Berlin – Day 21

I returned to the Topographie or Terror exhibition first thing this morning after walking past Checkpoint Charlie.

The problem was the exhibition opened at 10am not 9am as I thought so I had to hang around a little while till it opened. To kill time I browsed a few local souvenir shops.

My plan was to go from here to an underground in the north of the city. Because the exhibition didn’t open until later than I expected and I wanted to make sure that I spent enough time here so I left it as late as I dared. Even then I could have probably spent at least another hour here working through all the displayed.

I high tailed it to the nearest U Bhan station and made a change on my way to the starting point of the underground tour.

I actually arrived at the station with a few minutes to spare. The problem was that I picked the wrong end of the platform to exit on and was confronted with a maze of stairs and tunnels to negotiate.

The next problem when I finally located the place to purchase tickets was that it was filled with other people buying tickets for later tours. By the time finally got their issues sorted it was too late for me to go on the tour. As I left I found, just around the corner from the ticket office a direct escalator to the U-Bahn platform I just departed. Obviously, I wasn’t meant to go on the tour. I’ll know for next time.

I decided to head back to near the Brandenburg gate and see the Mythos Germania exhibition, which details the plans Hitler had for remodelling Berlin and the grand structures he planned. There wasn’t much to really see at the exhibition but the information boards made it worthwhile.

I decided that it was agood opportunity to try and work out how the S-Bahn (not U-Bahn) trains work. I managed to fluke an S-Train in the right direction but didn’t end up taking the direction I expected so I hoped off at the Berlin Haupbahnhof and decided it would be quicker to walk. Doing so too me once again past the parliament district and the Reichstag.

Also in the exhibition was a whole lot of video presentations about underground Germany. One that really intrigued me was the Flak towers, to the north of city, where I was just before. Turns out you can also do tours inside these as well. Another thing to add to my list of things to do and see in Berlin, especially as it was not something I knew much about.

As I wanted to take a walking tour that would commence in the east of the city I once again needed to catch the U-Bahn in that direction so I walked down to Potsdam Platz, which unfortunately, is another location I wouldn’t have time to visit. I was really keen to see the Sony Centre. Ah well, next time (again).

After exiting the U-Bahn station I headed to Museum Island with the idea of doing a quick tour of at least one museum in the area.

In the end I decided to visit the Berlin Dom, which is a major cathedral. The inside was pretty amazing but you can actually go up to dome and walk around. The views from up here are pretty impressive.

Now running out of time before my tour I snapped a few shots of some of the other museums in the area.

I then headed to the tour starting location near the local S-Bahn station.

I bought my ticket (from an Australian!) and then set off with my guide and fellow walker on the Grand Tour. After yesterdays great 3rd Reich walking tour I’d decided to stick with the guides from Insider Tour.

 

The Berlin Dom once again.

The Altes Museum.

This is the Bebelplatz, just off Unter den Linden which is the location of the Nazi book burning just before the war.

St Hedwigs Kathedrale

There is memorial below the Platz which you can view through a glass window. It is basically a room of empty shelves representing the loss of the burnt books.

Franzostscher Dom at Gendarmen Markt.

The bricks in the road represent the location of the Berlin wall through the streets.

Our tour finished at the Brandenburg gate which was lit up due the Berlin Festival of lights.

From here I headed back to my hotel down Under den Linten,

 

and back down Friedrich Strasse.

Tomorrow is another change of city with a brief stop in Amsterdam but I have to say that I had a great time in Berlin and there is just so much more I’d really like to do and see. I think that I would need at least another 7 days to really see everything that I wanted to here and perhaps even more.

Berlin is really an amazing place. It is so full of history and interesting places. There is plenty here to suit every tourist I reckon and best of all it is all pretty cheap. If you ever get the chance to come here then put it on your list. When you do make sure you take a Insider Tour (especially the Grand Tour) before you do anything else and you’ll get to see so much from an excellent guide. I’d honestly say this is a better way to see the city than a hop on hop off bus. Full marks to Insider Tour, if I come back then I’ll be taking more tours.