Berlin's Best: Must See Sights
Free Walking Tour
One of my favorite things to do when in a new city is to take a free walking tour. They give you a lot of history and in just a few short hours you have seen most of the main sights. In Berlin, this includes part of the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Humboldt University, and so many more. Each walking tour is special in its own way because just like every city each guide brings their unique personality to the experience. Walking tours are also a great way to meet other travelers in the city!
Murdered Jews of Europe Museum and Memorial
If you only choose to go to one of these I highly recommend the museum, it is free and puts the magnitude of what happened during such a tragic time in world history. The blocks are a sight to see but when I was there it was lost on a lot of people. People stood on the memorial to take photos, which is not allowed. It was used as more of a hangout area than somewhere to pay respects to those who lost their lives. As far as the museum goes it was heartbreaking. Putting names to faces and reading last letters to loved ones was hard for me as an empath. Putting a face to the number we hear so often was really intense and incredible to experience.
Eastside Gallery: Berlin Wall
During the free walking tour, you see one of the three remaining pieces of the Berlin wall. Eastside gallery is the second part I saw. The street art varies in style from city to city and culture to culture. In Berlin on one of the remaining parts of the Wall. Last updated in 2009 the gallery is a 1316-meter-long art gallery along the Berlin wall. There are many different styles featured here and some very heart-breaking pieces remembering the history of the city of Berlin and Germany as a country. Though there are some heavier pieces along the walls there are also lighter ones as well. If you have an hour to spare it is defiantly worth walking along the whole section of wall.
Mustafa’s Kebap
When I a new city I try to do the things, you are supposed to do in the place you are supposed to do them. Mustafa’s Kebap is one of those things you MUST do in Berlin. For those of you who have no clue what a Kebap is; its Turkish wrap with meat, salad, sauces, and vegetables depending on what you order. Moving to Germany is when I learned of kebap the closest thing we have in the USA is gyro’s, but they aren’t even close!The stand is just off of a U-Bahn (underground train) stop, after a 30-40 minute wait it was time to order. There are three options; two chicken and one vegetarian; of course, I got the one with everything on it except spicy sauces because I am not strong enough for that! After finishing all of it I almost went back or seconds and would have waited another 40 minutes if I hadn’t already been full. Currywurst is okay but Mustafa’s is what you really need to eat when in Berlin.
Ritter Sport Store
Solo travel or family trip the Ritter Sport store is worth the stop. From making your own chocolate bar, multimedia museum/future, café, photo booth, and a gift shop filled with any type of Ritter Sport bar you could imagine. If you want to read more in depth about my experience here and working with them go check out my blog on The Rebel Chick. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I mean what’s better than chocolate? Overall Berlin may not have been my favorite city yet, but it defiantly was a trip to remember. For those details you will have to wait for Berlin Gets Personal. Overall I had a great time exploring a new city and seeing the stark difference between Bayern to northern of Germany. Everyone says Berlin is one of those cities you must see; my unpopular opinion is that it’s not if you want the feel of an old German city. Berlin is a big city and if you are looking for the feel of an old German town you won’t be finding it. Also, it has become a massive international community so most often you will meet people who aren’t even from Germany let alone Berlin. For me, it was a great trip but not one of my top cities