Something rare happened during this trip: I failed to unravel what makes Berlin tick. Meeting Rafa for a four-day break in the midst of a guidebook research assignment, he planned to show me why he loves the capital so much. In fact, everyone I know raves about Berlin. We saw killer museums, found interesting World War II remnants & enjoyed beautiful architecture; however, something seemed to be missing. What could it be?
Architecture
After meeting at the Ostbahnhof —I trained from Dresden & Rafa had been a few days in Potsdam— we left our luggage at the hotel & started exploring from Alexanderplatz. Stopping only for a tasty pork schnitzel, we walked until the early evening through Museum Island & the borough of Mitte. While I understood how Leipzig & Dresden redeveloped after 1945, Berlin left me wondering… did they really need to rebuild the original façade of the Humboldt Forum? More questions loomed, but I chalked it up to being tired from work & let the city reveal itself over the next few days.
Olympiastadion
A must-see for me. We enjoyed a nice metro ride out west & explored every bit of the grounds we could. Opened for the 1936 Olympics & witness to the record-breaking performance of Jesse Owens, the attention to detail of its restoration thrilled me. I kept thinking: Am I really here? So goofy. The humidity was getting to us by the time we left for lunch, but what an incredible site. Afterwards, we continued the theme of the day & saw where Hitler’s bunker had been located as well as the former Ministry of Aviation building. Bussing back to the hotel was a challenge, so we relaxed over a picnic dinner.
Tempelhof
Yet another must-see. When this classic airport closed in 2008, I feared I’d never be able to visit in person… so I’m pleased they’re giving new purpose to a beautiful complex. The tour took us to endless nooks & crannies: the former restaurant, US installations like Cold War interrogation rooms, a basketball court, a raquetball court (!), bomb shelters as well as unrestored sections. Fantastic facility.
After strolling through & lunching at the Turkish market in nearby Kreuzberg, more sightseeing called…
Museums
With such limited time, we had to choose wisely. Some decisions had already been made for us: the Pergamon remained closed & the last few days of a Caspar David Friedrich exhibit at the Alte Nationalgalerie had sold out months ago. But there were plenty of other options. The Egyptian collection at the Neues Museum was my final must-see of the trip: the Nefertiti bust in a room by itself with no photos allowed! More gorgeous than any picture can suggest. The building itself —displaying war damage— was just as engaging.
Next day we headed to see Albert Speer’s model of what Berlin might have become, but for some odd reason no photos were allowed. Incredible that thing survived. Later we spent most of the afternoon at the Bode with its wonderful collection. As mentioned in another post, kudos to German museum curators because overall the exhibits inform, teach & provide excellent food for thought.
Berlin Wall
I loved our hotel’s location along a former section of the Berlin Wall near the River Spree. After wandering along the East Side Gallery, we enjoyed a final evening together before work took me to Hamburg. Rafa stayed a few days extra to soak in more of the city. In fact, I’d return home before he would!
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Ok. If all the sights we visited were so fantastic, what did I fail to understand about Berlin? I still don’t know exactly. I loved the museums, the food, the history —well, summer humidity & Alexanderplatz not so much— but I doubt I was in Berlin long enough to figure out how the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Every other place I’d experienced on this trip felt more lived in & relaxed, but I guess I’ll need another visit (& more time) in order to dig deeper. Bis dann!