Sobering visit to a once divided city – BorneoPost Online | Borneo, Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News

It was a cool, gray Berlin morning when we went among the steles (concrete slabs). The steles started about the height of the shins, low enough to walk on, what some people did because these blocks meant nothing more than a photo shoot.

Gradually, the blocks rose and the paved floor was lowered. we were surrounded by them, evenly spaced and shaped, varying in height only. They went from the size of a vault to a gray tower 4.7 meters high.

There were 2,700 properly covering a space of 19,000 square meters. Opened to the public on May 12, 2005, the Memorial to Murdered Jews in Europe is a brutal reminder of an atrocity

But it was Berlin, Germany, a place with an undeniably dark past but is simultaneously determined to preserve every detail and to bury its public spaces under the rebellious brilliance of a youth population .

For the military history buffs of our media group, setting foot in Berlin was a true dream. For me, a Kuching

deprived of sleep who never thought of setting foot on European soil, everything suddenly became a possibility – discovery, adventure and forgetting the hotel.

We were the first visitors planes at the Berlin Tegal Airport via the direct maiden flight of Scoot Airlines departing Singapore last month, and our hosts – Scoot, Berlin and the German National Office of Tourism (Asean) – have not wasted time to settle in

The first thing you notice about Berlin is that its architecture has a fairy-tale appearance, with cobblestone streets and buildings looking like castles.

The next thing you learn is that these buildings are new. their old ones before they were destroyed in the war.

Our hotel, Capri by Fraser Berlin, located between Potsdamer Platz and Alexanderplatz, even has an archaeological site in its basement, discovered during construction. 003] Visitors can see it through the glass hall, or (like me), be surprised by it after five minutes of rest on it.

Landlocked City

Berlin is a landlocked city in the middle of the Brandenburg region of Germany. Although there is much to discover and discuss, it's hard to ignore the elephant in the room: this state once had a wall that divided East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. [19659003] Berlin had been divided into East Communist and Western Capitalist since the end of World War II but the East wanted to prevent people from fleeing. The Berlin Wall, measuring 155 km long and 11 feet high in most places, started almost without warning. The Berliners woke up on the morning of 13 August 1961 to find the border closed.

The Berlin Wall was actually two parallel walls, sandwiching what is known as the "Death Strip." It contained various devices, some hidden, to prevent vehicles and people from crossing, assuming they were not stopped or shot first.

More than 100 people were killed trying to cross to the west. About 5,000 others succeeded.

After the opening of the borders, people demanded the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was hard to convince as many as it was important to preserve it as a monument.

Hesitant Visit

Today, the many layers of fortifications and part of the death belt are still visible next to the Berlin Wall memorial on Bernauer Strasse. It was a sobering visit to a place that still echoes pain and horror if you let your guard down.

Still, it's one of the places to understand the story, so we do not repeat it. The wall is never far from sight today, a shadow of its former self in the form of a long strip of bricks, winding through the center of some of the busier districts. We stepped on it several times in a day or so from our bus.

Poignant Landmark

On the banks of the River Spree, in the Mühlenstrasse, is another section of the wall – the East Side Gallery, the largest outdoor gallery and the most sustainable in the world. In 1990, artists from around the world contributed to 105 paintings, documenting change and hope.

Another famous landmark of the old wall is the Checkpoint Charlie, a crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin. During the Cold War, he became an icon of East-West separation.

Today, it is a tourist attraction, with actors playing the role of military police allies. You can get a picture with them for a fee, but if you are not in the picture, the view is free.

Scoot Airline flies directly to Berlin from Singapore four times a week.

Next: Potsdam – land of lakes, palaces and movies. And how do you feel about eating in Berlin?

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Willkommen (Welcome) to Berlin

In Berlin for the first time and eager to explore for yourself? Pick up the welcome card from Berlin. This booklet offers a ticket for the use of public transport (buses, trams and trains), discounts up to 50% on more than 200 attractions. Prices vary depending on the length of your stay, or rather days when you expect to be dependent on public transportation. If you are alone, train tickets can be purchased at any station.

Getting Around

After getting used to the long names of German stations, getting around the U or S-Bahn is as easy as navigating the KL LRT. The first thing we noticed at our station was that there was nothing to physically prevent a person from entering and boarding a ticketless train directly. Tickets can be bought by the machine at the station. They must be stamped on another machine to be valid. Commuters are supposed to remain responsible, but for those who want to risk a free ride, the fine to get caught is 60 euros (RM280). The buses are equipped with wheelchair ramps. If that is how you ride, the driver will ensure that you and your wheelchair come in and out safely.

Notes Everywhere

Berliners have the obsession of displaying notes and stickers in public places. You will find the inevitable commercials but also naughty or funny notes. Even children seem to contribute to this form of expression. It's as if Germany is taking its memes to the streets instead of limiting them to the internet, but since everything is on the internet, you can find a selection of notes online on notesofberlin.com.

The paintings on the wall

Notes and stickers aside, wall paintings and graffiti are a major form of expression in Berlin. The corridors, doors and alleys of the artistic district are a favorite canvas. Many of these large-scale works of art are commissioned, but even more are simply contributed to the urban landscape over time. Street art is such an institution that there is even a museum dedicated to it – Urban Nation Museum. Do not miss the East Side Gallery, a remnant of the Berlin Wall at Mühlenstrasse.

Showtime!

Friedrichstadt-Palast Berlin is home to the largest theater scene in the world. What size? There are 2200 square meters of stage, with 700 square meters of additional room for technology to work: create different landscapes when the scene breaks, rotates and slides. There is more space for a complete show that takes place in the foreground, with aerial descents above the stage. And there is also enough room to install a 19-piece band at the back of the stage. We watched The One Grand Show – part-circus and part-cabaret – where the costumes of Jean Paul Gaultier were the star of the show.

Sunday Shopping

Warning: Much of Berlin closes on Sunday, so forget shopping malls and retail stores. Put on your comfortable shoes and leave for the famous and very large flea market Mauerpark. If you are used to Kuching flea markets, you are in cultural shock. Although many artists and craftspeople also exercise their talents, there is also an authentic feeling that someone's attic has been cleared of kitchen utensils, furniture, clothes and used household items. Where else would you find a vintage medical curio (glass eyeballs), cheeky vintage postcards and cameras from all eras? Sunday afternoons in Mauerpark also means karaoke at 3 pm, and they should be watched.

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