BerlIn

Finally, we are in Berlin. It's so familiar, just like we know New York from Hollywood movies, we feel we know Berlin already. We realized we already know most of the attractions of Berlin from movies or documentaries. Of course it is one thing to watch a city on tv, and another thing to actually be there and smell that city. I also want to add how helpful German people are, the minute we landed in Berlin Airport, an officer that we asked how we can go to our hostel printed a map for us and gave details.

​THINGS TO DO IN BERLIN

When you think about Berlin, the first thing that comes to mind is of course Berlin Wall. Some wall it is, indeed! We can't believe Berlin Wall was erected over night and then evolved to a 155 km long border. For sure, it is a souvenir from one of the biggest tragedies of the world. Today, some parts of the wall have been turned into an art gallery and painted with graffitis and other parts are covered with barbed wire because people keep stealing parts from it as souvenirs. I think trying to protect Berlin Wall with barbed wire is the biggest irony of the world.

Another classic of the Berlin attractions is the Brandenburg Gate. The gate faces a big square and a boulevard that houses consulates mostly. It has been the symbol of Berlin for centuries and went through many historic events. One of these significant events is when Napoleon takes the four horses on Brandenburg Gate to Paris and another one is when it was highly damaged during World War II. It's not the first time Napoleon does this, take look at our Venice post. But for the damage World War II has done, the picture on the left can give you an idea. Additionally, if you show up at Pariser Platz at 11 am, you can join a free walking tour of Berlin and learn a lot about Berlin history. That's what we did anyway and we truly had an amazing experience with a highly professional tour guide just for 5 Euros tip. If you get overwhelmed with the size and number of things to see in Berlin, this is where you should be!
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Check out these sightseeing tours of Berlin.

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Berlin is a city of museums. Did you know there are 180 museums and 440 art galleries in Berlin? The most famous museums of Berlin, including Pergamon Museum, are in a place called museum island. Unfortunately, at the time we visited Berlin, Zeus altar was under maintenance, so we opted not to go inside. We are not fans of museums anyway, so we preferred to use our limited time for other places to see in Berlin.

And we went to see Berlin Jewish Museum. There is a very good balance here, half of the museum is about holocaust but the other half is about Jewish culture in history. There are installations about historical Jewish life customs and their place in trading. Two of the installations in Jewish Museum has really stroke me. One of them is the holocaust tower. I'm not sure if we can call this an installation but it is the empty space formed by intersection of the triangle ends of two buildings (like a zigzag). When you enter this space (actually you go out of the building to enter here), you really feel the isolation and get to understand what it means to be alone inside that long, dark and cold tube, even if it's for 10 seconds only. The second strike is the Shalekhet (Falling Leaves). Most of you will remember this as Jewish Museum Faces because it is made of iron cast faces in different sizes laid on the floor. It is especially done this way, so you can walk on those faces and hear the squeaky sound they make echoing in the gallery. According to the artist, this sound symbolizes the screams of Jews. Another very famous spot in Jewish Museum is the Garden of Exile.

Check Berlin Museum Ticket Prices.

One of the most important squares of Berlin is Gendarmenmarkt, close to Museum Island, and it houses some remarkable cathedrals of the city. Konzerthaus Berlin is right in the middle of Gendarmenmarkt while French Cathedral and German Cathedral are on two sides of the square. We can actually see the French influence on Berlin when we consider that the name of this plaza comes from French and there is a very important French Cathedral in Berlin. If you are still up for visiting churches after these, you can proceed to Berliner Dome next to Gendarmenmarkt but fun fact; it is not actually considered a real cathedral because a bishop is not living here =)

Germany is very good at facing their past. They are really taking responsibility for what happened with holocaust and Berlin Wall and they are doing their best to fix these unfortunate events. At least, that's what it looked like to us. There are countless monuments in Berlin about the holocaust. One of them is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and it is a symbolic mausoleum, meaning no-one is actually buried here. This monument park is composed of many different sized concrete blocks, each of these blocks represent a murdered person. Even though this is a monument, you are expected to respect it as if it is a real graveyard.  There are also other monuments in Berlin such as the Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism and Memorial to the Murdered Members of the Reichstag but it made us wonder why they have classified even the murdered ones. Is this still a continuation of discrimination? 

This is the Reichstag Building. Entrance is free but you have to register online and get an appointment before coming here. The security will escort you to the elevators and you will directly go to the glass dome of the home parliament. This dome was added to the building during a restoration in 90's. I felt like this dome and the metal construction frame below it were like artificial intelligence agents trying to conquer the world, maybe because we went at night =) (Check out the movie Eagle Eye). Anyway, the panoramic view was gorgeous, so try to get your appointment a few days ahead to secure a spot during day time, unfortunately we couldn't. Don't forget to bring the e-mail you received with you!
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Join one of these Reichstag Tours in Berlin.

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Checkpoint Charlie was a border post between West and East Berlin, where one side belonged to the US and the other to the Soviets. Today, it's only a touristic attraction. Actually, it was only rebuilt because of the attention from the tourists and mind you, it is a very crowded spot.

Now let's leave the holocaust and the museums of Berlin aside and jump to the city life! The most vibrant and colourful places of the city are Turkish neighbourhoods, or we thought so, maybe because we are Turkish =). Nevertheless, they are both popular among Turkish people and tourists. The most well-known Turkish district of Berlin is Kreuzberg, the so-called "Little Istanbul". Actually, its story is very interesting. In 1960's, Germany and Turkey had an agreement for labor transfer, meaning a lot of Turkish workers had th opportunity to go to Germany and work. In 1961, Germany only let them settle in Kreuzberg, Neuköln, and Wedding districts, which lead to fast formation of ghettos. Therefore, in 1970, Germany started to forbid new-coming Turkish workers to settle in these three districts. Of course, nobody cared about this law and Kreuzberg kept getting bigger and bigger. After the fall of Berlin Wall, it happened to be right in the middle of the city and today, it is no wonder that Kreuzberg is the shiniest and most crowded spot of the city. A walking tour of Kreuzberg is a good idea!

If you are interested more in German culture, then Prenzlauer Berg is the place for you. This neighborhood is one of the places that are least damaged by the war and most buildings are from 1800's. It is also historical because Berlin Wall was first demolished here. You can even see a small street museum/gallery in between the buildings about this. Prenzlauer Berg also the coolest and most hipster district of the city with its design shops, gourmet breakfast cafes and gastronomic spots. If you are coming in spring, make sure to stop by the flea market in Mauerpark. 

Berlin television tower, or Alex Tower, can be seen from everywhere in Berlin because it is considered to be the tallest structure in the whole Germany. It is open for visits and you can check out the Berlin tv tower tickets from here. It is located in Alexanderplatz, which is the busiest spot of the city with its shopping malls and cafes.

​WHAT TO EAT IN BERLIN

As you can imagine, the most popular food of Germany is their sausages called Berliner currywurst. You can taste it anywhere in the city, just not in restaurants. It is a pig sausage served with curry and bread. It is an excellent German street food!

One night we preferred to dine in Sixties Diner,  an American diner with a classic design. The restaurant was close to our hotel and they had amazing hamburgers and pizzas. They have enormous portions and very economic prices. They even had small jukeboxes on every table and it is possible to play 3 songs for 1 Euro. If you go there, listen to Maria Maria by Santana for us!

Another famous Berlin restaurants is Austria Restaurant original, with its classic Austrian schnitzels. Be aware, the portions are big but so are the prices!

According to us, one of the most interesting restaurants in Berlin was the White Trash Fast Food near Spree River. It is a must see in Berlin and they have many live rock band events or live DJ sets during the week. Did we mention they have a tattoo parlour inside? The menu prices are reasonable as well.

The Germans say they have reinvented the doner but as a Turkish gal, I can't agree to that. However, if you want to have a Turkish style delicious doner kebab in Berlin and you happen to be in Kreuzberg, think no more, head to Hasır Döner! The taste of the meat is heavenly, you won't regret it. We also have a cafe recommendation in Kreuzberg; Knofi is a cozy little cafe with a cute design. Yo ucan find many Turkish delicacies here along with brewed black tea, not to mention the baklavas! It's a nice spot to go for people watching.

Coffee in Berlin is serious business. The photos below are from a hipster third wave coffeeshop in Prenzlauer Berg called Bonanza Coffee Heroes. This shop is actually a coffee roastery that roasts the coffee beans right there and then brews them instantly. However, we never appreciate the minimalist style of third wave cafes because you can never be comfortable in those hard ass chairs, no matter how delicious the coffee is. No offense but we don't get why third wave is so popular around the world! Why are there no cafes with really comfortable lounges serving delicious coffee?

Check out these popular food tours in Berlin.
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WHERE TO STAY IN BERLIN

Mitte, Berlin seemed like the right neighborhood to stay in Berlin because it is literally the middle of Berlin. Mitte means middle in German. Museum island is close to here, there are many restaurants and bars and transportation is easy here. Our hostel in Berlin was on Oranienburger Strasse. Generator Berlin was more like a youth camp with its own bar, restaurant and cafe. Teenagers were a little loud but it was really fun to stay here and the room was very clean. Our sheets were spotless white and we had our own private bathroom. Hotels in Berlin are not very cheap but this hostel offers a really top quality stay. Besides, if you are working remotely like us, they have a nice library-like place to relax and work.
These are all hotels to stay in Berlin.

SHOPPING IN BERLIN

Berlin bear is one of the symbols of Berlin, just like Madrid. So, there are tons of Berlin souvenirs in the form of bears and you can see these huge bears all over town.

Another unique symbol of Berlin is the Ampelmannchen, meaning the bulb man. This figure was designed in 1961 and it was loved so much that they started to use it in children's traffic education in the 80's. Later, they have also designed a bulb lady and they are widely used all over in Germany trafic lights. We saw 4 different stores in Berlin that sells Ampelmann products like umbrellas, bags or stickers and there is also a cafe. There is also a branch in Tokyo.

Of course this is not all there is to Berlin. You can trace Berlin Wall pieces that are used as art billboards or make a city safari by trabi cars. Also don't forget to take a photofor 2 Euros in photoautomats, which are from the cold war era. It takes 8-10 minutes to print your photo but still, gold! This time we opted not to go to concentration camps in Berlin because they make us so sad but they are popular, so check them out if you are interested.

Take a look at Qatar Airways Flights to Berlin.