One day in Berlin (17 March 2012)

River spree, Berliner Dom

We decided making a trip to Berlin despite we will only have one full day there. Hubby was on business trip to Leipzig during that week, so he would be joining me on Friday night by taking 2 hours DB Bahn train from Leipzig, and travelled around Berlin city center  on Saturday-17/3/2012.

I flew by Ryannair from East midland airport (The bus stop to which the airport bus-Skylink was conveniently located outside Wilford place, and always arrive on time. It cost 5 pounds for single ticket) departing on Friday 13:55 and arrived at Berline Schnoefeld airport at local time 16:50. Upon touching down, I was glad signs were in English, and this ease my way finding the airport express to city center. But i was lost when i reached the train station. There was no ticket counter, no helpdesk staff, and I was so confused to which option to choose at the ticket machine. Luckily, I saw a couple approaching an old service staff somewhere near the ticket machine. I then checked up with him on how to buy the ticket. He spoke English, and told me I should buy Berlin zone ABC ticket at Euro3 , and should wait at platform 3 for the 17:50 train to the main train station Berlin HBF (Hauptbahnof). How friendly was him. The ride took only half an hour to reach Hauptbahnof (HBF). Hauptbahnof is a modern and grand train station with lots of shops, and you can get a local map at 1 euro, and buy the Bahn ticket from the tourist information counter while waiting for hubby. They speak English.

Hubby arrived at about 19:10, and we took the train straight to our Hotel-Mercure Hotel & Residenzy Checkpoint charlie. The nearest Bahn station was Stadtmitte. To our surprise, the hotel front desk staff told us we were upgraded to a suite at 8th floor. With Eur181 for 2 nights, we were definitely delightful and made no complain over the room. It was so big, but the only cons are the loo and the bathroom are separated. There was even a coffee machine at the smal kitchen.

There were not many restaurants nearby, we walked along the shopping street -Friedrichstr. till the end to Unter De Liden. There we found one restaurant serving German dish at reasonable price. It was called Nantek. We ordered two main course-Chicken breasts with fried bacon served with spaghetti, and German sausage served with curry sauce and potato cucumber salad, and had our berliner beer. The food was quite nice, and serving was just right enough for our empty stomache.

After dinner, we went back to hotel as it was getting late, and we were both tired . The room temperature was just nice, we had a good sleep.

Rise and shine. We woke up around 9am the next day morning, as we were going for nice breakfast before a long walk. We stopped at a nearby cafe which served varieties of german freshly baked bread, sandwich. I simply love the bread, and hunger for more . The bread outer layer was hard, but with soft texture inside.

Prior to arrival, we have booked online a 3.5 hours new berlin walking tour. The tour was free but on tipping service, it covered most of the important places to visit in Berlin city center. We made a morning stroll after breakfast to the meeting point at Brandernburg gate , which takes about 15-20 minutes walk from our hotel.

The meeting point-Brandernburg gate was located at the Pariser Platz (the square), and was also the first point covered in the berlin tour itinerary.

We were led by a very friendly and energetic tour guide-Sadie. She introduced us the famous Hotel Adlon which was on the square was the one which Michael Jackson was seen carrying his baby boy waving to the fan crowd in year 2002. It cost 10,000 euro for a night at the suite.

Our itinerary covers -

Brandernburg gate-Built in 1791. Irene Goddess of Peace riding a chariot was added to the top, signify peace to Berlin. Napoleon stole it and put in Louvre. When Berliners got the statute back, they changed her name to Viktoria, The Goddess of Victory (extract from web).

The Reichstag-The Reichstag is the German house of parliament and was finished in 1894. Historians still argue about it's suspicious burning in 1933. Regardless of who started the building what happened next is more important. Hitler used it as a pretext to kill off democracy (extract from web). We didnt have time to visit the glass dome.

  

Jewish Memorial-The cost of construction was 27m euro. It is the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe (approx 6 million) at the hand of Hitler-Several thousand concrete slabs at different heights, shapes and size. The tour guide asked about how we felt while walking in between the stelae (slabs) as different people has a different feel. Some feel they are being judged. Well, I just feel like being trapped when walking towards the deepest part.





Jewish Memorial



 

Walking in between the stelae



The site of Hitler's former bunker- We were then led to a carpark. What is this? a carpark? what is so special about this place. This is just a carpark surrounded by apartments.According to Sadie, this is the site of Hitler's former bunker-where he committed suicide in 1945.

Luftwaffe HQ-We then walked towards the former Hitler Airforce HQ, and was explained on the Nazi Architecture. BIG, intimidating and designed to make you feel small (extract from web).

The berlin wall-Finally we have reached the berlin wall. It was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany)  starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin  from surrounding East Germany  and from East Berlin. It is also the symbolic boundary between democracy and Communism during the Cold War.(extract from web)

 

 

At the end of world war II, the Allied powers divided conquered Germany into 4 zones, each occupied by the US, GB, France or the Soviet Union. In 1949, west Germany were occupied by US, GB and France, and zone occupied by Soviet Union form the East Germany. Living conditions within the two zones were entirely different. The west germany people experienced rapid economic growth and able to live well. On the other side, the East germany under the influence of Soviet Union and thus a Communist society was established. Economy was dragged down, and people lived badly. There were then larger immigrants from East move to the west. To stop losing the population, East germany built this wall to stop people from crossing the border. However, this was shocking as it also means many were not able to cross the border to meet their loved ones.  Many were shot dead while crossing the border. In one of the memorial signboard, we read about an East German called -Peter Fechter was shot dead trying to escape, and had became the first victims of the Berlin's wall border guards . He bled to death in the eyes of hundreds of witnesses.

The reunification of Germany was completed in 1990, in which the Berlin wall were demolised. To many others, it seem like an ordinary chipping wall, with grafitti, holes. But the history and the death contributed by this will somehow give you a strange feeling when you look at this wall.

Former SS HQ

Behind the section of the Berlin used stand two buildings: the SS and Gestapo headquarters.  Everything that those organisations did started right here. They left the land as a ruin, making a statement about the ruin of that dictatorship. Today it’s a memorial site with a museum and archive.Visit to the Topography of Terror is free admission, in English and open till 6pm in Oct-Apr, 8pm from May-Sep.

Checkpoint Charlie

Crossing point between East and west berlin during cold war. After the reunification in 1990, it now becomes a tourist attractions.

On the large picture in the middle you'll see an American soldier? That’s Sergeant Harper and he was a real soldier, really stationed here and was chosen to be a part of this piece of art. You will see an American soldier, at the crossing, forever looking into East Berlin, the Russian Sector and a Russian soldier, looking into West Berlin, the American Sector.

There is no Charlie. It’s not named after anyone but comes from the military alphabet. As far as the US was concerned this was crossing number three, thus Checkpoint A, B, C, Charlie, Checkpoint Charlie. In the middle over there you see a little white cabin with the words ‘US Army Checkpoint’. In the 90s the Berliners were glad to see the back of the Wall and understandably they wanted to get rid of ev

erything. Then people started to come to Berlin and say - hey where’s the Wall? Where’s Checkpoint Charlie?(extract from web)

After a short 20 minutes lunchbreak at one of the nearby cafe, we carried on our walk to Gendarmenmarkt.

Gendarmenmarkt is a square where the German and french twin catherals and das Konzerthaus stand, built by Berlin’s most important architect - Karl Friedrich Schinkel, one of the greatest even neo-classic architects. For the first week of June every summer they do great open air concerts out here in the square.

French Cathedral



German Cathedral



das Konzerthaus (concert hall)

 

Bebelplatz-Once called Opera Square. You can see the twice-bombed Staatsoper (one of the best opera houses in the world), St Hedwig’s Cathedral, a Catholic cathedral built in Protestant Berlin by Frederick the Great. You can hear his FULL story by heading to Potsdam, the former state bank of East Germany, the Law Faculty of the Humboldt University (the old Royal Library). Over two dozen Nobel prize winners studied here, Marx and Engels worked here, the Brothers Grimm studied here and Einstein taught here.(extract from web)

Royal Boulevard

Walking further, we were at the main road-Unter De Linen, which is the famous road in berlin. At one end of this road is the Brandenburg Gate. There are lots of old royal buildings here. Also on this road you'll find the Royal Guard House, the Neue Wache.

Neue Wache

Crossing the road, we reached Neue Wache. The former royal guard house. Now served as a war memorial. Interior of Neue wache shows a sculpture-Kollwitz-showing a mother with her dead sons in her arms.Buried beneath the museums are remains of unknown german soldier and victim of concentration camp .

 

Kollwit





Then we came to our last stop. The museum island, and if you still have the energy walking further, you could reach the Tallest TV tower.

There are 5 museums on the island, including the Altes Museum by Berlin architect Schinkel. Inside there are Ancient Greek and Roman statues and pottery. Behind it, the Old National Gallery and the Pergamon Museum where you'll find the Pergamon Altar, an entire two-story Ancient Greek temple, and the Ishtar Gates – the Gates of Babylon.



Alte Nationalgalarie





in front of Atles museum (the oldest museum)



We sat on the staircase in front of Berliner Dom, putting our exhausted feet a rest, and at end of the tour. Berliner Dom is magnificent building . It doesnt seem as old as it is. It was first constructed in 1451 with first building, and in 1905 the 4th building was completed.  Visitors could visit the museum with Euro7 entrance fee.

Here ended our 3.5 hours walking tour, and time for tipping. We gave Euro10 each, and I think this was reasonable as most gave the same. But I saw one china woman gave coins to Sadie. I personally feel this was too much, and although this was a free tour, but they do deserve with the time and effort spent.

After walking around the museum island, took some beautiful pictures, had two ice cream cones and local roadside sausage, we walked back to revisit the "Topograph of Terror"-The former SS & Gestapo HQ.

Topography of Terror

The documentation center was the former site of SS and Gestapo headquarters, the most important institutions of Nazi apparatus of terror and persecution were located between 1933 and 1945. Visitors could take the time to read all the chapters of all the history of repression under Nazis inside the documentation center. After reading the history, you can walk along the cellar of former Gestapo HQ, which used to be the open air museum before the documentation center erected.

Topography of Terror documentation center



View of Luftwaffe HQ, remainign segments of Berlin Wall, cellar of Gestapo HQ



As night falls, we headed for our dinner at one of the vietnamese/sushi restaurant. No crowd , but nice ambience. Sushi was nice, and also the main vietnamese food.

Upon reaching hotel after a good dinner, it was about 9pm, after shower, time to sleep as the next day flight was T10:10am, and the front desk staff had arranged taxi pick up at 745am.

Flying back to Nottingham. This marked the end of our Berlin trip. If we ever have chance to visit again, We will join other tour the Sandeman tours have. Hubby wishes to visit the concentration camp. Its eerie, spooky and i could imagine scenes of torturing taken place under the Hitler.

Visit Birmingham on 3rd March 2012(Sat)

It was a wet day with temperature of 9C, we decided to visit Birmingham.

Birmingham is the 2nd largest city in England. Setting sat nav to B5 4BU, it brings you to the heart of the city center where the largest shopping mall-Bullring is. It took only 50 minutes drive.

We parked our car at Bullring center parking. Be remember to go there early. We reached about 11am, there were still plenty of lots, but if you are late, you would have to make a few rounds to all the 3 shopping center carparks as all full. Also, the mall will get crowded, squeezy with the growing crowd at a later time.

 

Bullring definitely provides us a good choice to shop. There are many choices to explore-Including Selfridges, Debenhams- The two large departmental store. We also found Nepresso boutique in Selfridges. It costs only 2.90 pound for 10 capsules. We bought 4 tubes. It was cheaper than bought in Singapore, which cost SGD9.90 for 10 capsules.

We started our day with homemade pie at "Urban Pie". Well, the pie was not fantastic, but it was the atmosphere. The sky became bright, and temperature had gone up higher, we sat at the open air. We ordered one chicken mushroom pie with peas & mash potato as side dishes, and enjoyed our cappucino. It was so relaxing just sitting down there, looking at the passer by...

 

After the coffee break, we move on to take on a stroll on the shopping streets (New streets) outside Bullring to the other end of the Town hall and Council house. Here you could discover many brand name boutiques such as-Hollister, H&M, Zara, Addidas and many others. Japenese brand -Muji is located along the street too.Not forgetting the arcade-Picadiliy Arcade offer a host of independent retailers, jewellers and hair and beauty stores.

 

Walking down to lower level, you get magnificent view of the church. And down there , there are more to offer. 

 

The Rag market - Whether running up a ball gown or saying ‘curtains’ to ready-made home furnishings, nowhere beats the Rag Market. Any colour. Any design. Any length. It’s a world all material girls truly love

 The bullring Market -The stallholders are selling cheap, fresh home grown vegetables and fruits. The supermarket price can never be comparable to the vegetables and fruits. For a big bunch of grapes, it sells only 1 pound.

 Further down to the street, you could get a decent size oriental mart. But to our surprise, the goods sold are similarly in quantities, varieties to the Oriental mart in Nottingham despite the space are much more roomy and more tidy. Despite that, we still got ourselves packets of "Bak Kut Teh" herb soup mix . These were much cheaper than the store in Nottingham, Glutinous rice ball pack and chinese cabbage.

We finished off the day with a take away pack of 5 freshly made "Krispy Kreme" doughnut, and filled our stomach with a delicious Japanese "Karage Curry Rice" and "Fried tempura with teriyaki chicken bento set " of 25 pounds at "Mount Fuji". Thumb up for the food.

We definitely will come back again. It is less travelling time, less hustle & bustle  than shopping in London, and also offers wide range of shopping surprises, and there are much more to explore , we believe. However, thing to take note, we must be early, and also make sure we dont exceed the 6 hours parking, as a minute difference, we could end up paying 12 pounds instead of 8 pounds.