Both sides of the wall - Berlin

Few weeks ago, I had a chance to go to Berlin again for several days. Actual reason of the trip was DPWN's (Deutsche Post World Network) Thinker's Club Annual Meeting. Together with some colleagues, we were to represent DHL IT Services Europe. So I took one day off, in addition to the public holiday, to go to Berlin earlier and do some sightseeing. Last year I stayed there for a week, but mostly working.

Good friend of mine, Dastan, hosted me for few days and took around the city for some views. I get to see the educational institutions where he's doing some administrative tasks successfully. We had a lot to talk to, to remember old good days, to catch up. I also had a chance to meet fellow citizens working and studying there. One of our late night chats ended up with a long debate regarding Germans' attitude towards the minority groups in Germany. :)


What makes Berlin stand out among other European major cities is its rich recent history. This city was the central spot of World War II and Cold War. And for few decades, Berlin had been separated into 2 separate parts, and belonging to 2 different countries and opposite regimes, with that famous Berlin Wall. Thus, it has lots of fresh stories to tell and still visible footprints of recent past. Wars had almost torn the city down. Nothing much historical is left.

Nowadays, however, Berlin is different. It is kinda more peaceful and silent after all those years. As if it is still recovering from the painful past years. Eastern part of the city with its Soviet-style block apartments still reminds a lot about DDR(GDR), there are a lot of memorials around the city built for those who suffered from Nazi and Communist regimes. There's a good choice of museums to visit and lots of samples of modern art decorating the city.


Among the interesting places to visit are the Alexanderplatz square and Museum Island nearby. Both areas were part of East Germany. The area itself is interesting to wander around with lots of shops and restaurants (nowadays Christmas Markets), TV tower is also located at this place (offers great views of Berlin, they say), Berlin Rathaus (mayor's office), etc. As a reminder to recent past, Marx's and Engel's statues still stands in the nearby park. I heard from podcast that people used to go there and rub Marx's hand to make a wish before.
From there you need to cross the bridge to go to Museum Island. Major museums are located around this place. I could find time only to visit Altes Museum, it is wicked interesting! Of course, that's where I met the most beautiful woman of Berlin - Queen Nefertiti. It's the statue of Queen of Egypt found by German egyptologist in Egypt and then brought to Germany. She was very beautiful and influential woman of her time and she and her husband changed Egypt's religion from a polytheistic religion to a monotheistic religion. They believed only in one god, Aten. I didn't take any good picture of her, only low quality one with my mobile camera.


As for people, Berlin is in the first position among German cities for the number of other nationalities living in there. Mostly Turks (some say half million(!) of Turks are living in the city, but other sources claim it is 230,000) and Russians, there are lots of other European, Asian and Arabic nationalities. That means lots of different cuisines! Indeed, many Turkish, Arabic and Asian restaurants and fast-food shops are spread around the city. Or if you go to Kreuzberg in Berlin, then you feel like you are in Turkey as almost everything around is in Turkish. That's like Little Turkey or Turktown :)

Chancellery of Germany, Angela Merkel's current office. Berliners have special nickname for it due to its shape - "washing machine" :)

Where Hitler burnt all the books

Front gate of Russian (previously Soviet) embassy

Sony Center at AlexanderPlatz

Berliner Dom and Berlin TV tower

Rathaus - City Hall of Berlin. Also referred as "Pink Rathaus" because of the gay mayor.

View from Museum Island

The sky has never been so blue, and the grass has never been so green. In front of famous Reichstag - German Parliament.

And yet another famous spot - Brandenburg Gates.

These resident blocks remind Soviet style.

Holocaust Memorial, memorial for the murdered Jews in WWII.

Brandenburg Gates from behind.

Remains of Berlin Wall on their original location. There's a line made of two brick lines throughout the city indicating the location of "the wall".

Berliner Dom and demolition of Palace of the Republic. The palace was built under GDR government, and now Germans decided to get rid of it and rebuild back Berlin Palace that stood once in the same location (and destroyed during the bombing of Berlin).

Marx and Engels are still there. They don't attract people much these days.

Just in case, I rubbed Marx's hands, maybe indeed it will bring me luck :))

Green Peace activists on some kind of protest; cars painted in pink and decorated like a piglet, and as if they are entering "Noah's ark".

DHL's Corporate Idea Management organized DHL Thinker's Club conference. It was more like a casual meeting to have fun and socialize with lots of speeches, discussions and short workshops. And of course, nice meals, lots of coffee breaks and a great private party with live bands performing in one of the top night clubs of Berlin, the same club where we,4 male foreigners in office outfit, were not allowed to enter last year due to dress code and face control :)) There was tombola (prize draw) for all participants with the main prizes being BMW car (no kidding!), Harley Davidson motorbike (still not kidding!), a scooter and iPods. Well, I am never lucky in prize draws...

Top prize at tombola.

Listening carefully, but horrible translation.

Blandine & Eva - colleagues from Prague. Blandine is my flatmate as well.

Great live music, food and fun at Adagio Club in Berlin. Last year me, Alex, Jiri and a friend couldn't get in to this club because of dress code :))) This year it was all ours.

Another surprise was to meet Elina and her few month old daughter. Elina was the first AIESEC MCP in Kyrgyzstan, and we met through AIESEC network. I think she's doing pretty well in Germany.

Elina and her daughter

More photos here.
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