Berlin - city of dreams....

January 1988 - near Checkpoint Charlie

My favourite city that I have visited is Berlin. It’s the only big city I would think of living in the heart of.

Berlin has the most amazing atmosphere to it.  It is both always new and full of history.  The city has gone through several births and rebirths.

My first visit was in January 1988, I was 17.  It is a city that immediately resonated with me.  I was 17 – not really a child anymore – but not quite an adult.  It was, perhaps, the best time to visit a city like Berlin.

To see the Charlottenburg Palace that survived (but with a lot of damage that has since been restored) the bombings of the Second World War with its mix of styles showed me the underskirts of Berlin's glorious past.

Looking at the displays of virtually suicidal escapes from the East at the Museum at Checkpoint Charlie gave even a bunch of reasonable self-absorbed teenagers long pause and left me crying with sadness and overwhelming frustration.  

To have to see the Brandenburg Gate sitting in the middle of no-man’s land, falling into disrepair seemed criminal.  

Finally, in 2003 I got to return to Berlin. It was again built anew, as so much of the East had remained as it had at wars end.  

The thing that strikes me constantly about Berlin is the amount of green areas – parks and the like.  Unless you’re strolling down the extremely impressive Kurfürstendamm Straße (the main shopping strip), you wouldn’t know you’re in such a major city.  Each area seems like a small haven of quiet streets and small corner stores. The Ku'damm as it's known really is a must see, even for a non-shopping enthusiast like me!

One walk that any modern history buff should absolutely do is the “Where The Wall Was”. You can purchase a walking map from many places around the city.

Some areas you would never know there had been a wall. Some parts of the wall are still in place as a reminder of what once was.  In one section there is a 6 lane road – exactly where a section of the death strip was. Because of the barrenness of the road and the exact width being kept – you can almost see the guard towers still... see the barbed wire and feel the atmosphere of the seriousness of the place.

If you want to see a city that has both a varied and very interesting history yet still has the buzz of youth – Berlin cannot be missed.

Finally got to walk through the Brandenburg Gate!

Unbekannt = Unknown - they fled without paper to protect their families

The Death Strip