I arrived in Berlin last night. In another discussion, I shared how much of a "nightmare" the flights from Nice were.
I’ll be posting some impressions here—what I liked and what I didn’t like as much.
This is my first time in Berlin. I’m staying for two weeks. For now, I’m alone, but I’ll be joined by someone in a few days.
Just to clarify, I won’t be posting any photos because my camera gave up the ghost the day before I left. It refused to read memory cards, and I don’t have a smartphone—just a tablet that I leave at the hotel.
Speaking of photos, a few years ago, at the Ducasse d’Ath in Belgium, I met a retired teacher who wasn’t taking any pictures of the festival. I asked her, "You’re not taking any photos?" She told me that during a trip to Nicaragua, she’d photographed howler monkeys and only noticed when looking at the pictures later that the males had huge testicles—something she hadn’t realized in person. She said, "Since then, I don’t bother with photos anymore!" I’ve thought about that often and wonder if I should do the same and stop taking pictures. Still, I’ll probably get a smartphone since it’s hard to go without one these days.
Day 1: Flight from Orly to Berlin. We had a bit of a struggle finding the train or RER to get to "Mitte". The Berliners were quite helpful in trying to guide us. Settled into our hotel, we took some time to explore the northern part of "Mitte". Dinner at a pizzeria and off to bed.
Day 2: A 3-hour guided tour of Berlin East’s must-see spots. Great idea—it helped us plan the rest of our stay. After a quick lunch at a kebab place, we set off on foot to check out the graffitied Berlin Wall, including the Swiss Army Knife mural. We stopped by some cool bars along the way (we love walking). Back by metro—we’re starting to figure out how it works.
Dinner near our hotel at a Chinese restaurant.
Day 3: We visited the Jewish quarter, walked to Charlottenburg, and then headed to the Memorial Museum, a must-see. Grabbed a snack with a slightly spicy Berlin sausage and made our way to the Jewish Museum. Since we’re not Jewish, we didn’t fully grasp its content, despite the richness of the exhibits. Walked back and had dinner at a traditional restaurant.
Day 4: Back in 1968, as a high school student, I stayed with a German family to improve my German—which I’ve since forgotten. I wanted to revisit Kurfürstendamm, but it was a mistake. This West Berlin neighborhood, with its bars, nightclubs, and luxury shops, has lost all its charm. It’s now just a residential area. We headed back through one of Berlin’s many beautiful parks.
Day 5: Our last day included a visit to Charlottenburg Palace—a mini Versailles—and a stroll around the Reichstag. The cherry on top of this trip was getting to visit the dome. Luckily, I’d read that you need to book in advance to access it.
Three weeks before our departure, I logged on and—surprise—I got two spots for the day before we left at 6:30 PM. I confirmed right away.
It’s true that on-site, buses drop off tourists who could crowd the dome, so booking early is *totally* worth it.
Day 6: Heading home. If we’d gotten a 72-hour metro pass, we could’ve saved a day. Sure, we walked a lot, but like in Paris, being outside lets you appreciate the city’s architecture even more.
