Berlin- August 2010

For my 30th birthday Nadia organised a trip to Berlin, somewhere I had wanted to go for a long time. Berlin is awesome, its got so much to see and do, it has 2 lots of massive history in Nazism and the East / West split with the Berlin wall. This is also combined with great eateries and bars and the whole place has just got an amazing chic coolness to it and I got to practice my extensive German language speaking skills- Das ist gut!

We left first thing on Saturday morning and came back on Monday having had a brilliant weekend away my birthday weekend. Our home coming was capped off by watching the ABs smash up Australia, doesn't get much better than that!

Above- Banderberg Gate

Above-Reichstag building

Nadia & Laura climbing to the viewing platform

Inside the Reichstag building- where you can look down into the parliamentary chambers

The Jewish memorial

2,711 slabs which are the same width and depth and vary in height. The meaning of this has been left to be interpreted by the viewer. Some theories are that the stones are representative of all the individuals, tall and sort, skinny and tall, other same it is conformity, others see the slabs as being similar to the train carriages that were constantly taking people away in.

The Berlin wall
As mentioned above the great thing about Berlin is the history. We did a free walking tour which tells you about all the major sights. Just when you have got your head around Nazi Germany, as you stand within an empty car park where Hitlers shot himself in the bunker below, you roll around the corner to the Berlin wall. I didn't realise how all the events of the wars were the major causes of the events that followed i.e. Nazi Germany spring out of WW1 defeat, WW2 Defeat caused the country to be split into 4 occupations. The most notably the split with the soviet union and the other western countries.

The Berlin wall doesn't look so big and scary these days but I suppose you need to imagine some extra barbed wire, human sewage thrown on the wall and the guard towers with snipers stationed every few 100 metres. It wasn't called the death strip for giggles I suppose.

Das ist ein grosse bier!

There are some crazy buildings around the place. This one looks like they literally slapped a silver porta cabin on the roof of the brown building.

Above- The former Nazi Headquarters building (seen on the movie Valkyrie) one of the only Nazi buildings to survive the allied bombing. The building was later used by the DDR hence the pictures of the random happy communist workers and where later a mass protest was held during the uprising (mural below). The building is now used as the ministry of finance.

The TV Tower in East Berlin is the tallest structure in Germany and was originally built in the 1960's to show off the strength of the GDR (German Democratic republic). The tower when the sun shines on it has the effect of causing a crucifix reflection a term called 'the popes revenge' which used to annoy the atheist GDR government no end.

Above- At the University which was the sight of the burning of books monument. The monument in the middle of the square is literally a room underground with empty shelves. There are enough shelves within this room to house all the books that were burnt on that day in 1933 by the Nazi's.

Above- The new guard house- Monument to victims of war and tyranny. The sculpture of a mother with her dead son. The monument is quite cool how it is exposed to all the elements, which is intended on symbolising the suffering.

Museum Island- you name it its here- I am surprised there is not a museum celebrating the history of all the museums in the area.

We stayed at the St Michel berger hotel in the Fredrichshain district, which is very close to the east side gallery- a graffittied section of the Berlin wall. The hotel is very cool and trendy, as demonstrated by the this pile of suitcases above and lamp shades made of books below.

Potsdam
On the last day we headed out to Potsdam for a change in pace. Potsdam is to Germany as Windsor is to England. You can reach Potsdam by the train in about 45 minutes from central Berlin. Like Windsor there are more castles than you can shake a stick at and the surrounding gardens and lakes are great to walk around.

Above- The new palace.

Above- Orangery Palace

Above- Sanssouci Palace

The main shopping strip in Potsdam

Laura showcases that classic German family name famous for having the best strawberries in all of Germany- Driscolls.

Above- The Sony centre- my new 'happy place'

The National Gallery- Berlin.

For 'my' birthday Nadia decided it would be great to go and have some big ice creams from Hagan Daas as a treat for 'me', such a thoughtful act - so selfless.

Above- Berliner Dome

The famous East German (Ampelmannchen)- these were originally just on the east German side and was a good way of knowing what side of Berlin you were on, but they are now so popular with the tourists that they are popping up all over west Germany as well. There are variations on these with a girl with pig tails apelfrau and a little guy on a bike as well. There are now tourist shops with little green men paraphernalia available from mugs to undies.

Great City! Great Birthday! Thanks Wifey :-)