Berlin is a city with SO much history.
If you asked me at school if I liked history it would definitely have said NO. Plus, my teacher looked like he had LITERALLY stepped out of the history books. But since I have been travelling, I have discovered that history really is just a giant story….and I love stories!
I was off to Berlin with a friend for a one day entrepreneurship conference….though I felt I needed at least 5 days….I mean, it WAS my first time to Berlin and I needed to explore…..
Cool conference location!
Obviously the first things one thinks about when they think of Germany or Berlin is war and communism, and it’s true that it is a huge part of the city. Kids are taught the truth about brutally honest truth about German history and rumour has it that they will have visited 3 concentration camps by the time they finish their education. The German education system is making sure children learn not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
I decided my best bet for a version of the history that wouldn’t bore me to tears was a walking tour. It was fantastic. Our guide was from the UK but had fallen in love with Berlin and stayed. His tour was almost as good as the tour I did in Medellín, Colombia.
We hit all the well known spots – Brandenburg gate, The Jewish Museum, Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, a Gestapo bunker and a square where books were burned.
This sounds quite depressing, but it is important to remember that this IS a part of history that can’t be glossed over, and hopefully be remembering, we can avoid repeating history.
The Brandenburg Gate
The Jewish Museum
The museum is underneath this memorial, designed to walk through alone. It is believed that walking through it will leave you feeling confused and lost, replicating how the Jews felt.
Original communist portrait
Communist headquarters
Checkpoint Charlie. The crossing point between East and West Berlin…complete with cheesy American tourist attraction.
The Berlin Wall
To me this was fascinating – a piece of history that happened during my lifetime.
These places also told of stories of inspiration, courage and hope; watching the hundreds of tourists lining up to pay their respects at the museum and hearing about the man who escaped over the Berlin wall (or the one who simply stole a tank and drove right through it). Berlin was not always this way – back in the day (1600’s) Berlin was quite progressive, actively promoting immigration and religious tolerance, bringing thousands of new citizens to the city.
The rest of my time in Berlin was spent in cute cafes, walking (A LOT) and checking out a fun design market. The city has so many green spaces! Plus, the weather was pretty much perfect and the sun didn’t go down till 9.30pm. I suspect it would be a different story in winter when the buildings would seem greyer and colder.
PS. If you are staying in Berlin and want a cool Airbnb, stay here. It was amazing!
