NYC Catch-Up

Before heading back to Dubai for a new role that will keep us a little more stationary, we stopped in NYC for a long weekend catch-up with friends.

An early morning flight and small carry-on luggage (which could be conveniently stowed in a US Open-sanctioned luggage van!) allowed the six of us to arrive at the US Open tennis tournament before match play started for the day.

A full day of tennis (completing our Grand Slam cycle!), multiple great meals, a visit to the 911 Memorial & Museum, a walk along the Highline and through Chelsea Market... and only one reprimand for not meeting the dress code at our Club affiliate hotel - the reunion was the perfect send-off before settling down.  

Daily Routines

When we arrived in Berlin, we were surprised at how empty it felt. Streets had very few pedestrians,  there were almost no cars on the roads or in the parking lots and even the most popular restaurants were often less than half full.  We knew that Berlin still had capacity for new residents but this seemed dramatic.

As we learned over time, August is the month where all kids are on school break so most families travel.

This provided a great opportunity for us to take advantage of some of the great eateries and sites of the city without having to do much pre-planning or waiting in line.

Despite their love of sausages, french fries and beer, Berlin actually seems like a very health city.  The grocery stores are full of organic produce, vegetarian options and lots of different kinds of yogurt!

They also have wonderful farmer's markets that pop up all over the city on weekends and can be found in different city regions almost everyday of the week.  Our trip to the market in Charlottenburg was particularly enjoyable, with a wide variety of gorgeous fresh produce and the most delicious Lebanese spinach, egg pastry that we still talk about.  Understandably, all of these fresh food options made our commitment to eat at home more often much easier to accomplish.

The restaurants were also delightful, offering varied vegetarian plates and lots of vegetables.  Some of our favourites:  

• Cookies Cream (a vegan restaurant literally tucked into a packing center parking lot)
• Lucky Leek (offering either 3 or 5-course vegan set menus on a beautiful outdoor patio)
• Yumcha Heroes (the most delicious vegetarian dumplings!)
• Chipps (a quiet ambiance but a great selection of vegetarian meals)
• Long March Canteen (our walk to get there was through a somewhat questionable area but the food and super-friendly service was well worth it)
• Kopps (offered a great vegan brunch and a small but delightful dinner menu)
• You're Welcome Cafe (besides the friendly bees, a charming cafe with great home-cooked food)
• Nola's (a Swiss Chalet (not the chain) with a huge patio overlooking a lovely park and pond)
• Der Hahn Ist Tot! (a down-to-earth staff and a fixed menu with courses that you serve yourself!)

Berliners have a few dining customs that took some getting used to:  

1. People just seat themselves and look at you strangely if you wait to be seated.
2. Water seems frowned upon - from what we understand, water is too bland a beverage to enjoy with flavourful food. 
3. Bottles of water also cost way more than most of the alcoholic beverages.
4. Perhaps because the water is so expensive and unusual, they seem to always serve it in a wine glass.  

But we quickly embraced the protocols and had wonderful experiences at almost every restaurant we visited.

Perhaps one of our favourite parts of daily life here are the street crossing symbols. The Ampelmann figure is a beloved symbol in Eastern Germany.  When the Wall was torn down and the East and West unified, there were plans to replace the Ampelmann with the more generic crossing symbol used worldwide.  But the East Germans fought to keep the symbol and it has now acquired a cult like status and appears on almost all tourist souvenirs.  His look of determination when the symbol turns green puts a smile on our face almost every time we see him.

Island Music

Museum Island was originally a residential area but, in the 1840s, King Frederick William of Prussia dedicated the island to "art and science".  The island grew from there and is now a UNESCO Heritage Site and home to 5 magnificent museums.  

Many of the museum artefacts were actually removed during the Cold War when Berlin was divided into the East and West.  After the Wall came down, however, the works were returned and the buildings restored.  

As part of its summer program, the Bode Museum - which sits at the edge of the island - hosts weekly outdoor symphonies.  

Although Berlin has often felt quite empty during our stay, people came out in droves to see the performance.  All of the seating and nearby areas completely full by the time we arrived.

Luckily, the music carried and we found ourselves an empty bench nearby to enjoy both the beautiful music and the exquisite sunset view.

Simply Terrifying

Acutely aware of its tumultuous recent past, Berlin has taken many steps to recognize the atrocities that happened in the city.  Museums, memorials and tributes and museums abound.

The Topography of Terror is one of the most frequently visited places of remembrance in Berlin. During the National Socialist Party reign, the central institutions of terror and persecution were run out of this building.  These institutions included the Secret State Police Office (including its own “house prison"),  the leadership of the SS and the Reich Security Main Office.

This landmark and the surrounding grounds have now been turned into a museum, highlighting the development of these organizations and outlining the terror and devastation these organizations inflicted.

The museum documented effectively the leader's strategy to build up and shift the key powers of the State to parallel organizations to ensure that they were fully controlled by the National Socialists. The Party's use of propaganda, fear and public shaming, in addition to the torture it inflicted, was terrifyingly effective.  

In addition to the war museums, there are memorials commemorating those individuals who were targeted during WWII.  These include memorials for the murdered Jews, mentally and physically disabled persons, homosexuals, and the Sinti and Roma victims.  

In 2014, the memorial recognizing the 300,000 mentally and physically disabled people who were murdered was officially opened.   The memorial stands in front of the Berlin Philharmonie, where the national euthanasia program once operated.  The memorial consists of a 80ft blue-glass wall with information about the atrocities in a showcase in front of it. This supplements an existing curved steel sculpture by Richard Serra (whose works were also only display at the Guggenheim Bilbao).

The Memorial to Homosexuals was officially dedicated in 2008.  The memorial is a concrete cube with a video playing inside that shows two men kissing.  The memorial is located in the Tiergarten and although both its location and structure has been widely debated, the memorial was striking.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was opened in 2005, 60 years after the end of the War.   This memorial contains just over 2,700 concrete slabs of varying heights in a grid pattern on a sloping ground.  The memorial is designed to create a feeling of confusion and unease and to reflect a system that has lost human reason.  Below the memorial is an information center which lists the names of all known Jewish Holocaust victims. 

The Jewish Museum Berlin also commemorates the Jews persecuted during the Holocaust as well as studies German-Jewish over the past 2,000 years.  Perhaps the most compelling part about the Museum is Daniel Libeskind's design for the physical building.  The complex is comprised of two buildings - one in baroque style and one using Libeskind's postmodern design.  From the outside, the two buildings appear completely separate but they are connected underground.  As visitors enters the start of the Museum, they are confronted by three axes symbolizing three paths of Jewish Germany life in Germany – the continuity of Judaism in German history, Jewish emigration and exile from Germany, and the Holocaust.  

The Axis of Continuity traces the German-Jewish history throughout the past 2,000 years.  This Axis leads the visitor into the permanent exhibition.  

The Axis of Exile represents the Jews that fled Berlin to escape persecution.  This Axis leads out to a uncomfortable garden that has rows of tall columns bursting with greenery and is on a very steep incline.  It is designed to make the visitor feel disoriented and off-balance, like Jews would have felt when leaving their homeland.

The third is the Axis of the Holocaust.  This Axis leads to a dead end.  At the end is the Holocaust Tower - an unheated, unlit, sharply angled room with just a small high window to let in just enough light and sound to make the visitor aware of their surroundings but also feel completely removed from them.  It was haunting.

A line of Voids (aka. empty spaces) cut linearly through the building in several places.  As Libeskind describes, these represent "That which can never be exhibited when it comes to Jewish Berlin history: Humanity reduced to ashes."  Perhaps most chilling is the Memory Void room which contains 10,000 unique faces punched out of steel and scattered on the floor representing those that have been lost.

Although we saw some of the key monuments and memorials there are still so many we just didn't have time to visit.   It was uplifting to see so many people at these important sites and we certainly hope that the sites will continue to serve as important reminders and lessons for generations to come.  

Not so Hot Rods

After spending so much time in Berlin, we were looking for a tour that was a little bit different. One day when walking, we saw this very cool looking tour where people drove around little hot rod cars. It looked awesome!

After a brief debate we decided that this would be more fun that the Trabant tour, partially because the Trabi tour went around the area where our flat was, which by now we had walked around dozens of times.

Unfortunately, the tour was not meant to be. We excitedly returned to 99 Revelstrasse (all the while singing 99 Luftbalonen in our heads) to head out on the tour. The guide, Tomas, however suggested that we not go as a doppler radar app on his phone suggested it would rain, whereas the next morning would be clear.

Dejected, we returned the 45 minute trip back to our flat, consoling ourselves with the knowledge that tomorrow would be a brighter day. It did not rain until the evening, so when we awoke the next morning, we wondered if the wet roads would cause an issue. Our phone calls went unanswered, but it looked like it was brightening up, so we trekked back to Revelstrasse. 

When we arrived there were no cars, which was an obvious tip-off to the fact that we would not be going on the tour after all. We were met by our guide who told us that we could still go if we wanted to, but it would be dangerous and we would be miserable and wet. But, he assured us repeatedly that it was our decision. 

Our suggestion that perhaps next time they should call tour participants to let them know that the tour would be cancelled to save us the 1.5 hour trek there and back fell on deaf ears. However, instead of a refund we were helpfully offered a voucher for a tour the next time we came back to Berlin.

Isn't customer service supposed to be a German strength?

Flying around the Templehof Airport...

One thing we have been surprised to learn here is that Berliners seem to strongly dislike signage. Perhaps they assume that people just know where to go...or rather SHOULD know where to go...but there never seem to be any signs.

This lack of information was fine when we went to the Sony Center to see a movie and were lucky to follow people down a random hallway to a hidden doorway that opened into a gigantic IMAX movie theatre.  But it was less funny when we were eagerly trying to meet our tour group to explore the Tempelhof Airport.

The Tempelhof Airport was built in the 1920s.  It was massively expanded and reconstructed by Albert Speer in the 1930s as the National Socialist Party prepared for its war efforts.  Pre-WWII, it was considered one of Europe's three iconic airports alongside London and Paris and by the end of the expansion it was one of the largest buildings on the planet.

After the war, the airport gained further significance as the centre point of the 1948-1949 Berlin Airlifts when the Soviet authorities halted all traffic into West Berlin via land and water.  In what is considered one of the greatest aviation feats in history, the Western Allies flew in all of the needed food and supplies to West Berlin's 2.5 million residents for 11 months.  At the peak, a stocked plane landed at the airport every 30 seconds.

Needless to say, we were very interested in taking a tour of this historic landmark.

Giving ourselves plenty of time and following the advice of the tour company to "meet at the entrance" we arrived to find the "main entrance" (or what we thought would be the main entrance) locked.  Unsure of what to do, we started to wander the perimeter of the absolutely enormous building.

After about 30 minutes, we ended up at Tempelhof Feld, the former airport runways turned national park.  The park is now used by hordes of local residents to kite-skateboard, bike, bbq sausages and just have a relaxing afternoon.  As an aside, it was cool to actually walk an entire runway!

But back to our problem - eager to still try and make our tour, we hurried through a good portion of the park to get to the other side of the building - approximately 4kms - with still no evidence of an entrance.

Another half an hour later, we arrived back at our starting point totally confused.  We had not seen one sign during our whole walk that indicated the location of the main entrance.

Just as we were about to give up and leave, we saw a group of people finishing up what looked like a tour.  Trying not to be stalkers, we followed the group down a tiny alley and then through a parking lot and another long corridor until several minutes later we arrived at a small door which turned out to be the entrance.   Considering the size and stature of this massive building, we don't think anyone could have claimed this small door would be a natural main entrance.

By this point, we had well missed the tour...but I suppose our afternoon walk actually gave us a more fulsome view of the airport itself!

Our most frequent hangout...

Copy Clara - the local photocopy shop!

Five days in a row.

If only we had room in our luggage for a portable printer...

The Human Side

When the Berlin Wall was erected in 1961, many families were broken apart literally overnight.   The barbed wire temporary division separating the East and West was installed secretly by the German Democratic Republic on August 13th in the dark of night.  This temporary barrier was immediately enforced by armed guard until it could be replaced with something more permanent.

The Berlin Wall was actually two walls that ran parallel to each other, with a 160 yard "death strip" in the middle.  If someone was able to get over the first wall successfully, they were met with an obstacle course of  guard dogs, floodlights and trip-wire machine guns as well as 116 watchtowers full of guards with orders to shoot.   If a person was able to make it across the strip successfully, they were met with a second wall that stood at 12 feet tall and was lined with a smooth pipe that made it more difficult to scale.   Not surprisingly, more than 100 people died trying to cross the Berlin Wall.  

Incredibly, more than 5,000 successfully escaped across the Berlin Wall, either under it or over it and sometimes through it.  Escape plans were elaborate, with many hiding in the trunks of cars passing into the West, crawling through sewers and even building contraptions to fly over the Wall.

The more common and legal way to cross from East to West, however, was with permission to pass through one of the designated crossings.  The Palace of Tears was the departure hall connected to the Berlin Friedrichstraße station which connected travellers in the East and West.  Although the Station was entirely in the Eastern side, some of the S-Bahn and U-Bahn lines were only available from West Berlin.  This allowed permitted West Berliners to travel into the Eastern section to visit relatives.  

Only West Berliners were allowed passage between the East-West border.  East Berliners were not allowed to leave.  As such, the Palace of Tears was where family members from the East and West would say their final goodbyes before travelling home to their respective sides of the city. 

The goodbye area before the customs cubicles

Although it was legal, travelling from the West into the East and back again must have been terrifying.  Westerners were thoroughly checked when entering and leaving East Berlin.  Everything they had with them was documented - clothing, jewellery, bags and all their contents - to ensure that nothing was left and nothing was taken.  

In addition, the customs process was intense - after they had their luggage thoroughly searched, Westerners walked into a small cubicle where the entry door and exit door were both locked until the customs officer completed his interrogation. The West Berliner was surrounded by mirrors so the customs officer, seated on a raised platform, could see all sides of them.  They were then questioned extensively until the customs officer was comfortable to let them pass.

  

The complex design of the train stationThe train station itself was also designed to confuse, with train departure tracks frequently being switched at the last moment and hallways being strategically shut down to cause discomfort.

The erection of the Wall, however, highlighted the power of family.  Whether it was the erection of makeshift platforms so people on the East and West could see each other as often as possible or taking these intimidating trips across a hostile border to visit each other, the Wall demonstrated that a family's love can survive almost anything.

Art Everywhere

Encircled by the Iron Curtain, West Berlin was not for everyone during the Cold War.   Instead, it became a magnet for non-conformists in search of an alternative lifestyle. As a result, subcultures, squats and street art became an integral part of Berlin's culture.

When the Wall came down, many East Berliners moved West.  But many West Berliners also moved East.  Moving East allowed them to take advantage of the abandoned apartment buildings and complexes and freedom from strict oversight or regulation as government dealt with the bigger issues of reunification.

Although many of the Squatter residences that developed in the 90s have been pushed out in the last 10 years, a few have been grandfathered and remain operational today.  Interestingly, these residences have actually become more businesslike in their operations often offering theatre performances, bars and other services to the public in order to raise the necessary funds to keep up the buildings.

Street art abounds in the city and can be seen almost everywhere.  The art is often quite experimental, using different techniques and different tools such as paint, paper, tiles, stickers and the like.  Perhaps our favourite painting concept was when artists de-pressurized old fire hydrants, filled them with paint, and then repressurized them and sprayed with wild abandon.

Even big businesses have gotten in on the street art phenomenon, with global companies like Nike commissioning artists to create painted advertisements across the city.

There is naturally some tension between the artists and the business people.   Many of the artist quarters have been gentrified over the years, making them too expensive for the artists to continue renting in these areas.  As a result, many of the artists who made these areas appealing have been pushed further and further from the core of the city. In protest, many of the artists have retaliated by painting over some of their pieces that made areas so attractive and cool in the first place.

In an attempt to keep the culture alive, Berlin is now promoting itself as the Techno Capital of the world. This has definitely brought people to the city but many worry that it is bringing the wrong crowd, attracting Europeans who just want to party and get wasted.


Although Berlin, like most cities, struggles to find the balance between tradition and development, we hope that they find a way to maintain this gritty artist culture. It certainly has made the city what it is today and adds a depth and realness to the city that is hard to duplicate.

Two Sides of the Same Wall

Close to Checkpoint Charlie - the former main crossing between East and West Berlin - is the Asisi Panorama.

This art installation consists of a cylindrical rotunda that displays a panorama of what daily life would have been like on each side of the Wall.  Visitors can either stand at ground level and experience trying to peer over the Wall to the East or on a raised platform to compare the two regions side by side.

The Panorma was created by modelling a full-sized 3D version of the image - complete with real actors - and then taking photographs that were transferred onto a gigantic canvas wrap.  The lighting changes over time to show a transition from morning to night and has German commentary conveying some of the local daily activities on either side of the Wall.

The experience was genuinely haunting, causing goosebumps and a deep feeling of unease.  It was surreal to see neighbouring houses experience such different ways of life.

The viewer's proximity to the Wall's Death Strip and the boarded up buildings where the Wall cut through former residences, made the experience even more eerie and upsetting.

Although very heavy, Geoff managed to find one lighter spot when he quickly spotted the image of a man in the West throwing up on the sidewalk after a long night at the local tavern.  A much needed giggle in an otherwise very intense experience.

A Lasting Reminder

When the Berlin Wall started to come down at the end of 1989, many worried that the entire Wall would be removed, leaving no trace of its existence or what it represented.

In response, a few artists (from Scotland) called out to artists from around the world to meet and undertake a massive art installation on a large section of the Wall.

And so they met.  And they painted.

These paintings ensured the preservation of this long section of the Wall which now comprises the East Side Gallery Berlin.  The Wall showcases 105 different paintings, which express thoughts about the Wall, its role in the city and its impact around the World.

The East Side Gallery of the Wall is considered the largest and longest open-air gallery in the World and is located in Kreuzburg, along the Spree River.

Sadly, much of the artwork has been vandalized over the years, with many pieces completely destroyed.

There has been an attempted restoration, but this has been met with conflict.  Many of the artists are upset that part of the Wall was moved to facilitate the building of new condos and other development, and thus refuse to either participate in repainting their works or letting anyone else update them.

As such, the Wall now represents a new tension - between the artists and business people.

Shopping and History rolled into one...

Berlin's most famous department store, KaDeWe, is more than just a shopping haven with a great food gallery – it is a reflection of the endurance and survival of the city.

Opened in 1907 by a Jewish retailer, the department store served the affluent middle class of the Tiergarten district. By 1926, it was considered the largest department store in Europe.

After the National Socialists gained power in 1933, the store was boycotted and the owners were forced to sell their shares and ultimately leave the country.  The store, however, remained intact until a US plane crashed into it in 1943.

After the war, the store was rebuilt and re-opened in 1950. It stood as a symbol of the re-birth and resilience of the Berlin people and has become a treasured landmark.

After the Wall came down in 1989, the store was flooded with Easterners coming to experience a taste of the West.

One of the more recent additions to the store is a new Food Hall on the top floor.  And so we went to have a taste.  Although a bit chaotic with shoppers pushing through to the different food stations, the solarium dining area was open and airy and gave wonderful vistas of the surrounding areas.  A perfect break to an afternoon of shopping and history...

Healthy Coke?

Perhaps it is available everywhere now, but Berlin is the first place where we have seen"Coca Cola Life". This "healthy alternative" uses sugar cane and stevia instead of sugar in its drinks. 

Taste-test Conclusion:  Not sure the health factor is enough to make Geoff buy it again...

The Diversity of Berlin

Although at the center of WWII, Berlin suffered far less structural damage than expected.  Of course, many buildings were heavily damaged beyond repair. But many, especially some of the key historical sites, were able to be restored, suffering minor structural damage or bullet holes.

In contrast to these historical landmarks, Berlin’s re-building after the war has a totally different feel.

The East Berlin Communist buildings are enormous  and showcase equally sized and spaced windows, heights and entranceways, with buildings repeated numerous times down numerous streets.

The Post-Communism architecture takes a contrasting approach –  each building feels individual and custom and many embrace the use of glass (perhaps to represent openness and light).  Many of the buildings also brilliantly incorporate both historical and modern design elements.


Key landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin TV Tower anchor the city's architecture, but each community offers a wealth of beautiful architecture to explore.  From the Sony Center Complex in Potsdamer Platz, to the Government Buildings and the updated Reichstag, to the Oberbaum Bridge to the squatter residences and artist communities, Berlin certainly offers architecture to please all tastes.

A great introduction to the variety of architecture and the very different neighbourhoods is by cruising down the Spree.