discovering...Berlin!

Berlin is an amazing city. Rich in history, sadness, joy and new beginnings...

On our first day we joined a tour of the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. A sobering and airy experience, especially as temperatures were around freezing point. It was hard to imagine how people survived the winter with the little clothing they were provided. More than 200,000 people were imprisoned in the camp between 1936 and 1945. At first the prisoners were mostly political opponents of the Nazi regime, but were later joined by members of groups defined by the National Socialists as racially or biologically inferior. The green building below was the entrance to the camp. The entrance gate including the phrase "Arbeit macht frei" like many other Nazi camps of the time. A German phrase meaning "labour makes (you) free". 

We also visited the impressive Brandenburg Gate. Many important events in Berlin's history happened here, the National Socialists marched through the Brandenburg Gate in January 1933 to mark the taking over of power. In August 1961 the gate was within the restricted area of the Berlin Wall and became the symbol of the division of Europe during the Cold War. After the overrunning of the border crossings in 1989 the gate was soon opened again. Now it stands as a symbol of reunited Germany.  

Small parts of the well known Berlin Wall crossing point, Checkpoint Charlie still remains. Although it has become a big tourist hub and is hard to imagine what it once was, especially with Mc Donalds right next door! We also climbed the victory column, which would have given a great view of the city had it been a clear day. 

 

Of course we could not go all the way to Berlin and not visit part of the Berlin Wall. The Gallery section of the wall was really impressive. It consists of paintings by artists from all over the world, painted in 1990 on the east side. It is like it is there as a reminder of what Berlin once was and the celebration of freedom they now possess.

The food in Berlin was amazing. Right outside our hotel was the Easter market which contained stalls full of German specialties including Pork and sauerkraut, sausages and soft pretzels. We also tried out their international cuisine at Tuans Hütte Thai Restaurant and were blown away...delicious thai curries! 

Berlin is definitely one of my top five favorite cities I have visited in Europe - highly recommend!