Berlin
12 – 17 July, 2023
Berlin was another city that we’d only visited for a day while on a cruise. We were struck by how beautiful it was and wanted to spend more time there. It was a super quick flight from Copenhagen, so we go there in plenty of time to check-in to our hotel, have dinner and go for an evening stroll. Turns out we were only a ten minute walk from Museum Island. So that’s where we went.
Museum Island is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a small island in the middle of Berlin that contains five spectacular museums. They’re all very different and extremely beautiful. We didn’t actually go into any of the museums, because honestly, we’d had our fill of museums in June when we visited Washington D.C. If you’re into art and history this would definitely be a place you’d want to spend a day exploring. We loved wandering around looking at the gardens and the intricate architecture.
Wandering around the city
On our first full day after breakfast, we headed over to Brandenburg Gate. It became a symbol of unity once the Berlin Wall fell. This is one of the most iconic structures in Berlin. Directly through it, sits the Tiergarten. This park is massive. We spent a good hour meandering through the park. We came upon a memorial to Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn, which I really wanted to see. It was beautiful. You could easily spend an entire day in this park.
It’s amazing that this memorial wasn’t completely destroyed during WWII. You can see bullet holes all around its exterior.
Siegessäule (Victory Column)
We continued our way through the Tiergarten and eventually arrived at Siegessäule, also known as the Victory Column. We had no idea what it was, other than something beautiful to look at. You go through a tunnel beneath the busy street to reach it. Turned out it was another tower of 285 steps to climb. On the actual column itself are spectacular mosaics. I loved looking at these. The depth of color and shadow they achieve with tiny pieces of tile is so amazing. Inside the tower is a really interesting museum. The column was built in 1865, and it represented three different victories over the span of decades. It offered a beautiful view of Berlin. Climbing up to the very top, we were able to get quite close to Lady Victory.
So Much History
If history doesn’t fascinate you, Berlin might not be the place for you. Everywhere you go there are reminders of all the horrific and tragic things that have happened in this city. My perspective on Berlin is a little different from most tourists. I had the opportunity to lie in Germany for 2.5 years during my twenty year military career. I lived just outside Stuttgart, which is 6 hours southwest of Berlin. My husband and I immediately noticed that Berlin has a very different feel to it, compared to the other places we’ve visited in German. It’s kind of hard to describe, but it feels like there is a sadness and a darkness that hangs over the city. We noticed it our very first night there. There are so many beautiful spots in the city, but there are also a lot of scary, not so pleasant places too. I know full well that this exists in every city, but there is a somewhat disturbing feeling that stayed with us the entire time we were there.
I know that all the historic places from WWII and the Holocaust play a big role in the feelings I had while in Berlin. There were times that I felt sick to my stomach looking and reading about the history there. I don’t say any of this to dissuade people from visiting, I think everyone needs to know and see with their own eyes the atrocities that happened there. I just didn’t expect to be so emotionally impacted everyday by it. We visited Checkpoint Charlie and one of the longest remaining pieces of the Berlin Wall, which has a very impactful museum alongside it. The colorful murals along the wall that still stands were done in 1990. After the wall fell in 1989, the country invited 118 artists from 21 countries around the world to help create art that would bring hope and peace to a long divided country.
As our time in Berlin was winding down, a heatwave swept across the city. We had one day that was pretty miserable, it got up to 95 degrees but felt like 103 with the humidity. That day we rode around on a Hop-On-Hop-Off bus. It was still horribly hot, but at least we didn’t have to walk everywhere. We took in more sights and had a long, lingering lunch in an air conditioned restaurant.
We were able to take a tour of the impressive Reichstag, which is home to Germany’s parliament. This building is beautiful inside and out. The exterior is very grand and looks somewhat like a castle, while the inside is very modern. The panoramic views from the top are stunning. You can learn a lot about German history as you make your way up to the dome. Definitely try to get your tickets in advance to make sure you can get it.
Charlottenburg Palace
Once again, we debated on whether or not to visit yet another palace. Again, I was so glad that we went. It was really interesting visiting two palaces in two different countries. Their styles and decor were both magnificent but very different. The palace was completed in 1699, and was initially known as Lietzenburg Palace. King Friedrich built it for his queen, Sophie Charlotte, a great lover of the arts. After her untimely death at just 36 years old, Friedrich renamed the palace and the surrounding area Charlottenburg in her honor.
The photos don’t do this palace justice. The chapel there might be the most beautiful room I’ve ever been in. The colors and the murals were absolutely gorgeous. I could have sat in that room alone for 30 minutes, There was so much to look at. I feel extremely blessed to have been able to visit dozens of palaces and castles around the world. I know why I like visiting them so much. They’re just so over the top and completely unlike what the majority of the world sees everyday. It is sad to think about the excesses that royalty enjoyed while most of its people were poor and starving. Seems very selfish when you think about it.
The Food
Berlin is like most large European cities in that you can find just about any type of food possible. Of course, we ate a lot of German food, but we also ate sushi, Mexican and Italian. The breakfast at our hotel was really nice and they had a plentiful buffet along with an a la carte menu. We were really disappointed with the flammkuchen, maybe you have to be closer to the French border to get the really good stuff. The one we got was like a cracker with a very tart cheese sauce. Vic was super excited to find a gluten & dairy free schnitzel.
Here we have a yummy apple strudel, the disappointing flammkuchen, burgers, schnitzel, fresh fish and wonderful bread and wine. We had fantastic bread and wine everywhere we went. I love a country that’s not afraid of carbs and fat.
Overall, Berlin is a city full of history and a lot of beautiful things to see. Our reaction to how we felt while we were there was a surprise, and unsettling. I’ve loved traveling to many other places in Germany, and the Bavaria region is one of my favorite places in the world. I believe every human being should see the evidence that remains from the holocaust. It’s a scary reminder of how horrible people can be to one another. You would hope people would learn from it and never want anything like that to happen again. Now that we’ve visited multiple places from this part of our dark history, if we return to Germany, I think we’ll steer clear of these places and just stick to the beauty of it.