jewish Memorial is worth taking some time to explore. Just like the memorial, the museum was created beautifully. It was simple, dark, respectful and easy to understand. The saddest parts were reading the old letters post card and journal entries of those who suffered during the war. It really does paint a picture of the cruelty and fear Jewish people endured.

• Hitler’s Bunker: Which is now destroyed and cover with a parking lot which is kind of funny.
• Soviet War Memorial: HUGE. The monuments are brilliantly carved and the statues are beautiful.

• Topography of Terror: a history museum that holds information about the SS, Nazi army, Hitler’s plans, and what actually happened to people in ‘protective custody’. You could easily spend hours at this museum.
• Mauer market: takes place on Sundays outside Mauer park. Chris and I browsed around the PACKED 100 – 150 stalls that sold antiques, second hand goods, boxes of records and obviously food. I found an amazing ring, an awesome old key and we shared a delicious glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.
• Visiting Potsdam and drinking a bottle of wine in the Sanssouci Park gardens then exploring the palaces inside.

• Exploring the many green areas Berlin has to offer.

As I said before Berlin is so full of history and stunning sites that it is hard to fit everything in. If we ever go back I would want to go on a more in depth tour of Berlin’s history.