Hello! I’m back from Berlin and I had a great time. I got
constantly mistaken for being German… I tried to play along with my AS level
German skills (ahem!), but mostly I had to confess to my British-ness! Maybe I
have some German roots and that is what they recognise in me.
It was quite chilly and grey whilst I was there, but there
were glimpses of blue sky and it didn’t stop me enjoying myself and wandering
around, it was dry after all.
I thought I would show you some of my favourite things about
the city. Would that be okay?
There are lots of depictions of bears all around Berlin.
Brown bears have apparently been Berlin’s official mascot since 1280, there is
one on the city’s flag.
The Brandenburg Gate is one of the most iconic Berlin sites,
I think. The wall ran right behind it. It has been the centre of much of Berlin’s
history. There is also a very well named ‘Victoria’ charging forward with her
chariot atop the gate.
Always a sucker for splashes of colour; the yellow U-Bahn
trains were my particular favourite.
Having enjoyed the London Olympics this year, I took a trip
to the Olympic Stadium of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. I loved the architecture of
the stadium, but very conscious that it was built to promote and impress the
power of the Third Reich to the rest of the world.
Being a keen swimmer, the pool and diving pool were particularly interesting….
The beauty of gothic lettering on street signs….
Contrasted with the beauty of graffiti art along the river….
The Marx and Engels Forum was a must for me. I had to wait
quite a while to get a good look as there was a Danish TV crew there filming.
It was worth the wait.
The Reichstag, the home of German democracy. It was great
that you can go almost right up to the building, all the way around. In London
you don’t really get that kind of closeness to the Houses of Parliament.
Berlin has many interestingly designed buildings. I would love to live at the top of the first building.
The glowing golden dome of the Neue Synagogue was a
definitely highlight for me. I really loved this whole area and spent a lot of
time wandering around until it became dark.
Across this wonderful red bridge and down the road one
hundred paces…
Is my MOST favourite place in all of Berlin, the Bauhaus
Archiv.
From 1919 to 1933 Bauhaus revolutionised design. Bringing
together function and form, which created clean and simple lines. Beauty.
Basically.
They had a special exhibition at the Archiv, on Lou
Scheper-Berkenkamp. This lady’s style is totally inspiring to me. She is not
very well known, but she deserves to be.
You can’t take photos in the museum, because of copyright,
etc., which is totally fair. So, if you are interested you can have a good look
here.
The changing faces of the Fernsehturm were a constant
fascination for me.
And finally (thank you for hanging in there!), Molecule Man
by Jonathan Borofsky.
Thank you Berlin. I enjoyed you, your people and your food.
