Ich war ein Berliner: Three things to do in Berlin, Part 3

3. The DDR Museum (Station: U2, U5, U8: Alexanderplatz)


The history of a split Berlin is visible at a glance of the architecture in Berlin, but the culture of the former East Berlin has rapidly been replaced with the usual western, pro-consumerism capitalism that we all are familiar with. The DDR Museum opened in 2006 as a private museum, and is a very interesting slice of East German culture. Part of the museum consists of the usual exhibits on the macro-political conflicts and the Berlin wall, but a good portion of the museum is devoted to nothing more than the everyday life of an East German. And that is fascinating.

Ich war ein Berliner: Three things to do in Berlin, Part 2

2. Tempelhof (Station: For Building, U6: Platz der Luftbrücke, For Park, U6: Tempelhof)

Tempelhof is an airport in the south of Berlin with a very long history, some good and some bad. It was built during by the Nazis prior to World War II and was built in the impressively terrifying monumental style of that regime. The building itself is more than a half mile wide between it's "arms", which dwarfs anything in the area. It is well preserved and gives a sense of the architecture of the time, which makes it worth a building if for nothing else than to reflect over would have been. In many ways, I wonder how something so obviously from that era could survive the process of denazification that occurred after the war...

Tempelhof on a West Berlin Stamp

Ich war ein Berliner: Three things to do in Berlin, Part 1

Berlin is a great city with a complex mix of new and old cultures right at the epicenter of some of the largest battles in modern history, both physical and ideological. Moving throughout the city, it's very clear that Berlin is a city that is constantly in a state of change and re-imagination. For a city that offers someone for everyone, I was really glad to be able to get away from the more touristy areas and spend the days with my friend and resident Berliner in some more out of the way places. In particular, I'd like to share three places, one of which is really interesting but on the beaten path, while the other two are a little more out of the way. After the break, we'll visit a fleamarket, Tempelhof, and the GDR museum!

Berlin!

Flight Report: RyanAir (for a change)

I have a friend in Berlin and promised to visit her at some point, since she moved back there last month. Since my schedule is a little tight and I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on it, I decided to try RyanAir for the first time ever. Whooooo boy.

My ticket was about $35, including all of their miscellaneous fees (and without any checked luggage, which would have been an additional $35). Even when you consider the $35  and hour long ride out to Skavsta (which is "Stockholm" in RyanAir parlance, which is actually 90km to the south), it's still a pretty good deal, but I have never been on such a cheesy airline before!