--- title: "Berlin" date: 2017-07-24 categories: ["Travel","Berlin"] source: https://andrew-jones.com/blog/berlin/ --- # Berlin I recently spent a couple of nights in Berlin. Here are some notes and photos from my trip. ## Gendarmenmarkt I spent quite a lot of time in and around Gendarmenmarkt. Nice square with good places for lunch and dinner and impressive buildings. [![A historic church with a large central dome topped by a golden statue, surrounded by smaller statues along the roofline, and featuring a classical facade with pilasters, arched windows, and a wooden entrance door.](https://andrew-jones.com/images/posts/berlin/35329057973_77559608b3_z.jpg)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewrjones/35296268814/in/album-72157683969885684/) For dinner on my first night I went to the [Augustiner am Gendarmenmarkt](http://www.augustiner-braeu-berlin.de/). Good food, great beers, and a nice setting. Would recommend! [![A plate with two cooked sausages served on mashed potatoes with gravy, garnished with chopped green herbs, on a table in a restaurant. A glass of beer, a candle, and a container holding paper coasters are also on the table. In the background, people are sitting and looking at their phones.](https://andrew-jones.com/images/posts/berlin/35329059943_4dba92c8eb_z.jpg)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewrjones/35329059943/in/album-72157683969885684/) [![A tall, slender glass of amber-colored beer with a foamy head, branded "Augustiner Bräu," placed behind a dessert plate with a slice of layered cake topped with powdered sugar, served with fresh strawberries, a mint leaf, and a garnished sauce, on a wooden table featuring a lit candle in a glass holder, a folded napkin with cutlery, and a menu or paper bag.](https://andrew-jones.com/images/posts/berlin/35329065373_61c42cb0a0_z.jpg)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewrjones/35329065373/in/album-72157683969885684/) ## Berlin Wall Memorial This is an open air exhibition with interesting and informative plaques dotted along the former path of the wall. There is also a visitor centre with more information. Definitely worth visiting. [![People walking along a sidewalk behind a tall concrete wall, with some riding bicycles, under a partly cloudy sky.](https://andrew-jones.com/images/posts/berlin/36002998801_70deae29a1_z.jpg)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewrjones/36002998801/in/album-72157683969885684/) [![A park with a large grassy area, a paved walkway, several people walking and sitting, modern buildings in the background, streetlights, and a cloudy sky overhead.](https://andrew-jones.com/images/posts/berlin/36003000391_372d543ce5_z.jpg)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewrjones/36003000391/in/album-72157683969885684/) ## Berliner Unterwelten This was probably my favourite part of my trip. The [Berlin Underworlds Association](http://www.berliner-unterwelten.de/en/the-association/general-information.html) researches underground sites in Berlin and offers tours around them. I went on the [Dark Worlds](http://www.berliner-unterwelten.de/en/guided-tours/public-tours/dark-worlds.html) tour and the excellent guide showed us where Berliners took cover during air raids, and talked about Berlin during WW2. [![Two men are standing outside the Berliner Unterwelten E.V. building, engaged in conversation, with one holding a yellow bag. Bicycles are parked nearby, and the sky is overcast.](https://andrew-jones.com/images/posts/berlin/36003016351_00d7577acc_z.jpg)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewrjones/36003016351/in/album-72157683969885684/) If I had more time in Berlin I would definitely have done another of their tours. ## Brandenburg Gate I visited this first at night, and it looked stunning. [![The illuminated Brandenburg Gate at night, featuring large columns topped with a quadriga sculpture of a chariot drawn by four horses, with the night sky and a crescent moon in the background.](https://andrew-jones.com/images/posts/berlin/35329075253_832a094786_z.jpg)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewrjones/35329075253/in/album-72157683969885684/) I also came back during the day and went to the [museum](https://brandenburgertor-museum.de/en/). It's a multimedia show that quickly takes you through 300 years of history with the gate at the centre, which was quite interesting and enjoyable. ## Checkpoint Charlie I also visited this at night, avoiding the crowds. Good photo op, and a small open air exhibition. [![Nighttime scene of a city street with a central memorial featuring a flagpole with an American flag, surrounded by a low stone structure. Buildings with illuminated signs, including McDonald's, and streetlights lining the road are visible. The area appears to be closed to traffic, with no moving vehicles present.](https://andrew-jones.com/images/posts/berlin/35329067713_549655126e_z.jpg)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewrjones/35329067713/in/album-72157683969885684/) ## Topography of Terror Outdoor exhibition and indoor museum documenting the atrocities committed by the Nazis. [![People standing in line outdoors on a sidewalk, holding umbrellas in rainy weather, with buildings and construction cranes in the background.](https://andrew-jones.com/images/posts/berlin/35329094813_327cf19bbc_z.jpg)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewrjones/35329094813/in/album-72157683969885684/) What hit me most was the matter-of-factness way high ranking Nazis talked about their crimes, as if what they were doing was completely normal and sane. So important not to forget what happened. ## Holocaust Memorial Definitely worth coming here to spend a few moments to remember one of humanity's lowest points. [![Nine rows of rectangular concrete blocks arranged in a grid pattern on a paved surface, with a cityscape in the background featuring buildings and a cloudy sky.](https://andrew-jones.com/images/posts/berlin/35296292594_19bd11f1cf_z.jpg)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewrjones/35296292594/in/album-72157683969885684/) ## DDR Museum Museum dedicated to life in East Germany. Very well presented and really enjoyable. [![A vintage beige car displayed indoors with two women and a man standing behind it, looking at something near the car's windshield; sunlight streams in through large glass doors behind them.](https://andrew-jones.com/images/posts/berlin/35329087273_8889296016_z.jpg)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewrjones/35329087273/in/album-72157683969885684/) More photos on [Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewrjones/albums/72157683969885684).