Berlin - Further Exploration

The American travel writer Rick Steves said:

Berlin is a city of leafy boulevards, grand Neoclassical buildings, world-class art, glitzy shopping arcades, and funky graffitied neighbourhoods 

 

He was so right, we experienced each of these today and really enjoyed it. The map, with a little bow on the top, above, reflects the exact route as captured by Google Maps as we walked and rode around.

But before we embark on those lofty things, down to the more prosaic. 

Breakfast

After a late-night last night at Rutz I didn't wake this morning until 4.30am. As usual I used the time to edit and sort photos and we went down to breakfast at 7.30am and yet again enjoyed the food this hotel does so well.

Washing Day

Over the years visits to Laundrettes or Laundromats have become a factor of our traveling holidays and today, our sixth day of holiday, is the first of our wash days.

Before leaving home, I had seen that it was a short six block walk from the hotel to Waschsalon Eco- Express in Winterfeldtstrasse. As people who have seen every series of Game of Thrones and read the books (though have given up waiting for the later ones!) it tickled us that we were going to Winterfell, a key location in those stories.

We left the hotel at 8.15am and arrived at the laundromat at 8.26am. The Eco-Express was quiet with one Italian couple and an American family doing their wash alongside us. It was 70cents for the washing powder, €4 for the machine (which took 46 minutes) and €4 for the dryer - very economical indeed. I'd taken my laptop with me and drafted a blog post while we waited. We were finished by 9.45am and back of the hotel by 9:55am, having put the clothes away we were out again at 10.15am.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

We went straight out of the hotel to the Bus Stop and the M48 bus arrived outside within two minutes. We caught it to Postdammer Plaza and then took the 4-minute walk to Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Catching up with an item we had originally scheduled for yesterday.

I had been to this site on my last visit to Berlin, but having been before takes away none of the impact of the darkness that the site recalls. The 2,711 stille most be one of the most sobering sights in the city or the world. Walking through them and remembering the lives that were lost because of humans inhumanity to their fellow humans is tragic.

We took the audio tour around the underground museum and were remind of the scale and intensity of the death machine. The large picture of the numbers of dead and the little vignettes of family stories of the personal kind combine to make this an awe-inspiring place. A place of darkness yet of hope.  

Tiergarten

We followed the 'Three days in Berlin' guide and crossed the road to a site I'd not visited before. The memorial to the homosexual people persecuted under National Socialism - this was added in 2008 after my last visit to Berlin and is a very simple box with a video inside with images of the Gay Capital of the World, as Berlin was known in the interwar years, and what happened next. 

THe next monument in the park remembers Johann Wolfgang von Goethe one of the greatest German literary figures whose work had a big impact on Germany in the Enlightenment. 

This was followed by a statue of friendly looking Lion.

Given we had covered most of the other items around this part of the city we opted to travel next to Alexanderplatz, what had been the centre of East Berlin during the DDR. 

Alexanderplatz

U5 - U bahn line takes you from Brandenburg Gate to Alexanderplatz we exited and began to explore the area. Now a busy commerical centre with brands from across the Western World - little sign now of the great marches and gatherings of the Communist era.

TV tower

Towering over Alexanderplatz and visible for miles around it the "TV Tower" (Fernsehturm). Though built to broadcast appropriate propaganda to the people of East Berlin and East Germany so they didn't get 'mislead' by the west, Western Governments long believed that it was also a place to broadcast and receive illicit communications between the East German government and their spy network. Its predominance in the skyline does have the impact George Orwell suggested in his book 1984, or Big Brother watching you from everywhere. 

Marx Engels Forum

The MArk Engels Forum was built in the 1970s as a sign of the influences of these two thinkers on the society of East Germany. Though the Government and philosophy have changed here, the park is well maintained and clearly visited by tourists who don't see the same honour given to these thinkers in their own countries. It is at times like this that I'm reminded of my membership of the Young Socialists, a Militant led organisation, back in my teenage days in school. A simple philosophy isn't always the best answer, though I'm not sure I ever found one as I moved from young socialism, to Plaid Cymru and have ended up as a long-time Lib Dem! Life, like politics, is not always simple.

St Mary's Church

While I'd heard of the TV Tower and the Marx-Engles Forum, I'd never come across the Marienkirche. This ancient, once Catholic, now Lutheran Church is a striking example of the way that religion continued to function, though being condemed, in Marxist Eastern Europe. 

The original church on this site dates from the early 13th century, it has been a Lutheran church since 1539 and was restored after the second world war but signs of its early use are seen in the mosaics, under the later paint, in the back of the church.

Neptune Fountain

Outside the Church is a very large statue and fountain of Neptune, originally built elsewhere (near Museum Island in what is now the Humboldt Forum) in 1891 it was restored here in 1969.

 

Wasserkaskaden 

Near Npetune is another fountain, a much more modern one, the Wasserkaskaden. It was completed in 1972 as a special prestige object of the DDR. The facility consists of four elongated pools with several cascading steps on both sides of the flight of stairs to the TV tower. The pools are arranged symmetrically and connected to one another with regularly arranged overflows, which quite dramatic - it isn't the Montjuïc magic fountains of Barcelona, but it is entertaining and relaxing on a warm afternoon.

Rosenstrasse Demonstration

Walking away from the fountains to our next planned destination of Hackescher Markt we stumbled upon another piece of Berlin history of which I was unaware - the Rosenstrasse Demonstration. These took place between February 27 and March 6, 1943. This is seen as one of the great turning points in the Nazi's actions against the Jews. People of non-Jewish backgrounds who had Jewish friends or relatives were finally willing to challenge the tactics of the Gestapo. 

Hackescher Markt

Our next stop was Hackescher Markt which the guides suggested was a must see: 

While the name refers to the square here, a visit to Hackescher Markt is just as much about the streets which surround the square. Taking a break from all the history you’ve absorbed so far, this area is known for its shopping boutiques, nightlife, and street art. The boutiques here are specifically unique and appeal to unusual tastes, there is something for everyone here.

Well we did stop for a coffee, but apart from big brands stores there was nothing else to keep us here!

Museum Island

We walked across the River Spree to Museum Island. this is an UNESCO World Heritage Site with Five huge Museums, the Cathedral of Berlin and Two palaces, though technically one of them is just off the island. As we were in walking and seeing mode we took lots of external pictures - starting here on Flickr, but didn't visit the interior of any of the buildings. 

Ampelmann

It was now 3pm and we had a task to complete. As mentioned in two previous blog posts - here and here - Drew had taken a fancy to the hatted red and green crossing sign men and had found a shop of their memorobilia yesterday. So by catching the U5 U-bahn to Frederick Street we came back to the Ampelmann store. Where Drew bought two new duck friends to join his extensive collection of ducks at home.

East Side Gallery - The Wall

Shopping task complete we continued our exploration of the east side of the city by getting the U2 U-bahn to Märkisches Museum Station and then the 300 bus to the East Side Gallery. 

This was so well worth a visit, an amazing selection of murals all along this longest remaining part of the Berlin Wall. While most of them were painted in the early 1990s, when the successor Government of the DDR were still negotiating re-unification, they so quickly became an attraction that the artists were asked to return to refresh and renew their works in 2009, as they were showing signs of wear and tear. Most of the artists returned, though out of respect for those who choose not to do so, blank spaces are in their space along the wall. If you do ever visit Berlin, do visit this place at 1,316 meters it is claimed to be the longest street art in the World, though having been to Wynwood, Miami and Kaka'ako, Honolulu, it does have some competition in art terms, but not in terms of recent history.

Kreuzberg

At the end of the East Side Gallery is a pre-war U-bahn station called Warschauer Strasse where we caught the U1 to the Prinzenstrasse in an up and come part of the city called Kreuzberg. 

From the train we walked along to a lovely looking riverside area, which turned out to be our old friend the Landwehr Canal which is very wide at this point and has its own selection of Swans. We walked along the canal, with a nice shade from the trees, and came to the Admiral's Bridge. 

From here we turned back into Kreuzberg, through an area with a lot of street art - graffiti - and got back onto the U-bahn at Hallesches Tor station.

From here we stayed with the U1 to Wittenbergplatz, almost the end of the line.

KaDeWe - Kaufhaus des Westens

Our final destination of the day, meaning we have completed the set of targets we set ourselves when heading out this morning, is KaDeWe. This is one of those eccentric visits not due to any advice or recommendation, but due to watching a TV programme on BBC4 in the Saturday evening foreign language slot. This was called KaDeWe - Our Time Is Now (it is still available on the BBC for another month, if you can access iPlayer see here. It was set in and around this store at the end of the Weimer Republic and the rise of the National Socialists. As a production it had its weaknesses, moments of complete surrealism where the story broke down and fantasy rook over. It also annoyed Drew, as when there were shots from the store you could clearly see 2010 type cars not 1930s one. Something the BBC would never do, but something I hadn't even noticed, as I was focussed on the story, until Drew pointed it out! [Co-pilot's note: It didn't, dear readers, bother me at first! I just put it down to some 'timey-wimey' surrealism that would eventually make the rest of the programme make sense. It turns out I was wrong and there was no 'timey-wimey' going on at all!!!]

Anyway, that programme, and the imminent trip to the city lead us to visit KaDeWe and we enjoyed visiting the store. Indeed, we were there for over an hour as we visited their kitchen area - always looking for new gadgets - and their food hall, which was a whole floor and had some amazing products (including some from Fortum and Mason in the UK).   

Leaving KaDeWe at 5.45pm we realised that our Metro ticket had run out. As we only had one journey to do tomorrow, we decided not to renew it but to walk back to the hotel. 

Thai Meal

It would have been a one and a half mile walk if we hadn't stopped for dinner on the way.

As we walked we passed a restaurant called Kin Dee and were intrigued by its simple menu, less complex than any thai I have ever seen before.

The used an interesting approach where the menu was mainly set, but where there were three options for main. 

As affecinados of Thai food, some of what we had was new to us and reflected the different regions of Thai food, this selection is largly from the North of the country.

We began with a taster I'd not had before Nang Led, these were red Thai rice crackers - Nang Led, similar to the white rice version these have a much richer flavour.

We were served three starters to share - Sao-Nam Ponlamai - a Char Cavier with Coconut Milk and Summer Fruits. I'm not much for coconut milk but loved the caviar and fresh berries

Next came Dong Fak Thong Tord, this was pumpkin flowers, with tomatoes and a tangy chili paste.

This was followed by Yum Makhea Thet - described in the menu as Jens and Julie’s Tomatoes and Green Chillis, whovever Jen and Julie are, they know how to grow flavoursome tomatoes.

For Main I had chosen, but we shared, Pla Tod Tam Tua - a Crispy Mackerel wtih Summer Beans and Lena and Philip’s Garlic Flowers.

Drew went with Geang Kua - Mussels cooked in Betal Leaf with Kin Dee Currypaste.

The mains were served with sides of White Rice, Red Rice and a vegetable very like morning glory.

For Dessert Drew had Ei Tim Horapa - Lemon-Basil Ice Cream, Kin Dee Granita and Summer Berries for himself and for me.

We finished with an espresso and left the restaurant at 8:40pm, getting back to the hotel at 8.45pm - a Twelve and a half hour day, a little more than our, now, normal 8 to 9 hours!

Metro Ticket

For those who are counting, especially our accountant readers, even retired ones - the Metro Ticket was €8 and the tickets would have been we had 6 jounreys at €3 each, making a grand total of €18 - great value.

Eating with the Premonstratensians

Saturday Evening saw us eating at a restaurant named after a beer, named after a Brewery, founded by the Premonstratensians who are more commonly known as the Norbertines or in England as the White Canons (to distinguish them from the Black Friers (Dominicans) and Grey Friers (Franciscans). The monk above is holding a sign saying: "Abbey Beer on draught". The brewing industry in Belgium and in lots of other parts of Northern Europe owes its roots to the monasteries of various traditions. At a time when the fermented beer was more healthy to drink than was water, monastry made sure thier monks and dependants had sufficient. The Grimbergen beer was first made in 1150.

Back from the stroll

Before getting into the details of the meal, a little about the rest of the afternoon.

We got back to the hotel at 5pm as mentioned in my last post. After such a long walk it was time to let our legs have a little rest, so I used the time to start to edit the photos - as there are so many of them. Drew had a little shut-eye in the chair and I booked a table for dinner tonight - we had left it until now, as we weren't sure how the plan of the day would go. With the way it went we decided to book somewhere near.

On the way to dinner

While I would normally head straight to dinner, we'd been asked on Flickr if the door of Église Saint Jean Baptiste au Béguinage, at the end of the street the hotel is on, was steel or painted wood. 

We are able to confirm it is steel and has a very thick metal lock in it, which a close up of this picture reveals.

Dinner at the Grimbergen Cafe

As I mentioned above, we had chosen to eat at the Grimbergen cafe. It is 230 feet (70 Meters) from the hotel, so very convenient given that the rain which began earlier had got worse this evening.

The monastic theme of the cafe didn't just extend to its beers or the sign outside, but also to images inside. Drew was particularly taken with this one, which looked as if the monk was going to bash me over the head with a candle!!

We ordered and the waiter brought bread to start us off

Drew opted for Croquettes au fromage, these croquettes were more like chessy fish cakes than the Spanish style of croquette with which Drew is familiar - i.e. is an addict for. He thought these ones were a whole lot chesser than the ones in Spain when it isn't always obvious if they are ham croquettes or cheese croquettes. 

I was really attracted by the sound of Scampis diaboliques, this isn't (as a friend who knows better) suggested: Diabolical Scampi 😂 (you know who you are!!) But Devilled Prawns, that is plumb, juicy king prawns cooked in a rich tomato, chilli and herb sauce, it had chives sprikled over the top and was, as a Barry friend of mine used to say - Lush!  

The monks clearly didn't have a monopoly in this cafe, as Drew had spotted a nun too. He took this photo between the two courses, just to give the impression of the place.

Drew's main had been simple to choose, the only thing that was in English only on the menu! Fish and Chips, and while this was clearly Belgian Fish and frites rather than a chip shop style chip, the fish goujons were lightly battered and filled with white fish, but they came very close to the kind of fish you get in a Youngs or Birds Eye packet.

I'd chosen this restaurant, in addition to its convenience, as I'd planned to have Mussels tonight and had noted when looking at places on holiday that this was a place that did them with a Provencal sauce, rather than the more common mariner, cream or garlic versions, Provencal sauce is a tomato based sauce with garlic, onion and herbs - normally basil, oregano and rosemary, but sometimes thyme too. It was a good call as the delicious mussels were enhanced by those flavours I love so much.

What I'd not noticed when Drew and Bobby were eating their mussels last night is how many were in a pot - I think twenty mussels at a time had been my previous maximum - tonight there were at least 50, but they were so juicy and plumb, that it would have been a shame to leave any. So, I didn't. The broth with all the lovely flavours of Provance was perfect - as a soup it could have been a hearty meal on its own - with the mussels it was very generous. 

Before embarking on this trip I had read that the Brussels mode of eating mussels was with your hands.

some connoisseurs will tell you the way to eat your mussels is by sucking out the flesh from the first pair of shells, then using those shells as tongs to pick out the flesh from the other. Mussels in Brussels

I decided I would opt for this approach, which turned out to work much more easily than I had expected. 

We finished our delicious meal with an espresso each

We got back to the hotel at 9pm and were ready for bed, before our journey to Cologne tomorrow - more about that in my next post.