Berlin! Finally! It’s been on my mind to visit this amazing city for years now and it is finally happening. I am only going for a few days, so I wouldn’t want to make a list that’s too extensive, as ticking things off a list in’t really the best idea of a relaxing holiday. However, it is always good to have an idea of what to expect in advance, especially if there are any temporary exhibitions you might want to check out.
Apart from the usual things that everyone sees, such as the Berlin wall or the Reichstag and all the other touristy places, I made a little list of things that tickle my fancy.
- There’s something appealing about abandoned buildings and places and to be able to visit Berlin’s ghost stations would be a dream.
- Depending on how old you are, some of you might remember the literary masterpiece that was the autobiography Christiane F’s Wir Kinder von Bahnhof Zoo, describing her life of shooting up drugs and turning tricks in West Berlin in 1979 as a teenager. I think that everyone my age must have read this, as a cautionary tale of what can happen to you, if you decide to take drugs and lead a life of sin. They also made a film of it and you can watch it here (David Bowie made the soundtrack). If this interests you, it is an interesting option to go and wander around Gropiusstadt, to see all the places in the film and “marvel” at the Bauhaus era architecture, by its founder Walter Gropius.
- Speaking of the Bauhaus School, and being a subject I have studied and been interested in since I was studying design, it would be utterly ridiculous to not visit the Bauhaus Archive Museum.
- Around the same area, I am also keen on seeing the Photography Museum and not miss the Helmut Newton’ Private Property exhibiton they’ve got going at the moment.
- For some more 1920’s Art Deco inspired fun, I would like to go and have a drink at the Anita Berber, a bar named after the actress and cabaret star of the time, infamous for her drug use and naked dancing.
- The Communist Era is not to be forgotten and the DDR Museum bears witness to that particular period, where the country was divided in two and behind the Iron Curtain.
- On a lighter note, I certainly don’t want to miss the Ramones Museum & Bar , a place filled with Ramones memorabilia and where the likes of Henry Rollins and others have stopped by.
- If the weather is nice, it might be worth sopping by at the Badeschiff for a dip in the water.
- Finally, I would end the tour for a well deserved drink at Stagger Lee, an Americana themed 19th Century saloon in the Schöneberg, named after the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds song.
I probably won’t have time to do all of these (what a great excuse to go back!) but I’m sure I will get to see some of it. One thing I know is that I’ll come back with a bucketload of photos! Can’t wait to share it all with you guys!
Have you been to Berlin? What places would you recommned?
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