Roadtrip To Berlin

Berlin – The capital city of Germany and one of the 16 states in Germany. With a population of3.5 million peoples, Berlin is Germany’s largest city. Berlin in the 1920s was the third largest municipality in the world. After World War II, the city became divided into East Berlin—the capital of East Germany—and West Berlin, a West German exclave surrounded by the Berlin Wall (1961–1989). Following German reunification in 1990, the city regained its status as the capital of Germany, hosting 147 foreign embassies.

I was on mission to Berlin with friends to compete in Berlin-Frankfurt Sports Carnival 2012. I am not gonna tell about the carnival though but about Berlin – what you should see if you ever came here to Berlin.

First let me tell you about the roadtrip.

Just like other previous roadtrip – you need a car to start with…and we rent one – A BMW 5 series. What a car to rent eh? that cost Euro 180 for 3 days. The travel time from Frankfurt to Berlin is approximately 5.5 hours considering you going to stop a few times for foods and toilets. You may opt for buses for sale, if you are going to stay in Germany for a long time.

We arrived in Berlin at almost 8pm and settled for the night.

The night morning we took “hop on hop off” bus to explore the city. The ticket for the bus is depend on the type of bus and the trip you choose. We took the Euro17 tickect which valid from 7.00am till 7.00pm, so thet you can hop on and off as much as you like.

The complete circle should be around 45minutes if just stay on the bus. That’s what i do. Stay on the first round and take note which place that i would like to see more. On the second round i start hoping on and off while most of my friends stop at Ku’damm for shopping.

Theres is several place that really interest me which mostly places of history.

Place of interest (War History ).

Berlin particularly hold many historical buildings, structure, monuments and war tales especially during World War 2. A must see historical places in Berlin is listed below :-

1.  Remains of Berlin Wall – A large stretch of intact Wall can be found to the east of the city center

2.  Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

3.  Berlin Wall Memorial

4.  Checkpoint Charlie – Gate between east and west ( you can get your passport stamped here – see my photo)

5.  Hitler Bunker

Place of interest (Landmark and Monuments)

Many monuments was built during the Danish-Prussian War and Austro-Prussian War (1860-1880) and also during modern era.

1.  Brandenburger Tor – Brandenburg Gate, is a former city gate, rebuilt in the late 18th century as a neoclassical  triumphal arch

2.  Bundestag – German Parliament

3.  Berliner Fernsehturm – The TV tower- is Germany’s tallest construction: 368 meters high

4.  Siegessäule (Victory Column) – 60 meter high monument with panoramic views of the very center of the city

5.  Kollhoff Tower at Potsdamer Platz – The fastest elevator in Europe takes you approximately 100 meters high.

Place of interest (Shopping) – Ku’damm

Completed in 1886, the Ku’Damm (short for Kurfürstendamm) is, along with Tauentzienstraße, one of the main shopping streets in former West Berlin, especially for luxury goods. Many great restaurants and hotels are here and also on the side roads. The district also contains the Schloss Charlottenburg, Tiergarten and the Olympic Stadium. Schöneberg is generally a cozy area for aging hippies, young families and LGBT people.

Unlike my city -Frankfurt, Berlin has much more to offer in term of its history, architecture, museums, garden and parks and definitely shopping. Shopping in Berlin is likely cheaper than Frankfurt. That’s what they always said.

Why its cheaper? Entahlah…I dont know…I dont shop.