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When I think of Germany, I always think about 1980s era Germany, when East and West Germany existed and therefore, East and West Berlin. There is something quite rugged and fascinating about that time period, exemplified in movies like Atomic Blonde and Goodbye Lenin!. Obviously, Berlin isn’t like this anymore, but many remnants of this historical period remain, which was my favorite part about seeing the German capital.

For a country that is as young as modern day Germany, it has transformed into an economic and sociopolitical powerhouse in the world. Furthermore, I find the people to be very well educated and compassionate, with a great sense of humor. This is a far cry from the old German stereotype of being strict and dry. I hope to see more cities in Germany during my years but I’m glad I started off in Berlin.

Getting to Berlin is easy and usually cheap. You can fly into Berlin Brandenburg Airport (Code: BER) and take transport 27 kilometers away to the city center. A journey by taxi will take about 45 minutes while the S-bahn trains take approximately 35 minutes and cost € 3.60 for adults and € 2.60 for children. Lastly, express buses BER1 and BER2 travel between the terminals and various locations in the city. You can find more information here about public transport from the airport.

Probably the most recognizable and important place in Berlin is the Brandenburg Gate. It is the location of protests, speeches by foreign dignitaries (including US Presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama), and is a symbol of unity following the reunification of Germany. Centrally located, it is always teeming with people so I found the best time to see it was at night and I wasn’t disappointed.

The gate was built in either 1788 or 1791 in a Neo-Classicism style and features The Quadriga on top of it. This is a sculpture showing the Goddess of Victory that was made by sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow. The Brandenburg Gate opened to local traffic on December 22, 1989, an occasion which saw 100,000 people attend.

The seat of the German government, the Bundestag, is located at the Reichstag (Official website). This was made official about one year after the reunification of the country on October 3, 1990, relocating from Bonn. Taking a tour of the facility was easy even with the understandable amount of security that operated around it. My favorite part of the building happened to be the dome, or cupola. This part of the Reichstag stands just above a large central cylinder that is replete with angled mirrors, designed to reflect natural light into the chamber.

Checkpoint Charlie was the most famous crossing between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. It was common to see American and Soviet military vehicles facing one another on opposite ends of the Glienicke Bridge, which served as the border between the two sectors. The symbolism of the checkpoint was what I found to be most fascinating, a barrier between Capitalism and Communism, freedom and confinement.

There is a museum just nearby called the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, that bears countless stories and various paraphernalia during these tumultuous times.

Berlin also boasts its own grand cathedral, the Berliner Dom. This is a protestant church that sits on Museum Island, located within the Mitte district. It was built in 1905 and has experienced many periods of restoration, being heavily damaged by the wartime conflicts that occurred in this part of Europe. The best part of it, arguably, happens to be the ornate inner dome.

Furthermore, you can climb up the 114m-high dome by taking 270 steps to the top, showing some of the best views of that part of the city. Unfortunately for me, the weather wasn’t cooperating for me at all during my December trip here. Guess that gives me a reason to go back!

Other museums on Museum Island are:

• Bode-Museum - Sculpture and Byzantine art collections

• Pergamonmuseum - Antiquities and ancient art collections

• Neues Museum - ancient art and archaeology

• Altes Museum - displays of greek and roman artifacts

The East Side Gallery, located in Mühlenstraße in East Berlin, is a monument to the freedom of expression. This 1.3 kilometre long portion of the Berlin Wall is considered the largest open-air gallery in the world and contains over 100 original murals. The content of the murals are usually political in nature and oftentimes are used to commemorate those who perished as a result of the fraught political situation of the time. Some of the more popular murals are:

• ‘Fraternal Kiss’ by Dmitri Vrubel - depicting a kiss between Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and East German president Erich Honecker.

• The Trabant breaking through the wall by Birgit Kinder - homage to the popular East German car representing the efforts to escape East Germany in the iconic auto.

• Thank you, Andrei Sakharov by Dmitri Vrubel - commemorates the soviet nuclear physicist who helped developed nuclear weapons for the Soviet Union but became an advocate of for civil liberties thereafter.

Of course there are many other murals to appreciate so take some time and appreciate what each one has to offer and the message that it’s sending.

One thing that Berlin definitely does right is Christmas Markets, or Christkindlmarkt. There are several of them scattered throughout the city. One thing you can expect from all the markets is that they will provide copious amounts of mulled wine, baked goods/sweets, and festive crafts and clothing. I found this pretty decent guide on the different Christmas Markets in the city. I personally was able to visit these ones below:

• Berliner Weihnachtszeit at Roten Rathaus - the coolest part of this market happens to be the 50 meter high ferris wheel and open-air ice skating rink.

• Gendarmenmarkt Christmas Market - the most popular Christmas market in Berlin, near Checkpoint Charlie, under the shadow of the Concert hall with a massive Christmas tree and a stage with a choir.

• Alexanderplatz Christmas Market - set underneath the iconic TV tower in Alexanderplatz, it also has an ice skating rink amidst the Alexa shopping center.

A very somber but necessary place to see happens to be the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Designed by architect Peter Eisenman, it features about 2,711 slabs of concrete arranged into a grid pattern. Many say that the memorial reminds them of a cemetery, but according to the designer, the space was designed with the intention of providing a confusing atmosphere to the viewer, presenting an ‘ordered’ system that has no human element to it.

Another memorial in the city that is dedicated to the remembrance of those who perished in WWII happens to be at Neue Wache. Built entirely in the Neo-classical style, the site possesses the remains of an unidentified soldier and concentration camp victim, buried by soil from WWII battlefields and concentration camps. It is deeply moving.

What I also love about Berlin is its massive park that lies to its West called Großer Tiergarten, a great place to go to escape the sounds of the city, replete with walking paths, cafes, and various monuments and memorials.

PROTIP: As with most European cities, there is usually some sort of tourism card that you can get that will cut down on the cost of public transport and give free entrance to the city’s museums (among other places) that turns out to be cost effective in the end. Luckily, Berlin has one of these as well, aptly called Berlin WelcomeCard. You can purchase it for the time periods of 2-7 days.

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