BERLIN - second part
Then go north-east and you find the splendid Prenzlauer Berg district in east Berlin. All pastel-coloured houses, boutiques, Italian restaurants, in short, real class around Kollwitz Platz and Schoenhauser Allee, another area for evening and night-time entertainment. Or change area and land in Schoneberg, a central but also highly residential area of class with classical-style buildings, tree-lined avenues, the shopping streets like Kurfurstendamm and the gay district with its haunts, bars and restaurants that make the German capital one of the most frequented metropolises by this community.
In Berlin I was able to see the retrospective dedicated to the great painter FRIDA KAHLO with all her paintings, her clothes, her personal photos and the documented account of her life. Near this exhibition, near Potsdamer Platz, there was a large photographic exhibition on the Holocaust next to the wall of the Jewish ghetto. In the centre on Friedrichstrasse there's the famous Checkpoint Charlie with the photo of the American and Russian soldier, the flags and two young men in American military uniform who pose for photos with tourists. Not far away there's a fragment of the wall and, in the middle of a green lawn, the base of the wall marked by stones. On Warschauer Strasse about a kilometre of the wall has remained, completely covered with brightly coloured artistic murals, one of the most spectacular things in Berlin.
Murals are found everywhere in Kreuzberg, on the lower floors of the houses, including the entrance doorways and on the windowless full-height facades. The Pergamon is Berlin's most important museum. It contains the white marble altar dating from 180-150 BC from Pergamon, a Greek colony in Asia Minor, the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, the Gate of Miletus, the walls of a beautiful decorated and coloured wooden room from Aleppo and many other artefacts from Asia Minor and the Middle East. Another stop on the visit leads to the German Parliament, a huge classical building with a hemispherical dome of glass and steel which you walk around inside in a circular direction, listening on headphones to the description of what you see 360° outside in the city panorama, as well as information on German political life and the work of parliament.
The view of Berlin is even greater if taken from the TV tower, whose visitable spherical section reaches a height of 200 metres, symbol and pride of the former GDR. Next to it are the old town hall in red brick and the new one in white stone. Another obligatory stop is Gendarmenmarkt square with the statue of Schiller and classical buildings of such fine workmanship that it is compared for beauty to Piazza Navona in Rome. Friedrichstrasse is the street of fashion boutiques and home to the big banks. Other famous streets are Kurfurstendamm, a very lively shopping street, and Unter den Linden, that is, under the lime trees, the trees that embellish it along its long route that reaches the Brandenburg Gate, symbol of Berlin and meeting place on the occasion of great events such as New Year's Eve in the street.
Another important square is Alexander Platz, which contends with Potsdamer Platz for the imposing scale of its modern buildings. Around the Parliament there are various embassies housed in buildings of great visual impact. In the Tiergarten park you can admire, halfway along the 17 June road that crosses it all the way to Charlottenburg castle, the decorated column topped by the statue of the victorious goddess, Siegesaule, now under restoration. At the eastern edge of the park are the botanical gardens and the largest zoo in Europe, made famous by the film "The Girl in the Zoo of Berlin". But with all the heat I encountered and after the many kilometres covered by bicycle, which I'd rented for three days, I found moments of refreshment and rest in the parks where Berliners sunbathe (some even naked) or along the cool banks of the Spree.
In the last few days, having given up the bike, I got around Berlin by the underground U-bahn and the overground S-bahn, all perfectly connected with the usual great German order and precision. I think there are about ten metro lines and many more external ones, making it easy to reach any destination in the enormous city which, in terms of size, is second only to Los Angeles. You can reach the nearby city of Potsdam in less than an hour, rich in parks, churches and historic buildings such as the Prussian castle of Sans Souci and the Neues Palace commissioned by Frederick II, who is the most celebrated and remembered historical figure, with many equestrian statues throughout Berlin as well as in Potsdam.
Halfway between Berlin and Potsdam you can get off at the beautiful Wannsee lake, which has a beautiful large sandy beach and allows Berliners to swim and cool off in its waters, even naked because there's a section for nudist bathers. To the south, on the other hand, there are the enormous Neukoelln pools, with a park and slide, tree-lined lawns and refreshment areas. In short, Berlin is ready to satisfy every need and isn't expensive. You can travel the entire transport network with a day ticket for 6 euros, you can have a snack based on the classic wurstel with a roll, mustard or ketchup for 2.50 euros. A beer at a bar or restaurant comes to around 3.50 euros, but many buy it in the many drinks shops that give it to you cold for 1.20 euros. A meal in a restaurant with a single dish of meat, potatoes and vegetables with beer comes to around 10-12 euros.
For a hotel room you spend from 50 euros upwards, but in a hostel in the dormitories you can sleep for 10-20 euros. I stayed at the Motel One on Moritzplatz, bordering Orianenstrasse, which is the Kreuzberg street richest in pubs and various venues for night-time fun. I paid 49 euros for a double room with air conditioning, TV, private bathroom with shower, all of excellent quality, comparable to a 3-star but even more. Renting the bike for 3 days cost me 30 euros, admission to the two museums 14 euros with a combined ticket. Another 10 euros for the visit to the tower, while the visit to the German Parliament is free. I hope I haven't forgotten anything and haven't repeated myself.
This two-week holiday in Poland and Berlin cost me about 1,000 euros, three flights included, two of them with Ryanair (Bergamo-Krakow and Berlin-Bergamo) at about 50 euros per flight and one with Berlinair (Krakow-Berlin) at 80 euros.
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