Sabbatical travel series - Germany

 The next stop were the cities of Berlin and Munich in Germany. I went to the Warsaw train station 45 minutes early to give myself enough time to figure out the platform for the train going to Berlin and it turned out to be quite easy. The stop at the station was going to be 10 minutes long and I figured that it would be enough time to get to the coach and my seat. The train arrived on the dot. I walked to my coach and tried to get my suitcase up the narrow and high steps, but for the life of me, I couldn’t lift the suitcase and go up the steps at the same time. A kind gentleman, seeing me struggle, lent a hand with the suitcase. I managed to locate my seat and lo behold, there was only overhead luggage space. Another passenger helped put my heavy suitcase up. I met a couple with their young kid, going back home after holidaying in Warsaw, on the train. We struck a conversation and it felt nice to talk to someone who spoke fluent English. When we reached Berlin, the husband helped get my suitcase down and out of the train. I was thankful and lucky to have found such kind co-passengers.

My hotel was a stone’s throw from Checkpoint Charlie, and I had a very spacious suite for European hotel standards with a living room, bedroom, balcony and bathroom. I was heartened to also see many cafés and restaurants close to the hotel. After dropping my bags at the hotel, I walked over to Checkpoint Charlie where there were a lot of tourists trying to get pictures. Since it was so close to my hotel, I did what one usually does with sights near where one stays. I told myself that I can come back anytime over the next 2 days when it is less crowded. I went to a nearby café for coffee and also indulged in a decadent choco chip cookie.

I was looking forward to meeting friends in Berlin and Munich after a couple of weeks of being on my own. It would be fun to talk, laugh and connect for longer than 10 minutes. I met a friend over dinner that evening. We caught up for nearly 3 hours and talked about everything and nothing and time just flew amidst all the fun.

Berlin didn’t come highly recommended. So, I wasn’t expecting much to get wowed by. I took the walking tour the next morning, and I was blown away by the rich history, most of it quite harrowing. It is commendable that Germans don’t hide their unpleasant history and, in fact, openly talk about it which serves as a warning for future generations not to get into the same trap as their ancestors.

There are some truly amazing buildings and monuments in renaissance, baroque and neo-classical architectural styles to admire – Museum quarter, Berlin cathedral, Reichstag parliament building, sculpture of Mother with the dead Son, Brandenburg gate to name a few. 

The Bebelplatz square where the famous book burning of 1933 occurred during the Nazi regime has an underground library, as a memorial to remember that event, that can be viewed through a glass cover. The Humboldt university where Einstein taught Physics is also located in the square along with the Berlin State Opera and the St. Hedwig’s Cathedral. 

The iconic Brandenburg gate where many historic events have taken place is located in the western part of the city center. The gate was cordoned off due to a demonstration against Israel war in Gaza planned for that afternoon. 

The memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe is situated in the former site of the Berlin wall. The monument is a set of 2,711 rectangular concrete blocks that are laid out in the form of a grid. It is a simple yet haunting memorial to the millions of Jews who were persecuted and murdered across Europe by the Nazis during the second world war. There is a small museum underground listing the names of the Holocaust victims. 

The area that housed the bunkers in which Hitler hid during his final days where he killed himself is now just an ordinary parking lot. There are also remnants of the Berlin wall in a couple of places of the city center. There are very interesting stories of how people tried to escape from East Germany to West Germany, well-known among which is that of two families successfully escaping using homemade hot-air balloons.

After nearly 3 hours of seeing the city sights, it was time for a lunch break. I had a rice bowl and resumed sightseeing with a visit to the Pergamon panorama museum which has a spectacular 360 degree reconstruction of the ancient city of Pergamon in addition to sculptures and reliefs. 

The east side gallery has some amazing open air art work, including that of Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker in a fraternal kiss, on the remaining portion of the Berlin wall and is a mark of hope and resilience for Berliners and the rest of the world.

After a busy day of sightseeing, I met a coworker and family at his home over some yummy home cooked dinner of rice, sambar and pakoras. We talked till late in the night and after a fun evening, I headed back to the hotel for the night.

The next day, I visited Potsdam, a small, beautiful and green city on the Havel River and an hour away from Berlin by train. It is a complete contrast to the hustle and bustle of Berlin. It is quiet, calm and picturesque with a laid back atmosphere where time seems to stand still. It is known for its palaces, lakes and gardens and the major attractions are the Sanssouci palace, Dutch quarter, St. Nicholas church, City palace, City gate and Brandenburg gate.

After returning to Berlin, I went back to the Brandenburg gate to get a closer look as it was open to public after being closed for demonstrations the previous day. The square where the gate is situated is huge and one can get a good look by standing at the square and walking through the passageways between the columns of the gate. It is a generally crowded area with lots of tourists and the Reichstag building and the Tiergarten park are close by.

The bus journey from Berlin to Munich on the next day was long. We got delayed due to some construction work on the autobahn and arrived in Munich in the evening. The bus drove past Olympia Park and English Garden and crawled through the rush hour traffic to reach the bus station. It was raining when I got off the bus and I had to wait for nearly 45 minutes for an uber to the hotel. I had just enough time for dinner before hitting the bed.

The next morning was a beautiful day with clear skies and a bright sun shining down on the entire town making everything look bright and beautiful. The walking tour that I had booked started at the new town hall in Marienplatz. The new town hall was built in early 20^th century in neo gothic style. In the inner courtyard, the “Staircase of Ages” depicts the different stages of life from boyhood to old age. The “Glockenspiel” rotating display in the front has 2 levels and is triggered thrice a day during summer and twice a day during the winter months. The top level depicts the marriage of Duke William V and Renata of Lorraine. On the lower level, “Schafflertanz” dance is displayed which was originally setup to lure the townsfolk from their homes and back into life after the fear of Plague had led them to remain in their homes.

The Church of our Lady (Frauenkirche) is an unmissable landmark with a plain style red brick construction, two tall towers that are nearly 100 meters high and tall white pillars and arched ceilings inside the cathedral that are in typical Gothic style.

For all the pop music fans out there, there is a memorial to the king of Pop, Michael Jackson, in Promenadeplatz at the base of the statue of the composer, Orlande de Lassus. The statue is in front of the Bayerischer Hof hotel where Jackson had stayed when he visited Munich.

The Theatine church built in Italian baroque style in Odeonplatz was commissioned by Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, wife of Ferdinand Maria, in honor of the birth of their long awaited heir, Prince Max Emanuel. The Feldherrnhalle corridor which is a monument in Italian style is also located in Odeonplatz and is modelled after a similar monument in Florence.

The English Garden is a breath of fresh air and relief in the busy metropolitan city. A unique feature of the garden is enthusiastic surfers showing their surfing prowess in the wave created by an artificial stream under a bridge all through the year and enthusiastic watchers of the spectacle. The other attractions in the garden are the Japanese tea house, Chinese tower and the Monopteros, all of them in the southern part of the garden. The northern part of the garden is quieter and attracts couples who prefer to enjoy relative solitude in the company of their dear ones.

Olympia Park was set up for the 1972 Summer Olympics and continues to be a great place for social gatherings. The park has the stadium, Olympia tower, walk of fame, aquatic center, Olympic village and lake.

There are many buildings and squares that are linked to the Nazi regime. The Hofbräuhaus is a very popular beer house due to the historical significance with many speeches and events during the Hitler era occurring here. There is also a memorial to the victims of the National socialism where an eternal flame burns to commemorate the victims of persecution due to their religion and political views. The Munich headquarters of the National Socialist Party called the brown house was located near Karolinenplatz and was destroyed during the bombing raids by the allies during the second world war. The Fuhrerbau building is one of the few buildings from the Nazi regime that still stands and is now the university of Music and Performing Arts. Munich also houses the Nazi documentation center which is a museum showing the history, consequences and downfall of the National Socialist regime.  

With all the sightseeing, I had developed a healthy appetite and wanted to indulge. As you may have guessed, I usually go for my comfort food at those times which has some form of rice – so it was sometimes biryani, sometimes Thai curry & rice and sometimes rice bowl. This time, it was green curry and rice and after a fulfilling lunch, I went to Nymphenburg palace. The palace is a grand building with a beautiful park. It was not crowded, and it was a great time to take a leisurely stroll of the palace, park, fountains and lakes. 

After a cup of coffee with a chocolate croissant from a café near the palace, I headed back to the hotel to relax for some time before going for dinner. This time, it was Indian food with butter naan and palak paneer with a mango pudding dessert.

The next morning, I went back to Marienplatz to watch the Glockenspiel hourly magic. I spent a couple of hours checking out the farmers market produce and early Christmas market in Viktualienmarkt and walking in the neighborhood. 

After that, I visited the Alliance Arena. It was lovely to watch die-hard FC Bayern fans touring the football stadium and buying memorabilia and merchandise of their favorite team. 

In the evening, I didn’t feel like going too far from the hotel and had a quick dinner at a nearby restaurant and had an early night.

Within no time, it was already time to say goodbye to Germany the next day. My next stop was Spain, the penultimate country of my Europe trip. I was looking forward to visiting Barcelona and couldn’t wait to see the Gaudi architecture first hand.