One day to experience the best bits of Berlin was always going to be tricky but we gave it a damn good try! After meeting our amazing english speaking guide Markus in the hotel lobby we headed off to our first stop of the tour the ghost station of Nordbahnhof. Situated on what would have been the Eastern side of the Berlin wall Nordbahnhof among other stations was boarded up and it’s sign removed to prevent East Berliners escaping or even being tempted to attempt escape on a passing train. Trains passing through this station from West Berlin would not stop and so it gained the title of a ghost station. The station has many storyboards and photos devoted to explaining this history and so was most interesting to all of us.
From Nordbahnhof we proceeded along the divisive line to the Berlin Wall documentation centre to see an aerial video of Berlin made shortly after 1989 and the fall of the wall. As Markus talked us through the video it was incredible to see the vast differences between the infrastructure of the East and West that had emerged during the previous decades.
Back to the bus and a few kodak moments later we proceeded to the highlight of the day a visit to the Reichstag governement building’s roof and viewing dome. Understandably security conscious, this visit had only been approved the day previously after we had all been security checked. After a couple of pat downs and some x-rays we were deemed to be of no risk to national security and were shephered to the security air lock and then to a lift to the roof. A beautiful sunny day meant that conditions were perfect and we had full visibility of Berlin in all directions from the ‘pregnant oyster’ to the ‘washing machine’. The German public appear to also favour nicknaming their buildings as i know we do in London, unfortunately this had the effect of wiping the building’s true purpose from my mind and so you will just have to use your imagination as to what happens in the ‘hot dog’ among others.
After the Reichstag we visited Checkpoint Charlie and the museum of this east/west border and visited the museum to hear the stories of escape and the various ingenious methods people from the East of Berlin used to be reunited with their family in the West or just to escape the communist regime.
A short delay while Mr Iyer bought a cuckoo clock and then the group went on a boat tour down the River Spree. Dinner tonight was in the excellent Restaurant Masala in West Berlin and then it was to bed, tired but happy!
Reichstag building
The viewing dome of the Reichstag buiding
Nordbahnhof!
The group with Berlin guide, Markus
