Berlin - Sightseeing of a different kind

Just recently I had the honor of accompanying a guide friend of mine on one of his city tours about which I would like to tell you today. Why in the world am I writing about a guided city tour, you may be thinking, aren't there more exciting things to do in Berlin?

The reason being is that these tours are not the boring standard city tours that present fact after fact but leave no extraordinary memories. On the contrary, this excursion is more than just a city tour - it combines the art of movie making with the historical sights but also less known spots of Berlin. A company called Zeitreisen (Time Travels) lead by a young historian entrepreneur has developed an outstanding city tour experience that remains incomparable in Berlin!

Departing every second Sunday at 1:30pm from the famous boulevard "Unter den Linden" on a bus that is equipped with several video screens, this tour attracts tourists and locals alike. While the bus takes guests through town, the guide brilliantly combines facts about Berlin's history, its sights and movie making showing short episodes of outdoors scenes featuring Berlin's streets and squares on the screens. So for example, driving by the square Gendarmenmarkt one realizes that all major outdoor scenes (supposedly in London) of Jacky Chan's "In 80 Days Around The World" were taken right there, or that Lola in "Run Lola Run" was standing right in front of Hotel de Rome with the view over Bebelplatz after robbing her father's bank. One can also see the original streets in which "The Legend of Paul and Paula" took place as well as outside facade of the home of the protagonist of "The Live of the Others". Truly intriguing!

Of course many more contemporary but also historical films are being featured during this diverting city tour so that the 2 1/2 hours fly by in no time. This is not only due to the entertaining mix of cinematics and sightseeing but also for the nearly indefinite knowledge of the guide about the city in every aspect.

So, now that winter is coming up this may be the perfect Saturday afternoon activity - not only for tourists but also and especially for the Berliners of you!

http://www.videobustour.de/berlin.html

Let there be light!

One of the more recently established traditions is the so called Festival of Lights in Berlin. Every year in fall when the days get shorter (and the nights longer) Berlin’s attractions in and around the city center are being illuminated by companies and artists - this year some 60 sights and buildings.

So, for example does the renowned Ritz-Carlton on Potsdamer Platz put up its scenography motto “We are” on big letters on the outside walls of its building. The linden trees on the famous avenue “Unter den Linden” are illuminated in colorful tones giving the idea of an Indian summer atmosphere in Berlin. Of course, the main focus is on the illumination of Berlin’s main attractions: the Brandenburg Gate, the Gendarmenmarkt Square with its Concert House and two Domes, the TV tower changing color every 15 seconds like a disco ball, the tower of the Messe (exhibition area) and among others the Berlin Dome where Wolfgang Joop projects patterns of his new fashion collection.

While the illumination of outside facades of buildings is certainly not a new concept, one must admit that it does add a nice touch to the beginning of the “dark season”. Despite the many windy and rainy cold days inhabitants and tourists alike decide to leave their cozy homes to go for a night time stroll, ride a velo-taxi or get on board a bus or ship through Berlin’s main streets in order to indulge in this somewhat tacky but festive atmosphere. Not as must see – but definitely a nice event!

Gasometer adventures

Who of you knows what a gasometer looks like, what it is used for... yet has even been on top of one??? I can answer all these questions with "yes" - and let me tell you, it's a real Berlin adventure!

In other cities people climb bridges secured to the construction with ropes... in Berlin people climb gasometers. One of those gasometers can be found in Schoeneberg, an area in the southwest of town. It is a facility that was used to "store" gas through underpressure between 1910 and the 90s. So much for the technical part. Then someone had the idea that it would be a great look-out point - and born was a new attraction for Berlin tourists and locals alike!

The climb is a bit exhausting but nothing worth to mention for an ex-athlete like me. :-) Short stops at different levels of the landmark give the visitor a chance to adjust to the height and rethink the undertaking. It is never too late to ask the guide to accompany one back. Not me though; I was burning (or was it my leg muscles?) to get to the top. And I was not to be disappointed! Boy, was that an amazing view. One could see everything in the city, and even beyond its borders. Of course, the height was a bit frightening, probably mostly due to the fact that the banister as high as my waist line was not very protective and the "floor" was totally see-through. Plus, it was a bit windy up there.

It took almost one hour to walk around the entire circle once, for the guide was able to explain every single building or tower on the horizon. Amazing. I could have stayed there all evening... This is a real adventure! An absolute must for every Berlin visitor free from giddiness.
During the summer time the company even offers "excursions" on top of the gasometer to watch fireworks from there. Maybe worth a second trip up those 456 stairs!

http://www.climb-berlin.com/de/

Currywurst - the hotdog of Berlin

Take a German brat, cut it in slices, pour a load of a ketchup-like sauce on top, spice it up with curry powder and you have the most popular snack of Berlin: Currywurst.
This description of the preparation of the particular German sausage is somewhat simplified and doesn't live up to its long history of 80 years (which I won't get into at this point), but it pretty much sums up what to expect when ordering a Currywurst. To make the whole issue complacated though, there are several rivaling snack stands (=Imbisse) spread throughout Berlin that all claim to have THE best Currywurst in town.
So, when my far-traveled friend Akio from Japan came to see me we decided to go on a Currywurst mission in order to find out which place really does have the best-tasting sausage.

We started our tasting test at Kudamm 195 on Kurfuerstendamm (Charlottenburg) where a vast number of autographs of famous people testify for its high popularity. The Currywurst (with gut) at a price of 2,20 Euro (plus 20 cents for the roll) had a fine texture and the sauce was medium-spiced. To make a remark on the preparation, the curry spice was powdered over the sausage before the sauce was poured over the sausage.



At Curry 36 on Mehringdamm (Kreuzberg) we found a much more elaborate sausage menu, and to our surprise the Currywurst was 60 cents cheaper. This sausage convinced with a crispier and more flavored sausage, and the sauce was better spiced, though the roll (also 20 cents) tasted better at Kudamm 195.

Last but not least we paid a visit to Konnopke on Schönhauser Allee (Prenzlauer Berg), maybe the most traditional store with its 80 years of existence. At Konnopkes we found the longest line, but as the service was just as quick as at the other places, so we soon held our third Currywurst of the day at 1,70 Euros (but 30 cents for the roll) in our hands. Unfortunately, Konnopkes only had Currywurst without gut, so it might not be completely comparable with the previous two sausages. However, we found the sausage itself rather bland while the sauce was spicier than at the other two places and the curry powder was put on last.


Overall, we didn't like the third Currywurst as much as the others but it may have been due to the fact that we got more critical as we tasted along. In conclusion, we have NOT become Currywurst experts throughout our Currywurst report, and I think it requires a lot more tasting to get there. But for now we need a serious portion of vitamins and fibers....

Sightseeing for athletes

Birthdays are especially great when they continue on with pleasant moments even after the actual day of celebration. After the "Turkish day coupon" from Simone, my friend Anne gave me another gift certificate that we put into action only one week later: a night's stay at the Steigenberger Hotel in Potsdam including an opulent breakfast buffet. So, here we were on our way to the redemption of this gift certificate...

Potsdam is situated about 25km southwest of Berlin's city center and so well connected through public transportation that one may think it is part of the city. Apart from the fact that it is the capital of the federal state of Brandenburg most people know the town for the famous Potsdam conference of the allies in 1945 and its beautiful Sanssouci Palace - the German counterpart to the French Versailles.

The Steigenberger hotel is located at Luisenplatz right next to the entrance of the huge Sanssouci park and also only a stone throw from the old town of Potsdam where one can stroll through many nice little streets and get lost in numerous shops, cafes and restaurants.

Upon our arrival we found a delicious amenity in the room that we devoured immediately, and off we were to the Biosphere Potsdam, a zoological little park that at this time of the year exhibits a bunch of orchids, butterflies, fish and rain forest (sort of random, I found). The exhibition is a nice try to make use of the area of a former garden exhibition (BUGA), but apart from the entrance fee (9,50 Euro p.p.) it wasn't much impressive. Or maybe it was the beautiful sunshine that didn't keep us inside for long.

Instead we decided to conduct sightseeing of a different kind by exploring the Sanssouci park by jogging. This showed to be an excellent idea for the park is huge and it is almost impossible to see the rococo Sanssouci Palace, Romans Baths, Church of Peace, the Orangery Palace, Belvedere and various other sights spread throughout the park.

A nice dinner and drinks in Potsdam's old city center (all walking distance) and the opulent breakfast buffet (actually, the main reason for our hotel stay) topped our little Potsdam excursion well off and made us want to come back soon for more jogging sightseeing in the many other parks...