Taking off from Oslo Gardermoen an hour delayed and arriving at Berlin’s Schonefeld Airport, Vanessa, Neil and I took a taxi that drove us directly to our hotel in the Charlottenburg district. Our home for the holiday was the boutique Hotel Otto – with its Aveda bath products, organic breakfast and a location close to the sights of Berlin.
Hungry and eager to breathe the crisp Berlin air, we headed out late that night wishing that KFC near the Zoo was open. Or at least the Dunkin Donuts store we whizzed past by earlier. Poor hungry souls. We had to wait until the next day. We found solace in the sight of the Gedächtniskirche. With its severed spire and crumbling facade that serve as a reminder of the second World War, it felt surreal standing next to it but at the same time you are left in awe finding beauty in destruction. It was a sight to behold at night, and a perfect tourist backdrop in the day that followed.
Day 1 led us to specialty stores near our hotel, as well as the shopping street of Kurfurstendamm with its rows of designer label boutiques. And these rows of glass vitrines displaying each boutique’s merchandise that left us perplexed. Berlin retailers took window shopping to a whole new level. KaDeWe was also a short taxi ride away and while its fashion floors are built to impress, it’s the deli section at the 6th floor that wowed me.
Day 2 began with the hunt for the Rituals store in Berlin. I first discovered the home & body cosmetics of Rituals in Amsterdam and I’ve fallen in love since. I also tracked it down in London, and going to its store in the Alexa department store was the tall order of the day. Taking the subway for the first time, we zipped to the eastern part of the city and successfully filled our baskets with products from shower gels to scent diffusers. Not far away was Alexanderplatz with its huge square, the disappearing-into-the-fog Fernsehturm TV tower, and very stiff eastern architecture all around. Along the way, we saw statues of colorful bears as they are supposedly a symbol of the city.
While most of the day was covered in grey mist and cloaked in winter cold, we were flooded with warm colors and bright lights when I met up with Vanessa and Neil at Postdamer Platz after my final visit to the Louis Vuitton store. Thereafter, we took a 20-second taxi ride to the Brandenburg Gate, the last standing gate of the city. I couldn’t believe that I found myself walking in between its passageways, it was clearly one of the highlights of this trip.
On our last day, we took Buses 100 and 200 – the economical (2.10 euros for a 2-hour bus ticket) alternative to sightseeing tour buses as these two lines traverese past all the important Berlin sights. We took Bus 100 from the Zoologischer Garten which drove along the magnificent boulevard of Unter den Linden, rounded about the Victory Column and coasted along the huge Tiergarten park before we witnessed the grand buildings of the Reichstag and the Berliner Dom. Getting off at Alexanderplatz, we took Bus 200 which took us to the more sober, residential part of Berlin and on the way back, we stopped by the Berliner Dom for some photo opportunities.
After having lunch back at the Zoo, Neil (who was already feeling sick) and Vanessa decided to chill before we headed back to the airport while I decided to go to the Reichstag building and enter its hallowed halls. Waiting in line out in the cold was not so bad, for inside it was amazing. The iconic glass cupola at the top of the wounding ramp provided a 360-degree view of the city. The building is a sight in itself with its glorious facade, especially when lit at night.
There were still many sights that were left unseen. But I know there’ll be another time for Berlin once again. Until then, I’ll cherish the fond memories I’ve shared with my best friends Vanessa and Neil.
I hope you guys enjoyed my report on our trip. And yes, it was lovely.
With additional photos from Neil and Vanessa.
