Berlin: Diamond in the Rough

It’s Europe’s favorite young, sexy city- with grit.

Berlin is a motley patchwork of fragmented moments in time. A rise-from-the-ashes type of city, that always has something new yet with one step in the past. It seems everywhere you will find pieces of history to remind of the past and inform the future

We visited Berlin for my birthday, early June.

May and June happen to be the most beautiful months of the year for the city,

so it was divine.

Unique Must-Sees

Bikini Berlin

Bikinihaus was such a fun stop. It’s an interdisciplinary concept complex housed in a heritage-listed building. You can expect art, food, shopping, events and even a hotel. Plus it’s next to the zoo so you can spy on some zoo animals.

Klunkerkranich Rooftop Bar

A rooftop ecopark/beer garden on top of a mall’s parking structure. Only in Berlin, right? I rang in my birthday here and LOVED the amazing panoramic view of Berlin.

Historic Must-Sees

Free Walking Tour

I know, I know, I’m normally against anything too regimented and touristy. But TRUST ME

We met up with our tour guide at a nearby hostel. He was an Argentinean architect that now calls Berlin home. It was wonderful to see the city and learn the history through his perspective.

DDR Museum

The DDR Museum is an interactive, immersive experience of everyday life in the former Communist East Germany. You get to touch, watch and listen. It covers every topic you can imagine from kindergarten and going to the grocery store, to being held by the Stasi.

Fernsehturm

(The TV Tower) It was constructed between 1965-69 by the GDR government to be a symbol of Communist power and Berlin. It’s 368 meters tall, making it the tallest structure in Germany, and the 2nd tallest structure in the EU. It’s turned into a bit of a tourist trap, so we just enjoyed it from the ground.

Berliner Dom

(Berlin Cathedral)
Is another iconic landmark of Berlin. It was the court Protestant church that sits on the island in the River Spree and dates back to the 15th century. However, what we see today was completed in 1905.
It took some knocks during WWII, as you can see, it’s peppered with bullet holes. And was closed for restoration during the GDR years and reopened in 1993. It’s a noble representation of Berlin and it’s history.

Berlin Wall / Eastside Gallery

Most people may not know that the wall wasn’t a straight line, and that much of it has been destroyed + moved.
What you see in the first photos at The East Side Gallery, isn’t the Wall as it once was. It has been shuffled around the river band and re-appropriated by murals.
The wall as most people lived it can be seen in the last photos, taken at the Berlin Wall Memorial.
This wall was a harsh, guarded, concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided a city from 1961 to 1989

Reichstag

You can reserve a tour online (do it early!) so that you can learn about Germany’s government and view the panoramic glass dome.

Wanderlust?    Here’s $40 on Airbnb

Brandenburg Gate

There is something wonderful about walking with a pastry and coffee on streets that are normally bustling- but it’s early enough that you have the place almost to yourself

TIERGARTEN

This massive park is located in the heart of Berlin, and it’s a favorite place for locals to get away from the city. In addition to multiple monuments and statues scattered throughout, the park also has ponds, gardens, vast lawns, plants, trees, and walking paths.

The Holocaust Memorial

Located in the center of the city, this imposing memorial evokes remembrance and warning. A place of contemplation, it is encourages viewers to walk through disorienting rising paths and blocks. It mimics the rising tension and violence of the war. Others have interpreted it as the process of slowly dying.

A power experience for all.

To Eat

Currywurst

Classic Berlin street food- pork sausage cut into slices and seasoned with curry ketchup normally with a side of fries.

& YES! There are vegan versions… that’s what I ordered

Getting Around

Restrooms

Most restrooms have an attendant. It’s for security, cleanliness, and keeping things orderly. There will be a little sign specifying how much to to tip them, the usual is €0.50 .

Tips

A 10% service charge will be included in your restaurant bill, but it’s common to leave a small tip too. In a taxi, round up the bill to the nearest euro.

Voilà! Berlin! It’s such a vibrant city, with really something for everyone. I definitely see myself going back again.

I sense that there is much more to experience in Berlin, but maybe that’s it’s magic. The city rises from the ashes and reinvents itself every 20 years.