The city may be home to the Iron Curtain but it certainly has colourful vibes, writes Hanna Hussein
SUMMER in Berlin is not like what I’m expecting. It’s sunny, yet the air is crisp and breezy — perfect weather to be outdoors.
I have just arrived after a 15-hour direct flight from Singapore via Scoot’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner but instead of resting indoors, I decide to join a walking tour to get the feel of the city.
My first impression is that the city looks like any other European city with some stunning classic Baroque architecture but what we see in Berlin today is actually “new”.
The city was severely destroyed during the Second World War, leaving scarcely any historical remains while most of the buildings which survived were demolished.
The buildings may look classic, but the city was rebuilt and later restored after the reunification of Germany.
The walking tour will bring us to significant landmarks around the city centre.
DEATH STRIP
The Berlin Wall divided east and west Berlin for 28 years before it was taken down.
The German Democratic Republic started construction on Aug 13, 1961, and the wall, known as the Iron Curtain, cut off West Berlin and the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War.
It was portrayed by the Communist leaders as a wall to protect the population from the fascist elements conspiring to prevent the “will of the people” from building a socialist state in East Germany.
Guard towers were placed along thick concrete walls to deter from people crossing the border from East to West Berlin. More than 100,000 people attempted to escape but only few succeeded.
I get to view a remaining wall of “death strip”. The wall is high and thick, and many were shot to death crossing the death strip - really, I can’t imagine how one can escape this depressing situation during those days. The Berlin Wall Memorial offers a glimpse of history.
Our guide tells us a comical story of a man who precipitated the fall of the Berlin Wall. It happened on Nov 9, 1989 at an international
Press conference where Gunter Schabowski, one of the spokesmen for the party in East Berlin, had a task to announce a regulation. He wasn’t involved in a private discussion earlier about the regulation and had not been fully updated about it.
He was handed a note that contained the information about the changes which were supposed to only take effect the following day. But he mistakenly told reporters that the new regulation will take effect immediately.
The news about the opening of the gate was broadcasted throughout West as well as East Berlin and it caused chaos at checkpoint gates as the guards had no idea about the new regulation.
East Germans began to gather and demand the guards to open the gates. As the crowd became bigger and the situation became uncontrollable, one of the gates finally opened at 10.45pm, allowing people to cross with no identity check.
The wall was slowly demolished in two years starting on June 13, 1990 and finished
in 1992.
A lot of museums are dedicated to the Berlin Wall history including Checkpoint Charlie Museum, Topography of Terror and The Wall Museum.
VIEW OF THE CITY
Of course, I do not miss my chance to visit the iconic Berlin Television Tower-the tallest building built during the GDR period as a symbol of Communist power of East Germany.
Located in Berlin-Mitte, the tower was constructed in four years and completed in 1969. The TV Tower has a contemporary design and soars 368 metres into the sky (originally, 365 metres before the installation of the antenna in 1997), so you can spot it from every angle of the city.
The building is shaped like a sphere made of stainless steel segments — stunning and modern. Funnily, whenever the sun shines on the tiled dome, its reflection appears in the form of a cross. Berliners soon named it as the Pope’s Revenge.
Two lifts transport visitors up in just 40 seconds to the observation platform. From up here, you have a panoramic view of Berlin.
As it is almost sunset, the deck is crowded with visitors trying to get a good spot to capture the orange hues that surround the city. There’s a bar too, so you can have a drink while enjoying the view. Hungry? On the upper deck, there’s a stunning restaurant that rotates once every 30 minutes.
You can also do a bit of shopping as there are many interesting shops in the area. Alexanderplatz shopping area is just a walk away.
HOTSPOTS
Enough with the historical Berlin. Let’s explore hipster Berlin — the more vibrant and colourful part of the city.
The city is a destination where the young come to party. But there are three cool things that I want to indulge in when in Berlin - art, food and shopping.
If you’re into art, you must visit East Side Gallery, an open-air venue near the centre of Muhlenstrasse in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, on the side of the river Spree.
It is a 1,316 metre-long Berlin Wall used by artists from all over the world to paint a series of colourful murals documenting a time of change and hopes for a free future.
There are more than 100 paintings along the wall and it is one of the longest-lasting open-air gallery in the world. The gallery is also one of Berlin’s heritage-protected landmarks. It takes more than an hour to leisurely stroll from one end to another. Psst. and it’s a photogenic place for Instagram shots too!
Another hotspot for some really impressive art scene is on Rosenthaler Street. There’s a quaint courtyard with cool hipster cafes, museums and street art. Here, you can chill with a drink in hand, meet local people and enjoy the colourful vibes.
Do look out for the vintage cinema called Kino Central while you’re there, and also some hipster alleys and hidden stairs with cool backdrop for a selfie.
If you love food — Berlin is the place for you! You can join the Fork and Walk food tour where the guide will take you to dive into
culinary gems of street food along the Kreuzberg district. Our guide,Dov Selby, brings us to Markthalle Neun, a historic market hall
offering famous street food market. Don’t worry, there are quite a number of selections including vegetarian and halal-friendly
choices.
The tour also brings us to a street filled with graffiti and ends a delicious Turkish meal at a halal restaurant.
FLEA MARKETS
There are a couple of hip malls in Berlin including Mall of Berlin where most tourists shop.
Me? I like to shop like a local.
First stop is Bikini Berlin. Okay, don’t get the name wrong. Bikini Haus is a listed ensemble of buildings from the 1950s and it gets its name from its unusual architecture with an open colonnade in the middle.
It’s Germany’s first concept mall offering boutiques, flagship stores and restaurants.
At Bikini Haus, you can find quality fashion and shoes, which are mostly local brands and not from big chains. You can also find pop up shops where start-up businesses present their products.
The mall has a large terrace look-out over a monkey enclosure in a zoo. Awesome right?
Another place where one can enjoy the local scene is the flea market. Locals gather in the weekends when many shops are closed on Sunday. There are a number of flea markets in the city, but do look out for one of the biggest and popular ones — Mauerpark in Prenzlauer Berg.
Here, you can score for various items including secondhand clothes and shoes, vintage bags, jewellery, books and household items. Gosh, although it’s drizzling and the walkway is muddy, it doesn’t stop me from shopping.
Karaoke sessions take place at the amphitheatre at noon. It’s really a fun way to enjoy Berlin!