EU 2015 (v): Berlin

Phrases uttered:
- Guten morgen, guten tag: Good morning, good day
- Dankeschön, Danke: Thank you, Thanks
- Sprechen sie Englisch: Do you speak English?
- Ich spreche kein Deutsch: I don't speak German

Another page from the trip planning slides

I must say Berlin exceeded my expectations by a landslide. Of all the places that I was planning for, I was a bit skeptical about Berlin. I had reservations about the three nights I set aside for Berlin, that it could be one night too many. Sure it may not have the charms of Italian cities or megastar iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower or the Colleseum, or it's not as bustling as NYC or London. But Berlin collectively (her landmarks, her layout & surroundings, her people, etc) managed to win me over. Maybe I'll be back to run its marathon one day :)

Day 1
We took the airport express train because we had purchased the Berlin Welcome card. It made sense to take the train since it was included in the card. Berlin Pullman is just a short walk away from the Zoologischer Garten station.

After checking in at Pullman and snacking on some instant Brahim's, we braved the cold and wet weather and took bus 100 to the Reichstag/Bundestag. I was lucky that I came across an article that stated a visit to the Dome is possible by way of online booking.

The visit to the Reichstag was so worthwhile. Make sure you enter the correct birthday of every one in your group because they actually check them. And don't forget to grab an audio guide. It's very informative. It's free anyway ;)

The flag was flapping so hard due to the strong wind

At the top

The Reichstag building

After that we took the bus to Potsdam Platz and stumbled upon the Mall of Berlin. We found a halal burger joint in the food court on the top floor. Awesome!

We walked the opposite way and found Mall of Berlin

If only they were real chocolates :)

That's one BIG dog!

The picture didn't do justice. Maybe because that guy is tall

Dinner! :)

Day 2
The day's itinerary included
- Brandenburg Gate
- Pergamon Museum
- Neues Museum
- Berlin Wall Memorial
- Checkpoint Charlie

We took bus 100 and stopped at the Reichstag/Bundestag. Brandenburg Gate was a stone's throw away.

Berlin Quadriga (chariot drawn by 4 horses)

Pergamon Museum was not to be miss. Again, while doing my trip planning homework, I found the link to reserve a visiting timeslot to the museum because of the sheer number of visitors. And it's free with the Berlin Welcome card - Museumsinsel (Museum Island) . You can skip the queue and go directly to the the front of line.

The museum's Ishtar Gate and the Market Gate of Miletus were magnificent. The Islamic wing was great too. Too bad the other museum's gem - the Pergamon Altar - is closed for renovation until 2019!

That's only part of the queue

Ishtar Gate

The lions of the Processional Way

A model to depict the Ishtar Gate and the Processional Way

Market Gate of Miletus

Several of the artifacts in the museum

That's one painstaking process 

And these are from the Islamic wing:

Mihrab

This is not the mihrab of a mosque but from a house

The Mschatta Facade from Jordan

A gift "from the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II to Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany". It was allowed to be taken out of the country as long as there are no Quranic verses, if I recall it correctly

We did a fly-by at Neues Museum. We just wanted to catch a glimpse of Nefertiti Bust. No picture taking was allowed though. Booo

Xanten Boy

Outside of the museums

Then we walked to the television tower (passing by the Berlin Cathedral) but the Fernsehturm was closed due to strong wind.

Berlin Cathedral

After grabbing a coffee and a bite at Dunkin Donuts, we took the metro to Berlin Wall Memorial.

Err I don't you could fit there bro

Climbing the inner hall.  Never had to do this while I was in the dorms in my secondary school years :)

Goofing around :)

The final itinerary of the day was the Checkpoint Charlie. It was alright. I just wanted to see what was there :)

These are just street actors. They were charging for photo ops. The guy on the right even has price list tied to his waist

Part of the Berlin Wall on exhibit nearby

When we were out to look for dinner, it was sleeting for a short while. It lasted long enough for us to take some pictures, what else ;)

Sleet

(Video) I forgot that it came down pretty hard.

And then it stopped

Day 3
We went to the Victory Column and the Gendarmenmarkt before going to Potsdam.

The Victory Column

Not too bad I guess :)

Gendarmenmarkt

We were cheap so we didn't pay the fees to visit the Sansoucci Palace :'D. So we passed the time by walking around.

They also have a windmill :)

Mom, I'm home!

University of Potsdam

Neues Palais

What's that on his helmet?

A mash up of University of Potsdam and Neues Palais

By the time we got back to Berlin, the shops on Ku'damm were closing down their doors. Not that I was there to shop but there'd be more things to see if they were.

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which was ruined during WW II

Also to note, keep a look out for the bear statues that are placed all over the city. I can't be sure if they are the original Buddy Bears because several of them are on world tour. A bear is in Berlin's coat of arms.

In the metro

Pullman's

I'm sure there are many more!