Sign in with Facebook"A Few Days in Berlin....WOW !!" Berlin by Greggor58
Berlin Travel Guide: 6,874 reviews and 15,326 photos
I arrived in Berlin on my 9th day of this little whirlwind trip to Europe...and by the time I got here I was fighting a bug that I had picked up along the way...unfortunate as it was I tried to make the best of it but I truly had to force myself to get out there and see some of the city.
My intention was to explore the city for a few days and make contact if it was possible with some friends that live in the area of Berlin..
I was once again so impressed with the historical significance of where I was and the events both good and bad that had shaped this city and the culture of the people of Berlin.
Once upon a time ...I have some links to Germany....in the Seventeen Hundreds a man from Bavaria came to America and eventually found his way to what was then Lower Canada after the American Revolution.This man was a Great Great Great and so on Grandfather on my Mother's side of the family...and his Family name was Carkner....
More recently I had an Uncle that flew over Germany and survived during the Second World War....a bizarre kind of twist that I suppose is more common than we might think.
In any event I was to spend three and a half days here and then return to Canada.
The opposite side of this sign or poster is a picture of an American Serviceman...just to provide some obvious balance here.
I think this city is chocked full of contrasts...old versus new.....luxurious as opposed to simple....historical significance that is wonderful and even GREAT...Humboldt University...for example...and history that is so dark and evil...the Nazi era...and everything that went along with this...
I thought it was pretty amazing that I was walking these streets and seeing things that people like Karl Marx....Albert Einstein...Otto Von Bismarck and a whole host of other historical personalities did!
This is the oldest building that exists on the Unter Den Linden and according to the inscription on the main portal, work was completed in 1706.
The building is designed around a court yard and the four facades are almost identical in design..with the exception of the front facing the main street...
I LOVED the detail in the sculpture of the figures on the exterior of this building...in fact they are made to celebrate victory.There are other figures on the rear of the building,the inner courtyard that contrarily represent the death pangs of dying soldiers...
The building was originally built as a weapons armory, and in 1877-81 the interior was redesigned as the hall of fame for Prussia and Brandenburg and a military museum. Since 1991 it has housed the German History Museum.
- Pros:Lots of history....great mix of old and new archetecture!
- Cons:Too MUCH walking....hehehe...
Reviews (18)
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And you have arrived....Museum Island lies between the River Spree and Kupfergraben...here you will find the Pergamon... more travel advice
The Site of Hitler's Bunker....
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(14)
As it happened....we were so close to it....Fabian...our guide from the "Berlin Walks"Tours...brought us by the site of... more travel advice
See it For Yourself.....
Things to Do
(14)
This controversial Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe...is a 19,000 square- meter area covered with 2711 stones... more travel advice
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Comments (9)
Indeed there is a similarity between the form of the Brandenburg and the Brussels' Cinquantenaire monument. I found, after visiting Berlin, that our Cinquantenaire had better esthetics but not the preeminent historical value from the Brandenburg.
The Pergamon Museum looks fanscinating. The Museum Island looks amazing too. If those walls could talk probably could tell a very interesting events. I always have a hard time visiting Holocaust Memorials, but I am sure it is elegant. Excellent page Greg!
I spent six weeks in Berlin in Dec 84 and Jan 85. The wall was still up. It was really interesting to see more recent information. Much has changed but amazingly, some things have not. Thanks for sharing, Greggor!
Another fine page Greg. Back to researching our trip, only 4 months to go and it will soon catch up. I think we are visiting 17 countries, have to do some work on Visas, otherwise in for a "stuff up".
Excellent pages! Another place full of sad memories of the past. You certainly saw a lot in your time there.
Yes, Berlin is a fascinating city ... There are still so many things I want to see there. After reading your tips i know that next time I must go to Sachsenhausen. But the day after tomorrow I'm taking a bit different direction ... Bavaria
Hello Greggor, intereting facts and impressons of Berlin, remind me of the ay I was impressed with all that Berlin is, and was, the god and the bad, and with everything it has to offer the visitor... I loved your Trabant tip!
A great VT page on the amazing city of Berlin. Tips really useful to travellers.
Greggor, interesting little page about the German capital. Unfortunately, it is quite common here that you have to pay for public toilets.