Before you go forward, I must warn you that the collection of photos that follow make no coordinated sense as they are more a random disorganised set of what is left from the blurry images found on my memory card. It reflects somewhat my own mindset roaming through Germany's capital, a little frazzled in the mind coming of intense train tripping of around 15 hours within 3 days.
In comparison to Munich and the other tiny towns we visited beforehand, Berlin was like a large maze much more vast with more secrets hidden in between junctions and corners waiting to be discovered by adventurous souls. It is also less photogenic due to its history with war and destruction. People often come here to reflect on the horrible incident that affected so much of us the world round. The Topography of terror, Checkpoint Charlie, and of course the Berlin Wall comes to mind at the mention of the city. We visited a concentration camp armed with an amazing tour guide who was both knowledgeable and interesting. The weather was a completely different story! During our 3-day stay in Berlin, the weather continued to rain on our parade, but it was manageable, after all we were a bunch of students calling North East England our temporary home where gloom and drizzle are two things we have become well acquainted with. On the day of our concentration camp visit, it rained, it poured, it snowed, and it even managed to hail.
It was then I discovered how severe the holes in both my shoes were, with ice water seeping in to freeze my feet numb as snow continued to fall so fervently from the sky. It somehow painted a more believable picture of the camp transporting us back to a time where it was still in use. Without, the camp looked pretty much as it was, a now deserted operation for people to visit and imagine its life in the past. In other words, unused. Everyone was pretty much freezing with the chill burning us right down to our bones, we were soaking wet and shivering in the cold, but we were also layered up with modern day technology-infused winter wear. Whereas the prisoners back in the day only had their striped uniform that could hardly keep out any cold, or keep in any warmth. It is no wonder many of them succumbed to exhaustion and brutality of the natural environment.
Two things that stand out in my memory now back from the trip is the Berlin Cathedral and the Christmas market in Charlottensburg, probably due to the change in menu in contrast to our usual meal consisting of some sort of pork meat variation. There, we feasted on a salmon bun and walked around our very last Christmas market in Deutschland before heading back. The Berlin Cathedral is a sight to be savoured. Unfortunately, we knew not of it and therefore did not get a chance to see the insides, though the exterior was enough to satisfy.
I think Germany is a magical country. I also think my opinion is biased. But we encountered many beautiful sights and sounds, food and beer, and great wonderful people. Beyond that, they have a deeply meaningful history. Whether bad or good it is all so relevant to modern day life, particularly because of the significance of the country as a whole in the past as well as today.
ps try the famous Berliner - a jam filled doughnut.
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