We’d read about a famous stationary shop near Uhlandstrasse metro station. Helene wanted to buy a notebook and pen. When we got there, the shop was disappointing. Apart from the prices, there was not much choice. We postponed the stationary purchase for later on. Hansaviertel is an area that was almost completely destroyed during World … Continue reading / view photos Berlin architecture
Tag: Berlin
Workers of the world unite!
May 1 is a national holiday in Germany. It’s an important day for celebrating and protesting about the rights of workers. Yesterday, our guide told us that Kreuzberg, in particular, was the centre of protests and celebrations. It’s a big day in the calendar. So we headed to some of the places he mentioned. First … Continue reading / view photos Workers of the world unite!
Unique Kreuzberg
After visiting the New National Gallery, we went on a walk guided by a volunteer with GuruWalk . The person was very knowledgeable about Kreuzberg. He had done a lot of research and had many photos of the area over the past century. The district has a high percentage of immigrants, most of whom are … Continue reading / view photos Unique Kreuzberg
New National Gallery
The New National Gallery was closed when we last came to Berlin and re-opened in 2021 after extensive renovation. It was originally designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. He was the last director of the Bauhaus, the 20th century school of modernist art, design and architecture. The general exhibition is in the basement and … Continue reading / view photos New National Gallery
Berlin Tiergarten and KaDeWe
After getting off the night train, we took the Berlin metro to our hotel. At the hotel, we had an entertaining conversation with the receptionist. We told her about our train journey. She replied that there are always delays on German trains! I said that Germans, in the UK, had a reputation for efficiency. She … Continue reading / view photos Berlin Tiergarten and KaDeWe
Paris-Berlin night train
Several people have warned me about how bad the German train system is. When we arrived at 5.30pm to get our train from Paris to Berlin, the noticeboard said the train was delayed by an hour! Helene knew a nice cafe just outside Gare du Nord station. We went to it and had drinks. The … Continue reading / view photos Paris-Berlin night train
Potsdamer Platz
The area we were staying turned out to be one of the places artists congregated. So we took the opportunity of our final half day to look at some of the architecture. We also saw some of the original Berlin Wall at Potsdamer Platz. View photos Potsdamer Platz
Stasi Museum
The Stasi Museum is in what was the headquarters of the Ministry of State Security (better known as the Stasi). So you get to see the offices of the head and others. There are photos of the offices in use and they have a good resemblance to the offices now. So they have been preserved … Continue reading / view photos Stasi Museum
East Side Gallery
We couldn’t pass the opportunity to take part in the relatively nascent and only parkrun in Berlin. So it was an early start and a couple of metro lines to get us to join about 100 people (including many Brits) at the Hasenheide Park. We could have been back in the UK. Dressed in running … Continue reading / view photos East Side Gallery
Wandering around Berlin
The day started with the delightfully spacious central library before joining the crowds at the Brandenburg Gate then walking around the corner to the Reichstag. The German parliament Reichstag building is free to enter provided you have registered on their website. It was partially destroyed during the war but, after reunification, became the home of … Continue reading / view photos Wandering around Berlin