Berlin was overwhelming in the greatest of ways. We arrived in the city during the weeklong festivities for the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall (30 Jahre Mauerfall) and the city was full of people, diplomats, and their motorcades. There was a chill in the damp air, pretty normal for early November in northeastern Germany. We hit the pavement running after dropping our bags off at our hotel in Alexanderplatz, immediately going out for a night walking tour down the Unter den Linden.
The Berliner Dom on our right and the Humboldt Forum on our left were lit up brilliantly against the night as we strolled across Museum Island toward Brandenburger Tor. The street names and buildings I had long read about jumped out at us in vivid color. All the stories from history books came flooding back to my memory as we passed the Berlin State Opera and German History Museum. I could feel the newsreels of Nazi stormtroopers parading down the wide Parisian-inspired avenue, slowly melting into images of protesters in the 1980s rising up against Communist oppression. The strange smell of sulfur wafted against the moonlight as new construction butted heads with East German brutalist architecture. Berlin was cold, determined, and ready for the hordes of visitors.
A video projection on a building in Alexanderplatz recounting the events leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
The TV Tower (Berliner Fernsehturm)
The hotel we stayed at was in the middle of Alexanderplatz. Not exactly the most beautiful place to stay but the central location, ease of transport connections, and stunning view made the Park Inn the perfect resting place. Sitting across from the Berlin TV Tower, the Park Inn by Radisson was built in the late sixties and is still the tallest hotel-only building in Germany. We opted for a city view and woke up every morning to the northeastern side of the TV Tower smiling at us. Like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the TV Tower is best used as a waypoint right in the middle of Berlin. If we ever had trouble finding our way, we could just look up and see what direction the TV Tower was and generally we could find our way back home.
The Berlin TV Tower at night from outside Berlin Alexanderplatz Banhof. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
The view of the TV Tower from its base before heading off on our Fat Tire Bike Tour. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
Templehof Airport Tour
One of the highlights of our trip was the 2-hour tour of Templehof Airport, made famous by the Berlin Airlift. The Templehof complex is massive and would take way longer than two hours to explore it all, so the tour picks up the highlights of architecture, history, and intrigue to give you a good look at the massive structure. Towards the end of our tour, we were able to see an underground area that housed all the old aerial reconnaissance film rolls that the Nazi’s had amassed of Europe before the war began. The bunker was subsequently destroyed by fire before the Russians reached Berlin and the burn marks are still visible all over the walls.
Templehof airport. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
Templehof Airport terminal. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
Templehof Airport tour guide. Taken withe the Fuji X-T3.
Architectural ceiling details inside Templehof Airport terminal. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
Berlin in the Morning Sun
On our last full day in Berlin, I decided to head out early for a photo walk along the Unter den Linden to catch the morning sunshine on some of Berlin’s most well-known buildings. The best way to really get a feel for a city is by walking the streets and my Fuji X-T3 was a perfect companion. It’s small size and compact lenses helped to blend into the small morning crowd.
The Berliner Dom in the morning. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
View from the Unter den Linden on a Berlin morning. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
Cranes by Monbijoupark. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
The Berlin Wall
To say I was speechless when I first saw the remnants of the Berlin Wall would be a monumental understatement. No other structure in the world has dominated my thoughts more in the past ten years than the Wall and to finally see the few remaining sections in person was awe-inspiring. We spent November 9, walking along the Berlin Wall Memorial along Bernauer Straße before being stopped due to the remembrance events by world leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others. We finished the main section of the Memorial on November 10, a much less rainy day.
Walking along the preserved stretch on Bernauer Straße brought to life all the books, movies, and stories I’d read about the brutality that the Wall imposed on people from both sides. The small memorial stones embedded into the sidewalk that remembers people who died jumping from buildings or shot by guards were especially impactful.
The visitors center is a great way to get a concise history of the Wall and to get a birds-eye view of the preserved section of the Wall from their observation deck.
At the Berlin Wall Memorial along Bernauer Straße. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
Kim at the Berlin Wall Memorial’s preserved section of the Wall with accompanying death strip. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
Poles marking the path of the Berlin Wall along Bernauer Straße. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
Piece of the Berlin Wall that is part of the East Side Gallery. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
Remnant of the Berlin Wall in front of the Topography of Terror center documenting Nazi atrocities on Niederkirchnerstraße. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
Berlin, A Place to Return To
Filled with history, modern structures, amazing food, and plenty of nightlife, Berlin is definitely a place we will be returning to. We didn’t even scratch the surface of the modern Berlin on this trip, choosing instead to focus on the Cold War remnants and main historical sights. With so many beautiful neighborhoods and art installations, we could’ve spent the whole month exploring the German capital city.
One thing we did learn is if you’re planning on visiting the Reichstag and walking up the impressive dome, make sure to book ahead of time and preferably not in the morning. The cold November weather mixed with all the tourists led to most of the glass of the dome being fogged over and hard to see through. It was still impressive, but just a little obstructed. Thankfully, booking a ticket is free.
Kim at the Reichstag dome with a German flag in the background. Taken with the Fuji X-T3.
