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A Weekend in Berlin
Frederick News-Post, March 25, 2007
Home to nearly 3.4 million people representing over 180 nationalities, Berlin is modern, sophisticated, and bursting with energy. Berlin is also historic, the center-stage of not only Germany, but in many instances, the world. It was in Berlin where Hitler drew up his plan for the Final Solution, and it was in Berlin where the curtains finally closed on the European theatre of the Second World War. It was in Berlin where JFK declared the West's solidarity with the divided German country in his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, and it was in Berlin where the Wall finally came tumbling down. And that was all just in the 20th century. To explore Berlin would take a lifetime. But to get a taste of Berlin you can make do with a long weekend.
Our adventure in Berlin begins before we arrive as we look for the perfect place to stay. Contrary to our usual nature, my husband Jeff and I are being picky. We want affordability and convenience to attractions, but we also want a place with character. The Hotel Greifswald located in Prenzlauer Berg, an area in the former East that was home to artists, intellectuals and students, fits our requirements. Upon arrival, we're pleased to find a bustling neighborhood. The sound of bike bells is ubiquitous as parents with kids in tow ride through the streets. Cafes, bars and restaurants abound. But the hotel, set off from the traffic, is quiet and comfortable. And the large breakfast--a veritable feast of meats, breads, eggs, and fruits--makes lunch unnecessary.
Deciding how to see Berlin is about as tricky as deciding where to stay. A first inclination is to divide the attractions by theme or era, but this would be to shortchange Berlin. Today's Berlin is a bustling metropolis that blends centuries of tradition with the influence of modern immigration and that confronts a heavy history while tackling a promising future. We find it fitting to approach Berlin in the same way, mixing the old with the new.
Day 1
There's no better way to get a feel for a city than by foot, so with our stomachs full and our best walking shoes on, we head out. Our first stop: the Reichstag, home to the German parliament. Even in November, there's a line, but we use the wait to examine the building's exterior, which still bears the scars of war in its pockmarked and blackened stone. Once through security, we're whisked up to the cupola, a shimmering glass structure with a tornado-like panel of mirrors in the middle. Though undeniably modern, it fits easily on the rooftop where Soviet soldiers once hoisted their flags, declaring, on a building whose bold dedication reads "To the German People," that Germany had been defeated.
Scanning the 360 degree view offered by the rooftop terrace, we get a first glimpse of many of the sites we plan to see. Just a few blocks south is the Brandenburg Gate. First an official entryway into the city, the Gate became a barrier when it was built into the Berlin Wall. Now it bustles, the past not forgotten, but certainly relegated to the backseat.
A few snapshots and we're off to our next stop, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Opened in 2005, the design of rectangular concrete blocks of varying heights, positioned in a grid along undulating ground, has ignited much controversy. It seems to echo the confusion of the times, but we find it a bit cold and unemotional. The underground visitors center, however, succeeds brilliantly at bringing an overwhelming tragedy down to a level personal and easily grasped. We lose track of time as we sit in the dark, listening to a faceless voice read short biographies of those whose lives were destroyed in the Holocaust. There's nothing abstract about this experience.
Once we return to street level, we're back in stride, moving towards Potsdamer Platz. On my last visit to Berlin in 2001, the area, which had resided in the "no man's land" created by the Wall, was a mess of construction with cranes crowding the skyline. Now I hardly recognize it as it's been transformed into a dazzling business center of gleaming glass buildings, a tribute to modernity and capitalism.
Hunger draws us on, but not wanting to lose much time eating, we stop at one of the omnipresent stands serving Turkish doner kebabs--shaved lamb with onions, tomatoes and yogurt sauce in thick pita bread. It's as good as I remember. Being winter, we don't have many hours of daylight left, so we hustle first to Checkpoint Charlie to check out the replica of the guard house and the sign indicating the invisible line where one crossed from the American into the Soviet zone, and then to the Topography of Terror, an outdoor exhibit detailing the terror of the Nazi reign. That it sits on the site of the former Gestapo headquarters is particularly chilling. An English audio tour is available, but short on time, I put my German to the test translating text while Jeff scans the images. When it's too dark to see anymore, we scuttle away, the gate locking behind us.
Although dark, it's not actually late, so we tour the Jewish Museum, taking in two millennia of German Jewish history, before closing out the night at Sumo, a sleek Japanese restaurant located in the heart of lively Kreuzberg. Over bowls of udon--warm, comforting, and a little spicier than expected--we digest the day's discoveries.
Day 2
We awake to a grey day washed over by a light mist, fitting weather for a visit to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. First used by Hitler to house political prisoners, the camp soon counted Jews, Poles and Soviet POWs among its inmates. While not classified as a death camp, over 30,000 people lost their lives at Sachsenhausen under Nazi rule, primarily from abuse, disease and malnutrition, although many of the Soviet soldiers were shot. Another 12,000 prisoners died after the Soviets re-commissioned the camp, using it to hold German officers, Nazi functionaries and other enemies of the Communist party from 1945-50.
For one euro we purchase a guide to the grounds and begin our somber tour, which includes stops at the reconstructed barracks and original prison, crematorium and execution posts. Two small museums and exhibitions at the sites provide context for what we're seeing. It's still impossible, however, to fully comprehend what happened here and at similar camps across Europe. As the wind sweeps across the ground where the prisoners lined up each morning and evening for roll call, I try not to shiver, embarrassed to think of the luxury in which I stand there--well nourished, completely healthy, dressed for the weather and with the freedom to leave. As we exit the camp we stop by a memorial, which is, in the Jewish tradition of honoring the dead, covered with stones. We place our own stones, a promise to remember a place we would like to forget and the people a nation sought to eliminate.
Wanting to escape the rain, we head toward Museum Island to marvel at man's achievements rather than his failures. We stop first at Curry 36 for one of Berlin's iconic Currywursts: a small grilled sausage cut into circles and served in a pool of spicy tomato sauce dusted with curry powder. There's a stand on almost every street corner, but the constant crowds at Curry 36 make us think it must be the place to try. It's not bad, but I don't quite understand the fuss. I'd take a rotwurst in crunchy bread any day.
Rejuvenated, we spend a moment deciding just where to go on Museum Island--do we want arts or antiquities, old or new?--eventually opting for the wow factor of the Pergamon, which displays art and architecture from ancient Greek, Roman, Babylonian, Islamic and Middle Eastern sites. We admire the elaborate friezes on the enormous altar for which the museum is named but are truly impressed by the Ishtar Gate of Babylon. The bright cobalt blue and ochre painted stones compose a striking monument to beauty and human achievement.
Two hours after entering, we exit to nightfall. The rain has cleared, and the evening is brisk but pleasant, so we decide to walk to Prenzlauer Berg. As we pass the Berliner Dom, strains of Mendelssohn float through the air. Saturday evening vespers are being played on the cathedral's 1904 organ. We sit for a moment on the stairs outside and enjoy a little night music before our growling stomachs bring us back to our feet and on to Gugelhof, a restaurant that specializes in Alsatian cuisine. A flammkuche--thin, crispy pizza-like crust topped with cream, onions and bacon--instantly transports me back to my study-abroad days in the southwest German town of Freiburg. Ending the day with a steaming mug of hot chocolate at a local cafe makes me feel almost at home.
Day 3
Visiting Frederick the Great's "Sanssouci" palace is the primary focus of our last day, but first we take in a different kind of grandeur. The "first socialist boulevard," Karl-Marx-Allee was designed to showcase the glory of socialism. Lined with apartments built in the over-the-top wedding-cake style popular among Soviet elite, the pomposity and false grandeur of East Germany is clear in the elaborate facades of the buildings. As we stroll down the tree-lined walkways, trying to distinguish the old from the new (clearly the McDonald's is a recent edition), we delight in one holdover from the past: the friendly figures, known as Ampelmaennchen, used on pedestrian crossing lights in the former East Germany.
Located outside of Berlin in Potsdam (but still accessible using the Berlin public transportation system), Sanssouci was built in the mid 18th century to serve as Frederick the Great's summer residence. Rococo in style, the residence is not that large by palatial standards, only a single story with ten principal rooms. Enough palaces, temples and guesthouses occupy the park grounds to require days of devotion, so we limit our explorations to the terraced gardens and a tour of the main palace. As we glide room to room in slippers designed to protect the floors of this UNESCO site, a guide directs our attention to the elaborately painted and gilded ceilings, the commissioned artworks and the fine furniture. It's just the type of tour I like--packed with interesting and informative details but short enough to keep my interest from wandering.
Arriving back in Berlin proper, we race against the approaching darkness to fit in a few more sites. Hopping off the train at the Ostbahnhof, we hurry down to the East Side Gallery. The longest and best preserved stretch of what remains of the Berlin Wall, this section has been transformed into an open-air art gallery of murals. Unfortunately, recent graffiti has made some of the art hard to decipher.
The art of ruins is also on display at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, our final stop. Destroyed by Allied bombing, the shell of the church's tower stands in remembrance to the horrors of war. At twilight, the blue glass tiles of the rebuilt worship hall glow from the inside. It's beautiful and haunting.
We could hop back on the excellent subway system, but instead we decide to catch a final view of the city from the upper deck of bus 100. Following a route past some of Berlin's most popular sites, bus 100 provides a free city tour thanks to our public transportation day passes. We pass many of the sites that we visited, and we also get a quick view of many sites that we couldn't squeeze into this trip--the Berlin Zoo, Tiergarten, the Victory Column, Embassy Row...the list goes on. As we finish off the night with beer and schnitzel at Schultheiss, a traditional German restaurant where we share our table with a local couple, we marvel at all we were able to see in three days. We also begin to make a list of the places we hope to see next time, leaving a few blank spaces for yet unknown sites that will certainly have evolved by the time we make it back to this layered and ever-changing city.
If you go:
Hotel Greifswald
www.hotel-greifswald.de
Rates for a double with private bathroom range from 65 to 75 EUR.
Restaurant Gugelhof
www.gugelhof.de
A traditional flammkuche costs 6,80 EUR. Most entrees fall between 12 and 15 EUR.
Berlin Public Transportation (BVG)
www.bvg.de
A day pass covering all Berlin zones costs 6 EUR.
BVG also offers a CityTourCard, which covers all transportation for 48 or 72 hours and provides discounts to many of the city's most popular attractions.
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