Berlin

For Brev’s 27^th birthday, we were able to spend the weekend in Germany’s Capitol, Berlin.

Our initial impression of Berlin is that it’s a huge city, with lots of history, and a trendy hipster scene.

We had so much fun scootering around the city, and we just happened to be there during their Festival of Lights, where photos and images are depicted on the most famous landmarks of Berlin. It was beautiful!

For us, highlights were seeing:

1. Brandenburg Gate: the only surviving historical city gate that symbolizes Berlin’s Cold War division into East and West and, since the fall of the Wall, a reunified Germany. When the Wall fell, 100,000 people gathered for the Brandenburg Gate’s official opening on 22 December 1989 and weeks later crowds gathered again to celebrate Berlin’s first reunified New Year’s Eve.

• The Berlin Wall and East Side Gallery: This section of the Berlin Wall along the river is the longest open-air gallery in the world. Immediately after the wall came down, 118 artists from 21 countries began painting the East Side Gallery, and it officially opened as an open-air gallery on 28 September 1990.

• The Berlin Television Tower: Also called Fernsehturm, this is the tallest building in the city that offers panoramic views of Berlin.

• Berlin Cathedral: This beautiful, ornate protestant church goes back to the 15th century, it was severely damaged in WW11 and full restoration was only completed in 1993. Brev and I sat outside the church at the popular Lustgarten square and enjoyed bands busking and the festival of lights.