Berlin to Warsaw

Another day, another train trip. This one was a six hour ride to Central Station in Warsaw, leaving at 12:29pm. There was a compartment of 6 people - a German (Peter), an English couple, a young Israeli woman, two Polish men, & me.
Peter was a railway engineer & we chatted consistently for over 3 hours until his stop arrived & he left. I had a bit of a challenging chat with the Israeli woman about the Israel/Palestinian conflict. I wanted to know why the Jewish people didn’t seem to appreciate that the Palestinian people also needed a homeland. That the constant conflict was extremely detrimental to the children who had only ever known conflict & war. She just said it was complicated & that no one could work out an answer. I felt that was a bit of a cop out, like she felt that nothing could be done so why try. It was a disappointing, but interesting, result.

I also located a wonderful warning sign on the train - see photo.
The train arrived at 6:20pm & after consulting with a few locals that could speak a bit of English, I finally found the direction of my hotel. A 25-min walk later, I arrived there.

Alexanderplatz

It was early evening on my last full day in Berlin & I still was keen to visit the famous Alexanderplatz, a large square where many had gathered as news of freedom spread in 1989.

It's a thriving, bustling place with so much going on at any one time. People busking & lots there to just hang out with their friends or watch the crowd. The World Clock, a famous landmark, was also located there.

So, if you want an authentic Berlin tribal feeling, head off to Alexanderplatz.

Cool Graffiti Art on the Old Wall

There was a large piece of the Berlin Wall that had remained intact down on the East side that was well worth a visit.

2009 is the 20 year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. This part of the wall was now branded the ‘East Side Gallery’ as artists from around the world had been invited to paint their art on the wall. IThis piece of the wall probably ran for about 800-1000m, filled almost completely with art, although some blank spaces were left for new art. The east side of the wall had been painted first as it represented the overcoming of the repression of artistic & cultural freedom.
The wall was originally raised to stop mass emigration of the people to West Berlin. But many of the people, after having left East Berlin that night in 1989, came back home within a week. They didn’t really want to leave their home - what they did want was the freedom to be able to travel & leave if they so desired. I kinda like that freedom too.

Horrors of Nazi Germany

My last full day in Berlin was left to explore the atrocities of Nazi Germany. The ‘Topography of Terror’ is an open air museum based at the site of the old Gestapo/SS headquarters, now demolished. The new museum is still being built & in the meantime, they’ve established a pictographically history along a path on the site. Museum entry was free to all visitors.
I was moved to tears - a powerful introduction to the monstrous crimes perpetrated by the Nazis. And while wandering along & reading all about the history, I couldn’t help but think about the news story I saw only a few nights beforehand about the rise of the far right extremists in Hungary trying to clamp down on the Roma (gypsies) who they blamed for the crime sweeping the country. It all sounded far too familiar. How in trying times we continue to blame the ‘other’ for all of our problems. We still haven’t learned from history.
Then on to the Jewish Museum, which was an incredible architectural building. I had always wondered why the Jewish people had been the target for so much hatred throughout history. It was while I wandered through the Jewish museum that I finally understood why. How myths & lies and the fear of difference had built a severe intolerance to these people. And it was here that I also finally understood why the Jewish people needed to have their own homeland after being denied assimilation again & again in so many countries - never permitted to completely fit in anywhere.

Free Berlin History Walking Tour???

I’d read my Lonely Planet guide the previous eve & had picked out my must sees & circled them on my Berlin map. It had also mentioned a free tour - yes, that’s a FREE tour - that departs outside Starbucks at Brandenburg Gate at 11am.
I had a look at the Reichstag, the parliament house where Hitler came to power. It was almost overpowering in its stature. Unfortunately the dome inside was closed to tourists on this day, so I decided not to wait in the line for an hour to get in. I then went & had a look at the memorial for those that had lost their lives trying to escape East Berlin - a simple but effective memorial.
Then I wandered over to Brandenburg Gate & found Starbucks just in time to get a ticket for the tour. Deal was, if you were happy with the tour guide, you tipped them at the end. The tour would take us past all the key points in the city centre, & Nikolai (a man whose Bulgarian parents fled the east for NY when he was a child) was our guide & provide much insight into the history of this place. He explained that Berlin was the site for the declaration war for both WW1 & WW2, as well as being the site of the end of the Cold War - WOW!!! And you can really feel the depth of history here - it permeates everything.
We visited the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, Jewish Holocaust Victims Memorial, Hitler’s Bunker (also the site of his suicide), the headquarters of the Luftwaffe, the Berlin wall/s (actually two that ran parallel to each other a few metres apart), the Berlin University, Book-Burning Memorial site, & the old palace, amongst other things. The tour ended up taking 4½ hours, & I was exhausted after it. I met a couple of Aussies on the tour, & one woman, Anna, & I went to the Pergamom Museum after the tour. Our focus was in viewing the Gates of Ishtar which supposedly were from the ancient city of Babylon.
After the museum, we went & had a drink before heading our separate ways back to our temporary homes.

The 100 Bus in Berlin

I had promised myself that I’d get up early, but that just didn’t happen. I finally got out of the hotel at about 9:45am then skipped across the road to grab a quick breakie. I then jumped on the Metro up to the Zoologischer Garten stop, then found my way to the bus stop to catch the 100 bus. This bus is a popular tourist bus (as is the 200 bus), even though it’s a regular bus, because it stops at most of the major highlights in Berlin. Much better than those very expensive sightseeing buses. And it was even a double decker!!!

Berlin Orientation

As soon as I could I was out & about wandering around my local Berlin area. I was for about 35 mins when I came to the most well-known of the shopping strips - Kurfurstendamm. People were everywhere, out spending their hard earned cash.
The Tourist Info centre was an experience. The guy there didn’t really think I needed any information & didn’t give me anything to read. He said that most tourists buy a book on Berlin & that I should have done this. When I asked if the drinking water here is safe, he laughed out loud & stated quite matter-of-factly that it’s some of the best drinking water in the world (as if I should dare to question German quality). Anyway, I purchased a 72 hour travel pass there for 22 euros that enabled me to travel by any public transport method in that period.
It was a really hot afternoon, & everywhere along the shopping strip there were fruit juice & ice-cream stands. I finally succumbed & purchased 2 scoops of Movenpick ice-cream - DELICIOUS!!!
I wandered past the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, a church that was bombed in WW2, & whose pastor had assisted in the resistance against the Nazis. Luckily, it survived, though only partly intact.

Copenhagen to Berlin by Bus/Ferry

I prepared myself for a really long bus ride. The bus was about half the price of a train journey, so it justified the rather cramped conditions you so often find when riding long distance buses.
The bus left from behind the central rail station at 8:30am. Thank goodness, I was able to sit by myself with nobody beside me. About 3 hours into the trip, we came to the ferry crossing. I had no idea it would take close to 2 hours for the crossing, & it was great to get out of the bus & have a walk around. Not much to do on the ferry though. Did get a chance to buy some mini Jaegermeister bottles & chocolate on board though!! Marie had packed a lunch for me, so I was well prepared & didn’t go hungry.
The countryside in both Denmark & in Germany was beautiful. Remarkable how many wind turbines both these countries have invested in, with them dotted all over the countryside.
We arrived at 3:30pm, & the bus terminal was in the middle of nowhere. Luckily I grabbed a person that could speak English & she showed me how to get a ticket for the Metro & which way my stop was. The Metro system in Berlin is fantastic & I got off right in front of my hotel.
I was surprised that my hotel room was so large, I could have fit a family of four in there.