Some of you might have seen, have heard me mention, that I’m booking to go to Berlin in October for my 40th birthday. There are four of us going, Friday to Sunday. It’s very exciting.
One of my travelling companions asked, quite justifiably, “Al, I’m really looking forward to Berlin, but what are we going to do there?”
I didn’t have an answer. Not a full one. Other than, beer and laughs I couldn’t say what we would be doing. So I decided to do some research about ‘Things to do in Berlin’.
There are a number of ‘touristy’ things I want to do. A few landmarks that I want to see with my own eyes (and capture with my own camera). The Brandenburg Gate is the first on the list, second is Checkpoint Charlie.
The East Side Gallery is a 1.3km open air art exhibition, painted directly onto the Berlin Wall. I want to go and experience history, you know?
The tallest building in Berlin is the Fernsehturm at 368 metres tall. There is a bar, imaginatively entitled Bar 203, at 203 metres(!) above the city. A visit for happy hour cocktails is on the cards. For more views, and I do love a sunset and a bit of sky porn, the Park Inn at Alexanderplatz has a viewing platform on the 37th floor.
I don’t want to spend the entire weekend drunk, but alcohol is bound to make a mark upon the festivities at some point. Purely by accident I’ve booked us a weekend away at the same time as Oktoberfest Berlin. Not quite on the same level as the Munich Oktoberfest, it’s still something worthy of experiencing.
I have a funny feeling the majority of our trip shall be spent in and around Potsdamer Platz, which is the new centre of Berlin following the fall of the wall. There are more bars, restaurants, clubs and cafes in the area that we will have time to visit.
I’m keeping the itinerary very loose and easy. No major fixed requirements, just loose plans, easily moved and easily changed to suit weather conditions or inclinations at the time.
“Ich bin ein Berliner”
