A Whistle-Stop Tour of Berlin

As a language student, I pride myself on being able to justify jetting off to wherever speaks my chosen language, in the name of a three day jaunt in order to practice my skills. Recently, I was so fortunate enough to be able to travel with a select group from my school to experience the sights and delights of the German capital Berlin. A city so immersed in it's own history, I feel obliged to share my most memorable of experiences.

Having never visited Germany before (in fact this was only my second visit to a German speaking country) I was unbearably excited in the weeks leading up to the trip, fretting on end over which scarf hat and gloves would be most appropriate for this culturally diverse city. After hurriedly packed the morning of the flight (an early start of 6am is not something I am used to or will be repeating any time soon) we trundled down to Edinburgh airport where we boarded our turbulent flight.

Managing to squeeze almost every museum and tourist attraction into a mere three days (two and a half once you discount travelling) I can honestly say that I was truly blown away to see the rich and at times traumatic remains of the history of the city first hand. All around the city you would find remnants of what was, with memorials commemorating such a variety of atrocities it is hard to believe that these things happened less than 100 years ago when our society today is such a different place.

From being able to walk beside the Berlin Wall that once divided the city, to the breathtaking view 203m above the city in the "fernsehturm"  the trip is most certainly something I will never forget. Mainly for the beauty seen and knowledge gained, but also due to the exhaustion on the flight home as I realised we had walked around 20 miles each day, only stopping to use public transport to travel to and from the airport.

So in finishing this blogpost, it only seems fair that I leave some of the photographs I had taken whilst away. Each with a story to tell, showcasing the true magnificence of Berlin, a place I have no doubt that I will return to in the future.

We can just start now, appreciating that I am 100% not going to win the award for the worlds best photographer, in fact I'm not even close. However I loved this shot of the Brandenburger Tor as the sun was setting behind. A beautiful end to our walk on the first day. Through the gap between the second and third pillar from the right you can see the very small and almost unrecogniseable statue of the golden angel (Not entirely sure why this is of significance and was erected in the middle of the road - that'll teach me to pay more attention.

Probably the most poignant of my photographs. The Holocaust memorial. Spanning a vast area, thousands of concrete blocks are placed beside each other, no two blocks the same dimensions because no two people are the same. A truly moving piece of artwork. I'm not normally one for understanding the method behind the architecture but I can truly reccomend that if you are ever in Berlin even just for a night, you should make the effort to go an see this memorial. Something has to be said for the way the city has commemorated it's past and it is truly moving walking between these blocks to remember what has happened.

Having recollected ourselves after the Holocaust memorial we made our way here, to the Sony center. It would not have looked out of place in Dubai or New York. Surrounded by glittering lights this extraordinary glass building with it's colour changing roof definitely is a standout among the concrete, compliant buildings of former East Germany. With the upper floors being used as offices, the ground floor lends itself to some delightful German bars and restaurants. Whilst we were there the Berlinale Film Festival was taking place and we spent a happy hour in one of the typical German pubs watching celebrities that we had never heard of making their way up the red carpet on a large screen.

Up bright and early for day two of our adventure, the mornings activities included a private tour around the Reichstag.(Parliament) Climbing to the third floor we were confronted with the most beautiful glass dome. Ever the energy efficient Germans, the dome consisted of a large glass cone which hung down into the plenary chamber where most debates and sessions were held. Used in sunny weather in conjunction with solar panels to provide electricity for the building, in the winter it collected rainwater, using this hydraulic action as its energy producer. Truly innovative and beautiful at the same time.

Again, another fine example of why I will not win that coveted best photographer award. With the fernsehturm on the right (that spherical ball was where we stopped the night before to view the city from 203 meters in the air, something which I came very close to not completing as my head for heights is about as strong as my photography abilities) The main focus of the picture however is the world clock, enabling the viewer to see the time in almost all major cities in the world at any point in the day. Snazzy huh?

Finally, it would be verging on criminal to go all the way to Berlin and not take one photograph of the wall, so here is mine. A true reminder of the divisions which once impaired the city, now just a mural,  an artists canvas displaying the vibrant and colourful culture and history of this most interesting of cities.

By bursting onto the blogging scene with two posts in one day I hope to make the page look a lot less empty. And I was almost overcome with excitement that everything is finally coming together. Let me know if there are ever any particular tags or blogposts you want me to do, if not I will just go where the wind takes me.

Z xx