So here we are… the final stop of my winter tour on continental Europe... Willkommen in Berlin, Deutschland! It was absolutely FREEZING and was the entire time I was in Berlin. Can’t complain too much about the temperatures of -10°C, at least it snowed most of the time.
So, let’s take a tour of the history and Christmas markets of Berlin.
Disclaimer: This section of the blog discusses a dark chapter of our world’s history, World War Two and therefore, it may not be suitable for all. It is an extremely sensitive subject and what I have written is what I learnt on the walking tour. Any information and facts contained here are given purely to help educate readers on this time in our history.
So, let’s start off with Hitler’s Berlin: The Rise and Fall Guided Walking Tour. I booked this tour through Get Your Guide and it cost £35 – the tour lasts approximately 2.5 hours and takes you through a interesting portion of the city.
The tour started off at the Brandenburg Gate with meeting our guide and introductions of the group. Sadly, the group couldn’t view the Brandenburg Gate in all its glory because activists had vandalised the monument with orange paint weeks before and it was covered in scaffolding. On the road just outside the Brandenburg Gate, is a line of two bricks cemented into the road itself. This line of bricks mark where the Berlin Wall once stood dividing East and West Germany.
We then walked towards the Reichstag Building. At the Reichstag, our guide told us how this is the seat of government and how during Hitler’s rise to power, a fire ripped through the building – this is regarded to have been set by Nazi party members or sympathisers, although there is no evidence (surprise, surprise) of their involvement in the fire. The Nazi party used the fire as propaganda to influence people that they were the better party and would not stand for these kind of antics and failures by the government at the time. We then walked through the nearby gardens to the Soviet War Memorial. At the memorial, there are a couple of Soviet tanks which were much smaller than I imagined.
We then visited two very poignant memorials. The Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted under Nazism stands alone (but across the road from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) – up until the 1980s, homosexuals were not recognised as a victim group of the Nazis. There were decades of campaigning for this memorial to be built, plans were finally approved in 2003 and in 2008, this memorial was opened. At the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, our guide asked us to walk through the maze of 2710 columns alone and meet him on the other side. When we had all emerged, he asked us how the memorial had made us feel – most said it made them feel scared, oppressed, lost, dominated and there was a general sense of relief to have emerged.
A short walk away from the memorials is a car park. This isn’t just any car park though, below the car park lay the Führerbunker. A large complex of tunnels and rooms where Hitler hid and died as Berlin fell. You can no longer go into the bunker complex as it was filled in with cement (so it doesn’t become a shrine or rally ground). The car park marks the area that were the gardens of the Reich Chancellery – the building of the chancellery was completely destroyed during the Battle of Berlin and now there are apartments, a Chinese takeaway and a laundromat.
From there, we walked to our final stop on the walking tour, the Topography of Terror. This is a history museum that stands on the site of what was the SS and Gestapo headquarters of Nazi Germany. The buildings were destroyed in early 1945 by Allied bombing. The area marks the site of the post-war boundary of the Soviet and American occupied zones. There is the largest section of Berlin Wall still standing here too so you can check that out while you are here.
The tour ended and we were free to explore or in my case, head back to my hostel to warm up. It had been a really interesting walking tour and our guide was fantastic and very knowledgeable. There was just one more spot that I wanted to go to before going back to my hostel and luckily, it was enroute to the subway station. Checkpoint Charlie was the best-known crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War years (1947-1991). Since the reunification of Germany, the checkpoint (and nearby museum) have become a popular tourist attraction.
While in various German cities, it’s been really interesting to learn about their perspective of World War Two and the impact it has had on the country and it’s citizens. It is important to remember this dark chapter in our world’s history and to educate ourselves on all aspects of it. But, it is also important to remember that this is only a tiny part of German history and that there is so much more to learn about this country than just this horrendous chapter.
Moving onto a happier note – let’s head off to the Christmas Markets of Berlin…
I went to two different Christmas markets while in Berlin, one in Alexanderplatz and one next to the St Marienkirche Church. The market next to the church was the larger of the two markets – it had an ice skating rink, a ferris wheel and other fairground rides, lots of food and drinks stalls and of course lots of gift stalls. I went twice to this market, first thing in the morning (10/11am when they opened) and again in the evening. The Alexanderplatz market was smaller but equally as packed with food, drink and gift stalls. It also had a pop-up Kathe-Wohlfahrt shop which was filled with the most beautiful wooden Christmas ornaments, I made a few purchase here! Visiting the Christmas markets was so fun and made even more exciting by the snow falling!
What else you can do in Berlin
As I’ve mentioned before, there are a lot of museums in Berlin so definitely worth visiting those – I wish I had visited some of the museums but as it was the end of my trip, I was enjoying some chill time. I went to SeaLife Berlin which was small and didn’t take long to go through everything, it would be ideal if you have small children – perhaps I was more disappointed having worked at a SeaLife previously and this one just wasn’t as good as I had hoped and expected.
Where to stay
I stayed at Meininger Hotel Berlin Mitte for 4 nights in a 4-bed female dorm room. It cost £87. The hostel is in a great location – the subway station is right outside the hostel entrance and the bus stop is a very short walk away. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The rooms were clean, spacious and had good ensuite facilities. It was also lovely and warm in the hostel which was so good when sheltering or returning from the freezing temperatures outside.
Foodie heaven
Head to the Supreme Burger Grill and Bar for the most INCREDIBLE, mouth-watering burgers. I highly recommend both the Bacon Cheese Burger (bacon and cheese, obviously) and the Good Morning Burger (bacon, cheese and a perfectly fried egg on top). The Bacon Cheese Burger costs €16.50 and the Good Morning Burger costs €17. Both burgers are served with an enormous pile of hand cut chips and are so wonderfully delicious! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!
For breakfast or a sweet treat, I would definitely recommend CODOS Coffee café in Rosenthaler Platz (below The Circus Hotel). I recommend the cinnamon roll and the “death-by-chocolate” layer cake. There’s a lot of sugar contained within but I’m 99% sure there’s no calories! Utterly scrumptious treats!
I really enjoyed Berlin even if I didn’t do much apart from doing the walking tour, visiting the aquarium and getting in the Christmas spirit at the markets. It was nice to have a bit of downtime in Berlin – I saw what I wanted to and did the “life admin” side of travelling that you must get on with (namely, doing laundry). There was one day when it snowed all day and it was super chilly, I just watched films (briefly stopping to admire how pretty the falling snow was) and packed my suitcase before heading off to meet a friend I had met in Vienna. I’d had an incredible journey around Europe, visiting different cities, eating lots of delicious food and experiencing all sorts of adventures!
I wasn’t finished yet though… Off to Scotland I go!
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