A WEEKEND IN BERLIN - DAY 2, SATURDAY

We started early on Saturday after a good night’s rest and grabbed a quick coffee and croissant from a lovely little cafe on the way to the underground. This was our second day in Berlin and I had 3 points of interest to tick off on the itinerary...

Brandenberg Gate

Berlin’s remaining city gate is one of Berlin’s best-known landmarks. During the period when Berlin was a divided city, the Brandenberg Gate was located in no man’s land behind the Berlin Wall (you can read about that on Day 1) and was made famous when it was reopened on 22 December 1989 after the fall of the Wall. It is a sandstone construction dating from 1791 and supported by 12 Doric columns. It now serves as the centerpiece of Pariser Platz. Hopefully you’ll be able to get an idea of just how tall this is! 

Holocaust Memorial

The memorial is made up of 2,711 large rectangular stones as a tribute to the Jews that died during the war as a result of Hitler’s “Final Solution.” Below the stones, is a very touching museum that focuses on the lives of individual families. It really is an emotional experience as you read your way the museum and it gets to you. It’s free to walk round but for 4 Euros you can get an audio commentary which we did. Be prepared to spend a couple of hours here if you want to read and appreciate it all. 

Reichstag

The seat of the German Parliament is one of Berlin’s most historic landmarks. It has now has a new dome and draws some of the biggest crowds in Berlin. It has a rich history that reflects the stories of Germany since the 19th century. You can climb the famous glass dome and see amazing views of the city, it's not a strenuous walk, you literally just follow spiral path. I would suggest to book a reservation ahead of time as it does get busy. I booked ours a month before which I'm glad I did as when we there people were being told it would be a few hours wait. It's free to visit but you will need your passport for security, it is a Government building after all!

Unfortunately half way through visiting the building, my camera battery died. THE WORST! Luckily, Dad had his camera but you may notice a slight difference in quality in some of the photos...

Once we had finished up here, our tummies were growing so we headed we headed to lunch, which fyi was freakin' amazing (but i'll tell you all about that another time). It was located right on the most amazing square, a place I didn't even have on my places to visit list...

Gendarmenmarkt Square

The square is a site of an architectural ensemble including The Konzerthaus (concert hall) and the French and German Churches (Französischer Dom & Deutscher Dom).  In the centre of the square stands a monumental statue of Germany's renowned poet Friedrich Schiller. These buildings are incredible to see in person, it was the perfect place to take 5 minutes away from the busy streets and take in all the beauty. There’s lots of little cafes and restaurants around here too!

After watching the world go by we carried on walking, like most cities this is the best way to get around and take in all the sights. We decided to spend Sunday morning on a cruise, so we headed down to the river to book one as we knew there would be loads to pick from. We ended up walking through Museum Island on our way down there but decided we'd had enough for the day so we didn't stop. There were quite a few museums to choose from and I'd imagine you'd need a whole day down here to give them all justice. I'll add it to the list for next time!

After booking our cruise for the following day we got the tram back to our apartment, we could have got the underground but it was a lovely day and another way to watch the word go by. We headed back out an hour later, ready for dinner and drinks. I had the idea to visit The Fernsehturm  (the realllllly tall modern pointy building you can see in one of the photos) but it was just ridiculously busy. I had thought about booking tickets previously but I never got round to it and I really wish I had. But never mind, it’ll just be another thing to add to the list!

Coming soon... Berlin Day 3!

Photos were taken on my Olympus Pen EL7 with the 14‑42mm & 45mm lenses and the Canon 1000d.