I spent far too little time in Berlin–we were nearing the end of our journey around Europe and we were exhausted from nonstop traveling. It was hard to make the most of our short stay there, but we did our best!
As someone who loves learning about World War II and the Cold War, I was excited to visit Berlin, but I didn’t really know what else to expect besides the Berlin Wall. I also wasn’t prepared for how modern Berlin was either. It was hard to imagine beforehand just how much the city had to be rebuilt.
Despite all the modern architecture and lack of concrete plans, we saw a lot, most of it related to either the Second World War or the Cold War. History was everywhere:
The Brandenburg Gate…
The Holocaust Memorial
Checkpoint Charlie
The Berlin Cathedral (Berliner dom)
The Reichstag building
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was probably the most prevalent part of our trip. Everywhere we went, we saw either memorials or reminders of it:
Or actual parts of it…
Berlin does not deny its past–instead, it seems to acknowledge it and make its visitors and residents aware of what happened.
A few other things to note about Berlin: I fell in love with currywurst there; I loved seeing the Easter Market; I ate some of the best pasta of my life there. I also loved seeing the little cars on display and the view from the Berliner dom.
I wish I had written this post sooner, as I surely would have had more to say; but I will say one more thing: Berlin might be the most unique city I’ve ever visited. I hope to return one day and take in more of the city and appreciate all that it has to offer.
Ray says
Berlin is on my Top 10 list of International cities to visit! I’ve been to Munich and the Bavarian Alps when I was in highschool, so I only have a brief taste of what Germany is all about. I really want to experience more of the history, cultural and food scene that Berlin is known for, though. Glad to see that there are no plans to remove reminders of the Berlin Wall as that would be a travesty.
almathews says
Yeah, they definitely have a unique culture and history that they seem to accept, if not embrace. The Berlin Wall seems to have become an integral part of Berlin that definitely won’t be leaving any time soon!