Berlin, where to begin? I had zero expectation for this trip at the time I had initially booked it (6 hours before I left mind you), but left pleasantly surprised and completely in love with this city. The people, the sites, and the fascinating history of Berlin make this city so incredibly unique. As I tell so many people planning their Euro-trips, Berlin is not aesthetically beautiful as many of the other major European cities are, but once you understand and uncover its history, there is no way you can't fall in love.
Highly recommend: Sandeman's Free Historic Walking Tour of Berlin
Muhlenstrabe-- the street with the longest stretch of the Berlin Wall.
The stretch of wall is filled with artwork signifying peace, tolerance, etc.
One of the first stops on our tour was this site, the memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. As you can see it's pretty much a concrete park without much aesthetic significance. It's been criticized for incurring millions of dollars in building and not doing justice to the magnitude of lives affected by the Holocaust.
One thing I remember my tour guide saying though is that its to be interpreted in a million different ways. Just standing in this park gave me a sense of profoundness-- that I was experiencing something so indescribably monumental, even though it was literally a bunch of concrete blocks.
This is the exact location that Hitler shot himself. They turned it into a parking lot to remove any significance to the life and death of Hitler. Part of the reason is also to avoid attracting Neo-Nazis and/or other hate groups
Checkpoint Charlie (not the actual historic checkpoint). It's supposed to be the checkpoint where you would cross over between East and West Berlin during the Cold War.
The Berlin State Opera House
Streets of Berlin in Mitte
Humboldt University, one of the oldest universities in Berlin
Neue Wache: Memorial to the victims of war and tyranny. You can see a sculpture of a mother carrying her dead son in her arms. Such a strong and powerful piece of work.
Berliner Dom- absolutely took my breath away from me.
Berlin culture. I actually have no right to comment on the culture of this city, but I will anyway.
Traditional German food is intense. Here I ordered schnitzel, asparagus and potatoes which is supposed to be a typical German meal. It was heavy. I need some greens!
Berlin has a crazy nightlife. I thought it was crazy in Rome, but Berlin puts Rome to shame. The party does not start til 2 in the morning so when we walked into the club at around 11pm, it was completely empty. Shots, everybody?
Some of the people in met in Berlin from all over the world. US, Canada, Brazil. Much love!
Even though it wasn't glitzy or glamorous, Berlin had to be one of the coolest cities I've ever visited. If you're a history nerd like me, you need to go on a tour of Berlin!
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