Visiting Berlin
A few weeks ago I had the chance to visit the amazing city of Berlin. So, I am going to tell you what was my itinerary and show you some of the wonders of the old world, which looks shiny and bright new, by the way.
The first stop was a hotel at Mitte.
The first monument I visited, dressed with formal attires because our luggage was lost between Rio de Janeiro and London, was the Brandenburg Tor and the Berliner Fernsehturm. The Berliner Fernsehturm is the TV Antenna that has become a symbol of the city. It was cloudy and we thought we would not be able to watch anything. But we were surprised by the view of the city: fifty percent covered with clouds and rain, fifty percent sunny and sunsetting. Pôr de sol, the Brazilians say. Amazing.
The Fernsehturm is a television tower in central Berlin, Germany. Close to Alexanderplatz in Berlin-Mitte, the tower was constructed between 1965 and 1969 by the administration of the German Democratic Republic.(Wikipedia)
The Branderburg Tor is enormous and beautiful. Neoclassical. Out of time. Perfect. Behind there was a demonstration about the milk (oh my, watch it at Getty Images). And if you walk a litte you can find the Tiergarten Park.
The Brandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor) is an 18th-century neoclassical monument in Berlin, and one of the best-known landmarks of Germany. It is built on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin to the town of Brandenburg an der Havel.(Wikipedia)
Then we walked miles by the river Spree from the Bundestag to the Museumsinsel.And back.
The Museumsinsel captured my soul. We bought the three days ticket, which is cheaper than the unique entrance one. Also known as Three Days Pass. We visit the Neues, Pergamon, and the Bode museums. I saw the real Nefertiti there, but you cannot take pictures of her. I saw the statues of Akhenaten. I saw old oil paintings at the Bode Museum. If you are moved by art like me, you have to visit.
Then we visited the Potsdam palaces, which you can visit, between other places: The ensemble of artistic ruins on the Ruinenberg, Orangery Palace or the New Orangery on the Klausberg, Bildergalerie, the Windmill, and the famous Schloss Sanssouci.
Sanssouci is the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. (Wikipedia)
Oh my Gosh, so rococo! So much gold everywhere that I wanted to die because I am poor and I cannot afford gold for my windows and ceiling and kitchen table. Even the mirrors were covered with gold. I looked suspiciously at the chairs and tables because they were possibly stuffed with gold too.
It looks like Frederick the Great was the formal boyfriend of Voltaire. Just saying.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_the_Great#Sexuality
You can take a bus from Berlin and you will be there in no time. We have a small dinner in the town, eating Vietnamese and enjoying the weather. It was so delicious just to sit there at the table outside the restaurant and feel the warmth of the light wind on your face, exactly like when I was a kid in my country.
Finally, we had to go back home.
Some tips:
Oh! Near the subway station of Friedrichstrasse, we bought a pair of corduroy pants for 2 euros. I found the receipt. The store's name is Jimmy's. Obviously, it was a sale. Their normal prices are higher.
It is located at Oranienburger Str. 8, 10178 Berlin, Germany.
The subway stations do not sell tickets. You have to buy them in the journal stores. So be aware.
So, I recommend Germany to visit. Everybody there speaks English, boys! They make life easy for you. It just looks like a detail, but it is not. There are some countries in Europe where no one seems to notice we are not in the 18th century anymore. I was in Berlin for one week and it was not enough time to see and visit everything (or a big part at least).
Just to illustrate the trip, here you have some pics. If you need some advice or you have questions, leave a comment or contact me via email or the contact form on the Contact me page.
And listen Rufus Wainright singing Sanssouci:
Behind the Scenes
Did you like the pics? I took all of them. So you can check my Instagram for more:
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