Berlin 16 September 2010
When I arrived at the airport in Berlin the first thing I thought was "and now???".
I had no idea how to read german and everything around me was written in german but it didn't take long for me to understand where to go.
I arrived at Berlin Schönefeld Airport at 08:45 and I had the full day in the city. I planned to go to Alexanderplatz which is the main square and start from there my tour.
The airport is about 20km far from the city.
From the airport there are different ways to go to the city centre: S-Bahn S9, S-Bahn S45, Bus 171, X7 or 162.
Alexanderplatz is a very nice square, different than the typical romantic square, it stands there with its austerity demanding respect.
It was named in honor of the visit of the Russian Emperor Alexander I to Berlin on 25 October 1805.
From Alexanderplatz, and not only, the Fernsehturm (TV Tower) is visible, it is the second tallest structure in Europe.
Another notable structure is the World Clock which is actually an astronomical clock which displays the time for various cities around the world.
There is also a huge shopping centre just cross the road from Alexanderplatz, I went to get some breakfast there and it was really big on different levels.
Another monument which is in absolute my favourite monument in Germany, the mystique Brandenburger Tor, a monumentag gate build at the end of 1700.
The recent history of Germany is known because it was the country where Adolf Hitler founded the Nazist Party.
And he used a lot this monument for glorious military parades.
I think this is one of the factors that influenced me about this monument; standing there knowing that somewhere back in time from the same spot you could observe a man who made History.
Berlin does not have the same atmosphere of Paris or London, it is something different.
You can still feel the power that Germany had before WW2.
It is something that will always be there, doesn't matter if now you can see the american flag on the Ambassy right next the Brandenburger Tor.
It doesn't matter if the URSS flag replaced the "Quadriga", an imponent monument who is waiting to come back to live and return to gallop with his powerful horses, Germany has been brave enough to write our History, in good and in bad.
Berlin in a huge museum itself, there is so much to see and it is all so close that you can just walk the city all day.
The Reichstag Building (Reichstagsgebäude) is an historical building opened in 1894; it has been always the Parliament Building since the German Empire.
I really liked that building, there is a big garden in front of it, very nice to sit down and relax.
I walked around the city all day, at night before to leave Berlin to go to the airport I returned to the Brandenburger Tor, it a cold night and I remember that the monument was so beautiful with lights.
There was a guy with a violin and he was playing "Heal the world" a Michael Jackson's song, it was so charateristic.
I became so sad because my trip was almost finished, the last few hours in Berlin and that's it.
I had a really good experience since when I arrived to Girona, then Figueres, the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower, the night in Glasgow, the beautiful city of London and Berlin.
This is why I like short trips where I can visit different countries in a short amount of time, no time to get bored and so much to see.
This trip will be always in my heart and memories.
My flight to go back to Italy was at 08:45 of the morning after so I spent my last night at the airport sleeping on a bench at the airport under a loud speaker that wake me up saying things in german that I couldn't understand.
This is the end of my trip, I'm glad I did that trip because it has been more than a simple holiday.
