{"id":13766,"date":"2022-03-01T06:07:18","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T11:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exploringed.com\/?p=13766"},"modified":"2022-11-09T05:12:49","modified_gmt":"2022-11-09T10:12:49","slug":"germany-berlin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exploringed.com\/germany-berlin\/","title":{"rendered":"Berlin \u2013 Dynamic and Vibrant"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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I finally made it to Berlin, the capital of Germany and a cultural, political and commercial powerhouse for centuries. I was eager to see if it would live up to its reputation as a city tolerant of alternative lifestyles and immigrants amid a galaxy of museums, a wide variety of architectural styles and a plethora of historical landmarks. Well, it didn\u2019t just meet my expectations, but exceeded them! <\/span><\/p>

Berlin has a history of cultural and intellectual achievements, especially before WWI and during the Weimar Republic (1919 to 1933), where the Bauhaus architectural movement started, several eventual Nobel Prize winners in science lived including Albert Einstein and an animated social scene existed as depicted by the book and movie \u201cCabaret.\u201d This cultural explosion was mostly at odds with Germany\u2019s military imperialism and extreme nationalist movements such as the Nazis. As a result, Berlin has continually been a city of opportunity and tension, forever recreating itself.<\/span><\/p>

A mere 32 years ago, Berlin was divided between the democratic West and Soviet-controlled East. There are a few places where the wall remains and others which have markers in the street where it stood.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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When the Berlin Wall fell, the Iron Curtain came down and Berlin united. West and East Germany were expected to blend together seamlessly, but after four decades of living apart, it was quite a difficult transition. Perhaps East Berlin merged more easily than the rest of the former Communist state because of Berlin\u2019s culture of tolerance and acceptance.<\/span><\/p>

This post is one personal journey in the current manifestation of dynamic Berlin. You can spend weeks here flitting among attractions from many historical periods while dining, drinking and dancing in a profusion of restaurants, cafes and bars.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why We Went to Berlin<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In August and September 2021, my wife Khadija and I went on a\u00a0 <\/span>five-week drive through Eastern Europe<\/span><\/a> and visited many of the great cities of the region. We allocated the most time to Berlin, four-full days, which allowed us to touch the surface of what the city offers. Our plan was to split our time among the hipster neighborhoods, world-class museums and historical landmarks. Of course, we improvised every day.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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While we were there, music venues, nightclubs and performing arts spaces were closed because of covid.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Is Berlin Safe?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Berlin is a safe city, especially in the tourist areas. There are two things to be aware of but not worry about: pickpockets and scams such as fake police asking for and keeping IDs and shell games where you never win. Here, as everywhere you travel, employ basic safety precautions and use common sense to avoid problems.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Is Berlin Expensive?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Berlin is the cheapest capital city in Western Europe. Everything seems affordable and with a little effort and planning you can enjoy yourself inexpensively. Prices have risen some, especially for housing, which doesn\u2019t directly affect the visitor.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Where to Eat in Berlin<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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There are so many establishments serving excellent food in Berlin, you can only sample a few. There were two we really liked.<\/span><\/p>

In Kreuzberg, we ate at <\/span>Hasir Restaurant<\/span><\/a> serving Turkish cuisine and ever-turning kabob (they have other locations in Berlin). We had tender lamb chops, well spiced chicken and Turkish pudding for dessert.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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While there, we met Ben and Samina, a married couple and restaurateurs. He\u2019s from Israel and she\u2019s from the UK with some ancestry in Pakistan.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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With their help, we were able to get reservations at their upscale restaurant, <\/span>Mrs. Robinson\u2019s<\/span><\/a> which has a set menu for each night and highlights using every part of the animal so there is no waste.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Our second dish is pictured above, line-caught turbot (flatfish from the Northeastern Atlantic), turnips and chicken in bone sauce. Dining here was a memorable experience and highly recommended.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How to Get Around Berlin<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Berlin is a big city, bigger than the five boroughs and surrounding water of New York City. We had a car but parked it the whole time. We used the U-Bahn (ten lines of mostly underground subway) and buses, except one late night we used Uber. There\u2019s also the S-Bahn which is mostly above ground and travels from the central city to outlying areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The subway is fun because of the ever changing mix of people\u2026<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Including this woman with tattooed boot laces.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Buses are sometimes a better option and provide glimpses into the neighborhoods.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Bicycles (and scooters, like the one you had as a kid but now electrified) are everywhere in Berlin.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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You can rent bicycles and scooters and sometimes leave them wherever you are finished, as the rental companies pick them up or have other renters find them. A good number of bicycles have been modified to carry everything from packages to babies. We had to keep an eye out for bikes while we were walking, as many bike paths are on sidewalks, unlike in New York City.<\/span><\/p>

Speaking of transportation, the only Trabants we saw was in a nostalgic museum collection of them.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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These East German cars were ubiquitous in Eastern Europe during Soviet times because they were inexpensive and easy to fix.<\/span><\/p>

Our trip was by no means an exhaustive exploration of Berlin, but here are places we went. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Two books which may be helpful are <\/span>Fodor\u2019s Inside Berlin<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>National Geographic\u2019s Walking Berlin<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Free Walking Tours<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Berlin has many free walking tours every day (no charge, tips are expected). We were fortunate to go on two excellent ones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Will<\/span><\/a> of <\/span>Walkative Tours<\/span><\/a> is from the UK and has extensive knowledge of German history. His tours concentrated on historical places in the center of the city. His explanations were concise, exciting stories relating to landmarks in a visceral way. For example, his description of the Holocaust Memorial vividly portrayed the effect the designers wanted and achieved. He’s one of the best guides we\u2019ve had in any city and we have been on many walking tours.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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In the photo below, I\u2019m with <\/span>JR<\/span><\/a> of <\/span>Moon Dog Tours<\/span><\/a>, who is excellent in giving \u201calternative\u201d Berlin walking tours with an emphasis on street art. He\u2019s from Kansas City, MO, close to where my father was born and raised. He has lived in Chicago, San Francisco, NYC, various places in Asia and now Berlin. I can\u2019t recommend him enough for those interested in this type of experience.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Brandenburg Gate<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Brandenburg Gate is the landmark most associated with Berlin, similar to Big Ben in London, Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Statue of Liberty in New York City.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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For the last three centuries, it\u2019s been part of German history. In the 1730s, Prussian King Frederick William I (this was before a unified Germany) ordered the building of\u00a0 \u201ccustoms\u201d walls with 18 small gates to tax people as they traveled in and out of town. In the 1780s, King Frederick William II wanted one of the gates to be more impressive and grander. The structure was completed in 1791 in a Neoclassical style and capped with the \u201cQuadriga,\u201d a statue of the goddess of victory driving a chariot pulled by four horses. A decade later, Napoleon occupied Berlin, dismantled the Quadriga and shipped it to Paris. In 1814, Prussian soldiers occupied Paris after Napoleon\u2019s defeat and the Quadriga was returned to Berlin. It was installed on the gate with an added iron cross as a symbol of Prussia\u2019s victory over France.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

When Hitler assumed power, he had red flags of the Nazi party draped on the monument. The Gate survived the Allied bombings in WWII. After the war, it was under the control of Communist East Berlin and a boundary between East and West Berlin. The Communists removed the iron cross but it was restored after the unification of Germany. In 1987, US President Ronald Reagan addressed more than 20,000 at the Gate and decried “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Reichstag<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Neo-Renaissance building was completed in 1894. It was the home of the German parliament, Reichstag, until the end of WWII. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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In 1933, there was a fire set in the building, allegedly by a Communist sympathizer, but it could\u2019ve been by Nazis. Nazi propaganda used the event to whip up a frenzy about a Communist revolt, which lead to Hitler being appointed Chancellor. Swiftly, Hitler assumed dictatorial powers and the Reichstag then met infrequently and only to rubber stamp Hitler\u2019s laws. During WWII, Allied bombings destroyed what was left of the dome after the fire.<\/span><\/p>

The building was unused after WWII, then partially renovated and starting in the 1970s used as a museum of German history. After unification in 1990, Berlin became the capital and the Reichstag became the home of the Bundestag, the lower house of Germany’s parliament. The building was completely renovated and the Dome was resurrected. The dome is open to the public and can be reached by climbing two steel spiral ramps. We didn\u2019t have advanced tickets (highly recommended) to visit and didn\u2019t want to wait in line to see if any spaces were available.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Holocaust Memorial<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The moving and sophisticated Holocaust Memorial consists of 2,711 unique concrete blocks (the number of pages in the Talmud) that continually dips from the perimeter. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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As you walk through, you become disoriented. The temperature drops, it becomes darker and it\u2019s difficult to know where you are exactly. However, it happens almost imperceptibly and is an allusion to how Jews lived when they were inexorably being trapped by Hitler\u2019s Final Solution. It\u2019s also a warning to societies to be careful when governments start encroaching on political democratic processes. This memorial is in the center of the city, close to Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag, which demonstrates how importantly the German government values it.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Hitler\u2019s Bunker<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Hitler\u2019s Bunker (F\u00fchrerbunker) is now under an apartment parking lot and marked only by a sign.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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In his last three days, Hitler married Eva Braun and less than 40 hours later they committed suicide on April 30, 1945. Hitler shot himself in the head and she took poison. There are many conflicting versions of what happened to his body, so no one knows for sure.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Tiergarten<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Tiergarten is Berlin’s largest and most popular inner-city park.<\/span> It was once <\/span>the private hunting grounds of the Holy Roman Empire Elector Friedrich Wilhelm. In the 1800s, Berlin started transforming it into a landscaped park with a small zoo. Maybe because of all these animal connections, we discovered statues of animals, including ones from North America<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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