Memoirs of a Teh Tarik Drinker

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GUTEN TAG fellow readers!

As my preview post may have hinted, I was off to jet set to the other side of the world again for another work assignment and in the same time took the chance to wander around the bustling streets of Berlin City! I know that it wasn't long ago that I was walking around with my own adventure in Munich and Nurnberg but I guess I can't get enough of Germany huh?

[Its the closest thing I can find with the word Berlin on it!]

Like most cities that surround the entire country, Berlin is one of the more advanced industrial town within Europe however at the same time maintains its history that has been going on in this fair city for more than a century. The one thing I love about this place that despite it being a large modern city, there are so many historical sites to see for a history nerd like me to giggle like a little girl.

[Took a chance to take a pic of the company banner before leaving!]

On the day of my arrival, I had the opportunity to wander around the town for one whole day before my meetings start so I wasn't gonna lose much time on touring the city. Got up bright and early (maybe because of jetlag...), had a hearty breakfast thanks to the hotel and I was off! Unlike before, I was not going to wander around like an idiot without a map IN A COUNTRY WHERE NOT MANY THINGS ARE WRITTEN IN ENGLISH so I managed to map out the places that I wanted to visit for the day.

However....

I did not realize the size of the town itself, thinking that it would be the same like the towns I visited before in Germany. Being one of the biggest towns in Germany, each of the locations that I earmarked was quite a distance apart and I foolishly opted to WALK the entire distance. And yes, I only found out after I made my way out...

[Berlin Victory Column]

My first stop was a majestic column tower that is located somewhere nearby the hotel. The Victory Column was a monument that was built with a long list of history to it, being from its first construction until the location of the monument itself. Of course I wouldn't want to bore you guys with the long history of the places so I'm just gonna brisk through because there are a lot more to come!

[Soviet Memorial]

My main aim was actually to visit the Brandenburg Gate but the walk from the tower until the gate would take around 45 minutes and I didn't know that! But thankfully along the way you are greeted with a few other historical places that is worth the visit. First came the Soviet War Memorial, which was built to commemorate the fallen soldiers during the war. One of the reasons that this memorial caught my eye was this baby.

[TANK HO!]

In the front of the memorial were still the awesome war machines that were used during the war. I couldn't resist to pose with one of them, hence explains the picture on the previous post.

Then came the majestic view of the Reichstag.

[Reichstag, the parliament house of Germany]

Housing the parliament of Germany until today, this building have pretty much survived through time, wars and different rulers through the years of its establishment. One great thing about this place that makes it a must see place is the Arial Dome on top of the building itself. Open to public, you can pretty much see the view of the entire Berlin from up there however because it attracts a high volume of visitors, people are now required to make appointments weeks before going to the place to visit.

[Memorial of the Murdered Jews in Europe]

Way after the war, the government agreed to make a memorial for all the murdered Jews that were involved during the wars and to be honest it is one of the most sombre places I have ever been. A stack of different sized monoliths, it actually hides a gallery of possessions they once took away from all the Jews the rounded up before they were murdered.

Finally after nearly an hour of walking, I arrived at my destination!

[Brandenburg Gate]

One of the reasons why I really wanted to come here really bad was because that the place itself hold a large significance to the Berlin town history. Once it was the border gate for people to come in to the city, behind it was also the place where the Berlin Wall once ran when it was still around. Today, you get a bunch of exciting street performers performing there everyday!

[you got metal couples...]

[...street dancers...]

[and even weirdly shaped bubbles!]

After a long walk around the town, I kinda got my stomach rumbling for some grub. For all you readers out there who love their pork, this would be the town for you as most of their food here revolve around that, EVERYWHERE! However for non-pork eaters like myself, options were not really that limited either.

Thanks to a large number of Middle Eastern and Asian communities in Germany, stalls like this are very very easy to find which caters to almost anything that you want. In fact halal food in Germany does come by quite easily in the town with even restaurants that either serve halal or kosher food are available in town. Quite convenient for me as I needed a quite stop for a bite and some rest!

[Doner goodness!]

After that, I decided to go around to the more modern side of Berlin to check out the sights of the city. Of course the first thing that I went to look for in any town around the world would always be the same thing. I'm pretty sure you'd be able to guess it by now...

[Hard Rock Cafe, Berlin!]

[I even bumped into an old friend of mine who was having drinks there later that night!]

Unfortunately I got a little tired after all that walking around the town after doing a little bit of shopping but to be honest Berlin is a town I would love to come back any time at all. The people there are super friendly, its still a busy city despite it trying it's level best to conserve its historical value of the town itself and there are so much more things to see there that I have yet to discover.

I honestly would plan to come back to the town soon and I do foresee myself doing that. In the mean time I would have to say I had myself a great time while I was there, which makes spending the rest of my time there to do work was a breeze to be honest with you.