"Berlin Revisited" a Berlin Travel Page by Mariajoy

A brief potted history - I lived here (in Charlottenburg to be precise) with my family (mum dad, two older brothers) many years ago - waaay before the Reunification of Germany, in the days when a school trip involved getting on an old bus and being driven to see "The Wall" and the Brandenburg Gate in the east, beyond. We were able to watch the armed East German guards watching us through their binoculars, from their towers and saw sad little memorials along the way to those who had bravely attempted in vain to make their escape to the west. The Reichstag was defunct back then as the government was based in Bonn and certainly wasn't open to visitors as it is now.

When we returned to the UK, my older brother stayed and now lives in Potsdam. I have always wanted to return to Berlin, and see the changes that have occured since reunification and so, with the help of Ryanair providing cheap flights, I took a little nostalgia trip to a city I once called home and loved very much. The first time I touched down in Berlin it was in Tempelhof, this time I landed miles from the city centre in Schonefeld.

Throughout this page I won't go into masses of history of Berlin, this can be found anywhere and in far greater detail than I could ever attempt to provide. The tips will be more of a personal reflection on the changes I have seen since I was last here over 30 years ago.