My trip to Berlin was so much fun! The weather was warm and sunny, and I had plenty of time to see all of the sights of the city. I went to visit with a friend of mine who studied in Utrecht last semester, so that made getting around the city a lot easier. All of the people I encountered seemed really nice and welcoming to all of the tourists in their city. On the first day, I took a free tour that led us all though the city and the major sights. Out of 30 people in the group, 10 of us were from the States. Even 1 from Florida. Incredible what a small world we live in!
a church near Alexanderplatz, one of the main underground stops
the Berlin cathedral. Fun fact, even though this church looks a few hundred years old, it's only about 100. The Kaiser at the time, after having traveled around Europe and seeing all of the old cities, wanted to build a cathedral that could match. So, he tore down the existing building and asked the architects to build another not only in the style of the older Cathedrals of Europe, but to also weather the exterior so that it wouldn't look new.
Alexander von Humboldt statue in from of the Humboldt University
Friedrich der Große (Frederick the Great)
Brandenburger Tor
the backside of the Brandenburg Gate
Holocaust Memorial. Made up of 2711 completely unique blocks.
some of the blocks were only about 4 inches from the ground, while others rose to almost 20 feet
hot dog stand...
Luftwaffe Headquarters during WWII, then later used as a headquarters for the Communist party during the Cold War. It is located right next to where the Berlin wall stood, on the East side. Today, it is the Ministry of Finance. It is the only remaining building of the Third Reich in Berlin
this place has been making wurst since 1930
mine. It looks a bit odd in the picture, but it really was delicious
my friend's currywurst.
TV tower in Alexanderplatz. You can see this tower from anywhere in the city
the Berlin Bear
lot of Trabis. Formerly produced by an East German manufacturer, these cars were the most popular of East Germany, and today stand as one of the symbols of that era. These cars are part of a museum, but you can also take a tour in one of the cars through the city
remnants of the Berlin Wall from the East side
this red, double bricked line runs all throughout the city wherever the wall once stood
remnants of the wall from the west side
Gendarmenmarkt
Checkpoint Charlie. One of the largest checkpoints between the East and the West during the cold war. Although the signs are not original, some of the pictures are. This is a view from the East side looking at the American controlled West side. The face of the soldier looking over the East was meant to be intimidating to the East, and reassuring for the West.
a church in Kreuzberg, one of the neighborhoods of Berlin formerly on the East side
there's tons of graffiti everywhere you look in Kreuzberg. It's one of the reasons this neighborhood is so appealing to young artists
fountain in Alexanderplatz
one of the oddest things I've ever drank. To begin with, it's half a liter and brownish in color, so I felt like I was walking around the city sipping a 40 (which wouldn't have been so weird, since I saw plenty of people going down the street and hopping onto the train at 10am with a beer in hand). It tastes like iced tea, but it's carbonated and has an energy drink mixed in. It's really popular for younger people to drink, but I guess it must be an acquired taste because I still haven't finished mine
I realized I didn't take any pictures of the area where my friend lives, but it was a really nice neighborhood in the Northern part of Berlin called Pankow. It's a pretty quite area, but the buildings were all really cute and tidy. It was part of the East side, which is apparent in the way the homes are arranged in orderly rows, all made quite similarly. I had a lot of fun on my trip, as well as learned a lot about German history.
<3 Rachel
