COLORFUL FACTS ABOUT BERLIN: CITY OF COLOR

When I was preparing for my trip, I thought about Berlin in one word – ‘seriousness’. I remember when I was in school everything to do with Germany and Berlin was about ‘war’, ‘soldiers’, ‘blockades’, ‘Berlin wall memorial sites’ and other ‘Berlin wall facts’.

However, the New Berlin incorporates color and grace.  The streets in the city center and its outskirts have a fair share of color and fun; even in December, you will be graced with vibrant Christmas markets and events that will make you forget about the cold weather.

Kreuzberg

The fascinating display above of a car parked on top of a small shop is found in Wilhelmstraße Street in Kreuzberg, one of the best-known areas in Berlin. You will find the street as soon as you pass Leipziger Street. I have no idea what this could possibly mean; surely it does capture one’s attention and as a result, want to know more about Berlin.

House of World’s Cultures

This is Germany’s national center for the presentation and discussion of international contemporary arts specializing in non-European cultures.  Art exhibitions, theater and other performances such as dance are presented here. It is located in John-Foster-Dulles-Allee road, and of course very colorful.

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Berlin Wall

When going to see this site I expected a dark and dull looking wall; I was surprised to see instead a very vibrant and colorful wall full of exciting paintings/art. As you may be aware, the Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961 and stands as the symbol of the Cold War that divided the city. This period saw the US and its allies mounting efforts through ‘Berlin Airlifts’ to bring supplies to people blocked away by Russians (Berlin Blockade).

In 1989 the travel restrictions were lifted when the wall fell. I guess the concept of playful and fun art on the wall symbolizes the falling of the wall; the humor in the art erases the dark cloud that covered Berlin and most things about Berlin during the war. The longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall is the ‘East Side Gallery’ as shown in pictures below.

Bellevue Palace

This palace is the official residence of the Federal President of Germany. It is located on the Spreeweg Road, just off the Tiergarten’s northwestern corner. You can take pictures of Bellevue Palace from the main road.

Paul-Löbe-Haus

Paul-Löbe-Haus houses offices for the Bundestag’s parliamentary committees. This building is located opposite the Reichstag. Reichstag is where the German parliament (the Bundestag) has dwelled since 1894. The colorful building looks so nice in pictures.

Getting Around Berlin

I used Berlin Public Transport and thought it was fantastic.

Sightseeing buses: If you want to see almost all the known tourist attractions in Berlin and other ‘things to do’ on your list, the best way to do this is by taking the red City Sightseeing hop-on-hop-off bus or other sightseeing tour buses such as BEX city circle bus. Please check carefully route maps for you to get on the right bus to take you to your chosen attractions. You can get off at the attraction you want to thoroughly explore then get on the next bus. Usually, buses run every 20 minutes or so. You can buy tickets when boarding the bus or at your hotel, therefore you don’t need to buy online.

Underground Trains / Metro: The Underground (U-Bahn) is very effective and runs smoothly. Of course, you will need to pay attention to the names of stations as they are in their language and not easy to memorize. If you will travel frequently around Berlin, it might be wise to buy a Visitor Card, also known as a ‘welcome card’ which will give you free transport on the city’s buses and trains. In addition, you will get a city guide & other information about Berlin, maps and up to 50% discount at up to 200 places and businesses that partnered with them. For a 5 day pass, you will pay 40.50 Euros; but you can also get a pass for fewer days.

Rental Cars: Getting a rental car might be ideal as you won’t need to wait for the bus; however the issue with parking in a city like Berlin made this option not appealing to me. I used sightseeing buses and trains which are very reliable. Information on Train tickets, fairs and route maps is easily accessible.

For longer journeys and journeys to other European destinations such as Amsterdam, Paris and London, a very reliable and popular choice is Berlin Linien Bus. Airports are also easily accessible from the city center. For example, from Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL) to the city center it is 7.5km, while from Berlin Schönefeld Airport (SFX) to the city center it is about 23km. It will take about 48 minutes by train from SFX to Berlin Central Station, Europaplatz; while from TXL about 40 minutes.