Visiting Berlin

June 15-17, 2005: After our trip to La Palma, we flew to Berlin where we stayed for three nights and four days. Although our time in Berlin was short (everyone assured me it would take weeks to really see Berlin), we managed to see many of the city's landmarks, eat some fine food, drink more than our fair share of Berliner Weiße, and even catch a play. Not bad for a first visit.

While in Berlin, we stayed at this fabulous apartment that Fred discovered on the internet. It had lots of space, a terrific view, and a prime location right off Alexanderplatz. As you can see by this interior shot, it also serves as a great advertisement for IKEA!

This shot shows one of the spectacular views from our apartment window. Here you can see Berlin's oldest church, the Nikolaikirche, which was built in 1230.

We went on several impromptu walking tours, visiting many of the city's most well-known sites--the Berliner Dom, the Brandenburg Gate, the Pergamon, and the Reichstag to name a few. Behind the Brandenburg Gate, they have constructed a huge mural that shows what the gate looked like just after the war.

Fred took this great photograph of an anonymous woman bicycling in front of the mural. I love the photo because she looks like she belongs in the original scene, sort of like she road her bike through a time warp that transported her from Berlin circa 1945, to the modern city, 2005.

In order to see the Reichstag, we stood in line for about an hour, baking under a very hot sun. Although the heat was uncomfortable and our clothing choices only exacerbated the problem (Jeans and dark t-shirts. What were we thinking?), it was worth the wait to visit this historic building. This former head quarters of the German Parliament was built in 1894 and is now home to the Bundestag, the lower Parliament. In 1918 the German Republic was announced from its balcony. The building is perhaps most well-known as the centre of Hitler's dictatorship from 1933.

Here's Aviva inside the Reichstag's dome. The original dome was demolished during the war and the reconstructed one is fabricated almost entirely of glass, affording an amazing 360 degree view of the city. Before the building was reconstructed, it was "wrapped" by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the artists who recently installed "The Gates" in New York's Central Park.

We also visited the Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedächniskirche in the western part of Berlin. The church was severely damaged during the many bombing attacks on the city and the ruins of the spire were left as a kind of memorial to World War II. There are also many vendors around the church and it's an excellent place to get french fries with curried katsup and currywurst. Though I didn't eat the wurst, I did love the french fries--Aviva let me sneak a few of hers!

After visiting the church, we went to one of Berlin's most famous department stores--Ka De We. It is this amazing, multi-story building that sells the latest designer clothing, handbags, home furnishings, etc. While all of that is rather impressive, I was enamored with the sixth floor, which is dedicated entirely to gourmet foods--cheeses, chocolates, seafood, meats, candies, fruits and vegetables. We bought about five different kinds of chocolate, assorted candies, and marzipan. In fact, I think everything we purchased was edible.

And, of course, we had to pay a visit to Checkpoint Charlie, the third Allied checkpoint through which tourists from abroad, diplomats and Western military personnel were allowed to enter East Berlin.

Nearby there is a famous sign that is written in English, Russian, French and German that warns--'You are now leaving the American sector'. Here I am, playing tourist, standing in front of the sign. I couldn't resist buying myself a little red t-shirt with this statement on it. Somehow the political climate in the United States, and my Canadian citizenship, add new irony to the statement.

I also took a picture of the soldier whose job it is to pose with tourists. I seemed to have caught him off guard. Is he in the midst of a little jig? Or is he kicking the sandbags in disgust?

One night, after a day of site-seeing and shopping, we went for pizza and Berliner Weiße. It's a light, slightly acidic beer to which they add one of two kinds of syrup--Göbber Waldmeister (Woodruff ) or Göbber Himbeer (Raspberry). Believe it or not, you also drink it with a straw. Although I was a little skeptical at first, I loved the stuff. Unfortunately, it's not easy to find outside of Berlin.

On our final day in Berlin, we went to see a play called Ristorante Immortale performed by Schon & Gut. It was this really fun pantomime that depicted a family's attempt to start their own restaurant. Unfortunately, no patrons ever grace the door of the restaurant and the frustration created by their failed enterprise inspires daydreams, musings, and arguments that are both hilarious and tragic. It was a lot of fun and because there was no dialogue, I didn't have to rely on anyone to translate for me!

While we were trying to find the venue for our play, we explored the area around the theatre, a one-time art installation called the Spree Bridge Bathing Ship, constructed by the Berlin artist Susanne Lorenz and the Spanish architects Artengo-Menis-Pastrana. The piece consists of a swimming pool and two wooden plateaus floating in the Spree.

The pool is surrounded by lounge chairs, hammocks, sand, and a bar where you can buy drinks and bathing suits. According to the sign explaining the work, this modern installation "pays homage to when Berlin had 15 such bathing facilities along the river at the turn of the 20th century." Since its original construction in 2004, it's become a very popular hangout that attracts swimmers, dancers, and young Berlin hipsters. Or, slightly confused, somewhat skeptical tourists!

Before the play, we had dinner at this restaurant right along the water's edge called the "Freischwimmer." The numerous bars and restaurants in the area create a rather interesting inner-city escape from Berlin's "concrete jungle." Or a hipster's alternative scene that attempts to combine the best of city and sand. It was so hip that we even saw a woman walking her sheep. Yup. You heard me right. A sheep. It doesn't get much more alternative than that!