Pieces Of | Berlin

I decided to start my Saturday (which was my first day) by going on a guided tour. There are a few free tours available which are tip based. Basically you go on the tour and afterwards you pay what you think the tour was worth. The tour lasted about three hours and I afterwards realised we didn’t even see half of Berlin.

We started at the Brandenburg – the most visited attraction in Berlin. It used to be the main entrance into the city. Onto is a women on her chariot riding into the city bringing peace with her. We then headed to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe which was one of the most memorable memorial sites I’ve ever seen. It was more art than anything else. Slabs of stone were next to each other row after row, everyone the same size but different lengths.  The ground also went down and up making each slab a different height. It was possible to disappear between the slabs, making it an experience.

We walked on and came to a stop in a parking lot. Which was strange until the guide explained that below was Hitler’s bunker. It was filled up with cement some time ago and there was decided against putting up anything because it would motivate the wrong people. So instead they decided to just make it an ordinary car park. I was glad that I went on the tour, because if I had gone in search for it I would have walked past it without even realising what it was.

We saw part of the Berlin wall which wasn’t as intimidating as expected. We then made our way to Check Point Charlie which was one of the checkpoints Berlin visitors had to go through. The other two checkpoints were A and B; Alpha and Bravo. It was a busy intersection with constant movement. The fascinating part was gas masks which were being sold on the street.

Our next stop was Gendarmenmarkt where the concert hall (Konzerthaus) is located as well as the French and German churches (Franz Dom and Deutsche Dom) across from each other. In the middle is a monument of the German poet Friedrich Schiller. It is a beautiful place to visit, especially when someone is making music near the monument. It gives the surroundings a more artistic feel. 

Our last stop was Bebelplatz, the square where some of the book burnings took place. A monument can also be found in the ground by looking through a glass window. It took me a while to realise the empty bookshelves in the wall was the monument. The square also housed the first theatre which was open to the public, not just the elite. I did some more exploring the rest of the day which will be in my next blog post. Stay tuned!

Felicia

xoxo