Bumming Around Berlin

The Westin Grand Berlin is located in the former East Berlin. I've stayed at this hotel on two occasions. The hotel is in process of renovations, so some rooms are more modern than others. At the time of the reservation, you can make a request for a newer room.

Check-in time is at 3pm and I've found them to be inflexible at times about this. It seems that they preassign guests to a specific room and then wait for it to be available. I've had to insist on being given a room when some are clearly available.

The second floor is actually above street level, but at ground level of an inner courtyard. Therefore, there are glass doors leading outside.

WiFi access is offered in some rooms, but not in others. However, you can connect through the LAN.

The room was very comfortable. It has a flat screen TV on the wall, underneath which is a very counter that serves as a desk. It also encases the mini-bar, which includes drinks and snacks.

The concierge was quite helpful. I wanted to stay within walking distance of the hotel for my meals, but I had specific cuisine preferences. He was able to recommend both a Thai and sushi restaurant so I could get the exact meals that I wanted.

One frustrating point that is probably just specific to me has to do with cleaning the room. I put up the "do not disturb" sign and was happy to fore go having my room cleaned. One day, they left me a note saying that I could request cleaning. Another day, they completely ignored the "do not disturb" sign and cleaned my room anyway. I was unhappy to find my things moved around.

But, overall, I would stay here again.

Good Time is a modern Thai restaurant in Berlin. The restaurant appears to have been professionally decorated, with streamlined leather benches, sofas, and chairs as the seating.

I ate lunch there during the week. Since I was dining alone, I chose to sit at the front of the restaurant, with a view of the street and passersby.

The menu is extensive, with a range of appetizers (such as spring rolls) and entrees which included chicken, beef, duck, and vegetarian selections.

The food is beautifully presented, with artistically cut vegetable garnish.

I enjoyed the food very much. The chicken dish I ordered was flavorful and spicy in a light sauce. It was served with a large side of sticky rice at no additional charge (not necessarily common in many Asian restaurants).

I had heard that Berlin is quite cosmopolitan in terms of its food selection, so I was anxious to try cuisine apart from traditional German dishes. Even though I flew to Berlin from Tokyo, I hadn't gotten the desire for sushi out of my system.

I asked the concierge for a recommendation of a sushi restaurant within walking distance of the hotel, and he pointed me to Edo. It was a bit hard to find since it's off of the main road (Friedrichstrasse) on a very small side street.

Entering the restaurant, I was very pleased with the look of the food and the atmosphere. There was a sushi bar and a small dining room, with the typical Japanese decor. The even had the entryway cloths over the door.

The menu offered a range of Japanese dishes, but everyone in the restaurant was ordering sushi. I ordered one of the sushi sets, a glass of Sapporo, and water. The sushi was fresh and enjoyable. My total bill was about 22 euros.

I'll probably go back to Edo next time I'm in Berlin.

The Checkpoint Charlie Museum is definitely worth a trip inside. Although there is a description of the overall history lining the sidewalks outside, there is much more to appreciate about the wall and people's personal experiences with it. For €9.50, you can enter the multi-floor museum.

Some of the most impressive displays in the museum are the contraptions people built to escape East Berlin. There are tiny cars that were converted to allow people to hide inside as they pass through the border crossing and risk being discovered during an inspection. There are hot air balloons, equipment used to dig tunnels or pass under water, and more.

Also quite interesting is the human aspect of the struggle for escape and the passion in reuniting with loved ones on tbe other side of the wall. Personal accounts and photographs illustrate this journey.

However, the museum is poorly laid out, making it difficult to follow a chronological path. In addition to the Berlin Wall, there is a more expansive look at the political history in Germany and other countries. Don't' let any difficulty in navigating the museum distract you from its meaning.

Just a 10-minute walk or so from The Westin is Checkpoint Charlie. On my way to visit this famous site, I looked down at the sidewalk and saw stones that mark the former location of the Berlin Wall. These stones are throughout the city, crossing sidewalks, roads, etc. Near Checkpoint Charlie, you can see how the wall shifts direction, creating a zigzag pattern, presumably around former buildings.

At Checkpoint Charlie itself, there is the border crossing stand. Soldiers are there now for a paid photo opportunity for tourists. Another site for tourists is a stand where you can get your passport or anything else stamped with the location and date.

There are also signs that indicate that you are either entering or leaving the American sector. This area is so rich with a tumultuous history. It's moving to think about the people who lived in Berlin and Germany during the years the wall divided their country.

The Jewish Museum is located in the former West Berlin. From where I stayed at the Westin Grand Berlin, it was walking distance (probably about 25 minutes if you walked straight there).

The architecture of the museum is impressive. There are 2 buildings that make up the museum: an older, traditional building that is the museum entrance and a more modern, multi-floor structure that houses the exhibit.

The museum was designed not only to display the history of the Jews in Germany, but also to allow museum goers the opportunity to experience some of the emotions of their struggles.

Chronologically, the exhibit starts on the top floor. Arrows on the floor guide you through each section.

There is a lot to take in at the museum. If you're really interested in absorbing the rich history, you could easily spend a few hours here.

I found it interesting to look at the story of the holocaust. Although the scale of it is acknowledged in terms of the number of deaths, the extreme suffering a long-term impact on the Jews is mostly glossed over. For such an important time in history, these events are given relatively little space in the large museum.

For the experiential exhibits, there is a "garden" outside. It is built on uneven ground, with tall, concrete blocks rising from it in a grid pattern. The garden is designed to make you feel uneasy about your surrounding and unsure of your next step.

I think the museum is definitely worth going to. It's interesting to see how different cultures interpret historical events.

The Brandenburg Gate is a must see for your visit to Berlin. It's a quick stop at about 15 minutes to read about the history and snap a few photos. There are a few signs around the square that tell a little detail of the history. Note that English does appear on one side of the signs.

The gate was build in the late 18th Century as prominent entrance to the developing town square. The architecture of the gate is impressive. But, don't just look from afar. Walk underneath the gate to see up close the artistry between the columns. If you walk just a bit further to the road, you can see the zigzag path of where the Berlin Wall used to be. It runs through the current street.