Ich bin ein Berliner

Thursday 14^th September

Here we are again – another holiday, another Blog post. This time we’re going back to Germany and seeing what Berlin has to offer and so, with sleep in our eyes and toast in our hands we left the house at 5.15am and headed to the airport. Security was a breeze and in no time at all we were on our way to Berlin! Upon arrival in Berlin we joined an excruciatingly long customs line and just as we began to lose the will to live, we heard those beautifully words “EU citizens this way”. Mere minutes later we had passed through immigration, boarded the train and checked in to our hotel.

Keen to make the most of the day we dropped off our bags and set off in search of lunch! The Joseph Roth Diele, a Lonely Planet recommended restaurant based next door to the Jewish inter-war writers old house, serves local meals to actual locals. We were the only tourists in the place and while the majority of the menu was in German, we managed to order two delicious meals; Schnitzel and Goulash!

Happily fed and watered, we headed back towards the centre of Berlin and out next stop; the Topographie des Terror. We got caught in a downpour of biblical proportions but persevered and were rewarded with our first glimpse of the Berlin Wall.  This segment of the wall is flanked by a timeliness detailing Hitler’s rise to power and the significance of the Topographie of Terror site. It was here that between 1933 and 1945 the central Nazi institutions, including the secret state police office, the Reich security office and the SS leadership, were based.

From here we made our way to Hitler’s Bunker. Famous not only as a centre of Nazi operations, the Bunker is also where, with the allies closing in and the war all but lost, Hitler and Eva Braun took their lives. Destroyed following the war, the site of the Bunker is now a car park, surrounded by high rise evidential buildings. I cannot ever imagine wanting to live near such a place but I suppose it’s difficult to find anywhere in Berlin that hasn’t been touched by war time atrocities.

Leaving the Bunker and its lone sign we made our way to a much more imposing memorial – the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.  Known as the Holocaust Memorial, the 2,711 concrete slabs are organised in rows, set slightly askew in a grid on a sloping field. Rory and I spent some time walking through the solemn columns and I felt, as the architect intended, some semblance of the confusion and despair felt by the Jewish community in Europe.  It was oppressive, confusing and highly claustrophobic. All of which greatly surprised me as I had been sceptical about the power of a concrete memorial before visiting.  It is something I would definitely recommend going to see and as a bonus it’s not far from another point of interest – the Brandenburg Gate.

Built in the 18^th Century on the orders of the Prussian King Frederick William II, it has been a symbol of peace, a symbol of division, the site of numerous major historical events and now, a symbol of European unity and peace, it’s no surprise that this ever-changing gate is Berlin’s most famous landmark. The gate itself is very impressive and really quite beautiful. How strange to think that today hundreds of tourists stand in the square, snapping smiling photos and making happy memories but just seventy years ago the crowds were made up of soldiers, saluting a man responsible for the death of millions.

A short walk from the Brandenburg Gate takes you to the Reichstag. Opened in 1884, this building and the suspicious fire of 1939, enabled Hitler to declare a state of emergency, thus cementing his position of power. The building, which has been burned, bombed, rebuilt, covered in material (in the name of art) and finally returned to use as a parliamentary building, is impressive to behold. The gigantic German flag which waves in isolation and alongside the European Union flag, shows the present day might of a country that this been defeated and rebuilt many times in the last century.

The next impressive sight we took in was Dunkin’ Donuts. While perhaps not as culturally or as historically significant as the pervious sights, it was a welcome stop and gave us the energy needed to walk to Checkpoint Charlie. I am sure the tourist hordes would have looked particularly out of place in the 1970s when the Checkpoint was used by those passing between the ally occupied territories! We snapped the obligatory photos and once again headed off in search of food.

The Thursday night market is a favourite of locals and tourists alike and it’s not hard to see why. Dozens of small traders fill the hall, each serving something unique and delicious. After scoping out the hall we went for a beef Bao bun, dumplings and pizza! I loved that the market was full of friends having drinks and families sharing food – the food scene in Europe really can’t be beaten! 

Shamefully full we contemplated heading back to the hotel but sense prevailed and instead we made our way to the East Side Gallery. The 2km stretch of the Berlin Wall is what most people think of when they think of the wall. Adorned with murals from local and international artists, it’s a world away from our walls in Belfast! But don’t despair, I’m not forgetting my roots – on the subway home about thirty Atletico Bilbao fans crammed in to our compartment and proceeded to chant and sing the whole way back. While that wasn’t exactly delightful, getting back to the room and watching Suits with a nicey was!