Exploring Neighborhoods in Eastern Berlin

Today was our last day to do some site-seeing before we leave for Czocha in the morning. Our points-of-interest list was quite long so in the morning I sat down and tried to plot them out on a map and plan an efficient route. The sites were a bit spread out, but at least most of them were grouped in Eastern Berlin. We got ourselves together, ate a quick snack bar, and then headed straight out to the #109 bus station.

This time we transferred at the first opportunity to the S-Bahn #S41, a raised rapid transit line that circumnavigates the city, and rode it out to Prenzlauer Allee to start our explorations. Prenzlauer Berg is a trendy neighborhood with plenty of charming cafes and shops. We stopped for a couple of lattes and a croissant to nosh on while we wandered the area.

Although I'd begun to get a feel for the layout of the city and was managing to get us from place to place using the transit system with a minimum of detours I was still far from being an expert guide. That didn't stop several people from asking directions of me throughout the day for some reason. I guess having a map in your hand makes you a target, however I seem to get asked directions pretty frequently at home too so maybe I just look like a directions kind of guy. Anyway, after chatting with a few people I sent them merrily on their ways, probably more lost than when they started.

In our wanderings we stumbled upon an enchanting park called Volkspark Friedrichshain. The sculptures of the entryway fountain had a faerie tale theme. We found Snow White and the seven dwarves and I took a picture of Kat next to her twin. After that we wondered pretty tree-lined pathways of the park, getting only mildly lost but loving every minute of it.

We emerged from the park and continued off toward Karl-Marx-Allee, a wide boulevard flanked by tall apartment complexes, planned a built during Soviet occupation. We stopped in at Cafe Sibylle, recommended by our buddy Rick, for some heiße schokolade and to look at their collection of artifacts from that period of time including the ear and mustache scavenged from the giant statue of Stalin that used to be there.

After that we took the U-Bahn back to Alexander Platz and then wandered over to Hackesher Markt, a collection of cafes and shops built in amongst the brick pillars of the overhead train. There we grabbed a quick discount happy hour meal of a couple cheese burgers and beers at a barbecue joint, which was quite good. During lunch we planned the rest of our afternoon, hoping to squeeze in a bit more site-seeing before we both ran out of gas.

Near Hackesher Markt is a system of interconnected courtyards with various shops and art galleries called Hackeshe Hofe that we decided to wander through. The courtyards were all very different from each other, but each was beautiful, peaceful, and pleasant to walk through. We hoped to find a new piece of artwork to take home with us, but unfortunately there wasn't much of interest on display.

Next on our list was seeing some of the Berlin Wall sites. The longest remaining intact section was the East-Side Gallery so we jumped on the S-Bahn #S7 and headed out to Ostbahnhof. A short walk to the Spree river and we began to walk the length of the wall which is now covered in artistic murals. The wall ended at a neo-gothic bridge called Oberbaumbrucke, which we crossed.

Another short U-Bahn ride later and we were in the heart of Kreuzberg, a district known as a happening nightlife spot, so not much to look at in the middle of the day. From there we wandered up to the Jewish Museum Berlin, but didn't go in as we feeling pressed for time. We zipped up the street and around the corner to Checkpoint Charlie where I snapped a few shots before continuing on. By the time we reached Potsdamer Platz, the Times Square of Berlin, we were exhausted and it was time to head back to our rooms for a break before heading out again for dinner.