Berliner Braüs and Bears

For the second weekend in November, I traveled to Berlin, the largest city and capital of Germany! My cousin Joe and his girlfriend Daniela met me there after flying in from Florence, Italy. Although Berlin was not exactly what I had expected, it was definitely an amazing city rich with culture and history. Unlike many other European capitals, Berlin is a place to be savored and experienced, rather than just running from sight to sight and from museum to everywhere in between.


We started Friday at Checkpoint Charlie, the famous historic crosspoint between a divided West and East Berlin during the Soviet control of Eastern Germany. It is hard to imagine that only 20 years ago, Berlin was a divided city, as was Germany. It is even harder to believe that I was not even born yet when the Berlin Wall fell - my cousins were not very pleased when I reminded them of this fact (ha). So much of the modern history of Berlin is colored by this division and subsequent tearing down of the wall. The museum at the checkpoint was dedicated to history and artifacts of the resistance and secret crossing movements from the East to the democratic West.


We also saw the Brandenburg Gate, another famous marker in the division of Berlin during the 20th century. It is also the place where President Reagan made his famous "Tear Down This Wall" speech in 1988 at the beginning of the end of European Communism. It is interesting to learn more about the history of Berlin, as many of the other places I have visited in Eastern and Central Europe this semester were under the same rule as East Germany.


After a good night's rest and a long day of traveling, we slept in a little late on Saturday. Our first stop was the Reichstag, or German Parliament building. It is a prominent and grand structure complete with lots of recognizable German flags flying from every corner. Interestingly, there is often an absence of European Union flags, even though Germany (West) was one of the founding members. Unfortunately, the line for entrance to see the building was hours long, and we decided to spend our time elsewhere in the city.


After a long lunch complete with a few famous Berliner Braü beers (a light pilsner similar to most Czech beers), we made our way to Museum Island. This island in the Spree River is home to several of Berlin's most famous museums. This includes the Pergamon museum, which houses three large structures of antiquity. There is an entire Greek Altar of Zeus, a Roman Market Gate, and the Ishtar Gate of Babylon (pictured above).


Next stop was the Berliner Dom. This massive cathedral was constructed mainly King Frederick William III of Prussia; however, its extensive history lends it style to various different periods of architecture. Most notably, the inside is very ornate for a Protestant church, as most are rather simple compared to Catholic churches.


FInally, the views from the rotunda of the Berliner Dom were fantastic! You could see much of the see from the circular rooftop terrace. Pictured above is one view, which includes the Rathaüs (city hall) on the right and the TV Tower on the left. After an exhausting day of sights, we went to a traditional German brewpub for some meaty cuisine and German Weißbier (wheat beer) traditionally made in Munich.


On Sunday, our final day in Berlin, we made our way back to the East to see the Jewish Museum of Berlin. This unique modern establishment tells the history of German Jewry from 1000 AD until today. Obviously, German Jews have a long history in this region, and the museum paid particular attention to the Holocaust and commemorating its victims. Next stop was the East Side Gallery, the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall. It currently serves as an art gallery with many different artistic drawings and interpretations. And, of course, it makes a nice Berlin photo-op.


Our very last stop of the day was in Charlottenburg Castle, the summer residence of the Hohenzollern. This is very similar to the Schoenbrunn Castle of the Austrians and Maria Theresa in Vienna, just on a smaller scale. Overall, it was a great weekend to see a new city and to spend time with family before returning back to Prague then the United States. Tomorrow evening, I will be traveling to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. I will be spending most of Wednesday there seeing the other major city of the former Czechoslovakia, since we have a national school holiday vacation. Then Copenhagen on Friday. Cheers!

Oh, and the bear on two hind legs is the symbol of Berlin!


Lastly, my sixth column in The Hoya from abroad has been published this week! Make sure to czech it out! Click here to read my article in this week's The Guide!