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