Tag Archives: Berlin

Templehof (unused) Airport Tour, Berlin, Germany

07 Friday Sep 2018

Posted by in Air Travel, Sightseeing, Travel News & Tips

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Our Templehof Airport Tour in Berlin was part of our German Road trip (that page has links to all the hotels, restaurants and places visited).

Tempelhof opened 8th October 1923 and ceased operations on 30th October 2008. The old terminal was originally constructed in 1927. In anticipation of increasing air traffic, the Nazi government began a massive reconstruction in the mid-1930s. The main building was once among the top 20 largest buildings on Earth.

On 20 June 1948, Soviet authorities, claiming technical difficulties, halted all traffic by land and by water into or out of the Western-controlled sectors of Berlin. Faced with the choice of abandoning the city or attempting to supply its inhabitants with the necessities of life by air, the Western Powers chose the latter course, and for the next eleven months sustained the city’s 2½ million residents in one of the greatest feats in aviation history – The Berlin Airlift.

The former airfield is now used as a huge recreational space known as Tempelhofer Feld. The airport buildings are largely abandoned, although there are a few tenants who rent space there.

We purchased two tour tickets online https://www.thf-berlin.de/fuehrungen/english-guided-tours/ for €15,00 per ticket. We had less than an hour to get to Templehof from our earlier Dark Worlds Bunker Tour and arrived 20 minutes late to find the tour office closed and no sign of the tour. There were four doors leading to a corridor – luckily one was unlocked and we went inside.

We walked to the end of the corridor, only to find more doors, all of those were locked. Two thirds of the way down the corridor was a door that opened with steps down to the airfield. We went down, walked to the next set of steps, back up and found the door open – we were now on the other side of the locked corridor doors. There was still no sign of the tour, but it was great fun finding our way around without a tour guide.

We found ourselves in the huge deserted terminal building – an amazing space.

We climbed upstairs for a better view.

We found the doors to the stairwells were open, but once through there was no way back. It was then that the tour appeared – we walked back down and joined them.

The tour guide didn’t immediately notice two extra members. However, others on the tour wore green wristbands and a few minutes later the guide realised ours were missing. She asked if we were part of the tour and I said that we were, had arrived late and showed our tickets. “How did you get in here?” – I didn’t explain our entire journey, just that the door was open. “But you don’t have a green wristband!”. I replied that we did have tickets, but would be happy to continue wandering around on our own. We were invited to remain on the tour.

The tour continued, slowly and included a lot of stair climbing.

The tour was a little boring, especially after the excitement of our self-guided adventure – but at least we knew that we’d be able to leave and not be arrested!

We discovered that we’d missed a trip to the roof of the building – I’m sure that would have been great. What was interesting was how you could go out a door on one level and feel like it was ground level, then walk down a few flights of stairs and repeat.

If you just wanted to view the airport from outside, you could just turn up and wander around. To see the inside and the roof, you’ll need a ticket – if you’re accidentally late, just try a few doors!

Templehof Airport
Platz der Luftbrücke 5
12101 Berlin
Germany

English-language tours:
Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 1:30 pm
and Thursday (August and September) 1:30 pm

Duration of the tour: 2 hours

Adult: 15,00 €
Students: 10,00 €
Children (6-14 years): 7,00 €

+49 30 200 03 74-41 – although I called this number from the taxi while we were stuck in traffic and just got a voicemail in German

https://www.thf-berlin.de/fuehrungen/english-guided-tours/

Dark Worlds Bunker Tour, Berliner Unterwelten, Berlin, Germany

06 Thursday Sep 2018

Posted by in Sightseeing, Travel News & Tips

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Our Dark Worlds Bunker Tour in Berlin was part of our German Road trip (that page has links to all the hotels, restaurants and places visited).

The Berliner Unterwelten e.V. (Berlin Underworlds Association) was founded in 1997 – they research, discover and open forgotten underground spaces in Berlin. They run several tours of underground spaces – Tour 1 is called ‘Dark Worlds’.

None of the tours are bookable unless you are a group and send a request via the contact form on the website https://www.berliner-unterwelten.de/en/ – you need to arrive ahead of the tour and queue at the shop next to the south entrance of the Gesundbrunnen U-Bahn station.

The queue was quite long when we arrived and there were plenty of wasps around. We were lucky as I’d previously arranged with Berliner Unterwelten to collect tickets as I was planning to write this review. I really think they should set up an online booking system.

The tour group were led back into Gesundbrunnen station and down one flight of stairs to a green door. I was surprised that the entrance wasn’t deeper.

The tour guide spoke good English and advised that photography wasn’t allowed due to some copyright restrictions – there are dozens of artefacts in the bunker that are on loan on condition that they can’t be photographed. I’m going to contact Berliner Unterwelten and ask for some images that I can add to this review.

We entered through the door and down some stairs, still not that deep underground. Our guide explained that the bunker was used as a wartime bomb shelter, but a direct hit would have caused the roof to cave in.

We visited various rooms that had previously lain empty – Berliner Unterwelten had filled the rooms with various artifacts and display cabinets typical of the wartime period. It was really interesting, but I was also aware that the items had been assembled rather than be original contents of the bunker.

Everyone enjoyed the room painted with luminous paint – used to provide some light when the electricity failed. Our guide took a flash photo of a person on the tour then turned out the lights to show their outline in the luminous paint.

Another room had a mock up of the now defunct pneumatic post system, used from as early as 1870 to deliver post across Berlin. Our guide was able to send an illuminated tube whizzing around the pipes in the room and back.

90 minutes passed quickly and we soon outside again. We enjoyed this tour and next time I’m in Berlin, I’d like to try their other tours.

Dark Worlds Bunker Tour, Berliner Unterwelten
Brunnenstraße 105
13355 Berlin

Tours run all year (except Dec 22nd–26th, 2018 & Jan 1st, 2019): Wed – Sun at 11.00
April – October: additional tours Mon 3 p.m., Wed – Sun 1 p.m. + 3 p.m.
The tour schedule is subject to change.
Additional tours around national holidays are displayed in the calendar.

Duration: 90 min.

Admission: €12 (reduced €10)

https://www.berliner-unterwelten.de/en/guided-tours/public-tours/dark-worlds.html

Das Meisterstück Restaurant, Berlin, Germany

05 Wednesday Sep 2018

Posted by in Restaurants and Bars

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Our visit to Das  Meisterstück in Berlin was part of our German Road trip (that page has links to all the hotels, restaurants and places visited).

Das Meisterstück specialises in beer and sausages. They have several restaurants in Berlin – we visited the Berlin Mitte location, just a few minutes walk from the Hilton Hotel Berlin.

It was a Tuesday night in August and the indoor part of the restaurant was almost empty – most people were in the courtyard garden. The plague of wasps that we’d found in Berlin made us decide against the garden – but the inside was fine.

A 0.4l beer was €3.70. Both our waiter and waitress was really friendly and helpful, despite our limited German. Our waiter had such good English that I accused him of being English and pretending to be German. We asked for traditional sausage dishes.

Blutwurst with Sauerkraut €11. This was pretty good.

Curry wurst €7.50. Well the 1970s called and asked for their food back! The sausage was good, but the ‘curry’ was just ketchup with curry powder sprinkled on top – although the powder was sprinkled in the shape of Das Meisterstück logo.

We then decided to try Thüringer – looked similar to black pudding €9.50. It tasted like black pudding but was much softer.

The bathroom was interesting – with a large picture of a woman wearing sausage, bacon and egg.

If you’re looking for friendly place near Berlin Mitte and want to try some German sausages, then I’d recommend Das Meisterstück.

Das Meisterstück Restaurant
Hausvogteiplatz 3-4
10117 Berlin​

Tel. +49 30 55 872 562

Open every day from noon to midnight

https://www.dasmeisterstueck.de/berlinmittecraftbeer

German Museum of Technology, Berlin, Germany

04 Tuesday Sep 2018

Posted by in Sightseeing, Travel News & Tips

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Our visit to the Museum of Technology in Berlin was part of our German Road trip (that page has links to all the hotels, restaurants and places visited).

It wasn’t far to walk from the Gleisdreieck U-Bahn station (journey included with our Berlin WelcomeCard). You’ll know when you’re nearby as an aircraft hangs over the top of the building.

The entrance was on a quiet street.

After you enter, purchase a ticket for €8 (child and concession prices available) and climb a small staircase. After that, you can choose to visit the new building, full of ships and aviation, or turn right into a series of train engine sheds. You can click on the map below to make it bigger.

We went first to the engine sheds. The corridor felt really cosy and not what you’d expect in a museum.

There was something very relaxing about walking from one engine shed to another, just looking at steam trains while the sun shone through the windows. It was the exact opposite of a stuffy museum.

Outside were turntables used to bring the engines into the sheds.

There was also some nice-looking gardens, but there were too many wasps plaguing Berlin for me to venture there.

We could have easily spent more than a few hours in the engine sheds, but hadn’t really left enough time for the whole place and instead went back to the modern building. I skipped the first few floors dedicated to shipping…

…and went straight to aviation.

There is an outside terrace on the top floor where you can get a closer look at the aircraft that hangs over the top of the building.

You could easily spend more than two hours in the shipping and aviation building.

Back near the entrance was a small exhibition dedicated to the progresses in computing – I liked it but if computers aren’t your thing then you could safely skip that.

We could see another building on our map and asked how to get there. We were directed out of the entrance, turn right along the street, right again past the hanging aircraft and then several minutes walk to another building.

I wonder how many visitors miss this annex. We went inside and found an eclectic mixture of vehicles and spaces dedicated to different technical innovation.

We enjoyed wandering around, although I think anyone could easily see the annex exhibits in under an hour.

I’d definitely recommend a visit to the German Museum of Technology while you are in Berlin – even if you aren’t especially interested in technology, the place has a friendly, relaxed feel and it’s nice to be able to go outside.

German Museum of Technology/Deutsches Technikmuseum
Trebbiner Str. 9,
10963 Berlin,
Germany

Regular opening hours
Tuesday to Friday 9.00 am to 5.30 pm
Saturday / Sunday 10.00 am to 6.00 pm
Monday closed
Public holidays 10.00 am to 6.00 pm

https://sdtb.de/museum-of-technology/623/

Phone: +49 30 902540

Olympic Stadium (Olympiastadion) Tour, Berlin, Germany

03 Monday Sep 2018

Posted by in Insects/Bugs, Sightseeing, Travel News & Tips

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Our visit to the Olympic Stadium was part of our German Road trip (that page has links to all the hotels, restaurants and places visited).

The Olympic Stadium was originally built for the 1936 Summer Olympics. During the Olympics, the record attendance was thought to be over 100,000 (people could stand) – since 2004 the capacity is 74,475 seats.

Besides its use as an athletics stadium, the arena is widely used for football:

  • Since 1963, the home ground of the Hertha BSC football team.
  • Hosted three matches in the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
  • Hosted six matches for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, including the final.
  • Hosts the German Cup (DFB-Pokal) final match each year.
  • Hosted the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
  • Hosted the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final.

We took the train (included with our Berlin WelcomeCard) to the station Olympiastadion. It was maybe ten minutes walk from the station. There were plenty of wasps – they were plaguing Berlin while we were there.

The ticket office is to the left of the main entrance. You need to pre-book a tour online (€12.00 or €10.00 using a Berlin WelcomeCard). We were asked to wait inside the grounds with the other members of the English-speaking tour. I believe it is also possible to purchase entry-tickets for just €2.00 and play an audio guide via an app. You can only tour the stadium on non-event days.

We were early enough to be able to walk into the stadium and pick up a drink at the only café open that day. The view was impressive.

We returned and met our friendly tour guide. We were taken through team changing rooms, a bleak VIP lounge, multiple floors of (closed) food outlets and an indoor running-preparation track. I remarked that the VIP lounge was the least VIP lounge I’d ever seen – our guide advised that the interior couldn’t be altered because of the listed building status – I’m not even sure I believe that and even if I did, that wouldn’t prevent the inclusion of some comfortable chairs and better tables.

The VIP seats did offer a good view though.

The tour information was interesting, but I think you could easily appreciate the stadium by just walking around – this especially because the tour didn’t offer an opportunity to walk on the running track nor the pitch.

All of the pictures at the end of this review could be taken without participation in the tour. So if you are short of time, or don’t need to know the history/facts, then I’d recommend just paying the €2.00 entry fee. Just make sure the stadium is open to visitors on the day you plan to visit

Olympiastadion
Olympischer Platz 3,
14053 Berlin,
Germany

https://olympiastadion.berlin/en/sightseeing/

Hilton Hotel, Berlin, Germany

30 Thursday Aug 2018

Posted by in Hotels

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The Hilton Berlin was the start point for our German Road trip (that page has links to all the hotels, restaurants and places visited).

The hotel isn’t that expensive, but is a proper five-star Hilton – it’s on a quiet street directly opposite the Cathedral.

I checked in two rooms, one as a Diamond (me) and one as a Gold HHonors Member – oddly the Gold was upgraded to a corner suite on the second floor and Diamond to a king room on the executive floor. I sneakily swapped room keys and took the suite. the suite was huge with a large lounge area, separate bedroom, bathroom and toilet. The bedroom felt a little small, but only because it was just a bedroom. The bathroom was also a standard size – all the space was given to the lounge area. But I’m not complaining.

The view from the window was pretty good.

The Executive Lounge was large, nicely decorated and had a good selection of drinks and hot/cold snacks.

As my Son wouldn’t arrive until 22:30, I went for a swim (spa is free for Diamond members) – I was able to wear my room bathrobe and slippers and take a dedicated elevator to the spa. The pool was pretty good and mostly empty at 21:00.

My Son arrived and ordered a burger from the lounge bar – it was quite expesnive at around 25 Euros, but was a good burger.

Breakfast in the first floor restaurant was excellent – sparkling wine included.

We really enjoyed our two night stay and would certainly stay again.

Hilton Berlin
MOHRENSTRASSE 30,
10117, BERLIN
GERMANY

TEL: +49-30-202300

http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/berlin/hilton-berlin-BERHITW/index.html