In the morning, we had a short walk around Checkpoint Charlie. We then checked out of our hotel since Helene was going to join her work group. For one night, I checked into a hostel. It was within walking distance of the train station I was going to tomorrow morning. In the evening, I decided … Continue reading / view photos East Side Gallery 2026
Tag: Germany
Berlin architecture
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
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
Back in Germany
Whilst inter-railing many years ago, the cold got the better of me in Scandinavia. Earlier on the same trip, Pier-Paolo, an Italian I’d met in Oslo, had asked me to go stay with him and his family in Rome. I had said it was too far from Finland, which was where I was heading. A … Continue reading Back in Germany