Berlin Adventure

November 7, 2016 - I arrived in Berlin International Airport and it was so nippy there. Good thing I had a thick jacket on. They had us go down the plane at the tarmac and took the bus going to the immigration building for us to get processed for admittance in the country as foreigners.

So far the tedious process of the immigration was not problematic at all. I went through the line and officially started my vacation as a tourist. I went out of the door and changed some dollars to euros so that I can pay the cab with their currency.

After getting out of the airport I immediately spotted the taxi line and then took one to drop me off at the hotel. It was already 1000H when I checked in at the hotel so I decided to take a shower and rested for one hour because I was really so beaten up from the trans-atlantic long trip.

I woke up around noon with my tummy growling. I was super hungry, I haven't ate since morning. The room was kinda warm enough and the cold drenched sidewalks of Berlin when I peeked from the window had me thinking that it had rained when I was taking a nap. I then changed and went down at the lobby to eat and then after that I asked a map of the subway at the reception.

After studying the map I then left the hotel and walked to the nearby train station. When I saw some of the spires of a church I decided to take a walk there and checked it out. Took some pictures at the same time. I walked and walked, snapping pictures here and there, and when I got tired I looked for the subway and took the U-Bahn going to the center and took off at Potsdamer Platz.

It was kinda windy and drizzly at that time when I took off at the station so I decided to ask around for the direction going to the world famous Bradenburg Gate. The lady that manned the hop-on-hop-off bus told me to walk to the direction she pointed and I followed her coaching.

I then walked towards the gate and passed by a park and checked out the beautiful colorful fallen leaves that gives the park a beautiful hue of the Fall Season. I captured some picture of it in my camera.

From there, I continued walking to the Bradenburg Gate and finally had found it after walking so much from Potsdamer Platz. I snapped some picture of the gate and appreciate the beauty of the statue riding a chariot holding the famous emblem of the barbarians who were the direct descendants of the Germans. It was a very beautiful site to reckon with. There were throngs of revelers there and also a political rally I guess in front of the gate.

After enjoying the view of the gate I then followed the straight street going to Alexanderplatz where I saw the Berlin Tower, Berlin Cathedral, and the Berlin Museum of Antiquities. The streets were being constructed near the cathedral but still I enjoyed looking at the beautiful buildings I saw as I strolled along going to the tower. It was really nippy there at that time because of the gushing wind that cold afternoon. I still went after my goals to maximize the places I needed to see.

After feeling the sting of the cold wind I decided to return to Potsdamer Platz. I was lost many times but I did found the platform, and from there I took a train and went out at the Zoologischer Garten Platz (Ruhleben-Pankow lines). I got at the hotel mildly drenched from the drizzle and was extremely cold.

November 8, 2016 - This was my second day in Berlin. My goal was to see the Reichtag Building and the world-renowned Berlin Wall. I received a recommendation from my former college classmate who now lives in Munich to take the hop-on-hop-off bus to maximize the places I needed to see in Berlin.

From Zoologischer Garten Platz I took the train and hopped off at Potsdamer Paltz and then bought a ticket from the lady I asked yesterday for the direction going to Bradenburg Gate. In order for me to see all the sites I hoped to see she recommended the purple route for me instead of the yellow route. I waited for the bus for a while and then started my search. I went off at station 3 and then walked a little bit at the park where the parliament building was located.

After a short walk from the drop off I saw the Reichtag and was in awe watching it from a distance. I snapped some pictures and selfies of it from my position and feasted it's beauty from where I stood. It was a very beautiful sight and I felt so lucky to have seen it in person.

I found out that the building was just at a small distance from Bradenburg Gate and I didn't even realized it yesterday. Berlin is a big city and places like this could be missed out sometimes. Plus I am a stranger in that place so I really didn't know. Haist.

After enjoying the Reichtag I went back to Station 3 and continued my bus trip. I then went off to Station 6 and went to see the church which was part of West Berlin during the great division of the city and also some part of the area where the Berlin Wall had stood but now was been demolished as well as the cemetery where the wall had divided the east and the west. It was really a poignant feeling having myself there seeing the division line and imagining what it was then.

I then went back to Station 6 to wait for the bus after browsing this side of the city but I've been waiting and waiting and the bus did not come. I then walked to Station 7 but still no bus then walked to Station 8 but still no bus.

The rain started to fall and it was cold that time. I was almost drenched but still I kept walking until I caught up with the bus at Station 9. I hopped on and then hopped off at Station 12 where the famous Berlin Wall was located in front of the world renowned Mercedes Arena. It was already dusk when I got there and the drizzle was quite faint. I snapped a lot of pictures of the fallen wall and imagined how it was during it's heydays. I was really shaking myself and couldn't imagine the feeling. So nostalgic.

Then the rain had poured so I went back to Station 12 and decided to wait for the bus to drop me off at the end station at Alexanderplatz. It was already 1800 and it was really cold so I decided to call it quits and took the train back to the hotel coming off at the Zoologischer Garten Platz station near the hotel.

November 9, 2016 - It was my third and last day in Berlin and I have to leave the city at 2300H that night to Vienna, Austria aka Wein. So I still have enough time to stroll Berlin. I felt that I already accomplished the places I needed to see in Berlin except seeing the Victory Angel Monument and the Olympic Stadium. So that was my plan that day.

The sun was out and shining and the day seems very promising. I prepared myself and went down the lobby to have a nice breakfast then decided to walk towards the Victory Angel Monument walking along the June 17 Straub going to the direction of the Grober Stern Roundabout Facing the Reichtag. It was a 5-mile walk which was really healthy for me passing along the famous Tiergarten Park now exuding the different colors of Fall Season which had captivated me enormously and encouraged me to take bunches of pictures in my camera.

After a long stretch walk towards the monument the "Golden Lizzie" as what they called her was sparkling from a distance as the sun was illuminating her. It was a very good sight to see as I come near her.

When I got there I just cannot stop appreciating the beauty of it from where I stood. I then took the underpass in order to come near her. And there was a college guy playing a violin at the corner of the underpass seeking monetary help maybe.

When I got out of the underpass I then inspected the monument and decided to go up until the statue. It was a steep climb and my thigh had hardened from taking the steep climb. I could barely walk after that. That's the punishment of no extreme physical activity for years. Hehehe.

The monument was really beautiful and promising. It was really made to commemorate how great Germany was. It has a lot of history and pasts. I read it all and appreciated how it was and how it is now. Very nice icon of German history. I snapped a lot of pictures of it in my camera.

After liking the "Golden Lizzie", I then decided to go back the city and see the Bradenburg Gate for the last time and since it was midday I decided to probably go to the Olympic Park.

I walked towards the city for another 4-mile stretch along the June 17 Straub and arrived at the World War II Memorial near the Bradenburg Gate. Then after seeing both for a little while I decided to take my lunch at the restaurant near there and headed to Potsdamer Platz and took the train to the Olympic Station near Ruhleben Platz.

It was already 1500 when I went there and the place was really at the outskirts of the city. I have no idea where to go that time cuz there were not much people to ask. I followed the flow of the traffic and ended up at the Olympic Village and not the Olympic Stadium. It was a huge facility and I walked a little bit around there checking out some of the facilities.

Then I trailed back to the route I went earlier and walked a little bit towards the other direction and finally found the stadium from a distance so majestically standing from the shadows of the dusk. It was closed when I got there after so much walking that day but I'm still lucky to have seen its silhouette against the dark hue of the Berlin skies at dusk. I took a very good picture of it's rings hanging from the two sturdy posts it was attached in front of the stadium.

After staying there for a while enjoying the view, I decided to call the day and took the train back to Zoologischer Garten Platz near my hotel. It was a very enjoyable solo stroll that day despite how tired I am and the weather had cooperated well also. It was cold when I got back to the hotel and everything went well at least.

My 3-day stay in Berlin was really exciting although the weather was quite wet but at least I've accomplished my goals and saw some of the places I needed to see. Thank you Berlin for all the good memories and adventure. At least I got to see you and made some good and unforgettable memories in my travel trinket. Until next time Berlin!