{"id":2329,"date":"2017-03-08T22:43:33","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T22:43:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thinkerten.com\/wordpress\/?p=2329"},"modified":"2019-01-09T13:50:07","modified_gmt":"2019-01-09T13:50:07","slug":"eastern-europe-day-1-2-berlin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkerten.com\/wordpress\/2017\/03\/eastern-europe-day-1-2-berlin\/","title":{"rendered":"Eastern Europe – Day 1 & 2 – Berlin, Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eastern Europe Highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n

This was my second time to Europe, the first time to Europe was exploring places in western part of Europe.<\/p>\n

Istanbul, Turkey – Transit<\/strong><\/p>\n

We transit in Istanbul and our first stop is Berlin, the largest city of Germany.<\/p>\n

Berlin – largest city in Germany<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0Berlin’s Sony Center<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Once we arrived in Berlin early in the morning, we went to the city center. \u00a0We were at the busy city, Potsdamer Platz in Berlin.<\/p>\n

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This place is a famous modern architectural landmark –\u00a0Berlin’s Sony Center. \u00a0The roof top was really beautiful\u00a0and it is even more amazing during night time when there is light up.<\/p>\n

The Sony Center contains a mix of shops, restaurants, hotel rooms, office, art and film museums, cinema and a Legoland Discovery Center.<\/p>\n

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Berlin Wall<\/strong><\/p>\n

Everyone knows about the\u00a0Berlin Wall was a barrier that divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. \u00a0The building of the Berlin Wall had divided families and neighborhood in the capital of Germany.<\/p>\n

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The word “freedom” can be seen drawn in the Berlin wall. \u00a0The Wall now carries messages of hope, symbols of freedom, and images that detail the German experience after World War II.<\/p>\n

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The Berlin Wall was the largest canvas in the world. \u00a0Much of the artwork was not claimed by artists and remains anonymous. \u00a0Because the wall was open to everyone, there were no restrictions on what artists could put on the wall.<\/p>\n

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I find the above graffiti painting quite interesting,\u00a0see how the people were being squeezed at the other side of the wall, what does the artist trying to tell us?<\/p>\n

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“The Kiss” in Berlin Wall<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most famous graffiti painting of the Berlin wall is called “My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love” also known as “The Kiss”. \u00a0You have to find this piece of graffiti when you are in Berlin Wall. \u00a0A must see!<\/p>\n

The Kiss depicts Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev giving the East Germany President Erich Honecker what appears to be a passionate kiss on the lips. The painting is based on a real image captured by a famous photographer.<\/p>\n

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O2 World Arena\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We saw this O2 World which is a multipurpose indoor arena but\u00a0recently known as\u00a0Mercedes-Benz Arena. \u00a0O2 is the telecommunication company in Germany.<\/p>\n

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Brandenburger Gate<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandenburger Gate<\/strong>\u00a0is the best known landmarks of Germany, when we arrived early in the morning, it was already flooded with tourist.<\/p>\n

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The gate has played different political roles in German history. \u00a0A symbol of Berlin and German division during the Cold War, it is now a national symbol of peace and unity. \u00a0Many horse carriages were there waiting to pick up tourists for ride. \u00a0We saw a horse pee in the middle of the square and look quite scary!<\/p>\n

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Berlin Cathedral Church<\/strong><\/p>\n

We passed by the biggest Church in Berlin city – Berlin Cathedral Church, it also serves as a vital center for the Protestant church of Germany. \u00a0This is an overwhelmingly pleasant monumental church I would say.<\/p>\n

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Pergamon Museum in Berlin<\/strong><\/p>\n

We only passed by the Pergamon Museum, we did not go in the museum. From the outside, the museum look so huge so I guess the exhibits in the Pergamon Museum can hold visitors\u00a0one whole day. \u00a0There were some cranes at the back of the museum, some restoration work was going on.<\/p>\n

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Reichstag Building – New German Parliament<\/strong><\/p>\n

Took few pictures outside the Parliament, still remembered it was a very windy day in summer.
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There is a dome on top of this building, ticket is needed to enter the dome tour. From the below picture, you can see a little bit of the\u00a0Reichstag “Dome” which is made of glass. \u00a0The distinctive appearance of the dome has made it a prominent landmark in Berlin as well.<\/p>\n

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Ampelmann – little traffic light men<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saw this cute tricycle car in the middle of the busy road in Berlin city. There is\u00a0a sign Ampelmann shop in this little tricycle car if you look carefully. \u00a0Ampelmann is literally little traffic light men, is the symbol shown on pedestrian signals in Germany. There is a green little man in the little tricycle car, that is the little green man used in the traffic light at the pedestrian crossing. \u00a0I also noticed many souvenir shops selling this little cute iconic man,\u00a0if you want something unusual as a souvenir, Amplemann iconic man is a great choice.<\/p>\n

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Checkpoint Charlie<\/strong><\/p>\n

We had a local guide in the afternoon, a German lady explaining to us the history of Germany but I was really tired from the long hour flight so it was tough to adsorb the history lesson. \u00a0 Local guide was hired by hourly basis and it was not cheap to have her around with us just for the few hours.<\/p>\n

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Checkpoint Charlie also known “Checkpoint C” was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War (1947\u20131991). \u00a0There was also a Checkpoint Alpha known as checkpoint A and Bravo (Checkpoint B).<\/p>\n

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The checkpoint Charlie is historic street in the American-occupied city center. Even more important was that it was the only gateway where East Germany allowed Allied diplomats, military personnel and foreign tourists to pass into Berlin\u2019s Soviet sector.<\/p>\n

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Trabi\/Trabant Classic Cars<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saw some\u00a0Trabi classic cars produced in former East Germany, painted in bright colours\u00a0passing by the Checkpoint Charlie.<\/p>\n

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It is a great idea riding on these super cute German cars to explore around the city ! \u00a0Trabi World is the company that rented out these classic cars.<\/p>\n

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Germany Sausage<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sausages are a favorite German food and there were so many type of sausages in the stall which I have no idea how to order so I just simply point to a beef sausages and some fries. \u00a0The sausages tasted awesome with ketchup and chili.<\/p>\n

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Day 1 – Itinerary ( June 2015 )<\/strong><\/p>\n

Singapore to Istanbul, Turkey<\/strong><\/p>\n

Istanbul to Berlin, Germany<\/strong><\/p>\n

Day 2 – Itinerary\u00a0GERMANY, BERLIN<\/strong><\/p>\n