Berlin
This year for my annual spring trip I
flew into Berlin and spent 4 days in Berlin. It had been over 20 years since my
last brief visit there. Wow I couldn’t believe all the construction that has
taken place. There was tons of new construction around the Brandenburg gate
area that were just empty bombed out lots on first visit. Then in the old part
of the city or parts of East Berlin there has been and continues to be a lot of
reconstruction of some of the old and historic sights.
On our first morning we toured the
Baroque city center of Berlin with its grand squares and boulevards built in
the 17th and 18th century under the Hohenzollern Kings of Prussia which
included Unter den Linden with its grand boulevard lined with palaces and other
splendid Baroque and Classical buildings; the Forum Frediricianum which was
Frederick the Great's Forum of the Arts and later site of the infamous 'burning
of books' by Nazi brown shirts; the Schlossplatz or the site of the ruined foundations
of the Renaissance palace of the Hohenzollerns and the Gendarmenmarkt, one of
Berlin’s most elegant squares, the location of Schinkel’s Konzerthaus and the
French and German Domes.
After a fabulous
lunch we toured the New Architectural developments since the Fall of the Wall.
We started out at Potsdamer Platz, home of the Sony Center, a glitzy
steel and glass ensemble by Helmut Jahn, and Debis City, a vast section of
no-man's-land near the Berlin wall redeveloped by star architects Renzo Piano,
Richard Rogers, Raphael Moneo and Isozaki. Then it was on to Pariser Platz which is the location of the Berlin
landmark, the Brandenburg Gate, the new US Embassy and Frank Gehry’s
astonishing DZ Bank building where the new Embassy Quarter is, an international
architectural playground in which the nations of the world have built their
representations in a mind-boggling variety of contemporary designs.
Brandenburg Gate
Then later in the day
we were off to the WWII and Third Reich sites. We started with the site of Hitler's Imperial Chancellery, the former
location of Hitler's bunker and then the former Ministry of Aviation, the
largest remaining fascist office block in Berlin and then the site of the
former Prinz Albert Palais, refitted by the Nazis to become the headquarters of
the Gestapo and SS.
After that we went to the New Synagogue on
Oranienstrasse which was sacked by brown shirts during 'Crystal Night' on 9
November 1938 and then to the collection point at Grosse Hamburger Strasse,
from which 56,000 Berlin Jews were deported to Auschwitz and Theresienstadt.
The
Cold War Sites that we saw were the Brandenburg
Gate, symbol of the cold war division of Berlin into East and West and Checkpoint
Charlie, the infamous border crossing between East and West Berlin. We also saw
some of the remnants of the Berlin Wall. We also took in some of the Jewish History. The Peter Eisenman-designed
“Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.” A central place of remembrance and a
place of warning in a ‘Field Of Stelae’, which covers 19,000 square meters in
the heart of Berlin near the Brandenburg Gate and we visited the “Scheunenviertel” which includes the
historic Jewish Quarter, now bustling with galleries, boutiques, and cafes
tucked away in charming 19th century courtyards.
I’ll tell you that was one busy day of touring but it was absolutely
great!!
After a great dinner and good night’s rest we were off to Potsdam. Since I am certainly fascinated with history
I had always wanted to go there.
Sans
Souci Palace
Potsdam, the
Versailles of the North, known the world over as the former seat of the
Prussian kings and summer residence of Frederick the Great is a feast for the
eyes with its 18th and 19th century castles, palaces, churches and
parks. The castles of the Sans Souci complex are noted architectural monuments
of the World Cultural Heritage and provide the opportunity to experience
Prussian and German history through its classical architecture and landscape
gardens.
We started the morning at Frederick the
Great's pastoral retreat 'Sans Souci' an exquisite example of German Rococo
set on a hill among terraced vineyards. The interior offers a
sequence of elegant reception, dining and living rooms in the style of
Frederician Rococo, renowned for its elaborate ornamentation. Other highlights are the grand 'Neues
Palais', in late Baroque style and the Palladian Marble Palais by the 'Sacre
Lake' flanked by a half-submerged Roman temple housing the royal kitchens
and a graceful library, where King Frederick William II and his mistress held
their secret tete-a-tetes. We then strolled through the English landscape
gardens with their incredible pavilions and neo-classical buildings.
Before returning to Berlin, we took a
drive through the charming Dutch quarter of the 17th century and
Alexandrovka, a group of 12 Russian-style dachas built for an orthodox male
choir that sang to soothe the nerves of King Frederick William III. We then
went to see the famous ‘Spy Bridge’ Glienicke Bruecke, witness to some
spectacular spy exchanges during the cold war.
Prague
We took the train to Prague from Berlin which was a
relatively easy way to go. We stayed in the Alchymist. This 5 star boutique
hotel is all one could wish for: a downtown Prague hotel with fairy tale charm,
with exquisitely furnished deluxe rooms and suites reflecting the historical
character of the building, a luxury restaurant serving mouthwatering dishes, a
wellness spa to help you relax and rejuvenate, and above all, staff who, in
this luxury Prague boutique hotel, do really care about their guests, aiming to
provide them with the best service possible.
The next morning we toured the Prague Castle and the
Strahov Monastery, with a private tour of the Strahov Library rooms in the
morning. After a delightful lunch we did a 4 hour walking tour of downtown
Prague, which included Old Town, the Astronomical Clock and the Charles Bridge.
Strahov Library
Prague Astronomical Clock
View from the Charles Bridge
Vienna
Again we took the train from Prague to Vienna. Once again we were lucky
and stayed in the beautiful Imperial Hotel which was created in 1863 as the
Vienna residence of the prince of Württemberg and was transformed into the
Hotel Imperial for the universal exhibition in 1873. The hotel is world renowned for its
impeccable service.
The next morning we
started off our touring with the Schönbrunn Palace, which is a former
imperial summer residence of the Hapsburg monarchs. The 1,441 room Baroque palace is one of the most
important architectural, cultural and historical monuments in the country.
Schönbrunn Palace
In the afternoon after a nice rain storm we were off to
Hofburg Palace, the
former imperial palace in the center of Vienna. Part of the palace forms the
official residence and workplace of the President
of Austria. Built in the 13th century and expanded in the centuries
since, the palace has housed some of the most powerful people in European and Austrian history, including monarchs of the Habsburg dynasty,
rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
It was the principal imperial winter residence, as Schönbrunn Palace was
their summer residence.
Munich
After a beautiful
train ride through western Austria, we arrived in Munich. After a much needed
good night’s rest we started with a visit
to the Old Town and walked through
the quiet, airy Alter Hof, the interior courtyard of the original palace of the
Wittelsbach family, rulers of Bavaria from 1385 to 1918.
Nymphenburg
Palace
We
then toured the magnificent Residenz, the official home of the Wittelsbach
rulers. Built in various styles, German
Renaissance, Palladian and Florentine Renaissance, the 100-room museum contains
art and furnishings collected by centuries of the ruling family. After that it
was Munich’s cathedral, the church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche), built in late
Gothic style in the 15th century.
Its two enormous towers are capped with very un-Gothic-like, onion-shape
domes. Close by was Marienplatz, a
square named for the gilded statue of the Virgin Mary, with its 19th-century
Gothic New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) whose famous glockenspiel is rung twice
daily.
For
lunch we stopped at the Hofbräuhaus beer hall, Munich's most popular attraction
and the city's best known drinking establishment, where approximately 10,000 liters
of beer are served daily. After lunch we were off the 1972 Summer Olympic village
and stadium. Very close to the Olympic stadium we visited the BMW museum.
Hofbräuhaus Beer Hall
Just
a few blocks northeast of the Residence Palace of Munich is the English Garden,
Munich's largest park. We watched the
German answer to surfing on the currents of the waterway called Eisbach.
People surfing in downtown Munich in the English
Garden
To
finish of our European adventure and last afternoon why not spend a beautiful
afternoon in a BeerGarden. I can’t think of a better way to end our trip.
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