GERMANY- PART 2

Our welcome to Berlin was a dreary one, with grey skies and scattered rain; our outlook towards our latest stop was bleak. However, Kermit was in need of a new water pump so we soldiered on to find a Volkswagen dealership and booked in for two days time. After our long six-hour journey, energy was dwindling so we made our way to a campsite to recharge and research for our next few days in Berlin. The next morning we woke to some sun and a new sunny disposition followed. We headed into town, parked the car, and began our walk into Mitte. After a few minutes walk we stumbled upon our first part of the Berlin Wall at the Topographie des Terrors, where we began our history lesson for the day, learning about the end of World War II and the building of the wall in 1945. We continued into the city to Mauer Park flee market at Potsdamer Platz, after stopping off for a currywurst, where we strolled through looking at the trinkets and jewelry.

The Holocaust Memorial was next, we mandered through the tall blocks and paid our respect to those who lost their lives during Hitler’s tyranny. Then on to Brandenberg Tor and the Reichstag and the surrounding gardens. By late lunch we had covered most of the main tourist attractions in Mitte, so we headed for some food. We endured an hour-long wait at a kebab house called Mustafas in Kreuzeberg, for what could be the BEST kebab in Berlin and possibly the world. The afternoon was spent at an indoor skate park before driving to the Volkswagen dealership where we slept for the night in camouflage. 

The following morning we said our farewells to Kermit at 6am and left him to be fixed and caught the underground into town. From there we walked through the city eventually deciding to head towards the Markethalle (food markets) that was a mere hour walk away, passing some beautiful attractions on the way.  Once we arrived at the Markethalle, which was very underwhelming, we sat down and recovered with a beverage before walking back. We enjoyed a long lazy lunch of traditional spatzle and schnitzel with Berliner beer and Riesling in a restaurant near Mauler Park before heading to pick up Kermit.  We cooked in the camper and hung out for the night waiting for the exclusive Berghain, Berlin’s largest and most famous nightclub, to open.  Once a power plant, the huge building now houses the most exclusive hipster clubs, Panorama Bar and Berghain.  To enter the building you must fit into a certain category- typically German hipster. So no dresses or heels. No looking too good. No Asians or tourists of any kind. The list goes on. So clad with combat boots and jeans we headed for the entrance, only to wait 45 minutes. Once the doors finally opened, we were denied entry, and so was half of the line. Alas, we would not give up that easily! We went back to Kermit, changed our clothes and messed our hair up a bit and went again, this time with success. After paying our twelve-euro entrance we headed in to discover that Berghain wasn’t open just Panorama Bar. We enjoyed a few drinks and danced to the sounds of the European techno before calling it a night at some hour of the morning. The next morning we left Berlin, headed towards Dresden.

We arrived in Dresden on a stunning day to be shocked by the hidden gem of a town. Although not feeling quite up to touristy activities after our big night, we headed to the skate park for the afternoon where I lay in the sun and napped while matt skated. We then bought some groceries and headed to a campsite for a much-needed shower and to wash our clothes. The next morning we ventured out into the town, walking through the charming streets of Dresden, which was once home to the Saxony Royalty. The streets are lined with awe-inspiring Baroque architecture and little cafes. We spent the day enjoy the sights, stopping for another traditional German feast before heading to Bamberg for the night.

The following morning in Bamberg was spent walking around the small cobblestone streets until lunchtime before heading towards Munich. 

The afternoon we spent at Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site- the first of Hitler’s concentration camps. It was an eerie place, after studying so much about World War two and the holocaust, to walk through the Roll Call Square where the 30 000 prisoners once stood was overwhelming. I was left speechless and appalled, seeing the reconstructed living conditions of the prisoners and hearing accounts of the torture endured within the fences. This camp wasn’t even a death camp, with only a small gas chamber and crematorium, yet still over 30 000 prisoners deceased within the 12 years of its existence. After the chilling experience at the camp, we drove into Munich to sleep for the night.

The next morning we woke to beautiful sunshine and began our explorations in Munich. Mid-morning we walked through the city to Marienplatz, the main town square. There we gazed upon the stunning neo-gothic Neues Rathaus (Town Hall) before walking to St Peters church to climb the 306 steps for a 360 degree view of Munich.

After our climb up St Peter, we had earnt some lunch. Lunch-time was spent walking through the Viktualienmarkt, the central food market, for some local delicacies such as smoked bratwurst and apfel strudel while looking upon the fascinating international produce and spices stalls.

The afternoon we visited the Englischer Garten, the worlds largest urban park for a stroll through the stunning greenery. Admist the trees lies the Eisbach river and an unsuspecting little gem, a man made wave crated from the rapids that local surfers shred. We sat and enjoyed the spectacle before heading to Chinesischer Turm Beer Garden, to which we enjoyed a pint of local beer and a pork hock with mustard for dinner. We left Munich that night and stayed at a truck stop with views of the Bavarian Alps in the distance.

The next morning we woke to beautiful sunny skies, made some breakfast and drove to a close by skate park in the little town of Holzkirchen. Then we headed to a ski field at Blombergbahn and caught a chair lift up the summit to ride a 1.3km toboggan down through the fir trees.  After our exhilarating ride we drove to Fussen in the Bavarian Alps to view the Schloss Neuschwanstein, a castle built for King Ludwig II and the same castle that the Disneyland castle was fashioned after. Although due to poor weather we didn’t walk up for a view inside, rather admired from a distance. 

In the afternoon, we headed to Berchtesgaden, a stunning town near the border of Austria, surrounded by Alpine Ranges with snowy peaks, even in summer. We slept at a campsite near the foothills of the mountains in a pristine location and enjoyed stillness and tranquility of the Alps.  On our last day in Germany, we spent the morning at Konigssee Lake, Germany’s clearest Lake and caught a boat across to St. Barthaloma. The untouched landscape and immaculate water made for an unforgettable experience, especially when the boat captain stopped at the Echowand and played the Flugelhorn into the high Alpine ranges where it ricocheted and echoed through the valley. We then drove to Hitler’s Retreat on the mountain above Berchtesgaden for a view over the gorge before heading to Austria for the afternoon.