Berlin 2014

Perpetual dissections.

Despite being one of the most sought after capitals in the world, Berlin was never on top of the 'Sha's Places to Go' list. I had been to Germany during my senior high school year and memories of Wilhelmshaven and its surrounding geographical counterparts are still fresh in my mind* Regardless, the universe has its own ways of impeccable timing and opportunities, this time coming in the form of a very insistent bestfriend, and before I knew it, I was packing off to the infamous world war city. I say in advance that the greatest part of the trip was how little I was expecting, which was rewarded by so much discoveries in return.

The city is expansive, with wide roads and pavements, and a reliable public transport system. There are no gates in the train stations and ticket charges are accorded on the passenger's honesty. That aside, the city itself was an intermingling of so many historical clashes and counters, the concept of which is generally understood, but magnitude rarely appreciated. There was an overwhelming number of historical evidences, the town itself being an autopsy of its occurrences. We stumbled across lookout towers, stepped over cobbled lines where the Berlin Wall once stood, awed at gigantic pre-war institutions, and climbed up monuments that signified various turning points for the country.

While Berlin's magnificent tributes to its past was a source of gratification, the fact that the city has seamlessly injected its share of modern cultural systems was a wonder to behold. The underground art scene was nothing short of awing. Having arrived on a Sunday and deciding to just have walk around Friedrichstein to the East Side Gallery, we came across a curious collection of grafitti'd warehouses. Figuring we had nothing to lose, we jaunted over and was bombarded with creative visuals to light up the sky. A neon 'Neue Heimat' beacon signified our entrances to a chic art market, surrounded by bars, a wall climbing arena, an indoor skateboarding park, a jazz hall, and organic cafes. All of this set within the backdrop of jawdropping spray paint artistry.

An additional feature worth noting is the incredible architecture present amidst the industrial city structures. It didn't strike me, right until the point of actually witnessing the genius works of Libeskind, Foster, and Gehry, that I was in a capital filled with stunning modern construction. I adore interplays of neo plastic and glass materials embedded within archival structures, particularly in reference to the Reichstag dome. That aside, a plus to the city buildings were it's selection of viewing decks. The vistas from Potsdamer Platz 1 and the Berlin Siegessaul Monument were, in simple terms, awesome. I make mini missions of viewing foreign rooftops, and Berlin didn't disappoint.

*I have this semi obsessive compulsive disorder of organizing my destinations via whole countries rather than the actual town. In the way that I'd rather not go to Berlin if I'd been to Hamburg. It's both pros and cons but at the end of the day, doesn't do justice to the fact that all towns are different and should be explored accordingly

Add: random video of yours truly