According to Claudia Schiffer, “Berlin is
like being abroad in Germany.” I agree with Claudia. Berlin is idiosyncratic and
the best place I know to try to understand German history and culture, both of
which cast an enormous shadow over this remarkable city. On every street, at
every corner is an Imperial story or a Nazi story or a War story or Divided
City story. The list goes on. And if you are younger than I am and interested
in the new stuff, there are gay, alternative, techno and graffiti stories – all
to be had for a price point considerably less than New York or London. Berlin
is old and new, dynamic and depressed, hip and historic – all at the same time.
I was there recently thanks to an
optimistic football/soccer supporter and a team that let him down. Convinced
that Chelsea Football Club would win the Champions League, the Editor took a
large apartment so that our large family could attend. No Champions League
final for Chelsea. Instead we invited friends one of whom was a former resident
of the great city, to join us for 4 intensive days of tourism. Caveat emptor –
if you are looking for a post on the gay/alternative/techno/graffiti scene, you
need another blog. We’re too old for that.
Anyway, we had a blast - the monuments, the
museums, the restaurants and the coffee houses, all tied together by an
efficient and user-friendly public transport system. But, it’s a big city and
you have to be strategic about how you tackle it.
A great way to start is to join some kind
of city tour that gives you an overview. We splurged with a guide and private
car, the advantage being that we were able to pack a ton into half a day: the
Victory Column, and Bismark monument, the Bundestag, the Brandenburg Gate, the
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the site of Hitler’s bunker, Check
Point Charlie, sections of the Wall – some decorated - and the Charlottenberg
Palace. Our guide, a Brit with a penchant for WWII and strong views on
everything, was great. We saw a lot, learned a lot, and the scene was set for
the rest of our visit.
Also a good idea is purchasing a Berlin
WelcomeCard that includes travel on the public transport system and
discounts or free entry to over 200 tourist attractions.
Cultural
Highlights
The magic No Crowds moment presented itself
on Sunday when we were at the Neues
Museum sharp at the opening and had Nefertiti and the entire Egyptian
and Trojan collections entirely to ourselves. It’s analogous to having a
private moment with the Mona Lisa. Granted it was January. Actually you should
go to Berlin in January if you want to avoid crowds. There weren’t any. Yes it
was cold but hey, it's winter.
The Pergamonmuseum
was also fairly empty, probably because the show-stopping Temple of Miletus
was closed for renovation to reopen in 2020 but there is still plenty to see
including the Market Gate of Liletus, the Ishtar Gate and the Processional Way
from Babylon.
The much smaller Kaethe-Kollwitz
Museum on the Fasanenstrasse is a great No Crowds experience too, hard
work but worth it. Kollwitz was an artist who devoted her career to the
eradication of poverty, social injustice and the horrors of war and her work is
powerful and moving.
The Neue
Synagogue on the Oranienburger Strasse, is well worth a visit with an
excellent exhibit on the lives of Berlin’s Jews in the Centrum Judaicom.
It’s also worth the effort to visit the Bundestag. You need to
register in advance online and have your application accepted. If you can
afford it, a great way to get in to the building is to eat at the Kaefer restaurant at the top of the
Dome and they handle the security registration for you. The city views from
the restaurant are spectacular and the photos and explanation of
the building’s history in the Dome are instructive. Lunch was very good as was
the experience. And when we came out there was a massive demonstration against
the WTO agreement on agriculture (TIPP) with some very colorful and inventive
protestors.
Sadly, the Charlottenberg
Palace was also being renovated but the Neuer Fluegel & Neuer Pavilion are open and fun to see,
especially if you like over-the-top interiors.
Restaurants
and Coffee Houses
Because we were travelling with an insider,
we ended up eating and drinking at some wonderful places. Highlights included:
The wine bar attached to Lutter &
Wegner in the Gendarmenmarkt, serving Austro-German cuisine with a great wine
cellar. Atmospheric.
Zur Letzen Instanz (Waisenstrasse 14-16) in
the Nikolaiviertel. The oldest restaurant in Berlin with traditional German
food featuring “Man versus Food” portions.
Fun.
Restaurant Heising (Rankestrasse 32), an
old fashioned, French mother/daughter run establishment where you feel as if you
are dining in someone’s elegant home. An experience.
The Orangerie attached to the
Charlottenberg Palace for lunch. Convenient, good atmosphere and food.
And two coffee houses stand out for their
old world/Central Europe authenticity and appeal – the Café Einstein (42 Unter
den Linden) and Café Wintergarden in Literaturhaus Berlin (Fasanenstraaae 23)
which is suppose to be excellent for breakfast.
