3 Days in Berlin
The Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, Germany
Berlin Highlights
Brandenburger Tor, Potsdamer Platz, Kurfürstendamm and Check Point Charlie, and Potsdamer Platz
With so many attractions and a rich history, we had not allowed enough time to explore Berlin. Hindsight is 20/20. We did, however, have a great time and would love to return sometime. We spent three days in the magical capital of Germany.
We had heard of places such as Brandenburger Tor, Potsdamer Platz, Kurfürstendamm, and Checkpoint Charlie many times, but we had never visited Berlin, despite living so close for many years. Growing up in Denmark, we could not fathom how they could or why they would build a wall in Berlin.
The iconic TV tower in Berlin on a gloomy August day
The wall was built three years before I was born. During my youth, this was just the way it was. We visited the Eastern Bloc in Prague in ’81, and I in ’83.
It became much clearer to us what it meant to live under a communist regime, where you were not allowed to leave your country without permission. A freedom we have taken for granted our entire lives.
Pension Ingeborg
Our accommodation, Pension Ingeborg, was in Kurfürstendamm, about 4 kilometers from the center. It proved to be a good choice. The room was small, but the included breakfast buffet was terrific, making for a good start to long days of exploring the city.
View of Großer Tiergarten Park and downtown Berlin from the Victory Column. The 67m column (283 steps) commemorates the Prussian-Danish war in 1864.
Pension Ingeborg was on the fourth floor, with an ancient elevator. The building had a historic aura. We paid $85.00 per night. We can recommend it.
Kurfürstendamm
This is a vibrant area of Berlin, featuring wide boulevards, shopping, and an endless array of restaurants and cafes. We had dinner in Kurfürstendamm on our first evening and found plenty of tempting shops. You do not have to worry too much about shopping when backpacking.
Excessive shopping is not in our budget, and very few items will fit in our backpacks. But what about the Leica M6 film camera I found on a side street near Kurfürstendamm for a reasonable 1,000 Euros? It should fit. Now I kick myself for not buying it.
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Bombed during the Second World War and never rebuilt.
Hop On Hop Off
With so many sights to see in a short time, we tried something new to us: a two-day Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour pass. The cost was $37.00 per person for 2 days. This mode of transportation worked really well for us, and the route was well-planned, with several interesting stops along the way.
Earbuds were handed out on your first ride. Pick your language, and the informative voice guide will take you through the streets of Berlin, providing heaps of good information.
Except for one stop where a bus had broken down, the buses came and left like clockwork, and you rarely had to wait very long for the next bus.
The famous Brandenburger Tor where the wall finally came down in 1989.
Check Point Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie has turned into a tourist trap, with souvenir shops everywhere and museums on every corner competing for your tourist dollars. You can pay to have your photo taken at the checkpoint if you'd like.
We found a very good information and photography exhibit on the corner across from Checkpoint Charlie, which provided valuable insight into the wall and border areas and the extent to which East Germany went to keep people on the Eastern side of the wall. If you want to dig deeper, check out the Check Point Charlie Museum.
Check Point Charlie
Potsdamer Platz
Potsdamer Platz was completely rebuilt after it was heavily bombed during the Second World War and then laid to waste during the Cold War. You will now find strikingly modern architecture here, and it is home to many corporate headquarters, as well as the famous Bahnhof Potsdamer Platz, a central transportation hub in the city.
Bahnhof Potsdamer Platz
Holocaust Memorial
Di almost disappeared at the holocaust memorial, 2711 concrete slabs of different heights covering 19,000 square meters, near the Brandenburger Tor. The memorial is situated on a slight slope, and its wave-like form appears different from every vantage point.
Neue Wache Memoria
The Neue Wache memorial was a surprise. Built originally as a guardhouse, it now houses a memorial to the victims of war and dictatorship.
An enlarged version of Käthe Kollwitz's sculpture Mother with her Dead Son sits directly below the oculus, surrounded by silence. It is a very powerful visual. It is also the home of the unknown soldier and the unknown concentration camp victim.
The Neue Wache memorial in Berlin
Auf Wiedersehen
After reviewing our stay in Berlin, we both agree that it was more than worthwhile. It was interesting to visit a city so noticeably marked by a wall dividing it into East and West for almost thirty years—a wall Berliners were ashamed of.
Lessons have been learned from this, and it was interesting to see how openly the Germans have chosen to share their dark history.
A reunified Germany has changed the city into a modern metropolis. Construction and renovations are underway everywhere. This city has moved on, yet signals - we must never forget.
We have a few more photos from Berlin below.
The Berlin Holocaust Memorial
The impressive Berlin Mall. It took us 15 minutes to find the washrooms. ¢0.50 to use the bathroom hier bitte.
We had no train to catch but made a stop at Berlin’s Hauptbahnhof, Main Train Station. An impressive architectural accomplishment, completed on time for the 2006 soccer World Cup.
The area around Kurfürstendamm with its quaint shops and cafés is almost as charming as Di.
At Potsdamer Platz, Berlin
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Photos in this article are made using a Fujifilm X-Pro2. Lenses: XF 14mm f/2.8 R - XF 23mm f/1.4 R - XF 35mm f/1.4 R (links to my camera and lens reviews). Editing was done in Capture One Express. I have used Fujifilm film simulations for some of the photos.
