Germany & France, July 2013: Berlin sights

by | Aug 9, 2013 | International Travel

Leandra and I visited Berlin over a long weekend here in 2009 so I had seen some of the tourist checklist items, leaving me a bit more freedom to explore a few new places.  This time I was in Berlin for a computational biology conference, so my opportunities were a bit more limited than our typical travels, but when I wasn’t in the ICC I was out exploring the city.

Later Thursday afternoon I walked through the Tiergarten, the large green space dominating the heart of Berlin. At the very center is the large Victory Column.

Victory Column

On Friday I headed over to Schloss Charlottenburg, the largest remaining royal residence in the city. As with most palaces, this was not understated…

Schloss Charlottenburg courtyard

It takes a good 5 minutes to walk around either of the wings (unpictured), so this is a large building. But I was here primarily for the gardens that are in back.

Schloss Charlottenburg rear Schloss Charlottenburg gardens

Later that afternoon I made my way to the south side of Berlin to visit a waterfall in Viktoriapark.

Viktoriapark

On the way back to my hotel I stumbled across an interesting courtyard next to the Sankt Bonifatius church.

Sankt Bonifatius courtyard

During my time in Berlin I also visited two of the smaller museums. The Dali museum was interesting but primarily showcased sketches and memorabilia – so this is not the museum to see the large works for which he became famous. The Museum of Photography is primarily dedicated to Helmut Newton’s photos and memorabilia, with a special exhibit space on the third floor. They had most of the most famous Newton photos, some blown up larger than life size, and I quite enjoyed my time there.

On my last night in Berlin I headed toward the famous Brandenburg gate and Reichstag at sunset for a few photos.

Brandenburg Tor (Gate)

Reichstag

Reichstag

 

across from KaDaWe
across from KaDeWe

Tagged with: Berlin | Germany | july 2013

Our Itinerary

2025 Trips

Buenos Aires, Argentina (Feb)
Bariloche, Argentina (Feb)
Iguazu Falls, Argentina (Feb)
Boston, MA (Apr)
Kathmandu, Nepal (May)
Bhutan (May)

2024 Trips

San Diego, CA (Jan)
Sarasota, FL (Feb)
Madrid, Spain (Mar)
Valencia, Spain (Mar+Apr)
Palma, Mallorca (Apr)
Croatia (May)
Long Island, NY (July)
Faroe Islands (Aug)
London, UK (Sept)
Puglia, Italy (Sept)
Matera, Italy (Oct)
Rome, Italy (Oct)
Mosel Valley, Germany (Oct)
Frankfurt, Germany (Oct)
London, UK (Dec)
Manchester, UK (Dec)

2022 Trips

Florida (Feb)
NC Mountains (Apr)
Washington DC (Apr)
Valencia, Spain (May)
Hilton Head, SC (May)
Pacific NW (Jun)
Long Island (Jul)
Florida (Sept)
Chicago (Sept)
Poland (Sept)
NC Mountains (Nov)
Euro Xmas Markets (Dec)