Ich bin ein Berliner

Ich bin ein Berliner - Probably the most famous Kennedy quote, and not even in English.  You may have heard this translated as "I am a doughnut." This is true!  However, it is also not true.  A certain doughnut is called a Berliner because it is from Berlin, just as a Berliner is a person from Berlin.  Fun story.  No city truly exemplifies a modern rebirth like Berlin.  I must admit... Berlin was never very high on my list of places to go.  However, from my first visit onward, it has really captured me in a very unique way.  From the familiar sights, such as the Berlin wall, the old Soviet TV tower, the Brandenburg Gate, and of course the Reichstag, Berlin has much to offer not just in the way of Cold War sights, but also a lot culturally.  From a touristic standpoint, it is still one of the least expensive major cities in Europe, and there is much to see.  Let's start with the basics.

Getting there - Berlin is very accessible from overseas, as well as the rest of Europe.  There are two major airports currently, with another on the way.  TXL and SXF will be your search codes when looking for the lowest fares.  Both are very easily connected to the city by public transportation.  

Public transportation is very easy in Berlin.  I like sticking to the S-bahn and U-bahn trains, supplemented by the occasional bus when necessary.  The simplest way to navigate purchase your metro tickets is by buying a day pass (Tageskarte), which currently will run you approximately €6-7 depending on which zones you stay within (A,B,C).  Zone C is mainly needed for airports and Sachsenhausen concentration camp.  Also, if you are with a group of up to 5 people, you can buy a Kleingruppenkarte (small group ticket) which will allow all 5 to travel all day for a fixed price (approximately €15 Euros last time I was there).  After purchasing your ticket, you will need to validate it one time on the yellow machines on the platform.  Then, stow the ticket in a safe place.  You will only need to show it if asked by a ticket inspector.  Otherwise, public transportation has no turnstiles, as it is an honor system.

Eating in Berlin is also very easy.  There are many places offering the usual international chain food.  Something you must try is Currywurst.  It is essentially a sausage diced and covered in a curry gravy.  Nice and heavy street food.  It's also cheap enough to fill up on!  There is also fine dining available in any major center of town, especially near the Museum Island and along Unter den Linden.  

Sleeping in Berlin is also quite inexpensive.  I like staying near Alexanderplatz or in the Mitte neighborhood.  These offer options that are very inexpensive and accessible to my recommended sights.  

Some sights to see, in no particular order follow.  Please note, I could spend months writing about sights in Berlin.  So, this is by no means a complete list.  If you're interested in more, or planning a trip to Berlin, please leave me a comment, and I'll move it up my priority list.

East side gallery - see the first photo.  This is the largest remaining stretch of the wall, and now an outdoor ar gallery.  The murals you see were painted by artists from all over the world.  Many of the paintings are very potent to the history of Berlin.  Take the S-Bahn to Ostbahnhof to visit it.  Grab a banana from a convenience store to snack on while you walk this stretch of the wall, remembering that folks isolated by this wall couldn't get this exotic fruit (East Berliners are obsesses with bananas now!). 

Pergamon Museum and Ishtar Gate - This museum surprised me. I had read about the very amaing Greek Pergamon Alter reconstructed in this museum.  What I had not read about was the Ishtar Gate, which was constructed in 575 B.C. by King Nebuchadnezzar II in the city of Babylon, and now reconstructed in Berlin for your enjoyment.  This, to me, was one of the most amazing pieces I have ever seen, and such an interesting look into an ancient culture. 

The Reichstag - Or the parliament of Germany is a very interesting visit.  Reserve your tickets to visit the roof months in advance online at bundestag.de. You will be glad you did.  The building itself suffered a huge fire, which was conveniently blamed on those that opposed Hitler.  It provided just one other means for him to seize power.  The new dome is constructed of glass, a symbol that the new government should be transparent to the people.

Another very potent sight is the book burning memorial at Bebelplatz.  This is a potent reminder of Berlin's troubled past, where, according to Heinrich Heine, 

That was only a prelude, there, where they burn books, they burn in the end people.

This memorial is one of the most fitting I have ever seen.  A simple glass tile that becomes obscured in the masses reveals a window into a ghostly library of empty white shelves.  This is especially powerful at night, when the eerie glow really reminds you of the fire which once burned right where you are standing.  Sadly, these words rang true under the Nazi regime.  Another powerful sight a short ride from town is Sachsenhausen concentration camp.  In my experience, I do believe that everyone who has the opportunity to visit one of these places should do so at least once.  They are not enjoyable visits, but they are very important for us as a human race.  This should be a sight-seeing priority if you have never been.  The quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower sums it up quite well-

"The things I saw beggar description...The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty and bestiality were so overpowering...I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in a position to give first hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations to propaganda."

Among other sights to visit, definitely don't miss the Brandenburg Gate, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Museum at Checkpoint Charlie, and the Jewish Museum.  Perhaps I will cover these other places and more in a future post on Berlin.  To wrap this up, all I can do is give you the green light to go to Berlin in the only way I can.  See the pic below.  Danke und gute Nacht.