Even though I was born in South Germany and was living there when the wall came down I’ve never visited the historic city that is Berlin and thought it was about time.

Whilst away I  try to grab a walking tour, these are usually given by locals and tend to be fairly cheap if not free (with the choice of tipping at the end).
They are informative, generally up to date and always a chance to meet people and ask the guide questions, without feeling like a complete tourist holding a huge guide book whilst getting lost. Within a few hours and a delicious pit stop for beverages and some soup (cheese, leek and mincemeat), we had seen a lot of the major sights involved with Berlin’s history. From the Reich right through to the rebuilding of the Old Palace, that they took down after bomb damage after WWII.

But something that did made me chuckle and seemed more fitting as the days I stayed went on, was a quote that the guide provided us with, courtesy of his father: “Berlin will be beautiful, when it’s finished.” Currently at the moment as well as rebuilding the Palace they are also doing work on The Opera House, The National History Museum and some of the older bridges, which is only in one section of the East side of the City.  Even now bullet holes on some of the older buildings have only just been filled in.

This is completely contrasted when you move over to the far West side of Berlin, where the more metropolitan buildings have been springing up and starting to devour the skyline over the last 30 years.

AlexanderPlatz

One place that I Loved that (apparently quite a few of the locals in Berlin don’t) , was the TV Tower in AlexanderPlatz. This tower was built in the 70’s and not only contains a rotating restaurant but gives you some of the best views of Berlin with it’s 360 platform, complete with a cocktail and champagne bar (and beer for those of us who prefer it). It was one of the highlights on the trip and let’s you view the historical landmarks of the cities lifespan, whilst experiencing something new at the same time.

Photoautomats

A must do in Berlin is to enter one of the Photoautomat machines. Berlin has the highest concentration of them left, including the only colour one in Europe (just down by the East Wall Gallery). Yes you have to wait five minutes for them to print, which can seem like a lifetime when you’re excited but to capture a perfect/funny/adventurous moment with people you love is a wondrous thing. Albeit it a little bit of fun and a perfect way to end your visit to this ever growing and bewildering city.

For more information about Berlin visit: https://www.visitberlin.de/en