Berlin
"Terbulent" is the word that can be used to describe the past of Berlin. No city in world must have had such a burning history (from Napoleon Bonaparte to Adolf Hitler). Berlin has witnessed the World War I, World War II and the Cold War...
This weekend I and Harshad (the camera guy) happened to visit Berlin. The ICE took 4 hrs to reach Berlin at 11pm on Friday. We stayed in a very vibrant Youth Hostel. The trip was planned by yours truly, so we already knew the sequence of places that we would be visiting.
The Wall: Saturday morning, after a sumptuous breakfast, we went straight to Berlin Wall (13th August 1961 - 9th November 1989). Now called East Side Gallery (with numerous wall paintings), it is the longest existing stretch of the famous wall of Berlin that divided the east from the west side of Berlin.
TV Tower: After the East Side Gallery, we went to a place called Alexanderplatz. The Berlin TV tower (359m) stands here. We went to the observatory at 200m by a lift travelling at 6m/s. From here a beautiful view of the capital city of Germany was for the taking. At 207m was a cafe which rotated 360° and you could see the city while sipping on to your cup of coffee (apple juice in my case). It was also here that we got an idea of the location of places that we were about to visit.
Unter den Linden: It is the most famous boulevard of Berlin (like Rajpath in Delhi). Along this street are located the numerous wonderful monuments. Our walk from the tower towards and along the street was a joy. Notable architectural beauties were the Berlin Dom, the Concert Hall with two Doms on each side (termed as Europes most beautiful square), the University building (where Marx Planc taught), the Opera house, the city library (where Einstein worked) and many others.
Check Point Charlie: At around 4pm, we went to this place. It was and American check point from where people could cross the east west border. There is a museum here that depicts the post World War II history of Berlin.. basically the Cold War. It was this place where the American and the Soviet tanks used to stand facing each other. [The museum took a lot of time :( ]
Potsdamer Platz: Our client had advised us to visit this place in evening. When we went there, we knew why.. This place is the symbol of modern Berlin. It has numerous modern architecture wonders. A very tall and completely transparent building of Die Bahn (German Railways). When totally lit and viewed from distance, gave an impression similar to Dagdusheth decoration at night. Then there was Sony Center (Sony Corporations Europe center). This place is absolutely ammmazzingg. It hosts numerous restaurants and shops and cinema halls (include an IMAX dome). But it created an unbelivable sight combining glass, light, water, color and ppl :). We had our dinner at Potsdamer platz.
Brandenberg Gate: After our dinner, we went to this impeccable monument that epitomizes Berlin. It stands at one end of Unter den Linden. We specially planned to visit this at night when it bathes in incandescent light.
Reichstag: The German Parliament, situated very close to the Brandenberg Gate. Its again a very noteworthy architecture. It has a great history of its own (like it was ablaze in 1933. The Nazis immediately took advantage of the situation in order to advance their cause at the expense of civil rights). There is a new glass dome atop the parliament. People are allowed an entry into the parliament. We were on top of the German Parliament at midnight.
Kaiser William Church: The next day morning (in cloudy weather), we saw an old church located near our hostel. This church was half destroyed in World War II and has been conserved in the same state till date. It gives an idea about the kind of destruction the city underwent in the war (every other appartment was totally destroyed).
Tiergarten: We went to the Tiergarten. It is the biggest garden (call forest) of the city and occupies virtually most of the city. While roaming in the garden, we wondered what 'Tier' meant.. :) (I thought it meant 'Tiger').. Today i found out that it meant 'beast'..
The Siegessäule: Located at the center of Tiergarten. It is a tower with golden statue of Victory on the top, and is one of the most imposing landmarks in the city, and reflects the city's history in remarkable fashion. This monument was moved from the Parliament to its current location in 1938. You can go to the top, right beneath the statue. The view of the city from here is excellent. This was a real nice experience.
Charlottenburg Palace: Lastly, we visited this palace. Wasnt as wonderful as we had expected.. but the garden around it was real beautiful (1/3rd of Berlin is gardens). Had luch in an Italian restaurant. (saw fotos of Tom Cruise and many many celebreties visiting the restaurant). Finally took the bus to the station and at 5pm, took the return ICE (first class). There was a personal video for every seat :) apart from the 6 audio channels..
Finally.. the city is really beautiful.. this trip was the best till now. Nebody who loves history would enjoy it. Nebody who doesnt would love it..
Have a nice day
Abhijeet
PS: Note that the photos in this mail are from net and not by our camera.. would soon upload our photos.
This weekend I and Harshad (the camera guy) happened to visit Berlin. The ICE took 4 hrs to reach Berlin at 11pm on Friday. We stayed in a very vibrant Youth Hostel. The trip was planned by yours truly, so we already knew the sequence of places that we would be visiting.
The Wall: Saturday morning, after a sumptuous breakfast, we went straight to Berlin Wall (13th August 1961 - 9th November 1989). Now called East Side Gallery (with numerous wall paintings), it is the longest existing stretch of the famous wall of Berlin that divided the east from the west side of Berlin.
TV Tower: After the East Side Gallery, we went to a place called Alexanderplatz. The Berlin TV tower (359m) stands here. We went to the observatory at 200m by a lift travelling at 6m/s. From here a beautiful view of the capital city of Germany was for the taking. At 207m was a cafe which rotated 360° and you could see the city while sipping on to your cup of coffee (apple juice in my case). It was also here that we got an idea of the location of places that we were about to visit.
Unter den Linden: It is the most famous boulevard of Berlin (like Rajpath in Delhi). Along this street are located the numerous wonderful monuments. Our walk from the tower towards and along the street was a joy. Notable architectural beauties were the Berlin Dom, the Concert Hall with two Doms on each side (termed as Europes most beautiful square), the University building (where Marx Planc taught), the Opera house, the city library (where Einstein worked) and many others.
Check Point Charlie: At around 4pm, we went to this place. It was and American check point from where people could cross the east west border. There is a museum here that depicts the post World War II history of Berlin.. basically the Cold War. It was this place where the American and the Soviet tanks used to stand facing each other. [The museum took a lot of time :( ]
Potsdamer Platz: Our client had advised us to visit this place in evening. When we went there, we knew why.. This place is the symbol of modern Berlin. It has numerous modern architecture wonders. A very tall and completely transparent building of Die Bahn (German Railways). When totally lit and viewed from distance, gave an impression similar to Dagdusheth decoration at night. Then there was Sony Center (Sony Corporations Europe center). This place is absolutely ammmazzingg. It hosts numerous restaurants and shops and cinema halls (include an IMAX dome). But it created an unbelivable sight combining glass, light, water, color and ppl :). We had our dinner at Potsdamer platz.
Brandenberg Gate: After our dinner, we went to this impeccable monument that epitomizes Berlin. It stands at one end of Unter den Linden. We specially planned to visit this at night when it bathes in incandescent light.
Reichstag: The German Parliament, situated very close to the Brandenberg Gate. Its again a very noteworthy architecture. It has a great history of its own (like it was ablaze in 1933. The Nazis immediately took advantage of the situation in order to advance their cause at the expense of civil rights). There is a new glass dome atop the parliament. People are allowed an entry into the parliament. We were on top of the German Parliament at midnight.
Kaiser William Church: The next day morning (in cloudy weather), we saw an old church located near our hostel. This church was half destroyed in World War II and has been conserved in the same state till date. It gives an idea about the kind of destruction the city underwent in the war (every other appartment was totally destroyed).
Tiergarten: We went to the Tiergarten. It is the biggest garden (call forest) of the city and occupies virtually most of the city. While roaming in the garden, we wondered what 'Tier' meant.. :) (I thought it meant 'Tiger').. Today i found out that it meant 'beast'..
The Siegessäule: Located at the center of Tiergarten. It is a tower with golden statue of Victory on the top, and is one of the most imposing landmarks in the city, and reflects the city's history in remarkable fashion. This monument was moved from the Parliament to its current location in 1938. You can go to the top, right beneath the statue. The view of the city from here is excellent. This was a real nice experience.
Charlottenburg Palace: Lastly, we visited this palace. Wasnt as wonderful as we had expected.. but the garden around it was real beautiful (1/3rd of Berlin is gardens). Had luch in an Italian restaurant. (saw fotos of Tom Cruise and many many celebreties visiting the restaurant). Finally took the bus to the station and at 5pm, took the return ICE (first class). There was a personal video for every seat :) apart from the 6 audio channels..
Finally.. the city is really beautiful.. this trip was the best till now. Nebody who loves history would enjoy it. Nebody who doesnt would love it..
Have a nice day
Abhijeet
PS: Note that the photos in this mail are from net and not by our camera.. would soon upload our photos.
posted by Abhijit... at 8:17 AM
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