Day 21 : Arrival into Dresden

The bus ride from Berlin to Dresden took about 3 hours and was pretty much uneventful other than having to hold my pee for a couple hours as the bus toilet didn't seem to be in use.

The hostel was just a few blocks away from the bus station, so I was hoping very much to get into the room the moment I arrive so I could use the bathroom. 

I was given a declaration form to fill in, on which I was supposed to put down the purpose of my trip, which I indicated "holiday". 

When I handed in the declaration form to the counter, the lady looked at it and said that because of the high alert in the Saxon area, they are not allowed guests who are travelling for holiday to check in.

Oh no! I wasnt sure what I could do, as it's quite last minute to be going to another city without any bus ticket or accomodation and I have already paid for my accomodaton in Dresden.

So I asked the staff if it was possible for me to change the reason for the purpose of my trip - seeing that there was no one else at the check in counter, she gave me another form to fill and said that as long as I put business I will be fine. 

I did as I was told and finally got checked in! Phew! 

After settling down, I decided to take a quick walk in the town and noticed there were still a fair bit of shops that were opened. But there were also a number of street stores that were closed and more stringent checks in malls, where we had to show vaccination cert. 

Getting tired of eating out, I decided to cook! Bought some red curry paste from an Asian supermarket, and some chicken, zucchini, capsicum and rice, and headed back to the hostel. 

Not the easiest to prepare, as there were no proper cutting knife and no proper cooking tools either. 

It doesn't look great, but it did taste decent. 

I have leftovers for another 2 meals! 

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and the Jewish History Musuem

Berlin was the centre where the Nazis rose to power and as a result of that growth, resulted in numerous massacres, with the biggest population affected being Jews.

One of the must dos would be to visit the Memorial to the Murder Jews of Europe, which is free. 

Also known as the Holocaust Memorial and designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold, it consists of a 19,000-square-metre site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs or "stelae", arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. 

From the location where I arrived at, it looked pretty uniform in height, however as I walked down along the rows, some of these concrete slabs were taller than I am. 

It's a pretty grim feeling walking through the rows of cement blocks, and I wonder if each block represented a collective of individuals that may had died as a result of the Holocaust, since each block resembled graves.

The other place worth visiting is the Jewish History Musuem.

Opened in 2001, it is the largest Jewish museum in Europe. Built on 3,500 square metres of floor space (over 3 buildings, pictured here is only 1 of them), the museum presents the history of Jews in Germany from the Middle Ages to the present day, with new focuses and new scenography.

The start of the exhibition arrival space was quite poignant.

The architect Daniel Libeskind created a building that played with axis, slanting corridors, slopes, light and shadows. Quite thought provoking.

In Berlin, the three axis symbolize three paths of Jewish life in Germany – continuity in German history, emigration from Germany, and the Holocaust.

One of the axis contains a garden with 49 huge slanting cement blocks, with olive trees grown on top of them, while another had a small tiny room that is completely pitched dark, with just a small slit in the corner of the ceiling to allow miniscule of light in.

A noteworthy permanent installation at the musuem is the one titled Shalekat (Fallen Leaves) by Israeli artist Menashe, dedicated to the innocent victims of war and violence. 10,000 faces punched out of steel and distributed on the ground of the Memory Void, the only "voided" space of the Libeskind Building that can be entered.

The musuem provides information about the Jewish religion and dietary habits of a Jew, as well as art and music and famous Jews of time. It also provided historical details that led to Jews killed during the Holocaust.

I spent about 2 hrs at this Musuem and it was an information overload. Some could easily spent more time here, as there were sections when I just skimmed through. 

Day 8 - 20 : Berlin (Wrap Up)

I spent 13 days in Berlin. There's so much to do here that almost every day was extremely packed with activities. 

Sunday 14 Nov

• Arrive into Berlin
• Met Singh + kebab dinner - so glad I got to catch up with Singh, whom I originally met back in Quito Ecuador on my very 1st Big Trip about 10 years ago.  He was going to be in Berlin to catch up with his cousin before he returns to Singapore briefly. 

Monday 15 Nov

• Getting bearings in Berlin + finding sim card
• Bundestag
• Bradenburg Gate

Berlin's only remaining ancient city gate, is the true landmark of the city. Its original design from 1794 by Carl Gotthard Langhans was completed with the addition of ornaments and the Quadriga by Johann Gottfried Schadow in 1794. Because it was situated inside the wide area circumscribing the Berlin Wall, it also became symbolic of the city's separation. After the "Fall of the Wall", the gate was reopened on December 22, 1989 and in the course of reunification, its edificial shape of the pre-war time was restored. 

• Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
• Sony Building
• Potsdamer Platz and Christmas market
• Berlin Anhalter Bahnhof
• Lunch : Gemuse Kebab
• Viktoria Park Hill

• Tempelhof Airport - Commissioned by Hitler to demonstrate the power of the Third Reich, but it was never used by Hitler. It was once the 20 largest buildings on earth, and was at one point used to house Syrian refugees. Today, it is an open park for public use.

• Neighbourhood of Bergmannkiez - a quant little neighbourhood with cute houses and a nice church.

Tuesday 16 Nov

• Aleksander Platz and sim card
• East Side Gallery
• Oberbaum Bridge
• Checkpoint Charlie - The best known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War (1947 - 1991), as named by the Western Allies.  

• Met Valentina at Clarchens Ballroom (Inglorious Bastard filming site).  She has moved over to Berlin for a couple years now, and I was so glad to be able to see her again

Wednesday 17 Nov

• Berlin Wall Victims Memorial -  There is a 70-metre stretch on the Berlin Wall with border strip and watchtower directly on Bernauer Straße. The installation shows how the border was set up at the end of the 80s and gives visitors the lasting impression of the construction that once divided a country.

• Lunch : Amrit
• Neue Wache - Built by Karl Friedrich Schinkel from 1816-18. The interior was redecorated in 1931, 1969 and 1993. A very poignant display of an enlarged sculpture of a mourning mother by Käthe Kollwitz, it functions as a memorial to the victims of war and tyranny since 1993. 

• Bundestag tour

Thursday 18 Nov

• Musuem Island Day - Neus Musuem, Pergamon, Altes National Gallery, Bode, Pergamon Panorama
• ARISE performance

Friday 19 Nov (Car Rental)

• Kromlau + Devils Bridge
• Bad Muskau
• Görlitz
• Bastei Bridge

Saturday 20 Nov

• Charlottenborg Palace - Named after Queen Sophie Charlotte, is the largest residence of the noble Hohenzollem dynasty in Berlin. Its history reaches back to the 17th century. I didn't go into the Palace building, but walked around the gardens briefly. 

• Asian supermarket + Vietnamese Dinner

Sunday 21 Nov

• Futurium - It was a very rainy day, and the best thing to stay dry is to stay indoors.  Futurium is a museum or also called a house of futures, with different futuristic elements.

Monday 22 Nov

• Peacock Island
• Potsdam

Tuesday 23 Nov

• Berlin Wall Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus - Parts of the Berlin Wall have been rebuilt here to commemorate the division of the city along the former route of the Wall. Together with the Federal Chancellory and Paul-Löbe-House, Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders House also forms part of "Federal Row", an architectural symbol of German unity.

• Tränenpalast - A former border crossing point between East and West Berlin, at Berlin Friedrichstraße station, which was in operation between 1962 and 1989.

• Jewish History Musuem
• Checkpoint Charlie (continue visit, as didn't finish everything I wanted to see the 1st time round)
• Dinner with Singh (60 seconds to Napoli)

Wednesday 24 Nov

• Potsdamer Platz
• Topography of Terror
• Gendarmenmarket Christmas market
• Neue Kirche 
• Nikolai Quarter
• Rotes Rathaus + Christmas Market
• DDR Musuem 
• Drinks with Valentina

• Vietnamese Dinner at Monsieur Vuong

Thursday 25 Nov

• Berliner Unterwelten Dark Worlds Tour 
• Lunch at Amrit
• Tiergarten 
  
• Victory Column - Designed by Heinrich Strack after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Second Schlesig War

• Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church + Christmas Market

• Christmas Market Nollendorfplatz (LGBTQ) 

Friday 26 Nov

• Treptower Park Soviet War Memorial
• Spandau Citadel + Christmas market

Berlin Christmas Markets

Weather could always be better while travelling in Berlin this time of the year, but it also has its perks. 

Being so close to Christmas, Christmas markets have sprouted out across the city, giving a nice Christmas feel. I've been lucky that these markets had not been cancelled by growing covid restrictions across Europe.

Some of the best ones I really enjoyed included 

Gendarmenmarket 

Considered the most beautiful and popular because of it ls location in a main square surrounded by 3 architecturally beautiful buildings - French Cathedral, Konzerthaus Berlin and Neue Kirche. 

Neue Kirche is free to enter, being managed by the Bundestag, it also had details of the Parliament and a mock parliament seating for those whom did not have the opportunity to visit the actual Bundestag. 

Red Town Hall (Rotes Rathaus)

Nice and roomy market with ice rink, ferris wheel and carousel. 

Spandau (outside centre)  

My last day in Berlin coincided with the 1st day opening of the Spandau Citadel Christmas market. It's said to be the largest Christmas market in Berlin, but it didn't feel that way. However, being within the Citadel, feels like I've gone back in time to the medieval times. 

There is a fee of Euro 3.50 for entry, which also allows you to explore around the Citadel, a discounted rate considering that Citadel visit is usually priced at Euro 4.50 for entry. 

Some interesting exhibits - I visited the musuem which had a brief summary of the Citadel and the foundation grounds, another hall filled with different sculptures and statues, and a building which was used as an art gallery. There were some spatial art exhibits when I was there which I thought were really cool. 

And definitely head up the tower for the views.

Being there during the day, it was great to see the view of the surrounding area with light. 

With the sun setting early during this time of the year, it benefitted me, as I got to see the Christmas market lights up at the Citadel and it was absolutely magical and stunning! 

City Christmas Market

This would have to be my favourite. 

Located near the Zoo station, I was making my way to visit Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which I thought looked interesting from a distance and chanced upon this Christmas market. 

It surrounded this church and beyond, and what I really loved about it were the Christmas lights along the streets and how you could walk in the beautifully landscaped centre path of the Boulevard. 

Huge snowman and a nicely decorated Christmas tree here too. 

Others

Nollendorf Platz

Run by the LGBTQ group in Berlin, this Christmas market takes on a very different feel from other Christmas markets. For one, it is very small, and located under a railway track. It certainly showed its LGBTQ theme the moment you stepped in with the pride colours lighting up the "ceiling" and the quirky items sold at the market. 

Penis shaped candles, clitoris shaped soap or lube for presents anyone? 😂 

Potsdam Platz

Happened to pass by during the day, its a very small market, but it had this slide thingy, where people can pay a fee to go on, sit on a tire on the top of the ramp, and slide all the way down! 

Nikolaiviertel

Not sure if I should call it a Christmas market, but there were certainly make shift set up, with a bar in the centre of the square, albeit extremely tiny. 

They had an area which played black and white movies too, which is something you don't see much of nowadays. 

I suppose it goes along with the theme of the town, being the oldest in Berlin.