A March weekend in Berlin p. 1

Berlin greeted me with beautiful sunny weather peeking in thru white curtains of a room at Kaiserin-Augusta-Alee. You cannot resist such an invitation. Although my host suggested using public transport I decided that walking would be the best choice. I like it especially in places that I am about to get to know.

Although at such early March most of the plants are still at the end of winter slumber, you can smell approaching spring in the air and see it in the way people behave. When I hit the road and sauntered I could not resist taking a picture of a building that sat across the other bank of Spree.

My today's main goal was getting to Martin Gropius Bau to see Barbara Klemms photography exhibition. The shortest and fairly promising path led along Levetzowstrasse, Altonaer Strasse, Grosser Stern, Grosse Sternallee (across Tiergarten), Tiergartenstrasse, Gurion Strasse, Potsdamer Strasse, Stresemannstrasse and Niederkirschenerstrasse.

The Grosse Stern with the Victory Monument (Siegessaule) was visible as soon as I started marching along Altonaer Strasse. The traffic was scarce, so the cars hardly marred the view and the monument perched on the  top of column was glistening in the morning sun. The nineteenth century monument commemorating Prussia/Germany's victory was standing here seemingly undusturbed by two world wars. Berlin was very seriously hit by the World War Two, but now in 2014 this seems ancient past. The city is the living symbol of reunited Germany that in spite of two devastating wars seems the ultimate victor.

Going thru Tiergarten I  wished that the spring was a bit more advanced and the leaves and grass showed, but still it was a pleasure to go along Grosse Sternallee and pass morning joggers. The park complex remembers the time of Frederick the Great, even then it was a major destination for Berliners' trips.

I arrived at Potsdamer Platz at noon. The crowd was becoming more and more international and I saw Berlin speed tour buses dashing along the streets. Once this was a place where a large Potsdam railway station was situated -- the last war did not spare it. Today you can see only entrances to the station that is hidden underground. After several minutes spent on admiring the sharp towers of surrounding sky-scrapers and enjoying chocolate mocca and tuscany flatbread sandwich I went to Martin Gropius Bau.

To be continued...