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Berlin, Germany - Squeezing Berlin - 20 July 2003

Posted by Edmond on Sunday, October 12, 2003 · Comments (3)

My last day in Berlin so it was the best time to take stock of the rest of Berlin. Starting early for Prenzlauer Berg before making my way west towards Rote Rathaus, TV Tower, Nikolaiviertel, Museum Island, Unter Der Linden and Mitte. Even after this, there was still a few hours left before my flight so I was just able to squeeze in the Berlin Wall and Oberbaumbrücke, the sights of Berlin from the dome and the Riechstag glass dome.


Background

Reading over my cheap guide book the evening before, Prenzlauer Berg looked like a sensible choice to start the final day, with its contemporary architecture mixed in with the old soviet suburbia. Unfortunately, the guide book didn't show me where to look! Fortunately, I salvaged the tour by visiting the quiet square of Zionkirche, passed the large watertower and saw a cafe with funny wind propellers.

Then I made for the more usual places, such as Alexanderplatz (which I had seen a million times before when heading back to the hostel), the reconstructed medieval square of Nikolaiviertel and its huge church. Occupying a very small area near the river, I got bored quickly and went straight to Museum Island. Unfortunately, much of this area looked more like a construction site due to the renovations going on so I instead walked past the Berlin Dome and Altes Museum before going to Unter den Linden.

But it seemed everywhere I went, most or all buildings/squares were being renovated, so it was quite hard to admire the true beauty of Berlin's squares. Although I can clearly make out the Opera house and St Hedwig's Cathedral, Operaplatz and Babelplatz was completely closed off while the two cathedrals in Gendarmenmarkt were undergoing renovation.

I finished off Unter den Linden by catching one of the public buses up to the Riechstag, the parliament with the big glass dome that you could see for free. But there was a big queue so I put this as the last destination as I scoured for more stuff to do at the tourist office near the gate. The Berlin Story looked interesting, but may prove too tight before my flight home, so I was left to ponder as I made my way east towards the Berlin Wall and making a temporary stop to see the New Synagogue and the trendy and avant-garde Mitte district along the way.

Connections to the longest stretch of the Berlin wall, I felt were quite inconvenient, had to choose between two stops on the same metro line. Nevertheless, it was a 5-10 minute walk to the wall and the East-side gallery, which appears another 200 metres inside the wall. Despite the history of the Berlin wall in shaping the history of the city, I decided to skip the gallery, since seeing a couple of sections of the wall graffiti was already enough.

Instead, I saved the last remaining euros on a climb of the Berlin Dome, which was worth it considering the views. From all points of the compass, the whole of Berlin can be practically seen from the top, not to mention the huge urban sprawl that has developed over the years. The squares of Alexanderplatz and Babelplatz, the River spree, Brandenburg Gate, the Riechstag, in fact anything famous or notable of Berlin, could be seen quite easily.

Catching the same bus route, I finished off Berlin with a tour of the Riechstag Dome. By this time, the line was much shorter and the flow of tourists was less congested, so after passing the security checks, I was able to see the glass dome and take in the city views. History would tell you that the original building was destroyed, so this was a reconstruction done after the war, but with the feel for a modern and forward-thinking parliament. And the reflections and transperancies of the glass dome above a reconstruction of a pre-war parliament seemed appropriate for a city that had gone through so much and had to move forward.

For travel hints and photography tips, please use the comments form.


Technical

Canon EOS 300V and Canon A20 Powershot for digital camera shots.


Links

East Side Gallery
Berlin Dome
Berlin Online


© Edmond, 2002