Germany's Capital City

I arrived in Berlin shortly after 12 noon on Monday. Because there was a line at the tourist office, I decided that I could figure out everything on my own, and I just walked right out of Berlin Central Station.

When I walked out I saw some taller buildings not too far off, so I headed in that direction. Fortunately I walked directly to the Reichstag (Germany's Parliament building). From there I discovered I was within easy walking distance of Brandenburg Gate. This, in turn, put me right on the end of Unter den Linden, Berlin's notable boulevard -- their version of Paris' Champs Elyses or Philly's Benjamin Franklin Parkway (don't you love my Philly references?).

Unter den Linden marks the address of several key landmarks in Berlin; those that I visited were The National Library, Humboldt University, and the Memorial to Victims of War and Tyranny. I also think I saw the Zeughaus and/or the National Opera, but without a tour guide I wasn't certain what I was looking at.

From there, I followed street signs to Alexanderplatz, which is (roughly) Berlin's version of Times Square. Around that time I picked the pace as it started to drizzle, and I had no umbrella. I headed toward Friedrichstrasse, a street that showcased a mixture of modern buildings and historic facades. Before arriving there, though, I fortuitously came upon Gendarmenmarkt, a square bounded by two cathedrals and a concert building; it was very picturesque. Anyhow, I soon reached Friedrichstrasse, which then led me directly to Checkpoint Charlie, the infamous pass -- through the Berlin Wall -- connecting communist East Berlin with democratic West Berlin. The famous sign is still there, along with the actual gatehouse with a wall of sandbags piled in front.

The location of Checkpoint Charlie put me in a good position to walk several more city blocks to the Topography of Terror, an outdoor exhibit in progress, which included a substantially preserved and sizeable portion of the former Berlin Wall. Seeing that really touched me and got me thinking, to think that a wall could really separate two different worlds, to think that families had been separated for years without any contact whatsoever, to think that real people died trying to cross that wall in search of freedom, and to think that some elements of our current society can somehow believe that a wall can be and should be built along our southern border.

Leaving that behind, and continuing on my trek, I went to Potsdamer Platz, a central and major intersection near the city's few high-rise buildings, which exemplified a futuristic style of architecture. After taking a coffee break in a nice place right there, I headed below ground to look at a transit map in order to figure out how to get to Potsdam, a small city outside of Berlin, where I could visit one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites: Sanssouci Park. Somehow I accomplished all of this, and was still able to make it back to Berlin Central Station to catch a 7:48pm train all the way back to Essen.

It was a long day, but totally worth it. Berlin is a beautiful city, one that I would love to visit again, hopefully with a friend or friends or with a loved one.