Bumpin' Berlin

Being completely honest, German cities started to blend together to me. Of course the country is beautiful, rich with history, be it good or horrific, and German beer is spot on, but I felt the places I'd visited really started to feel like the last. I was in search of the kind of "cool" that I love about cities like Chicago and New York. The second we pulled into Berlin I knew I had found what I was looking for.

Dome on the German Reichstag

Berlin has more museums than one could visit in a month, great restaurants with international cuisine, unique boutiques and the art scene lends itself for creative inspiration. We traveled to Berlin with Justin's brother and sister-in-law along with their friend Peter, who resides in Berlin and was an excellent tour guide. With so much to see and so little time, we had a lot of ground to cover.

The crew enjoying Gluhwein

The first and more innovative thing we did was visit the Government Building. I know, sounds hardly "innovative," but Berlin is once again the capitol city of Germany and with the city's dark past, focus is on creating a more open government. The Bundestag Reichstag building now has an enormous glass dome on top of the Parliament room that resembles scenes out of the Jetsons's. While strolling up a ramp to the top of the dome, a walking tour explains all of Berlin's structures and their history and has an amazing panoramic view of the city. It is a hands on experience and was a great place to start our tour of Berlin.

I was a bit surprised to learn that Berlin is a cultural heaven. It has sixty-something museums with something for everyone. Being there for a short weekend, we could only visit four, and even that was pushing it. We purchased a three day pass and that allows visits almost every museum at a very reasonable price. We went to the awesome Neues Museum, Pergamon Museum, which is the most visited museum in German and has an ancient Temple and Gate from Turkey literally inside the museum, the Guggenheim which is small but still quite nice and the famous Neue National Gallery designed Mies van der Rohe.

Justin in front of  Brandenburger Gate

Of course no trip to Berlin would be complete without a look at Checkpoint Charlie and a glimpse of the remaining Berlin Wall. It is hard to imagine what life was like with that wall. There are still spots in the city that have the old communist feel, but for the most part, Berlin has been completely transformed into a bustling, fun city. One advantage to being such a new hot spot is low prices. Berlin is very affordable compared to Munich and Frankfurt. 

Berlin also has a huge Holocaust memorial and museum. Located in the heart of the city, it is an interesting design of concrete blocks spanning an entire city block. I can't say I quite understand the design, but it is very impactful.

Cute as a button! I wanted to take this cow home with me!

If you are coming to Germany, I would definitely recommend including Berlin on your itinerary. A few days here would be adequate to explore the amazing city. There really is something for everyone, and plenty to see. 

All of our Berlin photos are here.