A city steeped in history
I was intrigued by its war-torn and divided past. I was fascinated by its underground artistic scenes. And on a crisp winter’s day, I finally arrived, ready to immerse myself in it all.
What I wasn’t ready for was quite how many surprises the city held in store for me. Surprises such as KaDaWe, a department store that is more than a century old and that is all you can see when you emerge from the underground at Wittenbergplatz. This is the second largest department store in Europe (beaten to first place by Harrods in London). It attracts up to 50,000 visitors every day and I couldn’t help but become one more.
I’d intended to take a bus tour from Wittenbergplatz but, instead, I spent hours browsing through the delights on offer at KaDaWe. I was especially taken with its top-floor food hall and couldn’t resist its champagne bar.
In fact, I spent so long here that I missed my bus tour. Thankfully, I had a plan B: dinner at Berlin TV Tower. At 203m tall, the tower dominates the city and I’d booked dinner in the revolving restaurant at the very top. From there, the entire city of Berlin — with the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag and the Victory Column — was laid out before me.
The following day, I saw that same city from the top deck of a bus when I caught the tour. I started in West Berlin, near Kaiser Wilhelm’s Church, which stands as testimony to the destruction of the Second World War, with its ruined spire that was decimated during Allied shelling.
I spent the day on the bus, hopping off at places that caught my attention and hopping back on when the next bus arrived. I stood under the Brandenburg Gate. I marvelled at the bullet holes in the Reichstag. I felt sad and subdued at the Memorial to the Victims of the Holocaust.
There are echoes of history everywhere in Berlin. I couldn’t help but picture Hitler and JFK at the Brandenburg Gate. At Checkpoint Charlie, I imagined the thousands begging to cross over to freedom in the west.
In Potsdamer Platz, a square of futuristic skyscrapers at the heart of the city, I thought to myself that they would never have been built were it not for three-quarters of Berlin having been bombed to smithereens during the war.
This sense of history wasn’t always so heavy-handed though. In Friedrichshain, there was the East German Gallery, one of the remaining stretches of the Berlin Wall which has been decorated with murals by artists from all over the world. Each of these murals is about freedom and you can’t help but feel uplifted at them.
My eyes had seen so much during the day that I decided to give them a rest that evening. I did this by dining in a most unusual restaurant. The unsicht-Bar is a restaurant where you eat in darkness; darkness so total that there is no difference between having your eyes open or closed.
It’s staffed by blind or partially-sighted waiters who tell you to place your hands on their shoulders as they lead you into a dark room. They sit you down and, with your hand in theirs, they show you where everything is on the table.
As if this weren’t surreal enough, you don’t know exactly what you’ve ordered to eat. Before you enter the darkness, you tell your waiter whether you want to eat red meat, vegetarian food, poultry or fish and the rest is a surprise. When your food arrives, you’ll have fun trying to guess what you’re eating. Almost as much fun as you’ll have trying to get your food onto your fork and into your mouth.
The next day, I decided to continue this foodie theme by taking a walk through the Turkish market in the Kreuzberg area. Berlin has a large Turkish population and many of them congregate here on Friday mornings, drawn by sweet honeyed pastries, herbed flatbreads and other Middle Eastern specialities.
Eyes and stomach sated, it was time for yet more history. The Jewish Museum is designed as a mis-shapen Star of David and is impressive even from the outside. But it’s inside where it gets really interesting.
The museum charts Jewish history over 2,000 years. There are artefacts demonstrating the richness of the culture and the depth of the faith alongside proof of persecution going back through the ages.
This idea of persecution is woven into the design of the building itself. The Holocaust Tower is a place of desolation. Tall, dark, dank and cold; the only light is provided by a shaft of sunlight far, far above you. The sounds coming from the street are muffled and far away. There’s a ladder just beyond reach. You can’t help but feel lost and forgotten; just as the victims of the Holocaust must have done.
So chilling is this place that you’ll need cheering up when you leave. I ventured to Hackescher Markt, a trendy area of cafés, cinemas, galleries, restaurants, and shops in search of some.
I found what I was looking for in Hackescher Höfe, an old Jewish quarter that is now home to fashion designers, jewellers, a cutting-edge photography gallery, and a shop that recreates the most beautiful Art Nouveau tiles. A light-hearted hour or two spent browsing through these shops provided the perfect counterpoint to my harrowing morning at the museum.
I ended my day and my all-too-short trip in Monsieur Vuong, a bright, cheery Vietnamese restaurant that is popular with trend-setting young Berliners. Here, I had spring rolls whose intense flavours and subtle spicing made them the best I’d ever tasted.
My first visit to Berlin ended with so much still to see, including the museums on Museum Island, modern-day cabaret, artists’ studios, hedonistic nightclubs, and so much more.
Berlin is a city that has seen many changes and it’s sure to see many more. It took me years to get around to visiting it for the first time but it won’t be very long before I go back. Auf Wiedersehen Berlin. Until we meet again.
Aer Lingus runs daily flights from Dublin to Berlin. See www.aerlingus.com for more details. Ryanair has flights between Dublin and Berlin on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. See www.ryanair.com for details.
Buy a Berlin Welcome card. It will cover your transport on the bus and underground and guarantees a discount into lots of tourist attractions.
We stayed in the Hotel Johann in the Kreuzberg district in the east of Berlin. It’s comfortable and friendly and located close to the Prinzenstrasse underground station. The Jewish Museum is only a kilometre away and there are trendy bars and cafes within walking distance.
Johanniterstr. 8, Kreuzberg, 10961 Berlin.
The sights: View the murals on one of the remaining sections of the Berlin Wall at the East German Gallery. They’ll inspire you with their thirst for freedom.
Experience the chilling atmosphere of the Holocaust Tower in the Jewish Museum. It’s something you’ll never forget.
You have to go to KaDaWe, the second- biggest department store in Europe. It has all sorts of everything; from designer handbags and perfume to a food hall that is full to bursting with local, national and international treats. Don’t forget to enjoy a glass of champagne in the bar on the top floor.
Visit Hackescher Market, a bustling area of cafes, cinemas, art galleries and trendy shops. You’ll find everything from cutting -edge fashions and experimental artworks to the most elegant art deco tiles.
The Unsicht Bar is a restaurant with a difference. You eat your food and talk to your dining companions in complete darkness here. Deprived of your sense of sight, your other senses will go into overdrive. Unsicht Bar Berlin, Gormannstrasse 14, 10119 Berlin-Mitte.
Eat some of Monsieur Vuong’s famous spring rolls. Located at Alte Schonhauser Strasse 46, 10119 Berlin, you’ll find some of the tastiest spring rolls you’ve ever tasted in this trendy Vietnamese restaurant.
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