Sgt. Major (Berlin, Germany, part 3)

The overnight rain had cleared to a beautiful morning as we prepared to hit the Big Bus again for day two of our 48 hr tickets, prior to the guided walking tour from Brandenburg Gate, commencing at 2pm (English). In a counter intuitive move, we did not start at the beginning. Instead, my dear reader, we chose the third stop as the place to board the bus.

The canal behind the Dom.

The early morning walk there took us past the overly populated tourist spots that I wanted to re-photograph with the 10mm lens. Life starts late here and we were wandering before 9 am. Photographs taken, sans people, we walked down Unter den Linden to the bus stop. Aside from the joggers, who are in viral proportions, the most amusing sight was someone who had just woken from the night before.

The Dom in the early morning.

Rising from a bench or the gutter, I couldn't be sure, he appeared as if from nowhere. He staggered onto the road, annoying cyclists. Fortunately there were few cars. He had trouble walking a straight line and staying vertical so clearly he couldn't walk home. Then he spied a rideshare step-through scooter. He righted it after he fell over it, trying to straddle the seat. The next attempt was to move it into the traffic. Unsuccessfully. He managed to turn on the lights and found the horn, but sadly that was the extent of it as, keeping to our predetermined timeline, we moved out of sight.

Humboldt Forum.

Despite our dawdling pace and regular stops for photo ops, we arrived at the bus stop quite early. Coffee time. One of the best things about Europe, real Europe, not England, is that they understand coffee. They still haven't mastered the 'long black', and no, an Americano is not the same, but a double espresso is reliably the way to start the day.

Not even the 10mm lens could capture all of this museum.

Caffeine levels restored, we returned to the bus stop. We boarded and went upstairs and found the top had been rolled back to allow people to enjoy the sunshine. And, for those from the shallow end of the gene pool, to stand up while the bus was moving. Disappointingly, he didn't lose his head as we passed under a bridge.

It was quiet everywhere.

Our first hop-off destination was the Victory Column for a photo shoot, given that the day before, with the bus roof on, we had not been able to glimpse the top of the iconic landmark. The pillar stands in the centre of a roundabout. The column stands on a plinth that commemorates the 19th century German victory against Prussia and others. On top of it gleams a golden statue of Winged Victory, aka Elsa to the locals. Not the one from Frozen. There are major roads on five sides with parkland between two of the intersecting roads. I was keen to walk from here through the park to our next planned stop but time did not allow such an indulgence. Once again we were, at times, surrounded by and distracted by gung-ho joggings groups. What is wrong with these people? Do they have no respect for their knees? They'll understand when they're my age.

King Friedrich II surveying his realm.

The bus arrived. Love the app watching where they are on the route. We journeyed to the next stop which was the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. It caught my eye yesterday and didn't look much more than a remnant spire - another casualty when WWII bombers destroyed so much of the major cities of Germany. Slated for demolition, the people rallied against the government and ensured its survival as a dedicated monument to peace. They also built an alternative church on the same block. It is significant because of its construction. It is quite a remarkable space.

The Victory Column.

There was a beggar/busker sitting against the pedestrian wall outside the church, singing her heart out. She wasn't a young woman and she had quite a good voice. I had no idea what she was singing but the acoustics were excellent given it was outdoors.

The park behind the column.

This was one of the 15 minute bus stops so we scuttled back to the bus and resumed our seats, excited to think we had accomplished so much in a short space of time. Yeah, nah. We then sat on the bus for 10 minutes before it moved.

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

The ceiling in the church.

Next stop was number 14. The Topography of Terror. It is a museum on the site of the HQ for the Gestapo and Secret Police (SS) to remind people of what they did during the reign of Hitler. There was a QR code audio guide which we downloaded. Not long into our exploration, it became very obvious we were not going to get through it today. We had to be at the Brandenburg Gate at 2 pm for our walking tour.

Inside the new church.

There were five chapters to the audio guide that each had up to six separate commentaries. Basically it was a history of the Gestapo/SS and their involvement in German politics, the subsequent the war and the life and terrorisation of the German people. In an age of 'fake news' and politicians lying to attain power, this is quite a powerful exhibition. Complacency in Australia is the norm, but it is all too easy to see how a nation was blinded and went down the wrong path. One word, Murdoch.

Brandenburg Gate.

We left the indoor Topography of Terror without even looking at the outdoor exhibition that runs along another purposely preserved section of the Berlin Wall (no artwork here) and determined we would need to return tomorrow, under our own steam, to complete what we had started. We then headed towards the Brandenburg Gate where the bus had stopped this morning. For some, as yet unknown reason, the bus route differed from yesterday. There was a Big Bus representative where we had stopped this morning. He directed us through the Gate and around the corner to a restaurant decked out with lights where we would find Freddie, our guide for the walking tour.

Oh, look, free entry. How absolutely unappealing.

Once again the Big Bus people were spot on. We found the restaurant, the Big Bus sign and Freddie, lurking a few metres away, having his last puff before the tour starts. Like Scandinavia, smoking is such a popular thing. It's like stepping back 50 years in history.

As we passed through the gates, the reason for the altered bus route, the crowds and the inordinate number of joggers became clear. The 2024 Berlin Half Marathon. Free entry, if you can afford the plane fare and accommodation. (Come on Vikki what are you waiting for?)

At the appointed hour, Freddie emerged from his resting place and introduced himself to the growing number of people waiting for the English-speaking tour. He is not, unsurprisingly, German. The accent is pure Londoner, although, he hastens to add, he has lived here since well before the wall fell. Also confessed his past livelihood in the British armed forces. Given his subsequent tour performance, I'm backing him in as a Sergeant. Which brings us to today's title Sgt. Major a hidden track from Jet's Get Born album of 2003.

Even the bridges get statues and fancy lights.

The tour took us past the Brandenburg precinct, through the Jewish Holocaust sculpture memorial, past the site of Hitler's bunker (now a carpark), pausing at the site of the GDR June 17 massacre of protesters (Germany's Tiananmen Square), back to the Topography of Terror exhibition with the remnants of Berlin Wall, and then over to finish at Checkpoint Charlie, central to one of the Cold War major stand offs.

The holocaust memorial.

The sites were indeed all iconic historic places, worthy of visitation and reflection (as much as was possible amid the throng of tourists) and the detail about each stop was impressive. However, Freddie's delivery was more akin to a sergeant-major yelling at his troops. Every now and then in his scripted monologue he would yell parts of it. It caused people to jump on occasion but did little to add to the import of the information he was trying to impart. In fact, it detracted from the tour, imho.

The car park above the site of Hitler's former bunker.

The walking tour concluded very close to the time the last Big Bus was coming through Checkpoint Charlie, so we didn't have to wait long before our chariot took us back to the home precinct and stop 17.

It was time for some well earned beers and a late lunch/early dinner. Straight to Mio. On the way across the platz we noticed large groups of people were gathered in a couple of different places. There were spectators and participants engaged in what looked like ballroom dancing. I've wandered many parks across the world but have never witnessed a scene such as this.

There are bears everywhere. It's the symbol of Berlin.

Across the platz, there was a march and demonstration happening. A march for a free Palestine. Given the political powers at play, I can't see that happening, no matter how important or deserved it may be. Then again, the Berlin Wall was supposed to stand forever too.

We were escorted to our table in Mio and were enjoying our beer when a young male Brit walked in wearing a bright yellow dress and a sunflower headpiece. I mean each to their own. I wasn't judging, but not everyone can wear yellow. He was among that number. It turned out to be a buck's party. Later in the day he was only allowed to walk backwards. We witnessed one trip to the bathroom and remarked on how unwell he looked. I hope someone was looking after him because he had passed the point of no return.

What a day in Berlin. Saturday had something for everyone. Even us. We went home to watch the Curling World Championship. Go Sweden.

Until next time.

Wind of Change (Berlin, Germany, part 2)

We breakfasted at home again.  The domestic bliss of an apartment hotel. It's not quite a hotel, nor is it AirBnB, it is somewhere in between. Our studio apartment gets cleaned every third day. On other days there is no need to be concerned by an untimely knock at the door.

The Old Museum from the bus.

After yesterday's rain and the overnight storm, we ventured out into sunshine. Exciting. A short walk to the Hop-on Hop-off bus stop, number 17. It is actually the end of the route but the sales dude said we could get on there. So, we did. And there we sat. We could have walked to stop 1 and commenced with the first bus of the day.

A statue on museum island bridge.

As the first bus departed from stop 1, we left our resting place and drove to the starting position and there we sat for another 15 minutes. Insider knowledge or more astute questioning would have resolved this issue. Regardless, we were seated and comfortable on the top deck of the bus. We could open the windows but the top remained closed for the duration.

Brandenburg Gate like we'll never see it again.

This journey, the Red Route, occupies around 2 and a half hours. There are a couple of 15 minutes respites so if you are quick enough you can get the perfect photo and resume the tour on the same bus. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be snapping photos from onboard, so there are fewer photos than expected. However, it was meant to be a sightseeing expedition so we could determine what to visit (and hop off at) again tomorrow.

The Reichstag.

We passed many major sights including: Alexanderplatz, Berliner Dom, Humboldt University, Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, Central Station, Schloss Bellevue Palace, the Victory Column, Potsdamer Platz, Berliner Mauer, Checkpoint Charlie, and back to the Rathaus. There were obviously other things in between, shopping centres, churches, you get the drift, my dear reader.

Gendarmenmarkt I think. Be fair, I was on a bus.

Happily, this time the bus continued straight back to stop 1 where we would pick up the Blue Route bus that ventured into what was East Berlin and the sections of the wall we wanted to see. In a stroke of timing genius, our next bus was waiting for us. Ok, maybe they match schedules.

That is a real sized replica Sputnik.

There wasn't a lot to see on the second route, at least not from the bus window. We were taken down the grand boulevarde that was initially built so the GDR could hold the obligatory marching displays. It is now called Karl-Marx-Allee.  After sailing through the area renown for the most exclusive nightclubs in Germany, we alighted at stop 3, the East Side Gallery. After a detour to photograph the "most beautiful bridge in Berlin", we returned to the wall. It is a 1.3 km preserved stretch of the wall that has murals almost the entire length. Some are more estoric than others and it probably warrants some enterprising millenial to create a startup that hires out audio guides explaining each mural.

Can't see the fuss really.

There were, of course, the usual vacuous, look-at-me, selfie takers. Or in one instance, a boyfriend who must have been at photo 6 of his girlfriend behind the gate in the wall. I don't know how high the number of aborted photos went because I walked away, tired of waiting to take a photo of the gate without her self-absorbed personage obscuring the real shot. I hope the sex was worth it. She was hard work.

Only here to match the text above.

We continued down the street side of the wall until the end and then went toward the river to stroll down the inside. The side of the wall that was facing West Berlin is covered in graffiti, as opposed to art. There is a pleasant grassed area, a walkway covered by flowering (at the moment) crab apple trees, bordered by the river. As the sun was shining, the area, originally known as the 'Death Strip', was being enjoyed by locals and tourists.

The beginning.

Back at the commencement of this section of the wall, I checked the Big Bus app to for the whereabouts of our transport back to Alexanderplatz. We watched as the bus left the stop while we were stranded on the opposite side of the road. There was only thing left to do. Beer. We sat in the sun near the stadium that will shortly host the Laver Cup (Europe against the world). Almost like being back home seeing Rod's name up in lights.

The famous mural. Who is tonguing whom?

Tracking a bus via an app in real time means no stressing about when to finish a beer. Nice. Beer enjoyed, ok maybe I had two, we strolled back to the bus stop and returned to Alexanderplatz. The clouds were beginning to look threatening but we were safely home before the obligatory storm arrived.

The French have such a way with words.

Over a glass of wine, we planned the next day's outing. A reasonably early start to get back on the bus and again travel the red route to actually hop off and hop back on after we have had time to explore and take photos.

I like the sentiment of this one.

That bridge again.

The title song, Wind of Change was really a no brainer for this post, although Jayne wanted some song by David Hasselhoff, whoever he is. Back to reality. The Scorpions, a long lived German band had their biggest hit in their twilight. Rather fitting, it was also the twilight of the division in Berlin. Physical at least.

A lovely spring day.

Until next time.

Heroes (Berlin, Germany, part 1)

 Hello, dear reader. In one of those warps in time and space, we have left Berlin and are on a train heading for Prague. Thankfully that four and half hours will allow me to catch up on the blog. In a pre-emptive visiting the wall, the title is David Bowie's Heroes from 1977. He wrote it while recording the album of the same name in Berlin. It was about a couple he saw every day on the way to the studio, 'snogging' in the shadow of the wall.

As has become our practice, we decided our first full day in Berlin would be a day to explore the local area. Our shopping expedition last evening yielded all we required for breakfast so we didn’t need to search for a café. We researched the Hop-on Hop-off bus yesterday and decided that would probably be a productive way to see Berlin. The city is large and there is so much to see. Fortunately, where we are at Hackescher Markt, there is a lot very close to us, well within walking distance.

Almost made the frame. Nice scaffolding.

First stop for the day was the Berlin Cathedral or Berliner Dom. As you know, dear reader, we have seen many cathedrals on our travels. I think it fair to say that no-one does a cathedral quite like Europe. Every time I think I’ve seen everything there is to see in a church, something comes along to astound me. And here we are awestruck once again. It’s not the lavish altar, as impressive as it is. Or the magnificent mural on the ceiling, as beautiful as that is. Or the ornate pulpit, as over the top as that is (more on these in the next blog). It is the sheer size of the dome. It is massive. The whole structure is so large that to photograph it in one frame I needed to cross the road and walk half way through the Lustgarten.

The Old Museum in the Lustgarten.

It was €10 per person to go inside and climb the 267 stairs to the dome. While that is on the agenda, it is not for now. We went back out to the Lustgarten to photograph the fountain and the Altes (old) Museum. The latter is not on our list to visit. Its focus is largely the Greco-Roman period of history and we believe we have this covered with previous museum visits in numerous countries.

The fountain.

The Lustgarten was crowded with, what appeared to be, school groups on tour. They were everywhere we looked. The sun was shining and it was quite exciting, not just to see the sun, but to feel its warmth. The more I travel the more convinced I am that I could not live in a country without regular sunshine for extended periods.

Next we went across the main road to the Humboldt Forum. Here was another massive dome peeping up from surrounding walls. Today it is a gallery, in a previous life it was the Berlin Palace. Our mission was to locate the tourist information centre that lay within its walls. Allegedly. Like Platform 9 at Stockholm Central Station, it remains undiscovered.

The interior courtyard of Humboldt Forum.

From the Forum, we walked towards the Marx-Engels Forum. In essence, this is a park that housed a statue of the two best friends. Or should that be economists? Or philosophers? Or fathers of communism; in its purist form of course? 

A pair of communists juxtaposed with a church.

There were other sculptures in the park that focused on humanity’s struggle, the worker against oppression. It took a while to secure the desired shot of their statue because the vapid and vacuous insisted on selfies with the great men. Given the posers were sporting designer gear while holidaying in Berlin, I’d say the capitalist system worked well for them. I’m not sure the dynamic duo would approve. I would be unsurprised if they did not know the identity of the two stately gentlemen.

The worker. Not actually working.

Across another major road and we were at the Rathaus. Constructed in the 1860s and built of red brick, it is the more modest of the buildings in the area. No huge dome, no soaring spire. It is still large, but is more functional.

The Rathaus.

At this point, dear reader, I am questioning my selection of camera lens. I’m using my usual 18-135mm which is a good general-purpose lens. At 18mm I can usually capture the larger objects and the 135mm allows me to take close ups as required. None of the buildings today are able to be shot at 18mm. I will need to return with my 10mm lens and earlier in the morning when the crowds are not as invasive.

As we moved from the Rathaus toward Marienkirche, St Mary’s Church, we were intercepted by a Hop-on Hop-off bus salesperson. We had already decided to purchase tickets for 48 hours access. What I had failed to realise in last night’s Google search was that there is more than one company. In fact, there were four, at least. An easy decision was now a little more complicated because they appeared to travel the same route.

We encouraged Juan to recite his spin and tell us why we should travel with the Big Bus company as opposed to the others. Part way through his spiel we were approached by some tourists who wanted to know what the building behind us was. “Rathaus, town hall,” we replied. “Can you go inside?” was the next question. We looked Juan, he looked us, we all shrugged, “Don’t know.” was the simultaneous reply.

The deal breaker with Juan’s offer came in two parts, an App where you could track the buses and you get a free currywurst. Nah, joking about the currywurst, that voucher went into the bin. There was also an associated walking tour from the Brandenburg Gate to Checkpoint Charlie. Sold. We purchased our 48 hour tickets to commence tomorrow.

A fish out of water.

Onward toward the church with a brief stop at Neptune’s Fountain. It, like many fountains in Hamburg was not functioning. Despite this, it was still a draw card for tourists, including us. We sat for a while watching the passing parade until a family group arrived and started getting up close and personal with one of the statues on the edge of the fountain. They spent some time peering into the nooks and crannies, photographing up under the lip of the fountain and examining the result and then sticking their hand up into the darkness. I was hoping for a random spider bite to make the viewing more interesting. Sadly, this did not occur - they left empty handed and unbitten and we are none the wiser as to what they were looking for.

Progress. According to the East German rulers in the '60s.

The TV tower that was erected as a sign of East German supremacy in the 1960s, stands as a silent sentinel in Alexanderplatz. It dominates the Berlin skyline and will be our beacon to guide us home when required. There is a restaurant or bar on the viewing platform but the queue was too long (2 hour wait time estimate) to create any genuine interest from us. Also, the day had closed in a little.

Marienkirche.

 In the shadow of the tower is Marienkirche, one of the oldest churches in Berlin. Outside, it is rather plain and unremarkable. Inside there are some paintings and fixtures of significance and as it happened, an organ recital. How lucky are we? This is our third organ recital in a church since we left home. Anyway, it is chance to rest our feet.

The organ. It goes OK.

Following the recital, we wandered around the interior which is quite dark, although the organ loft was quite ornate. The church also houses a baptismal font that is dated back to the 1400s.

The font. It's old.

Outside again, we skirted around the tower and checked out some of the food options for later. Our next target was the World Clock in Alexanderplatz. By now the rain had begun but we were undeterred. The clock, as expected, was underwhelming. It is a clock on a pole, below which is a 360° collar that lists various major cities of the world and their time zone. I was so unimpressed I didn’t even break out the camera. At least people were able to shelter from the rain beneath the structure. 

The pulpit. Imagine that as a fascinator at the races.

We turned towards Alexanderplatz and, as we continued to reconnoître the restaurant options, we spied a Decathlon Store. Still pining over the lost opportunity to buy the yellow jacket in Tromsø, we wandered into the shop. After negotiating the length and breadth of the very large retail space, and successfully dodging numerous unparented children who were testing out various pieces of sporting equipment such as scooters, skate boards and inline skates, we glimpsed a dash of yellow in the middle of the rack of discontinued jackets.

There it was, like a pearl in an oyster, one lone yellow waterproof and windproof sailing jacket amongst all the brown, blue and black. Surely it couldn’t be my size, dear reader? Miracle of miracles, it was a perfect fit! Yellow! The same style is available in Australia but not in yellow. Finally, I had my jacket, and for sure the rain would stop today. Feeling smug after saving €20, that will pay for our entry to the Dom, I donned my jacket and headed out into the rain to christen it.

Unlike Hamburg, Italian is not the preferred option of Berliners. That is not to say there are no Italian restaurants; there are, just not on every corner. Still, we decided upon a pseudo-Italian restaurant that was trying to be all things to all people – pizza, pasta, sushi, schnitzels, steaks, racks of lamb as well as traditional Berliner offerings like pork knuckle and sauerkraut. It was close to home and solved our daily dilemma of where to eat. The food and the wine were good and the walk home in the rain was short.

Until next time.