When in Berlin: A roundup in pictures

At the end of October a friend and I hopped on a plane to spend the weekend in Berlin! This little getaway couldn't have come at a better timing, as we were dying to get away from our busy schedules for a couple days. We were both excited to roam the streets of this beautiful city, ready to stumble upon some of the many hotspots it has to offer, but also leaving time to explore its famous landmarks. Berlin is truly amazing and I'm actually very lucky to return soon and have the chance to learn even more about its stories and culture. I mean, we discuss history and society in our German cultural history classes at university, but actually being in Berlin, picking up the atmosphere that lives amongst its citizens, is so different. For now, here's a quick picture roundup with some highlights of my latest trip!

For more pictures, go visit my Instagram @lysclr!

My absolute favourite moment during this trip was when we approached Brandenburger Tor (seen on the picture above) just as the sun set-- well, it was only like 5 PM, but still. On our quest to visit some of the most important monuments in Berlin, we had rushed all the way from Checkpoint Charlie to get there before the dark, somehow took the wrong subway, rushed along the long promenade that connects the gate and Museumsinsel (museum island) and then when we finally arrived, this is what we saw. It was pretty magical. After enjoying the view for a few minutes, we moved on to the Holocaust monument, a field filled with concrete blocks of all different sizes to commemmorate the suffering and losses the Jewish community endured in the Second World War . As I walked all alone and in complete silence inbetween the large blocks, I felt impressed, particularly with how the red glow of the sky contrasted the darkness of the concrete 'alleys' inside the monument. This place is definitely a must-see when you go to Berlin.



Earlier on that same busy afternoon we were on the hunt for Ritter Sport, a chocolate brand based in Germany. A friend asked me to bring some of their delicious products, so obviously I couldn't resist and bought a small supply of honey & salted almond flavoured chocolate (*click*) to get me through the winter. Right around the corner of the shop, there's Gendarmenmarkt, where you can see the famous German (seen on the upper right picture) and French Protestant churches facing each other on each side of the square, with the concert hall (Konzerthaus Berlin) inbetween. This square is one of my favourite places in Berlin. The architecture of these buildings is breathtaking.

We started our last full day in Berlin with a good ol' morning walk! A while back I had read about Spreepark, an abandoned amusement park in the middle of the city, on tjoolaard.be. It's located right next to Treptower Park, which was only a five-minute train ride away from our hostel so no harm in having a look. We ended up having the best time! Berlin is absolutely beautiful in the Fall time. (The two pictures on the left were taken there.) Last but not least, the final picture was taken near East Side Gallery. It is one of the last remaining sections of the Berlin Wall and stretches 1.3 kilometres along the Spree river. After visiting the gallery, we randomly decided to explore the borough north of the river, Friedrichshain, and quickly found out there are tons of cool bars and alternative shops there - I'm definitely stopping by again next time!

Have you ever been to Berlin?