Journeys matter! Let's start with lovely Berlin! :)

Ukoliko ste raspoloženi za putovanje, vežite pojas i pratite nekoliko narednih postova. Počinjem sa Berlinom, a neka naredne destinacije ostanu iznenađenje :)
Pre nego što otputujem negde pod pripremom, pored pakovanja garderobe, podrazumevam i psihičku pripremu. A pod psihičkom pripremom podrazumevam gledanje filmova snimljenih na tim lokacijama, čitanje tekstova sa Vikipedije, različitih zanimljivosti, itd. Smatram to dobrom navikom jer je to način da u celosti doživim destinaciju. Tako sam učinila i pre ovog putovanja. Iz tog razloga mi ni u startu nisu bila mala očekivanja što se tiče Berlina, mada moram da priznam da ih je, kolika god da su bila, premašio. Iako obžavam gradove koji odišu istorijom i bajkovitim građevinama (aludiram na Prag :))) Berlin me je osvojio na sasvim drugačiji način. Nakon zaista iscrpnog obilaska, pod kojim podrazumevam činjenicu da su mnoga mesta posećena i više puta,opisala bih ga kao izuzetno živ grad. Primetila sam da su ljudi u načelu ljubazni, spremni da vas reše nedoumica koje imate kao turista. Uživala sam šetajući se predivnom ulicom "Unter den Linden" (pod lipama), punom veselih restorana, uličnih svirača.. Malo sam udavila opisima pa ću ostatak priče da prepustim fotografijama za koje važi da dosta govore, da ne preterujemo sa "više od hiljadu reči" :)))

If you're eager to travel fasten your seat belts and follow my next posts. I start with Berlin, but let the other destinations be a surprise. Before I travel somewhere, beside packing my suitcases, I also make some psychological preparations. Under this I mean watching the movies filmed on those locations, reading Wikipedia etc. I consider it a good habit because it's a good way to "feel" the destination completely in advance. Due to this reason I had great expectations about Berlin, and I have to admit that, regardless how great they were, Berlin surpassed them. Although I adore historical cities (like Prague :)) Berlin took my heart in a completely different way. After a thorough sightseeing my impression is that the city of Berlin is very vivid. I noticed that people are very hospitable and ready to help you with any information you might want to know. I enjoyed in strolling along the beautiful "Unter den Linden" (under the linden trees)street full of joyful restaurants, street musicians, etc. Maybe I was a bore with the descriptions, that's why the rest of the story will be left to the photos to speak for themselves.

Brandenburška kapija
Brandenburger Tor

Reichstag

Ostaci berlinskog zida
The remnants od the Berlin Wall

 Checkpoint Charlie- nekadašnja granica između istočnog i zapadnog Berlina.

 Checkpoint Charlie- former border between Eastern and Western Berlin.

Holocaust-Mahnmal (prethonde tri fotografije) Spomenik žrtvama Holokausta,koji izgleda vrlo jednostavno. Vodič nam je preporučio da se osamimo i izgubimo u ovom kamenom lavirintu. Kada ste unutra vidite samo nebo, jer vam kameni blokovi zaklanjaju pogled ka okolini. Sve to će doprineti da vas obuzme osećaj kao da ste u bezizlaznoj situaciji u kakvoj su Jevreji bili tokom 2. svetskog rata.

Previous 3 photos, the monument to the victims  of Holocaust, that looks very simple. Our guide recommended to be there alone and to be lost in this stone labyrinth. When inside, you can see only sky as the stone blocks obstruct any kind of view of the surrounding. All that is made with a  purpose to contribute to the feeling of helplessness, similar to the situation in which Jews were put in WWII.

Francuska katedrala
French cathedral

Konzerthaus

 "Spomenik" posvećen kristalnoj noći u kojoj su spaljivane knjige i uništavani jevrejski lokali. Procenjeno je da je te noći stradalo 2000 knjiga, pa su ove police napravljene tako da mogu da udome tačno taj broj knjiga.
Monument dedicated to the crystal night known as the night the books were put on bonfire and many Jewish shops demolished. It is estimated that around 2000 books were destroyed during that night. That is why these shelves were made for that exact number of books.

Roten Rathaus

Altes museum

Goethe

  Berlinski zid
 Berlin Wall

Deo hotela koji je većim delom uništen u drugom svetskom ratu, a za čije su se očuvanje zalagali Nemci, i na kraju uspeli da ga sačuvaju. Smešten je na Potsdamer platz-u.
Part of the hotel that was mostly destroyed during the WWII, and that was preserved thanks to the efforts of many Germans. It is located at Potsdamer platz.

Predivni Potsdamer platz, koji je najbolje posetiti noću.
Wonderful Potsdamer platz, best to be visited at night.

Nisam ljubitelj piva, ali se prilika da ga konzumiram u autentičnoj berlinskoj pivnici ne propušta. :)
I'm not a beer fun, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to taste it in the authentic Berlin beer house. :)