Monday, March 8, 2010
Cleaning house
I ended up deleting a whole lot of old posts on this blog, in case you were wondering where they went. I'll be focusing more on my travels here, which is fine, because that's where it was going anywhere - I only seem to blog when I'm abroad and want to share those experiences.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Ich bin ein Berliner
I can't really say it, in truth. Obviously not - I've only been here two weeks. But I've enormously enjoyed my time in Berlin, and spending this morning just walking around Friedrichshain I cannot help but revel in the distinct personality of the place. It's an enormously interesting city, Berlin, and I've definitely fallen in love with it. Perhaps it was just because this morning it was snowing - big heavy, fluffy flakes the size of 50c coins that cover the grimy streets and make everything seem so perfect, but it's truly an amazing place.
I am going to miss it very much, but I'm taking home with me some incredible memories. The view from the Reichstag, both out across the city and its many landmarks, and into the German parliament, a symbolic testament to the German people's desire for a more transparent governement. The view down Karl Marx Allee, and the majestic (if somewhat dire) rows of imposing Soviet-style apartments. Frankfurter Tor is beautiful as well - I am genuinely saddened that I did not get to see it in the summer. Walking through Babylon's Ishtar Gate, beautifully restored at the Pergamon Museum, or standing in awe in front of the Market Gate of Miletus. Walking along Brandenburg Gate, tracing the path of the Wall to Checkpoint Charlie (which is itself somewhat unremarkable) and reading up about the storied post-WW2 history. And perhaps one of the most fundamentally profound experiences I've ever had - Sachsenhausen concentration camp, a monument both to man's unbelievable barbarism and tenacity in the face of extermination.
It's been a most excellent trip.
I am going to miss it very much, but I'm taking home with me some incredible memories. The view from the Reichstag, both out across the city and its many landmarks, and into the German parliament, a symbolic testament to the German people's desire for a more transparent governement. The view down Karl Marx Allee, and the majestic (if somewhat dire) rows of imposing Soviet-style apartments. Frankfurter Tor is beautiful as well - I am genuinely saddened that I did not get to see it in the summer. Walking through Babylon's Ishtar Gate, beautifully restored at the Pergamon Museum, or standing in awe in front of the Market Gate of Miletus. Walking along Brandenburg Gate, tracing the path of the Wall to Checkpoint Charlie (which is itself somewhat unremarkable) and reading up about the storied post-WW2 history. And perhaps one of the most fundamentally profound experiences I've ever had - Sachsenhausen concentration camp, a monument both to man's unbelievable barbarism and tenacity in the face of extermination.
It's been a most excellent trip.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Arbeit macht frei
I was pretty tired this afternoon so I came home and had a nap. I woke up around 8 PM with Berlin's nightlife already well underway, but not feeling up to going out tonight it seems appropriate to download my digital camera's pictures and perhaps talk a little about Berlin.
Berlin Cathedral in profile.
I've spent the last few days doing a lot of exploring. I've also taken many pictures - many very poor, sadly, some less so. This is a side view of the Oberpfarr- und Domkirche, in English, the Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church. More simply, the Berlin Cathedral. It's a truly majestic building. The statues on the building, interestingly, are blackened to this day by the war damage and fires.
Right next to it, Altes Museum. Very dramatic.
Altes Museum was originally built to house the Prussian Royal family's private art collection.
Another very beautiful area is Gendarmenmarkt, where I snapped this picture of the Deutscher Dom, the German Cathedral.
Deutscher Dom. Like with many prominent Berlin buildings, the Nazis stripped the figureheads and statues off the building when Berlin was first bombed by the Allies. They hid them underground and in river beds for safekeeping. They were recovered, restored and placed back after the war.
Brandenburg Gate
I took very few pictures at Sachsenhausen concentration camp, but it moved me very deeply. I spent a long time at the camp, six hours or so, but it's an amazing and completely unforgettable experience. I am very glad to have gone.
Entrance to the Sachenhausen concentration camp where at least 60 000 inmates were murdered. The literal translation of 'Arbeit Macht Frei' is 'Works Makes Free', or work will free you. It was a lie, of course. There was no rehabilitation or escape from the camps.
Many of these photos are from a few days ago, I did however take a few today which were of interest. The one below is the Soviet War Memorial to commemorate the fallen Russian soldiers of World War 2. The text reads, translated: "Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in battle with the German fascist occupiers for the freedom and independence of the Soviet Union". It was constructed with looted marble from Hitler's Chancellery, and is flanked by two T34 Russian tanks, apparently, the first two Russian tanks in Berlin.
Berliners, who have a superbly dark sense of humour, refer to it as Grabmal des unbekannten Vergewaltigers - 'Tomb of the Unknown Rapist".
Tomorrow I'm headed off to the Museums and if I can wake up early enough (7 AM) the Reichstag to get onto the roof. I was there today, but the queue was massive.
The Reichstag. 5000 Russian soldiers died taking just this building at the end of WW2.
Oh, and I got a tip from a local as to where the best place for Currywurst is - under the train tracks at Eberswalde Straße:
I went all the way here for Currywurst...
...but it was rather good!
Berlin Cathedral in profile.
I've spent the last few days doing a lot of exploring. I've also taken many pictures - many very poor, sadly, some less so. This is a side view of the Oberpfarr- und Domkirche, in English, the Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church. More simply, the Berlin Cathedral. It's a truly majestic building. The statues on the building, interestingly, are blackened to this day by the war damage and fires.
Right next to it, Altes Museum. Very dramatic.
Altes Museum was originally built to house the Prussian Royal family's private art collection.
Another very beautiful area is Gendarmenmarkt, where I snapped this picture of the Deutscher Dom, the German Cathedral.
Deutscher Dom. Like with many prominent Berlin buildings, the Nazis stripped the figureheads and statues off the building when Berlin was first bombed by the Allies. They hid them underground and in river beds for safekeeping. They were recovered, restored and placed back after the war.
Brandenburg Gate
I took very few pictures at Sachsenhausen concentration camp, but it moved me very deeply. I spent a long time at the camp, six hours or so, but it's an amazing and completely unforgettable experience. I am very glad to have gone.
Entrance to the Sachenhausen concentration camp where at least 60 000 inmates were murdered. The literal translation of 'Arbeit Macht Frei' is 'Works Makes Free', or work will free you. It was a lie, of course. There was no rehabilitation or escape from the camps.
Many of these photos are from a few days ago, I did however take a few today which were of interest. The one below is the Soviet War Memorial to commemorate the fallen Russian soldiers of World War 2. The text reads, translated: "Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in battle with the German fascist occupiers for the freedom and independence of the Soviet Union". It was constructed with looted marble from Hitler's Chancellery, and is flanked by two T34 Russian tanks, apparently, the first two Russian tanks in Berlin.
Berliners, who have a superbly dark sense of humour, refer to it as Grabmal des unbekannten Vergewaltigers - 'Tomb of the Unknown Rapist".
Tomorrow I'm headed off to the Museums and if I can wake up early enough (7 AM) the Reichstag to get onto the roof. I was there today, but the queue was massive.
The Reichstag. 5000 Russian soldiers died taking just this building at the end of WW2.
Oh, and I got a tip from a local as to where the best place for Currywurst is - under the train tracks at Eberswalde Straße:
I went all the way here for Currywurst...
...but it was rather good!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Bitte!
Hotel internet is very, very wonky, so I'm not going to bother posting anything substantial right now. I'm also on limited laptop battery power, so I need to be brief. Saturday night I ended up going out. I wandered down the side streets here in search of a place that served Wittewurst and ended up in an ethnic Turkish part of town, where I ended up having an excellent hub and a few beers. Ended up walking back to the hotel slightly drunk. No Wittewurst though.
Sunday was very quiet. There are very few shops open on a Sunday, but I ended up going to Aunt Benny's, a cafe nearby that did an excellent apple crumble, among other things. I think there was also some sort of toasted sandwich for breakfast, but it was rather good. I jotted down a few random musings while I was there - I'll get them up at some point.
Today was pretty rad, I took a walking tour to see the main sites and sounds of the city. It was only about 5 hours, and there's only so much you can cover, but it was most enjoyable. Our tour guide was excellent, and we took in most of the tourist highlights of Berlin's city centre. My personal favourites? The Reichstag was great, but the highlight was definitely the location of the Fuhrerbunker. I got chills down my spine when we got there. There's absolutely nothing there except for a sign indicating that this is the place where 65 years ago the man who plunged the world into war took his own life. It was a truly memorable experience. We went to the Jewish memorial, which left me undecided. I didn't get to explore the underground section, but from what I saw, it felt like it misses the mark somewhat.
Tomorrow, I'm doing the Third Reich tour - looking forward to it immensely.
Sunday was very quiet. There are very few shops open on a Sunday, but I ended up going to Aunt Benny's, a cafe nearby that did an excellent apple crumble, among other things. I think there was also some sort of toasted sandwich for breakfast, but it was rather good. I jotted down a few random musings while I was there - I'll get them up at some point.
Today was pretty rad, I took a walking tour to see the main sites and sounds of the city. It was only about 5 hours, and there's only so much you can cover, but it was most enjoyable. Our tour guide was excellent, and we took in most of the tourist highlights of Berlin's city centre. My personal favourites? The Reichstag was great, but the highlight was definitely the location of the Fuhrerbunker. I got chills down my spine when we got there. There's absolutely nothing there except for a sign indicating that this is the place where 65 years ago the man who plunged the world into war took his own life. It was a truly memorable experience. We went to the Jewish memorial, which left me undecided. I didn't get to explore the underground section, but from what I saw, it felt like it misses the mark somewhat.
Tomorrow, I'm doing the Third Reich tour - looking forward to it immensely.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Berlin - alles ist möglich
The title for this blog post comes from a piece of graffiti I saw scrawled in front of a Communist-era block of apartments along Karl Marx Allee. Even though I didn't understand what it meant when I saw it, I understood that it had a special significance. Perhaps it was just how no other graffiti had been tagged over it, or perhaps it was the striking red, but it resonated with me. I took a photo of it, and I'm glad I did, because when I came back to the hotel this evening and popped it into Google Translate it struck me as being extraordinarily profound. Berlin - anything is possible.
Berlin - anything is possible.
And while I'm finding out this is very true, let's back it up a little. I was pretty exhausted last night, so I turned in pretty early after a decent shower to wash the airport grime off me. I slept for what seemed like an eternity, but by 7:30 AM this morning I was ready to go.
Stepping out of the hotel lobby the cold hits you like a sledgehammer. It's like a physical force, a beast with claws scratching at any exposed bit of flesh. The plan for my first day was to explore my surrounds for a bit, and then head off to the Fernsehturm, the TV Tower, and Berlin's tallest structure. Considering everything was closed so early, I instead opted to make my way straight for the TV tower.
Before I go on, let me explain that my hotel is in the heart of what was once East Berlin. It's located on Frankfurter Allee, which is what Karl Marx Allee becomes after it crosses Frankfurter Tor. Karl Marx Allee is one of the main roads which lead into Alexanderplatz, the city center. It was designed by the socialist East German government in the 1950s and was intended to be a flagship project for East German reconstruction after the Second World War. It's sort of a massive, communist perversion of the Champs-Élysées, lined with drab Soviet-style tenements and apartment complexes. It's enormously imposing and oppressive, and makes for an excellent walk. I could see the TV tower off in the distance, so I started off.
It was my first time walking around in the snow, so it was slightly slow going. I wasn't intending to fall on my ass, so I went about it carefully. I quickly discovered where's the best place to walk (anywhere where there isn't ice, or where there is gravel) and the joys of watching people slip on the pavement (only saw it twice, both were hilarious though). There's a lot of interesting sites along the way, so I made my way along Frankfurter and then Karl Marx Allee slowly. I finally found a coffee shop that was open and bought myself a steaming hot cup of coffee (again, hotter than the surface of the sun) and some pastries - two Quarkbällchen, which are basically German doughnuts and a Danish pastry, which are known here as Dänischer Plunder. Both were very, very good.
Quarkbällchen!
Within 3.4 seconds of being outside, my coffee was now at a drinkable temperature, so I headed west to the city center. Along the way, I noted a few things based on my observations of passing Berliners and the city itself. Berliners love dogs. Loads of people out in the snow walking their hounds. Walking anywhere but on gravel is treacherous; humorous for onlookers however. Bizarrely, there are lots and lots of crows in East Berlin. I have no idea what they feed on but there dozens of them on the walk to Alexanderplatz. The streets are filthy, so presumably they scavenge off trash and the occasional dead animal. Seriously though, the streets are covered in trash. It's a big change from New York, where even the streets in the dodgy areas were pretty clean. Having finished my Quarkbällchen and coffee, it's pretty clear why there's so much mess - there's no public dustbins. I walked for three blocks before I found a trash can.
Walking west, one notices that the Soviet-era buildings start to give way to more modern structures, with more shops and boutiques along the way. Strausberger Platz is the last major stop along the way before you hit the city center, and it's beautiful it a sort of cold, imposing way.
Strausberger Platz
Once in Alexanderplatz I checked out the Berlin wall memorial, which is a series of walls with information on them about the fall of the Berlin Wall. Very interesting. It's also right next to the Urania World Clock, which was also worth a visit. From there, I headed to the TV tower and booked a ticket. There was something like a 20 minute wait before I could head up, so I popped back out into the cold in search of something to eat.
I found a store nearby that served a very good Currywurst, which is in itself, an interesting thing. From what I understand, it's sort of a staple food around Berlin, and is from a social and culinary point of view, to Berliners what Boerewors rolls are to South Africans. It's served in a variety of ways - the one I had last night from a street vendor was not particularly spicy and served in a bun, while the one I had this morning was sliced, covered in sauce and served with a roll on the side. The general vibe is however, a sausage with tomato sauce, mustard and curry powder. It's very good, but even thinking about it objectively, a boerewors roll beats it hands down. Also, Currywurst from street vendor = 1.2€, bought in shop = 2.5€. Just another reason to love street meat.
The TV tower was worth the price of admission (12€) and offers one an illuminating view of the city. It's only about 200m up, so about half the height of the Empire State Building, but I still spent a good couple of hours admiring the views from around the tower.
Once back down, I decided to walk around for a bit to work up an appetite. There's a park near the TV tower which was covered in snow, and made for a good place to sit and watch the people of Berlin go about their business. I found a particularly good cafe (Rathaus Cafe) right near the river Spree, and sat down for a nice lunch. In summer, I'd have sat outside on the sidewalk, but it was so cold they didn't have any outside tables. Regardless, I had an excellent hearty tomato soup for a starter, followed by a monstrous Eisbein with sauerkraut, carrots and boiled potatos washed down with a pint of a black beer (I forget the name). It was a majestic meal, and I suspect it will be hard to beat. It was not nearly as expensive as I would have thought - with tip it came to an affordable 18€.
Rathaus Cafe. The Eisbein was excellent.
I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around, looking at the buildings near the TV tower. I initially planned to go check out the Berlin aquarium, but decided against it when I realised it was Saturday and the queue was composed entirely of families with very small children. There's not much in the way of shopping in and around Alexanderplatz - apparently I need to head to one of the more modern areas for that, but it made for an enjoyable way to while away the afternoon regardless. I ended off the afternoon by deciding to brave the Berlin subway system. I bought a one week subway pass for around 33€ and got on the train back to Frankfurter Allee. Somewhat disappointingly, I didn't get lost, go the wrong way or anything. Call me weird, but one of the things I enjoyed the most about New York, in retrospect, was that sinking, mildly terrified sensation of being completely lost in an unknown city. I seem to have learnt a little about subways since then, and made it home without incident. I did however stop at a bakery near the hotel to grab something to drink (minibar be damned) and a hard cookie-style thing, which was not particularly remarkable.
It's now almost 7 PM, and I'm going to turn in. I'm not much for partying, and I suspect tomorrow I'll head for the museums. From what I've been told, they're all located at Museumsinsel, in English, literally, museum island, an area in the city center. I'm looking forward to it.
Berlin - anything is possible.
And while I'm finding out this is very true, let's back it up a little. I was pretty exhausted last night, so I turned in pretty early after a decent shower to wash the airport grime off me. I slept for what seemed like an eternity, but by 7:30 AM this morning I was ready to go.
Stepping out of the hotel lobby the cold hits you like a sledgehammer. It's like a physical force, a beast with claws scratching at any exposed bit of flesh. The plan for my first day was to explore my surrounds for a bit, and then head off to the Fernsehturm, the TV Tower, and Berlin's tallest structure. Considering everything was closed so early, I instead opted to make my way straight for the TV tower.
Before I go on, let me explain that my hotel is in the heart of what was once East Berlin. It's located on Frankfurter Allee, which is what Karl Marx Allee becomes after it crosses Frankfurter Tor. Karl Marx Allee is one of the main roads which lead into Alexanderplatz, the city center. It was designed by the socialist East German government in the 1950s and was intended to be a flagship project for East German reconstruction after the Second World War. It's sort of a massive, communist perversion of the Champs-Élysées, lined with drab Soviet-style tenements and apartment complexes. It's enormously imposing and oppressive, and makes for an excellent walk. I could see the TV tower off in the distance, so I started off.
It was my first time walking around in the snow, so it was slightly slow going. I wasn't intending to fall on my ass, so I went about it carefully. I quickly discovered where's the best place to walk (anywhere where there isn't ice, or where there is gravel) and the joys of watching people slip on the pavement (only saw it twice, both were hilarious though). There's a lot of interesting sites along the way, so I made my way along Frankfurter and then Karl Marx Allee slowly. I finally found a coffee shop that was open and bought myself a steaming hot cup of coffee (again, hotter than the surface of the sun) and some pastries - two Quarkbällchen, which are basically German doughnuts and a Danish pastry, which are known here as Dänischer Plunder. Both were very, very good.
Quarkbällchen!
Within 3.4 seconds of being outside, my coffee was now at a drinkable temperature, so I headed west to the city center. Along the way, I noted a few things based on my observations of passing Berliners and the city itself. Berliners love dogs. Loads of people out in the snow walking their hounds. Walking anywhere but on gravel is treacherous; humorous for onlookers however. Bizarrely, there are lots and lots of crows in East Berlin. I have no idea what they feed on but there dozens of them on the walk to Alexanderplatz. The streets are filthy, so presumably they scavenge off trash and the occasional dead animal. Seriously though, the streets are covered in trash. It's a big change from New York, where even the streets in the dodgy areas were pretty clean. Having finished my Quarkbällchen and coffee, it's pretty clear why there's so much mess - there's no public dustbins. I walked for three blocks before I found a trash can.
Walking west, one notices that the Soviet-era buildings start to give way to more modern structures, with more shops and boutiques along the way. Strausberger Platz is the last major stop along the way before you hit the city center, and it's beautiful it a sort of cold, imposing way.
Strausberger Platz
Once in Alexanderplatz I checked out the Berlin wall memorial, which is a series of walls with information on them about the fall of the Berlin Wall. Very interesting. It's also right next to the Urania World Clock, which was also worth a visit. From there, I headed to the TV tower and booked a ticket. There was something like a 20 minute wait before I could head up, so I popped back out into the cold in search of something to eat.
I found a store nearby that served a very good Currywurst, which is in itself, an interesting thing. From what I understand, it's sort of a staple food around Berlin, and is from a social and culinary point of view, to Berliners what Boerewors rolls are to South Africans. It's served in a variety of ways - the one I had last night from a street vendor was not particularly spicy and served in a bun, while the one I had this morning was sliced, covered in sauce and served with a roll on the side. The general vibe is however, a sausage with tomato sauce, mustard and curry powder. It's very good, but even thinking about it objectively, a boerewors roll beats it hands down. Also, Currywurst from street vendor = 1.2€, bought in shop = 2.5€. Just another reason to love street meat.
The TV tower was worth the price of admission (12€) and offers one an illuminating view of the city. It's only about 200m up, so about half the height of the Empire State Building, but I still spent a good couple of hours admiring the views from around the tower.
Once back down, I decided to walk around for a bit to work up an appetite. There's a park near the TV tower which was covered in snow, and made for a good place to sit and watch the people of Berlin go about their business. I found a particularly good cafe (Rathaus Cafe) right near the river Spree, and sat down for a nice lunch. In summer, I'd have sat outside on the sidewalk, but it was so cold they didn't have any outside tables. Regardless, I had an excellent hearty tomato soup for a starter, followed by a monstrous Eisbein with sauerkraut, carrots and boiled potatos washed down with a pint of a black beer (I forget the name). It was a majestic meal, and I suspect it will be hard to beat. It was not nearly as expensive as I would have thought - with tip it came to an affordable 18€.
Rathaus Cafe. The Eisbein was excellent.
I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around, looking at the buildings near the TV tower. I initially planned to go check out the Berlin aquarium, but decided against it when I realised it was Saturday and the queue was composed entirely of families with very small children. There's not much in the way of shopping in and around Alexanderplatz - apparently I need to head to one of the more modern areas for that, but it made for an enjoyable way to while away the afternoon regardless. I ended off the afternoon by deciding to brave the Berlin subway system. I bought a one week subway pass for around 33€ and got on the train back to Frankfurter Allee. Somewhat disappointingly, I didn't get lost, go the wrong way or anything. Call me weird, but one of the things I enjoyed the most about New York, in retrospect, was that sinking, mildly terrified sensation of being completely lost in an unknown city. I seem to have learnt a little about subways since then, and made it home without incident. I did however stop at a bakery near the hotel to grab something to drink (minibar be damned) and a hard cookie-style thing, which was not particularly remarkable.
It's now almost 7 PM, and I'm going to turn in. I'm not much for partying, and I suspect tomorrow I'll head for the museums. From what I've been told, they're all located at Museumsinsel, in English, literally, museum island, an area in the city center. I'm looking forward to it.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Schnee!
Sweet, so I've landed and I'm here. Unfortunately, my hotel reservation only lets me check into the hotel at 2 PM, and I got to the hotel at like 9:30 AM, so I had some time to kill. I put my luggage into their storage area and went for a walk.
I'm pretty much in a dodgy area (what do you expect for R400 a night?). Heart of East Berlin and all that. Tons of graffiti on the walls, cold-war era style architecture. Sleet and snow everywhere. It's amazing though. I had to carry my laptop bag around with me (which has all my gadgets) and I'm not really appropriately dressed, but it didn't stop me from taking a two hour stroll. I found a park and there was snow! White, fluffy, sugary snow! Snow is rad! I love snow! Yeah, it's my first time in the snow. I enjoyed actually just walking in it (it was about two feet deep) - although there's also dog turds in the snow, which are less cool.
Snow! I sat on one of the benches in the park here and watched the Berliners go about their business until I got too cold
I grabbed the hottest cup of coffee in the entire world and walked down Frankfurter Allee for about an hour. It was a brisk 2˚ outside, and I quickly realised why the coffee is served here hotter than lava - within a few minutes it's ice cold. I also ventured into the subway system to buy a transit card, but soon realised I have no idea what I need - AB? AC? ABC? No idea, so I'm back at the hotel now on the wireless (yay for internets) to figure out which one I must get. I've also grabbed a few brochures - while I'll probably go explore and just walk around tomorrow, I want to do a walking tour of the Third Reich sites of interest on Monday, and a trip to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp the day after.
There's a lot to do. I saw the Brandenberg gate in the way in, and drove over the line where the wall once stood. As soon as I get into my hotel room, take a shower and change, I'll be headed out for a walk. I'm actually feeling a bit wrecked from the flight - I was fortunate and had a double seat to myself, but I struggled to sleep and probably only got five or six hours, so I'm feeling a little rough around the edges.
I'm pretty much in a dodgy area (what do you expect for R400 a night?). Heart of East Berlin and all that. Tons of graffiti on the walls, cold-war era style architecture. Sleet and snow everywhere. It's amazing though. I had to carry my laptop bag around with me (which has all my gadgets) and I'm not really appropriately dressed, but it didn't stop me from taking a two hour stroll. I found a park and there was snow! White, fluffy, sugary snow! Snow is rad! I love snow! Yeah, it's my first time in the snow. I enjoyed actually just walking in it (it was about two feet deep) - although there's also dog turds in the snow, which are less cool.
Snow! I sat on one of the benches in the park here and watched the Berliners go about their business until I got too cold
I grabbed the hottest cup of coffee in the entire world and walked down Frankfurter Allee for about an hour. It was a brisk 2˚ outside, and I quickly realised why the coffee is served here hotter than lava - within a few minutes it's ice cold. I also ventured into the subway system to buy a transit card, but soon realised I have no idea what I need - AB? AC? ABC? No idea, so I'm back at the hotel now on the wireless (yay for internets) to figure out which one I must get. I've also grabbed a few brochures - while I'll probably go explore and just walk around tomorrow, I want to do a walking tour of the Third Reich sites of interest on Monday, and a trip to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp the day after.
There's a lot to do. I saw the Brandenberg gate in the way in, and drove over the line where the wall once stood. As soon as I get into my hotel room, take a shower and change, I'll be headed out for a walk. I'm actually feeling a bit wrecked from the flight - I was fortunate and had a double seat to myself, but I struggled to sleep and probably only got five or six hours, so I'm feeling a little rough around the edges.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Berlin ahoy!
In a few hours I'll be on a plane to Berlin for ten days of fun in the snow, followed by two days of conference. I'll be taking a few photos and perhaps updating this blog along the way, internet depending.
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