Traveling is my passion.
Whenever I have some time to spare, I’m off to discover some place new.
Well…usually I am. For the time being, I’m pretty much stranded…
just like I’m sure a lot of you are .
So when the lockdown blues hits me hard my go-to is to plan my next trip.
Nobody knows when that’s going to be… but hey…Once we’re clear to travel: I’ll be ready.
The place I know better than any other in the word is Berlin.
That's where I’ve lived for the past 10 years.
So, in an attempt to calm your wanderlust and give you some ideas for your first
post-COVID vacation, I’ll show you five things today, that you can only find here -
in the German capital.
This one is a MUST, especially for first-time visitors.
It’s the closest thing Berlin has to a skyline.
The TV Tower was built in the 1960s by the government of East Germany as a
sort of gigantic middle finger to the West.
Well… The GDR has long fallen apart, but this on is still standing.
I've been there a couple of times already and I swear you get the absolute best
views of the city and there is a revolving restaurant.
It’s currently closed to the public. But if you ever get the chance, you should definitely
take the trip to the top. So, no wonder really that it attracts over a million visitors
every non-COVID plagued year.
Berlin has tons of water. And where there’s water, well usually there are bridges.
And this one right behind me is arguably Berlin's most famous one.
Die Oberbaumbrücke, connecting Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain.
My second recommendation is something you’ve surely heard of or seen on TV.
It's the longest still standing segment of the Berlin Wall - the most notorious
symbol of the Cold War, turned into a massive work of art
Shortly after reunification, over a hundred artists from 21 countries turned this symbol
of division into a monument to change, reflecting their hopes and their fears
as well following the fall of the wall. The entire complex still serves as a
powerful testimony to Berlin’s remarkable history.
Another one of those is this building right here.
The Reichstag, my third recommendation.
It’s the seat of the German Parliament.
It witnessed the rise and fall of Nazi Germany, was almost demolished after
the war, was spared, rebuilt and is now once again the
beating heart of German democracy.
Usually it is open to the public but…you know…not right now…
That really is a shame because the Reichstag is pretty impressive from
the inside. You can actually walk up the glass dome and from there you can
not only get an amazing view of the awesome architecture here in
Berlins government quarter, you can also look right into the legislative chamber
and watch German MPs at work.
You might have noticed a pattern by now: Berlin is a city in perpetual transformation.
Places are constantly rebuilt, reinvented or repurposed.
The best example for that is my fourth recommendation: Tempelhofer Feld.
Once the most prominent site of the Berlin Airlift,
the former airport is now the largest inner-city open space in the entire world!
And Berliners - myself included - LOVE IT!
355 super flat hectares for all the socially distant fun your heart
may desire in these utterly weird times.
My last recommendation might get me into a bit of trouble.
I know I promised to show you five things you can only find here in Berlin.
Well, this one is a bit debatable.The Currywurst is claimed as culinary heritage
by Berlin, Hamburg and the Ruhr Valley.
Trust me, I’ve tried them all and…THIS ONE’s the best.
Here in Charlottenburg, just a couple of blocks away from where a great woman
named Hertha Heuwer is said to have invented the magic condiment in 1949.
You’ll find them EVERYWHERE.
In Kreuzberg’s most famous snack bar Curry 36.
Or in Prenzlauer Berg's Konnopke, where you can enjoy your wurst on a romantic
traffic island accompanied by the rattling symphony of the overhead train tracks.
Every stand claims to have its own secret set of ingredients.
To me, that’s just an eother excuse to try them all.
So… you know where to find me. I hope you enjoyed our litte tour!
Thanks for tagging along!