“It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. Over time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain subsides. But it never goes away. “– Rose Kennedy

Berlin is the heart of Europe; the heir to Eastern and Western European influences. Although if Europe were a catwalk, you won’t find Berlin modeling the catwalk.

Not known for its beauty, Berlin is a city of contrasts: often considered ugly, dirty, and even violent in its image. His face bears the scars of war and the tumultuous effects of change. This is the capital of Germany. His is an inner beauty: the resilient spirit of a victor. The inspiration for the song, the Wall for her was a “fact of life”.

As a self-conscious newcomer, Berlin captivates our hearts with its multicultural diversity. Theirs is a rich bohemian rhapsody that gracefully dances to a modern, upbeat beat. To know Berlin is to “be” and “see” it as a Berliner.

She has resisted all would-be challengers: Prussians, Nazis, and Communists.

Leviticus 17:11, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; because it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”

For the heart to function properly, all four chambers must beat in an organized manner. All four chambers of the heart fill and pump blood. In Berlin, the revolutionary life of the dissent that kept alive the hope of a nation beaten down by the oppressors was bled. Berlin is where the East kisses the West and mixes heterogeneously. A third of its 3.5 million inhabitants are immigrants. *

* (An outsider moving into a community or place; not an original inhabitant).

Turkish rivals German as a daily street language in some parts of the city, and Berlin is home to many Slavic-speaking minorities. The dominant religion in this region of northeastern Germany is Evangelical Lutheranism, but immigrants to Berlin have brought their own beliefs: Islam, Roman Catholicism, and Orthodox Christianity.

Like a heart, Berlin beats with its ties to the east, especially Poland and Russia, as well as to the west. Its eastern outlook has become even more important with the expansion of the European Union. Remember that the center of Berlin is only an hour’s drive from the Polish border.

Slow to adopt modern technologies, Berlin is not a prosperous city and very different from other Western European capitals. But within Berlin beats the historical heart that has traditionally been highlighted by the eclectic commentary and the distant, unbiased yet passionate writing that still fuels Europe today.

“Ich bin ein Berliner”.

There are many ways to get around Berlin. You can travel by bicycle; football; bus; “pedicab”; S-Bahn; U-Bahn. See Berlin as the Berliners do. Half of the households in Berlin do not have a car. Berliners like to ride their bikes. The city is flat, green and very accessible via bike lanes. Even in the city center, the streets are quite safe.

“Bicycle the Berlin Wall”

Take a walk for seven miles – stop to climb one of the last border watchtowers, with the original border fortifications. See where East Berliners desperately leapt from their rooftops to get to the west. Stop at Checkpoint Charlie and listen to the gruesome travel stories in and out of the Iron Curtain for those at the time. Visit the Museum of the Wall. Enjoy the great outdoors and definitely pick up some pieces of the Wall. Relax and enjoy a view of the platform through a window seat at Starbucks with the spectacular Brandenburg Gate in the background.

“Walk the wall” – Take a walk and get an overview of the French, British, American and Soviet sectors.

Take a tour of the Third Reich: visit Hitler’s bunker, the Nazi Air Force Ministry, the SS, and the Gestapo headquarters. Feel the bitter Cold War that was fought in the shadows of Berlin. Visit museums to get a glimpse of the people, places, and secrets that kept two worlds on the brink of World War III, and the Wall that separated them. From Ghost Stations, the Stasi Museum and the only remaining complete section of the Wall.

Sachsenhausen, Concentration Camp Memorial –

Just outside the city limits is a reminder of the darkest days in Berlin’s history: the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Built in 1936 by slave labor, Sachsenhausen became the model that all other fields followed. It was a school of brutality, training guards for posts in other camps. By the end of World War II, more than 50,000 people had died there. The tragic story continued from 1945-1950 when the new communist occupiers followed in the Nazi footsteps and used the countryside to stop political enemies. Thousands more perished during this period. Visiting Sachsenhausen is one of the most important things you can do while visiting Berlin.

Jüdisches Museum Berlin and Holocaust Memorial – Berlin’s most visited museum showcases 2,000 years of Jewish history and culture in Germany.

Potsdam: the city of emperors -Berlin was the official capital of Prussia and later of the German Empire.

The Glienicke Bridge connects Wannsee with the city of Potsdam. The late Neoclassical Glienicke Palace and the Pfaueninsel are nearby. Since 1990, these palaces and parks have been part of the Potsdam and Berlin Palaces and Parks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Potsdam’s most popular attraction is Sanssouci Park, built in 1744 by King Frederick the Great, where sansouci (“carefree”) could live. The park is home to a botanical garden (Botanischer Garten Potsdam) .Another landmark of Potsdam is the Two-Street Dutch Quarter (Holländisches Viertel), a unique building complex in Europe, with some 150 houses built with red bricks in the Dutch style. . It was built between 1734 and 1742 under the direction of Jan Bouman to be used by Dutch craftsmen who had been invited to settle here by King Frederick Wilhelm I. Today, this area is one of the most visited districts in Potsdam.

The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is one of the most famous landmarks in Berlin. The damaged tower is a symbol of Berlin’s determination to rebuild the city after the war and a constant reminder of the destruction of the war.

What tour is complete without its gastronomy? In Germany, life is truly a moving party from the “Schnell Imbiss” stalls to the Turkish quarter, which is colorful, aromatically vibrant with the flavors and smells of doner kebabs.

There is something for everyone here! Come “fall in love” with Berlin, the heart of Europe.