Holiday: Day 10 - Berlin

The good news is that we put the troubles from the previous day behind us and had a big day planned, with plenty to see and do around Berlin, but of course how can any day in Germany not start off with a pretzel, so we each got ourselves loaded up on carbs and headed to “Spittelmarkt”, our new favourite metro stop.

To kick the day off we headed straight for a coffee, and I knew the exact place I wanted to go, The Barn roasters.

I’ve been following The Barn on instagram for probably 5 or more years, I’m not too sure how I came across them but I’ve really liked the style of cafe and roasters that they have and so have enjoyed watching as they have built their business over time. Having pretty much had ordinary coffee all holidays I was also looking forward to having some decent brew so we caught the metro a few stops out of town and made the walk to the coffee shop.

I’d definitely say that the coffee lived up to our expectations which was nice given that good coffee has been so hard to find. We opted to sit on the street and watch life pass us by while we sipped on our coffees, it was nice :) The cafe itself is pretty much as you’d expect, a relatively minimal design, but clean and tidy with all the usual cool brewing technology that you’d expect quality coffee shop to have. If ever you are in Berlin, maybe make the trip there, guaranteed good coffee.

The Brandenburg Gate

From here it was back to the metro for a few more stops to make our way to the Brandenburg Gate, which is my favourite landmark to see in Berlin. I’m not sure what it is that makes it so appealing to me but I find myself staring up at it in awe, I think not only is it beautifully crafted but it is probably an excellent symbol for all the things that Berlin has been through over time, and you can’t help but stop and imagine how life would have been through all the different generations since it had been built, if it could talk it sure would have some stories to tell.

We continued on walking the streets, looking at all the different old buildings that seem to be located on every corner or block. Of all the major cities we have been to I feel that Berlin has the most number of iconic buildings, all that have served a different purpose but all that have a slightly different style or design, I find this fascinating. Other than the gate, I’d have to say my favourite is either of the Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) or the Reichstag, which are both only a short walk away. Whats also surprising about Berlin is that it too has a canal system, however they aren’t nearly as pristine as Amsterdams, but they do weave their way through the city which makes a nice backdrop to many of these structures.

The next sight on our list of places to go was the Berlin Wall Gallery which is located on the east side of town and has an old section of the wall that is over a kilometre long and had been painted by artists upon the wall falling. I’ve never been out to the wall before but even the concept of it is somewhat hard to comprehend. There is so many jokes these days about Donald Trump building a wall but to think one actually did exist, people actually thought it was a good idea and then everyone else had to live with it and the consequences for a long time to come. Its hard to fathom the impact that the wall would have had on people during its time but for me that’s what’s remarkable about it, its definitely something I would recommend taking the time to have a look at and spend some time reflecting on what it might have meant to those impacted by it.

The final thing we decided to do with our day was to go for a swim in the Berlin Olympic pool which is located on the outskirts of town. We’ve made a bit of a thing of visiting olympic pools this holiday so going to this one was a bit of a no brainer.

The pool itself is located on the same site as the Olympic Stadium which was home to the 1936 Summer Olympics. Of all the stadiums we have seen I think the two giant stone columns that you see as you approach make this one of the most iconic stadiums we have seen. The pool itself is located just off to the side of the main stadium which gives it a very historic and old feel even though once you get there you can tell that the pool has been renovated since. To be honest I was a little let down from a swimming perspective as there were no lanes to swim in and the stands off to the side were covered up, but nonetheless it was great to be able to swim in such an iconic pool in such a unique sporting venue.

And that brought our day to an end, though there was one last thing Sebastian wanted to do before we wrapped up our time in Berlin…. more currywurst.

Michael