Berlin, one of the most sought-after city in recent times… When Berlin is mentioned, what comes to my mind is always the Berlin Wall.
To prevent the East German citizens to flee to the West Germany, on August 13 1961, East German parliament decided to built a 46 km length wall in Berlin. In the West, the wall sometimes called Schandmauer which means “shame wall.”
On November 9 1989, following the announcement of the East Germany, the wall, with all of its facilities, was demolished. Up until this day many attempts were made to cross the wall and a total 5000 people, fled to West Germany successfully. One example of the successful attempts was, flying to the other side with a home-made balloon.
In Berlin, the old and the new coexist together. The historical traces, elegant hotels, modern shopping malls, huge skyscrapers, design shops… And especially with the Michelin-starred restaurants, it surely is a dazzling place.
Christmas is probably one of the best times to visit the city of Berlin. Witnessing the shopping frenzy is surely a pleasure all by itself. As the saying goes, Germans spend one of their salaries to gift someone and an another to go to the vacation. For this reason, visiting the shopping centers in Berlin at the Christmas is an incredible experience.
Yaşar Özbek, an archaeologist living in Berlin for many years, graciously shared his insights with me about the city, its local life and most importantly its history.
Berlin City Tour
After staying in the city almost a week, I’ve decided to prepare a Berlin guide. The most important districts of Berlin are Mitte, Kudamm, Charloottenburg, Kreueberg and Neuköln.
Mitte
Mitte, one of the places frequently visited by tourists, is the central area of the city. It’s a bit sad that the lime tree walkways are, at the moment, in a construction zone, Brandenburg Gate, a massive structure that separates East and West Germany, is waiting for you in Mitte. I highly recommend you to see this great structure especially at night. And before Christmas, it’s adorned like a bride. Tiergarten park, located in the immediate vicinity, is a place you can have pleasant walks with your loved ones.
The Reich stag parliament, again located in Mitte, has a magnificent architecture. Watching Berlin from the top floor is an extraordinary experience. If you do not want to wait in a long line, I recommend you to make a reservation before you come here.
Areas with the most historical monuments in the region are, Deutcher Dom, Französisher Dom and Museumsinsel.
Friedrichstrasse, Tortstrass and Alexandraplatz are other prominent places you can visit in Mitte.
Charlottenburg and Kudamm
If you want to shop in Berlin, Kudamm, also know as Kurfürstendamm, is the right place to go in this city. Another district Charlottenburg, known as the commercial center of western Berlin, is a shoppers paradise.
KaDeWe department store, one of the largest department stores in Berlin, is also located in this district. And finally with the Hauptstadt Zoo, one can easily understand why the district is always swarming with tourists.
Kreuzberg
In Kreuzberg district, there are a lot of Turks. And it’s like a little Istanbul. At your every step you will most likely encounter people who speak Turkish and see a lot of Turkish signs.
Convenience stores, grocery stores and kiosks, all provide services according to the Turkish tradition. You can see a lot of Turkish brand products in every market too. And the prices are also quite reasonable.
Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, located in Kreuzberg, is owned by a Turkish investor. The same owner also owns the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Berlin with the same company name. The hotel is very stylish and, is a hotel, designed according to the customer needs. Breakfast, the food and the friendly staff… I felt almost at home.
Neuköln
Neuköln, a little neglected district, is generally populated with the immigrants who live in Berlin and one of the places you can find antique and vintage shops in Berlin.
Transportation in Berlin
The public transportation network in Berlin is very advanced. Finding metro, tram or bus services are very easy and very little waiting is involved.
When buying S Bahn or U Bahn tickets, it’s possible to see Turkish in the options menu.
There are 2 airports in Berlin. Actually the total number is three but due to the electrical problems experienced for 2 years, the third one is unable to provide services.
Tegel Airport has a distance of 8 km to the city center. 5 terminals are located in the airport and generally the airport has a simple layout. And most Turkish air crafts are landing at this airport too.
There are buses leaving from the Zoo to the airport in every 5 minutes.
The other airport, Schönefeld airport, has a distance of 18 km to the city centre.
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