A Fun Day In Berlin Needn’t Be An Expensive One. Even If It Does Mean Skipping An Attraction Or Two!

A Fun Day In Berlin Needn’t Be An Expensive One. Even If It Does Mean Skipping An Attraction Or Two!

hi folks good morning from Berlin’s Central Station now I’ve been to Berlin a couple of times but I only just realized this morning I’ve never seen it in daylight well that all changes today cuz we got a full day to go and explore and I’ve got a couple of places in mind that I’d like to see but the question is Berlin will it take my breath away let’s go and find out [Music] oh look at this River or Canal it’s a beautiful Cal morning but it’s late November and that means Daylight’s going to be limited I’ll race around as many places as I can but I think it is going to take my breath away now the first place I’m rushing to is called the rice tag building and the reason I’m in a hurry is because I’ve got a reservation and I’m a bit late I think but there’s a Dome there and that gives you a lovely view over the city apparently so I think that’s a nice way to start the day now I’m pretty sure this is like a historic building we’re going to but it’s got a very modern twist and it should be just around the corner here oh wow it is beautiful but I just hope they let me in cuz I’m running late they had very specific instructions what a place it’s massive but then so is the whole of Berlin and as is typical with me the main entrance is a construction site at the moment so we need to find a way in well it wasn’t that way maybe around here I think the word I’d used for it is imposing but how do we get in oh my God I think that’s the Brandenburg gate over there and I think I’ll be going there next this is so cool please be the visitor entrance no I don’t think it is ah this way typical it was right around the other side wow this must be a government building or something just to get this far there was airport style Security in there there were checking my ID really closely making sure my date of birth matched and that’s just to get this far we’re not even inside yet what a place eh [Music] and here we are up in the Terrace with the Dome behind us this is very different isn’t it if you’re want to come here as well I’d advise making a reservation even before you leave home cuz like I say they’re very strict about admittance and I think this is the number one place to visit on trip advisor for Berlin so it’ll get very busy and here we are at the top it’s funny this is a beautiful building but the whole reason I came up here this morning was to show you the views and it’s a gorgeous day but you’re always behind glass and for some reason that glass is all steamed up this morning so I can’t show you anything sorry so down we go again no time to waste today I got to be honest that was a wee bit disappointing oh you get are these we Peaks out over the city there’s actually more of a view just going up and down than there is at the top very strange I’ve got a funny feeling that maybe the windows will clear as the day goes on so maybe first thing in the morning isn’t the time to visit my reservation was at 8:15 and it’s 8:30 now I’m leaving already although that being said that’s just the Dome we’ve still got the Terrace which is fairly high up we’re going to get some good views from here I reckon n everything’s a bit distant to be honest Berlin’s a big city and it’s well spread out so maybe coming up high to places like this isn’t the best way to see it let’s move on we’ll get back down to ground level is this the way out yes so there we are folks the Dome at the r tag building bit of a strange one I think I’m going to give it a breathtaking rating of 4 out of 10 I mean it’s a beautiful building maybe I’m being a bit harsh but it just feels like the attraction that you come here for isn’t really fit for purpose let’s move on and it’s certainly not worth going through the airport scanners over there just to get in right I think we’ll go to the Brandenburg gate next because it’s so close I’m just waiting back a wee bit till the har Krishna boy’s gone that’s not really the soundtrack I want in my video today [Applause] so there we are the Brandenburg gate I think it’s best viewed from the other side so let’s walk through it first and we’ll go right through the middle eh now there used to be Gates like this all around the city but this is the only one that’s left it dates from the 18th century and these were originally used as Customs checks would you believe now this one’s called the Brandenburg gate because it leads to the city of Brandenburg and up at the top you can see Victoria the Roman goddess of Victory and if we swing around just next to the gate we’ve got the US Embassy and there’s something else American just up here but I can’t he find it I think I’m on the wrong side of the gate so let’s go back through I’m certainly catching it in some beautiful light this morning [Applause] eh and there it is I found it the Ronald Reagan plaque Mr garbach off Open this gate tear down this wall so here on Jun I was standing reading the plaque and then these guys just came and stood right in front of me so see what it says here on June the 12th 1987 Ronald Reagan president of the United States of America challenged the Secretary General of the Soviet Union M gorbachov to demonstrate the sincerity of his country’s desire for Peace by opening the Brandenburg gate and tearing down the Berlin Wall 2 and 1/2 years later on the evening of November 9th 1989 the world watched an amazement as the people of East Germany poured through the openings in a wall which had effectively ceased to exist but of course when I think of that historic day in 1989 who comes to my mind David Hasselhoff I’ve been looking for and in that bombshell let’s move on to the Palace of Tears oh yeah the Brandenburg gate I’ll give it a rating of 8 out of 10 a beautiful historic Place One of a Kind it’s just not as big as I expected [Music] oh I can smell food and it’s reminded me I haven’t had breakfast yet so I may well get distracted on the way to the next attraction in fact the nice smell might be coming from this week Cafe what’s going in oh is that an omelette fancy that you know so breakfast is served and boy my ready for it we’ve got a lovely bacon omelette roll and a proper freshly squeezed orange juice cheers I think we’re doing okay so far it’s just gone halfast 9 gets dark around about 3 4:00 in late November so we do still need to focus a we bit but we’re doing all right oh this is really good by the way oh that hit the spot my perfect breakfast I’m getting into the habit now of not checking reviews of places to eat but just going where I see lots of local people and so far it’s worked for me every [Music] time van Fred I had to cross the road cuz I just love that sign for the espan entrance and I Dash back across the road cuz I’m looking for the Palace of tears I think I think it’s over here I’ve just got no idea what it looks like that station is gorgeous you know what I think this is it here and it’s called in German trainin palast Palace of tears to us English [Music] speakers I so this beautiful building behind me used to be a border crossing between East and West Berlin and it’s called the Palace of Tears because it’s the place where a lot of family members and friends would have to say goodbye to each other before going their separate ways let’s go have a look inside hello thank you thank you this is such a fascinating little exhibition that gives you a real sense of how crazy this place was back in the day familes torn apart you’ve got to come and see this if you’re in Berlin [Music] the mission each of these little suitcases you can hear a very personal story from segregated Berlin had there was always enough to eat if anything too much for the East we were do it very well [Music] despite the exhibition itself being so good it’s the building for me that’s the star of the show it’s absolutely beautiful but I hadn’t appreciated that these were the actual checkpoints in situ where they would have been back in the day where you’d cross from east to west absolutely incredible eh imagine going through one of these booths if you even would have the opportunity to do so eh would they stamp my passport I doubt it nice form that’s the fall of the Berlin Wall I think that’s where we should go next [Music] eh I love the contrast of the colors between the Palace of tears and the railway station beyond beautiful isn’t it well that was amazing just a small building but with so much history I would give the Palace of Tears or the Trin Palace as it’s known in German a breathtaking rating of 10 out of 10 if you’re in Berlin you’ve got to come and see this place I’m now going to jump on the sand to our next place it’s only about a mile away but I’ve got a day ticket I might as well use it eh espan 1 to6 [Music] [Music] I’ve got no idea if I’m on the right San we’ll soon find out it was a bit of a rush decision I’m afraid again look at those signs they’re beautiful [Music] [Music] and here we are at nban Hof this is one of the old ghost stations again between the East and the West sorry you probably couldn’t hear me there but I’ve jumped off the San at Nord bhof now back in the day this would have been one of the ghost stations as they were known and that’s where the trains from West Berlin would pass through the station but they wouldn’t stop and the guards from the East would have been looking out for deserters now I’m not sure how much the station has changed since those days but I think there is an exhibition somewhere so we should try and find that so this station would have been deep in East Berlin and they’d have to break up the tunnels just to stop people escaping to the West imagine passing through a station like this on the train and seeing the Communist East just flash by your window fascinating [Music] place was a we Mouse there you see him hello buddy now I’m not sure if we’ve seen all the exhibition or if there’s more of it in here it might just be those signs dotted around the station but we’ll have a we [Music] look no I think that was it to be honest but even though there’s nothing else to see here I’m still going to give Nord ban Hof a rating of 9 out of 10 and not just because of its history and the fact that it’s still an active station but because of its location which you see this look it brings you out at the barlin wall well sections of it anyway the Border fortifications were rebuilt incessantly between 1961 and 1989 to improve their efficiency it just seems so recent when all this crazy stuff was happening you know but these days it’s a very peaceful little place to come and walk your dog I like how they’ve preserved it though [Music] AA Zigman 58 years old fatal accident on the 22nd of August [Music] [Applause] 1961 wishow Berlin Wall exhibition the memorial a massive 10 out of [Applause] [Applause] 10 and right next to the wall you’ve got this beautiful old graveyard but it looks like even this place was split right down the middle [Applause] way I’m going to head back into the center of town now to Alexander plats now if you saw my Christmas Day video that’s where I had my brat VC last night and I’m not ruling out having another one maybe the curry version this [Applause] time re Mouse is still running about you see him [Music] oh no which way do we go I think it’s this way now hold on I’m in the wrong platform I’m going I I should be on that train oh well me getting lost who would have thought eh [Music] [Music] [Music] I’m just hopping about trains as if I know what I’m doing I don’t by the way let’s see how my luck is this time I just got asked directions by this lad here I was the wrong person to ask him afraid is this train going or what are we going the right way guess we’ll soon find out [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Music] and we’re back at Alexander plat so it’ll be interesting to see it in daylight [Music] [Music] these places definitely have a bit more about them at night time don’t they and in fact the last place on my list for today is another market so maybe by the time we get there it’ll be [Music] dark I’m not really getting much of a sense for Alexander plat well the Christmas Market’s on but here you can see a couple of its coolest features you got the world clock and the TV Tower I believe the world CL was put here in the 1960s and see the bit with the numbers that actually spins around so as you can see at the moment in Sydney CRA and Melbourne in Australia it’s just coming up 1: p.m. I think that’s how you read it anyway now I wonder if we can go up the TV tower it’s worth a look isn’t it some place question is where’s the entrance up here give it a try H doesn’t feel very open up here does it well it looks like the tower is open I just spoke to a guy there he said the entrance is right to the left no idea how much it is though what do you think 20 I’m going with 20 [Music] okay I think this must be the entrance well folks sorry I’ve decided against going up the TV tower it’s almost €0 to get in and all I’d be doing is going up in the lift doing a quick 360 and straight back down again so I don’t think that represents value for money to be honest but if you’ve been up there and you think I’m missing out let me know in the comments below but for me I’m quite happy just to enjoy the beauty of the Tower from down here at street level as a structure I think I’ll give it a 9 out of 10 it’s high I’ll get my panoramic view of Berlin somewhere we failed with the first attraction this morning we failed with that one we next the cathedral maybe now if I’m not mistaken that’ll be Berlin Cathedral there with its big dome but I wonder if you can go up inside that big dome that’s the question isn’t it and the other question is how do we get across this road ah at last a [Music] [Applause] [Music] Crossing well this place has certainly got W factor it’s like being back in Road [Music] so there we are Berlin Cathedral €1 that’s a bit better isn’t it let’s see what it’s like inside big [Music] door of course my luck construction I love how it says please be quiet wow despite the noise this is quite [Applause] cool [Applause] silence it says this way to the panoramic view that sounds promising doesn’t it I don’t think there’s a lift by the way I’d be taking the stairs anyway don’t you worry and we’ve still got 228 steps to go still going stairs stairs everywhere feels like we’re at the base of that Dome now oh this is the workout I do not need this afternoon I need my lunch mind your head and I think this is the final push to the top it’s just getting narrower I see a door [Music] hey that’s not bad is it okay so it’s not quite as high as a TV tower is it but it’s like what they say about the Empire State Building isn’t it if you go up the Empire State Building you can’t see the Empire State [Music] Building this is a big old city isn’t it it goes on as far as the eye can see oh look at these guys when I was saying that Berlin goes on as far as the eye can see that’s actually in all directions can’t believe how big this city is and I must say even though I’m not normally a fan of big cities my day in Berlin has been really enjoyable I love this place but let’s be honest I’ve barely scratched the surface ehh I think that’s high enough for me I’m just not in the same league as these guys right let’s head back down it’s getting cold up here [Music] a long way to go there’s a little cafe in the cathedral and I think we just need to try that Mandarin cheesecake don’t we yeah I know how could I not buy this cheesecake eh and I always say until you come to Europe you haven’t tried proper cheesecake I think Poland still wins but this stuff is good oh yes I think that’ll keep me going for another couple hours won’t it well and truly polished fantastic Berlin cathedral in your Dom Cafe you’re getting a solid 9 out of 10 from [Music] me and you know what there’s only a couple more places on my list to see today just as well it’s starting to get cold oh I like this big heavy door especially the pigeon [Music] and we come to yet another Christmas Market this in fact might be the one that I was going to come to and when I was hoping it might be a we bit darker but there we go I don’t think I’ll be out until it’s too dark tonight to be honest with you now this one’s got an entrance fee €2 would you believe have I got2 that’s the question hi thanks [Music] oh I get the feeling I could be spending more than 2 in here the setting of this Market is absolutely gorgeous is that like the university building behind or something I think so oh and look they’ve got reference to the actual meaning of Christmas you don’t see that every Market do [Music] you now of course I know that Christmas is over and Christmas content is the last kind of thing you want to see now but the market was here when I was here so I just thought I’d give you a we look and this is classed as one of the best markets I think in Berlin as I say2 to get in I would say it’s worth it and it would keep the crowds down as well wouldn’t it I was just passing here and I saw what looks like a Volkswagen Museum it was this beetle in the window that caught my eye I wonder if we can go in there let’s go and have a look it might be free to get in I’ve got no idea what’s going on here but we’ll keep going that’s quite a funny concept car it looks quite normal at the front and then you go the side and the back and H not sure about that oh now we’re talking that’s one of the most beautiful cars I think I’ve ever seen classic design eh and that’s not too bad either is it we’ll just ignore that one I know it’s a bit like a cross between a museum and a car showroom but I’m glad I came in oh I remember back in the 80s that’s how I was editing my YouTube videos right come on let’s get out of here no exit just off in front of me now we’ve got Checkpoint Charlie now this wasn’t on my list and that’s because when I read about it and found out that it was just a replica it kind of lost its appeal to be honest I just happened to be passing at the moment as a walk down friederick sta nice cars though oh yeah I think you can rent [Music] these the sign’s quite cool though isn’t it no not the KFC one and on the other side oh I think this is where you can hire those old cars now it’s called trabby world are they trabants is that what they’re called they’re even a bit before my time would you believe and don’t get me wrong I think it’s really cool you can hire these and go for a drive around the city but that’s the problem isn’t it driving around the city so it’s a no for me but it looks like you follow a set route and for 1 hour 15 minutes €59 2 hours 15 minutes 89 it’d be some experience but Alia you can do the driving and look over here we’ve got another way to get a panoramic view of Berlin for €30 always seems to be €30 doesn’t it just as well it’s closed for high winds high winds but anyway this one’s called the velt balloon it’s a helium balloon and it will take you up to 150 m above Berlin that’s actually quite cool isn’t it oh that’s such a good time in Berlin but like I say it’s a massive City so if like me you’re kind of coming for the first time and you’re on limited time it really does pay to plan your journey think about an itinerary the different things you want to see because I’ve barely scratched the surface and even though I’ve been off and on public transport all day I’ve still done about 30,000 steps so that shows you exactly how it is now I think we’ll finish the video by going and getting something to eat it is my last night in Germany so I fancy I Curry worst let’s go Curry 61 is that Curry wor I think it is you know so I might just be standing out in the street but what do you think about my dinner got a beer as well cheers I swear it’s the best thing in the [Music] world oh that was so good but you know what I find it really difficult to rate Curry Force because I’ve never had a bad one in Germany the only rating I can give it is did I spill any down my jacket and I didn’t so we’ve got a win [Music] well folks that’s me back in my hotel room and I don’t think I’ll be leaving again tonight not even to go down to the bar for a we night cap so what did I think of barlin well it’s funny it’s exactly how I thought it would be I mean some of the places I went were a bit Hit or Miss but I’m glad I went to the mall and there still plenty of reasons to come back and continue exploring this amazing City let me know what you thought of the video let me know if you’ve been to Berlin before but back to my very first question did Berlin Take My Breath Away you better believe it did I’ve got my eyes on that Premier in bed right now I’ll see you in the next one bye-bye oh good night [Music]

I had one winter day in Berlin and spent that time scooting around various locations and attractions I’ve always wanted to see. But what I didn’t realise until filming and later editing this video was how cheap my day would turn out to be. This of course meant I had to say ‘nein’ to a couple of places, but I really don’t think it made my day any less enjoyable. I hope you enjoy the video…

Where are we on holiday? It’s a first time trip to Tenerife 🙂 We’ll almost be home by the time this video goes out, but we did take the camera, so maybe the next upload will be a short one from there!

Filmed on Wednesday 27th November 2024
Music courtesy of epidemicsound.com
Thumbnail designed using Canva
This video is not sponsored and all opinions are my own

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I don’t pretend to be a travel expert, but I love what I do and would be honoured if you came along with me. My channel focusses on the wide-eyed wonder and excitement of finding somewhere new, and my genuine reaction to it. You may not get a history lesson in my videos, but who knows, you might pick up some useful travel tips along the way, add a few destinations to your bucket list and hopefully be entertained by what you see. Thanks for watching, it means a lot to me 🙂

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I was born in Glasgow but have lived in Carnoustie, Dalgety Bay, Stonehaven, Edinburgh, Montrose, and further afield (Salamanca, Spain & Devonport, New Zealand)
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Alicja will feature whenever possible, but she has her own life and a 9-5 job so it can take a while for our schedules to match up. Trust me though, I prefer it when She is there too!
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