Germany

Berlin - A History Lesson on Love, Freedom and Equality

Travel opens your eyes to a new appreciation of life! No matter your experiences, immersing yourself into a different culture through its history, food, music, language and dance will always help you become (at least for me) more confident, understanding, tolerant and unapologetic for who you are. 

Travel helps you become a better citizen of the world by accepting and understanding the differences in humanity, and in return, help make the world a better place!

With that said, I knew that the history lesson I was going to receive in Berlin was not just going to be tough and mind changing, but also wonderful, fun and welcoming.

We arrived in a chilly, April afternoon in Berlin. We took the train into the city from the airport and easily found our way to the hotel. Since we were tired from the flight, we took it easy that night, walked around a bit in the evening to check out the local graffiti art, found some great German food and beer and called it a night. 

The next day the history lesson began. I had found a great walking tour online that would take us through the entire city, but our hotel provided an even better one with pictures and highlights, so we went with that one instead. In this post I’ll cover the highlights and what we liked the most, but just know that there is a lot more to see and experience in Berlin, if you have more time. 

We began at Bernauer Straβe. This is an area where the Berlin Wall once stood and divided the city between communist Berlin to the East and capitalist Berlin to the West. The wall ran along the length of the street and it was the scene to many early escape attempts. Next to it, you’ll find an open-air museum that leads down to the memorial church, the documentation center and a section of the wall that has been preserved. You’ll also find a tower you can climb for a better view of the area and the restrictions that people living in the East and West once experienced. 

The next highlight we saw was the Brandenburg Gate. It’s important because it represents the entrance to the historical part of Berlin and was in a section of the city called “no-mans land” where neither side could reach it.

Next we went to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Holocaust Memorial. It’s an absolutely beautiful site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs of “stelae” arranged in a grid pattern. The stelae are organized in rows and vary in height, some going north to south and others east to west. The formation of the stelaes are reflected underground. You can see them once you enter the information section underneath. The architecture is amazing.  

Since it was close by, we walked over to Führer’s Bunker. It was here, in April 1945, where Adolf Hitler committed suicide together with his wife. The bunker is 12 meters below ground level and has walls and ceilings that are 4 meters thick. You cannot walk down or see it, all that stands is a sign that says the bunker is here. Save yourself the walk and skip it.

Following the Führer’s Bunker we checked out Checkpoint Charlie. This is the most well known checkpoint in Berlin controlled by the USA. In 1961, tanks of the Soviets and the USA stood here face to face. The Checkpoint Charlie was one of the spots where several people attempted to escape from the East.

As we continued along, we went to another part of the Berlin wall, which is the most popular. The reason the wall was built was because of the establishment of the GDR (German Democratic Republic) and Hitler's dictatorship which began in 1933. Due to this political establishment, the population of Berlin started a mass migration to the West. To stop this migration, the Berlin Wall enclosed West Berlin from East Berlin from 1961 to 1989. As a result of this, family members, friends and loved ones were separated and caused great devastation to the city and its people. The Germans knew that there was power in unity, so with the fall of the Soviet Union and the decay of other communist regimes in Europe, they fought for unification and declared the German Reunification in 1990. This is when East and West Berlin finally united and the process to teardown the wall officially began. 

Last but not least, and with sadness in my eyes, we visited a concentration camp. It’s hard to see, but a must! It’s a visit that will put your life, your freedom and those you love in a different perspective. It’s history that happened and that we must not shy away from to prevent it from ever, ever happening again! 

We visited Sachsenhausen Camp which is only about 25 minutes away from Berlin and easy to get to on the train. It’s located in a quaint town called Oranienburge which is nice to walk through. The camp is a museum that offers the option of an audio tour, a guided tour or just the option to walk through it on your own. There you will see where the prisoners where held, what they wore, what their daily life consisted off and where they were executed. About 200,000 people passed through this camp between 1936 and 1945. 

You could read more about the camp here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachsenhausen_concentration_camp

Our stay in Berlin was short, but was enough time to experience its highlights. Our itinerary is below.  

Mon: 4/6 - Arrive Berlin
Tue: 4/7 – Walking tour of city
Wed: 4/8 – Concentration Camp
Th: 4/9 – Leave Berlin

If you’re interested in experiencing Berlin, its history, its food and its love for present day freedom, I can share with you how I did it. Just email me for the details. 

My itinerary includes: 

• Walking tour of city
• Information on how to get around in the city
• Travel visa requirements – who needs what and where to get it
• Hotel, restaurants and nightlife recommendations
• Currency tips
• Best time of year to visit 
• What to pack and wear
• Other places to visit in Germany and Berlin, if you have more time
• Unlimited amount of questions you can ask me for your travel