Berlin

One of the things I love about travel is that wherever you go, you get to see that people are basically good, and experiencing this gives your faith in humanity a warm boost. I feel a bit uneasy about visiting Berlin, because I think the sadness of its history will be too sad. And it is. I feel sick to my stomach as I walk to the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, Potsdamer Platz, the Berlin Wall museum, Checkpoint Charlie, the former secret service HQ, the site where Jewish people were deported on trains to concentration or extermination camps, and many other memorials to all of the terrible things that happened here not so long ago (not even a century). 2019 is also the 30th anniversary of the Berlin wall coming down so there are lots of memorials dotted around Berlin. Tourists with their selfie sticks climbing on things and posing for pictures with their big smiles in all of these places does nothing to make me feel better. This is a heavy place to visit. After a couple of hours I am feeling quite low and take a pause in one of the many local parks to sit in the sun and recharge. It is 24 degrees today – quite unexpectedly warm for this time of year but I am not complaining at all. Although I might have to go shopping if the warmer temperatures last because I left most of my summer gear in the UK.

Today is a Sunday, a day of rest, and nothing much is open except for these monuments, museums and food places. Being the weekend I am sure I can find some local hang-outs if I go searching, and I do find some amazing places. Berlin photo week is on and there are awesome exhibits and experiential displays in the eastern part of the city; the old Tempelhof airfield which was once the site of so much destruction and despair is now a vast park where people skateboard, fly kites, cycle, rollerblade, picnic or sleep on the grass; in the eastern side of the city people flock to the river for time out and sunshine; restaurants are packed with people enjoying their day off; and there is incredible street art on buildings and on remnants of the Berlin wall to be seen. I am so appreciative of Google maps on trips like this – I can’t imagine traveling now with just paper maps – but sometimes even Google throws a wobbly, sending you in a wild circle back to where you started, or blanking out when you are in the middle of nowhere, or giving you no clue which way to go next. Today, at my lowest moment, Google sent me into the dodgiest area of Berlin, home to some charming locals who in return for only a few Euro offered me drugs and many other pleasurable experiences. Luckily I am a seasoned traveler, so in return I offered the classic kiwi ‘oh yeah nah’, put on my meanest face and hot footed it out of there.

By the time I return to my hotel I have clocked up just over 19km of walking (you can hire bikes or catch trams but I felt like walking) and my feet (and heart) are tired. I feel a better sense of the harmony the people of this city are creating amongst the reminders of the past, but the past is all around. If, like me, you only have a short time in Berlin, I recommend looking up some travel sites and blogs for recommendations of what to see and do. The city is spread out and a game plan is definitely needed. Even I made a list 🙂