Travel | Postcards From Here and There

East Side Gallery Berlin

The East Side Gallery is a 1.3 Km stretch of the Berlin Wall in the former East Berlin district of Friedrichshain. For visiting, the nearest S-bahn stations are Ostbanhof and Warschauer Straße. This preserved section of wall has become an open air gallery with over 100 paintings which are free to view 24 hours a day. Work here began in 1990, shortly after the fall of the wall, and involved over a hundred different artists from all over the world. The paintings are actually on what would have been the east side of the wall although the actual border between East and West Berlin was the nearby River Spree. The reverse side of the wall is covered in graffiti which makes for an interesting contrast.

Over the years since their creation many paintings have been affected by weathering, graffiti and even vandalism. As a result restoration work has been undertaken.

The gallery can get very busy as it is one of the top tourist attractions in the city. We got there around 9.30am and it was relatively quiet but coaches started to arrive from around 10 o’clock and there was then much competition for photographs.

For this post words are not really necessary. I’ll let the works speak for themselves. Note that some of the photos only show sections of a much larger work.

The Persistence of Ignorance – Karsten Wenzel

Thank You Andrej Scharow – Dimitri Vrubel

Diagonal Solution of the Problem – Michail Serebrjakov

My God, Help Me Survive Amid This Deadly Love – Dimitri Vrubel

Reichstag Building Berlin

The Reichstag building in central Berlin has had quite a history. First opened in 1894, it was significantly damaged by fire in 1933. As a result of further damage during World War 2 it fell into disuse, although there was a partial restoration in the 1960s. The Berlin Wall, built in 1961, ran very close to the Reichstag which was on the western side of the wall. Following the fall of the wall in 1989 the building was refurbished and set to be the home of the German parliament following unification. The towers and facade are all that is left of the original building. In 1995 it was even wrapped in fabric for two weeks to make it an art installation.

Part of the refurbishment saw the building of the glass dome, designed by British architect Norman Foster. Made from glass and steel it affords a superb 360 degree view of the city. It is a stunning contrast to the formal architecture of rest of the building. The parliamentary debating chamber is located directly below the dome.

There is a mirrored funnel in the centre which directs light into the chamber. It looks very futuristic! There is even a moveable screen to prevent glare.

Two spiral walkways enable you to get to the top of the dome and back down again without having to retrace your steps while giving excellent views of the city.

Visits to the dome are free of charge but must be pre-booked. I booked two weeks in advance and was only able to get a slot for our last day in the city. If you have limited time available I would suggest booking as far ahead as you possibly can. Bookings must be made through the Bundestag website. At this point you must list all the people that will accompany you on your visit and give their full names and dates of birth. You will receive a confirmation of your visit by email and you must print off the accompanying letter and take it with you for your visit along with proof of identification for each visitor.

Brandenburger Tor is the closest S-Bahn station and from here it is a short five minute walk. You are asked to arrive 15 minutes before your allocated time in order to complete security checks. There did not appear to be any toilets/restrooms and refreshments are only available from a small stall in the dome itself however this was closed at the time of our visit as we had an early morning visit. There is a rooftop restaurant to the east of the dome which is open from 9am until 4.30pm.

Free audioguides are available in a variety of languages and these provide a short commentary about the Reichstag and views that you can see. I would also recommend picking up a free ‘Outlooks’ guide which has two panoramic photographs of the view from the dome which identify and give a short explanation about some of the buildings that you can see.

It is well worth pre-booking this visit, I cannot recommend it enough. A must on any list of things to do in Berlin

Chef’s Table Chester

Music Hall Passage is a narrow alley that connects Northgate Street to St. Werburg Street in Chester and can be used as a short cut from the city centre to the Cathehdral. However if you didn’t know it was there you could easily walk past the entrance on Northgate Street. This would be a shame because Music Hall Passage is home to a very fine restaurant indeed. The Chef’s Table is only small with 30 covers and a tiny kitchen from which they produce some very acceptable food indeed.

We visited at lunchtime on a weekday and were able to get a table without a prior reservation but this might not necessarily be the cast in the evening or at weekends. The lunch menu offers 2 courses for £18 or 3 for £22 which is very good value indeed for the quality on offer. Portions were good sized and we didn’t feel that we needed any side dishes for our particular choices. The menu is comprehensive with a good range of dishes, including vegan options. Ingredients are sourced locally as far as is possible.

Slow cooked octopus with chorizo, sweetcorn summer minestrone and haricot beans

Mushroom and avocado on toasted focaccia and served with red onion chutney

Roast stonebass, smoked haddock, Cheshire saffron risotto and a soft poached egg.

The stonebass was the dish of the day, beautiful fish and rich, creamy risotto.

The wine list is short but offers adequate choice to accompany the dishes on offer. We chose a glass of Gran Cerdo Blanco. Gonzalo Grijalba. Unfortunately I forgot to record the vintage but the 2017 is currently available in stores. This is a natural, organic wine with aromas of apricot, peach and a lovely floral component that make for a very appealing wine. The palate is medium bodied with lovely balance and lingering flavours of stone fruit. It accompanied the stonebass perfectly and is great value for money.

A very nice lunch. I am sure a return visit is likely.