**Originally published 5 July 2016
I’m still not quite sure of my thoughts on Berlin. To me it feels very disjointed, which I suppose after learning so much more about the history of this city makes perfect sense. I’ve heard the term “old meets new” used before and it couldn’t be more appropriate to describe Berlin. Over 60% of the city was destroyed during World War Two & then further damage ensued during the Cold War. When you consider this & the fact that the latter only came to an end in 1989 it’s best to remember the new Berlin is not quite 30 years old. Because of this there are amazing old churches, museums & monuments, dating back a couple of hundred years, the most famous being the Brandenburg Gates, sitting next to new office buildings, shopping centers & apartments.
I’ve never seen so much construction in one place, road work and scaffolding everywhere, it feels like it may have taken an awful long time but Berlin is really getting somewhere.
We based ourself in East Berlin, only about 4 stops on the train to the city centre. I’d liken the area to perhaps St Kilda or Fitzroy, hip, eclectic & grungy, lots of kebab & burger joints on every corner. Our hotel was a 5 minute walk to the longest part of the Berlin Wall that is still standing, named The Eastside Gallery and I have to say it’s quite surreal just walking past it on your way out for a bite to eat.
We spent a full day dedicated to learning the history of Berlin, the atrocities of the Nazi regime & the Holocaust. We spent hours at the Jewish museum, Checkpoint Charlie and learning about The Iron Curtain.
I had expected Liv & Sam to be a little bored with it all but they were absolutely enthralled. Suitably disgusted but totally fascinated by all they learned.
I can’t quite put into words the feeling and mood that washed over all 4 of us, sombre is probably the best description, it doesn’t feel at all right to enjoy your holiday when you’re being reminded of what human beings are capable of doing to others.
We spent 3 nights here and although we enjoyed our time I didn’t fall madly in love with the city, however I’d still be keen to return, perhaps 5 or 10 years from now to see how its evolved.
From Berlin to Prague. A four and a half hour train ride via Dresden with the most picturesque scenery along the way. Quaint little villages dotted along a river that runs through rolling hills for miles and miles. We’ve loved the train travel so far, the adventurous feel it gives is one thing but it’s also an enforced rest time where we can read, play cards, nap, journal & basically just stop for a while.
I might still be on the fence with Berlin but that’s not the case with Prague. I fell instantly in love with this beautiful Bohemian city. It’s just like I imagined, cobbled streets, amazing bridges, churches and castles dating back to 800AD. We did a walking tour with a fantastic guide to really learn all about the history of the city, the people who ruled here and the different architecture that evolved over time.
Again we spent 3 nights here but it felt a lot longer, the pace is so relaxed and although we had a 2 day hop on hop off pass we walked to most places as the weather was perfect for strolling along the river, stopping for coffee or beer depending on the time of day.
Although Berlin is more modern these days and Prague is so ancient these two cities do have a few things in common. The main one is that beer is king. The Czech’s consume more beer, per head per capita than any nation in the world and the German’s are right behind them. You can buy beer in the supermarket on the shelf next to the yogurt or from any convenience store cheaper than a bottle of water and there are no laws to prevent people from walking down the street with an open beer in hand or sitting on the bank of a river with a picnic and a six pack. The other is sausages, call them what you will, wurst or kransky, either way they’re delicious, usually served with pickles or sauerkraut and always better washed down with a gallon of amber liquid.
European summer means the sun rises around 4.30 in the morning and sets around 10.30 at night. On many occasions we’ve been awake with the birds or after a big day of walking & sightseeing we’ve realised it’s 9pm and we haven’t stopped for dinner, it’s just so easy to lose track of time when it’s always light so long days have become the norm here.
All in all I’d love to come back and see more of both countries. I wish we had time now but it’s just not possible and as the list of places I want to see keeps growing perhaps there never will be…. Only time will tell.
wanderlust mum 