Live: Berlin - Capital of Germany

After a 10 hours overnight train from Munich, we arrived at Berlin, the capital of Germany. It was my second time in this fabulous city and I was looking forward to visit new sites and to revisit some of my old favorites. Unfortunately, things turned out quite differently as we planned. Dawn and I fell ill on the first night and the weather took a turn for the worse on the second day onwards. With only three full days, many of our plans were shelved, including nights shots for the Bradenburg Gate, Reichstag and trying out of different local food. Still, with the attitude I had for such unfortunate (look at my tips) events, this city turned out to be quite fascinating for both Dawn and I.

As per Munich, we started with a tour with the New Europe Free Walking Tour. The tour was jam-packed with historic facts and figures, stories from the past and experiences from all over the world. From the formation of the Germanic tribes to the first Germany Republic, from the Weimar Republic to Hitler and from Communism to Liberation, the amount of information passed down is too much for an average human to take. But who can blame the tour, it was in Berlin where it all happened, this was the center of all the actions.

Walking down the streets of Berlin truly makes history come alive. We started with the symbol of Berlin - the Brandenburg Gate. Afterwhich, a walk through Eastern Berllin took us through the different eras of the Berlin turbulent past. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews gives us the space to interpret the horrors of the Final Solution carried out by Hitler, the Charlie Checkpoint and the museum allow us to relive the experiences of the struggles of a forceful separation, the ex-Nazi Airforce Center showed us what the new Germania would have been and the Bebelplatz tells us of a story of ignorance and intolerance. There are many more places that will reflect the struggles Berliners and the Germans had went through before Germany reached what she is today. One lesson learn - the peace and prosperity we have today cannot be taken for granted, what was ours today may easily be gone tomorrow.

One highlight of of this city that is off the beaten track is the Berlin Jewish Museum. This museum is different from the other structures dedicated to the Jews. The most important difference lies its in emphasis on not the horror of the holocaust but on the need for everyone to move on. In order to that, understanding of the Jewish race is essential. This museum took me for a Jewish ride of my life and it was worth the five hours that I was inside. The architecture was amazing and thought evoking, the exhibits were interactive and it certainly gave me a fresh perspective of things. A must-visit if you have the time in Berlin.

Overall, a three-day visit (hampered by the weather and illness) is never enough. Instead, plan for a good 5-6 days as it will allow you the freedom of time. Besides the historical Eastern Berlin, there is the modern areas in German around Potsdam Platz and the good Germany History Museum. Usually I wouldn't recommend history museums but this one is special because the events in German history has a direct impact on what we are today, see how the world in the 20th century evolved into the world we know in the 21st century. Other museums on the museum islands are also worth some time. If time allows, a day trip down to Potsdam is good to see the German version of Versailles. Grand palaces are littered around that area and you get to see a rare side of Berlin - the pre-modernist era. Berlin is certainly a place for one to really has to understand and reflect on the past and ponder the would-have-beens. So read up on your history and be there to watch history come to life.

For more information:
http://myguidetoeurope.blogspot.com/2011/07/berlin.html