Düsseldorf

Contrary to popular belief, I do work once and a while. Most of what I was doing was leading up to another meeting of Ministers – this time in Düsseldorf. Leading up to the event, there were a couple of pre-conferences in March in Berlin. 

 

 

And thanks to an airport strike, I got called in last minute to sub for my boss at one of them.

This Ministerial I will have to say was a lot less stressful than the last – location and size played a role in this! That being said, days started early and ended around 2:30am. 

Arriving at the airport

Wake up time!

The event ranged from negotiating sessions which is where I got to sit at the big table :) Same table they used in Hamburg for the Leaders' summit.

To a multi-stakeholder conference filled including a light show.

To the meeting of Ministers, where I went back to sit with the masses.

A little German engineering

There was some last minute drama as there usually is with these type of things but once again, another success!

The rest of the visitors

When people come for the weekend it is unpredictable in terms of how much we get accomplished because Berlin is such a chillin' type city but here are some of the things that did happen:

Brandenburg Gate

I think I will have 5 million photos of this by the end but it's always a must see!

Reichstag

The Reichstag building is part of the German Parliament buildings. It was originally constructed to house the Imperial Diet, of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894 and housed the Diet until 1933, when it was severely damaged after it was set on fire.The fire was what led to the rise of Hitler. Who set the fire is still under debate, it is believe the Nazis may have done it to create a situation where they could take absolute power.

Today it has a cool dome at the top which you can walk up and visit. It's a bit pricey but worth doing at least once.

Topography of Terror 

The Topography of Terror is a free museum that covers the period from the end of WWII to the end of Hitler's time in power. I think it is the best museum I have been to so far here.  It is located on the site of buildings which during the Nazi era were the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS. The cellar was where many political prisoners were tortured and executed.The buildings were largely destroyed by Allied bombing during early 1945 and the ruins demolished after the war. The first exhibitions of the site took place in 1987, as part of Berlin's 750th anniversary.

It sits on what was formerly Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse which was also the boundary between the American and Soviet zones of occupation. It's one block from Checkpoint Charlie. The Wall ran along the south side of the street, renamed Niederkirchnerstrasse, from 1961 to 1989. The wall here was never demolished - it is the longest segment of the outer wall still standing (the longer East Side Gallery section iis actually part of the inner wall and was not visible from West Berlin.

The touristy Checkpoint Charlie

Gendarmenmarkt 

This was already in my Christmas Market post though you couldn't really see the square properly so here it is . . .

We had to rest for a bit ;)

Görlitzer Park

We just happened across this part as we were wandering after brunch. It's in Kreuzberg which also meant we passed random bars and clubs - though it was the middle of a Sunday!

A giant slide!

Burgermeister

The Burgermeister is famous in the city! It's a shack under the UBahn. It used to be a public toilet but today it just makes some awesome burgers! For some reason I only have pictures of the beer and food but you can see what the outside looks like here. 

The first of many visitors . . .

March was pretty much the month of visitors! It is always great to see friends and it forces me to get out and see things in the city. The first visitor was like having my own personal tour guide – not only was she German but had previously worked at a travel guide place so knows everything about everything! Super fun and most importantly, she introduced me to 3 new restaurants, all German of course! But I will get to that later . . .

We did a lot of wandering around and I finally made it to my first museum since I moved! No excuse, it’s sad I know. We went to the DDR Museum (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) or as we anglos know it – the GDR, German Democratic Republic.

This museum is very interactive with lots of hidden drawers and doors where you find information about daily life in East Germany. There is even a car you can simulate driving and an apartment you can walk through.  All and all very well done.

The simulator car

I had to take a photo of this :)

We also did an underground bunker tour. Berliner Unterwelten does several tours related to the war and the wall. Unfortunately you cannot take any photos so I have none to show but here is some info on the tours I did. The first one was actually happenstance. We wanted to do the “Under the Berlin Wall” one but it was sold out by the time we got there (you can only buy tickets day of) and the only other tour they were giving at the same time was “Dark Worlds” in French. Despite this unexpected change, this tour was excellent and I highly recommend it.

The "Dark Worlds" tour explored one of the few remaining bunkers, as it was left after the war what the average Berlin citizen did during the air-raids that destroyed up to 80 % of the city’s centre. They also display artifacts from the war that have been recovered across the city. Additionally, it you the former pneumatic post system.

I eventually did the "Under the Berlin Wall" tour which gives you an insight into the history of the wall, the escape tunnels, and delves into the subject of the subterranean border. I liked this tour less because you spend more time looking at poster boards while they cover the history vs looking at the actual real thing which you can do in the bunker tour.

While not exactly a tourist attraction, we also spent quite a bit of time at the Ampelmann store. Berlin has been able to take advantage of its history through this amazing marketing tool – the Ampelmännchen which literally translates to “little traffic light men”.  The Ampelmännchen was officially introduced on 13 October 1961 in Berlin and were only found in East Germany (the West had the more universal looking ones). After the wall came down they started removing them but people complained as they liked the look. When they began reinstalling the lights, there was less attention paid to what side they were on so you can also find the Ampelmann in the West too (unlike trams which were never expanded beyond the East).

The sign was for my cousin and has nothing to do with the Ampelmann

And now onto the food! As mentioned, I tried 3 new places in the city and they did not disappoint. While the fare was all German and heavy, it was also tasty and delicious!

Oldest resto in Berlin