It was a cold start, but our second full day in Berlin turned out to be pretty nice over all, with the odd cold patch interspersed with sun. It was another day of exploring the city, though this time we did enter some museums.
Reichstag
Our day started early as we’d booked to visit the Dome and Roof Terrace of the Reichstag at 8.45am, which required being there by 8.30am, for security checks. Getting there involved using a U, S and then U train. It all went to plan, and we spent a very interesting hour or so there. The visit is free, and comes with an audio-guide (if you haven’t booked in for the guided tour). It was an antenna audioguide, which, if you haven’t had one before, is the sort that just starts up when you are in each location.
The guide gave us a brief history of the dome and the plenary chamber it covers, pointed out the buildings in the vicinity (especially, though not solely, those involved in government), and described various innovatory features particularly regarding environmental efficiency. After we returned to the bottom of the dome we spent time reading the panels providing a history of the German government from just before the abdication of the Kaiser in 1918 through to reunification after the fall of the wall. We learnt that the third Reich didn’t use the Reichstag building.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Next stop was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which was opened in 2005. It comprises above and below ground sections. Above ground is a Field of Stelae comprising 2711 grey concrete blocks, some vertical, some horizontal, but all representing coffins. Walking through these large, silent, anonymous monoliths reminds you of all those people – of all ages, sizes and genders, and many still anonymous – who were slaughtered by the Third Reich. The Memorial is laid out in regular lines but the ground undulates and the stelae vary in height and orientation which creates a tension between the Nazi’s systematic killing and the individuality of those they killed. At least, that’s how it felt to us.
Underground is the Information Centre. We’d call it a museum, but perhaps they have specifically chosen not to do so. It has been designed to integrate with/reflect the stelae directly above, with each room doing this in a different way. Once again there was an audioguide. The Centre, comprising eight main rooms (0-7), tells the story of the Holocaust primarily through the personal stories of some of the victims, but also through images and stories of the sites, and a timeline of the major events from 1933 to 1945. Its centrepiece, from their point of view, is the Room of Names (3) because of the importance of remembering in Jewish culture, but we were most moved by the Room of Dimensions (2) which contained the last words of several victims. Such sad, brave, hopeful and/or resigned words. “I want to live”, one 12-year-old wrote, but she, Judith, knew it was not to be.
In the Commemoration Site Portal (5), we were told that most of the killings took place in the East but most of the memorials to date are in the West. We’ll just pass that on without comment.
No matter how many times you see, read or hear about the Holocaust, you can’t fail to be shocked by it, can you? If the evidence weren’t so unequivocal, you could almost agree with the deniers. How could it have happened? The Centre has on the wall in its entry room the following by Primo Levi:
It happened, therefore it can happen again: this is the core of what we have to say.
Schloss Charlottenburg and Gardens
Our final sight of the day involved two more train trips – as we wanted to see Schloss Charlottenburg and Garden, particularly the gardens. It’s actually a huge complex containing a few separate museums, but we just went to one, the Altes Schloss. In fact, not all were open, and at least one was closed for – yes – renovation.
The Altes Schloss was built by Sophie Charlotte in 1675 (or thereabouts) – after she’d done her duty and produced an heir for her husband Frederick III! – as a summer palace to which she could retire and indulge her great passions of music and theatre. The Altes Schloss was badly damaged by bombing during World War II, so some of what we saw was reconstruction but the slideshow photos (for which we paid €3 to be able to take!) are of original features. As with other palaces we’ve visited, this one combined a history of the family which built and lived in it with an exhibition of the art they collected. It was all pretty interesting … as was the exhibition of historic Berlin porcelain in the upper storey (but we’ve not included photos of it).
Then it was the garden which was originally designed in 1697 in a baroque style influenced Versailles. It comprised geometric patterns, avenues and moats, with a Carp Pond. Towards the end of the 18th century, when less formal, more natural-looking gardens became fashionable, it was redesigned in the English landscape style. After the Second World War, the part of the garden nearest the palace was restored to its previous baroque style, with the bottom end reflecting the less formal English style. The pond separates the two and it integrates well we thought. At the end of this garden is a Belvedere. You could pay to go in, and see another porcelain exhibition, but as we’d paid €27 for the palace and our feet were complaining, we gave that a miss and just admired it from the outside!
We had left home 7.30am, stopped 15 mins for lunch, and got back at 4.30 pm. Another long day.
Dinner
We were tired and so didn’t want to venture out too far. Before coming home, we’d sussed out some local possibilities as TripAdvisor hadn’t come up with anything appealing. We settled on a place up the road called AndaluZia. We hoped, it being Friday, that it wasn’t going to be booked out and fortunately, when we turned up later, it wasn’t. Yes, it was Spanish themed, but we decided that was at least relevant to our trip!
We had a tasty meal starting with a selection of tapas – lovely mixed marinated and not too salty olives, thin slices of Manchega (sheep’s cheese), and jambon Serrano. We followed this with Lamb Cutlets for Sue (cheap cut but very nicely cooked), and Schnitzel for Len served the traditional German way, that is, with Warm Potato Salad. Our friendly attentive Lebanese waiter recommended the Vinho Verde for Sue, which went down a treat after a long day. There’s nothing like a pleasant relaxing meal with a glass of something to restore mind and body!
Sue later wrote up a review of AndaluZia for TripAdvisor. It was already in TripAdvisor as it turned out but, being ranked at around 2000 out of nearly 5000 Berlin restaurants, it hadn’t turned up in the list of restaurants near us, even though it was half a block away. It was ranked low, not because the reviews were bad, but because there were only three of them. TripAdvisor is a useful source of information but like any source it needs to be understood in context.
Three-words
SUE: Horror, Beauty, Peace
LEN: New Feet Please
and the stills…
and the videos…
Inside the Dome of the Reichstag building
The Holocaust Monument and Museum
That memorial. And the Holocaust museum. It’s so hard to put into words what it’s like to visit them.
You’re right it is, but so well and thoughtfully done, and a working monument that is still adding to its database, which is great.
I wish I could change places with your for just one day. Just think your poor feet would be given a rest. This day in Berlin sounds really fascinating.
That sounds like an idea, Carolyn … Or better still, you could be here too.
I see on the Reichstag video, Sue, that you don’t have your trusty old Powershot 570. Very sad – what are you using for this trip?
Well spotted, Ian. It was a hard decision but I decided just before we went that I wanted to try a smaller camera, just to reduce the bulk of things being carried. It’s a Canon IXUS 255 HS. I’ve been pretty happy with it, though need to learn some ins and outs. And I do miss the viewfinder. Compromises.