You land in the old East German airport, drive through the countryside, and feel like the wall had not fallen at all 22 years ago.
Not until you enter Berlin, that you realize that this is a City of 3 million,but one of the largest in area in Europe. You realize outright that there is no congestion: wide avenues, beautiful plazas and active construction.
Since the reunification of Berlin, and the transfer of the capital back from Bonn,the reconstruction of the City has been going on with proper zoning,meticulous renovation of the few remaining landmarks and historic building. The only towering structures are the Churches, some hotels and the famous iconic TV tower,a remnant of the communist days.
Berlin has been an architectural heaven for world famous designers the past 22 years. If you take the hour river ride in the city that boasts more bridges than Venice, you will see some examples of the architectural wonders that combine the old and the new.
Dubbed the city of art,you visit the Museum Island that boasts 5 institutions,not necessarily as large as those in the US, Britain or France; yet they were built brick by brick in such a short period.
Lastly,the City is a cyclist arena,literally thousands of them being used by residents as well as visitors making pollution a lesser problem. If you are a walker,Berlin is very welcoming to discover its old city as well as its landmarks like Check Point Charlie,the Brandenburg Gate,the Wall,The Reichstag,the Bauhaus,Opera,Philharmonic House;just to mention some of the attractive places to visit on dry October week famous for its Oktoberfest.
On a recent trip to Berlin,I noticed some negative aspects of the beautiful city:
ReplyDelete1-the outskirts of the city especially West Berlin is neglected.
2-drivers are aggressive and have no respect for pedestrians,nor does the City provide many Zebra crossings.
3-the Police uniforms look haggard and the personnel unfit
4- in the capital of luxury cars,one does not see any luxury cars
5- though Berlin is building a new airport,it's present airport is a mess,similar to the airports of the Gulf in the 70s.
I've always wanted to visit Berlin and its underground art scene. Growing up listening to Depeche Mode, Berlin played a very important influence on their music. They recorded Construction Time Again and Some Great Rewards at the Hansa Studio in Berlin (West). Unfortunately, because of WW 2, Germany acquired a bad rep. Time to re-evaluate our preconceptions about German culture. Our guest blogger's entry has re-ignited that interest.
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