Berlin Part I on Film

Hi Film Friends! Today, we explore Berlin through film! After about 8 hours on the bus, I arrived safely in Berlin! Funny story! While on the bus, I dropped my phone onto the floor and it just slid away from me because the bus. I panicked as I was unable to find it; it was dark and everyone was asleep. I decided to go to sleep praying that someone would return it in the morning and they did. Faith in humanity restored!

Anyway, when I alighted from the bus, it was in a very quiet part of Berlin and everything was still closed. So I took the S Bahn to my airbnb near S Hackescher Markt station. It was a very nice and central area with lots of restaurants and small eateries. I managed to get into my airbnb earlier than the official check in time because the couple before was checking out and I got the keys from them. The apartment was simply exquisite. It was a shared apartment but I had a little time to explore. I’m goin to just let the photos speak for themselves. Something about European houses man.

Living room complete with stuffed birds.

Mitte neighbourhood with its many cool alleyways hiding quaint coffee shops.

After being in awe with the airbnb, I decided to do a half day walking tour to get the general vibes of Berlin. We met up at the starting point were appointed our guide, she was an American with a degree in history. At the beginning, she pointed out many interesting things, like bullet holes leftover from World War 2, and told us many interesting stories, like police officers helping Jews escape when the Nazis were targeting them. It was a very informational tour.

However, once we started walking, the photographer in me started wandering off and taking photos. I lost the tour a few times but always managed to find them somehow. That was until we reached Brandenburg Gate. It was the 3rd of October, German Unity Day. The day where East and West Germany were reunified and the National Day of Germany. Naturally, it was really crowded with Germans celebrating in the streets and I lost the tour for good. I got most of the main sites covered anyway so I decided to visit Berlin Central Station.

After being separated from the walking tour, I headed towards Berlin Central Station.

Love the glass and steel architecture of the station. It feels very modern. A nice contrast to the older stations of the S Bahn.

From Berlin Central Station, I decided to check out Teufelsberg. An old American listening station during the Cold War that has been overtaken by artists and covered with graffiti. So much graffiti. I wonder what were they listening to in the listening stations. Teufelsberg was located atop a man-made hill in the Grunewald forest so there was a bit of a trek up. It took me roughly 30 minutes to get to the actual station but the trek there was breathtaking. The ticket cost me €6 as I managed to convince them I was a student while an adult ticket would have cost €8 and a ticket that allows you a camera was €15.

Ceramic “brick” tiles always remind me of the Ministry of Magic walls of Harry Potter.

Golden hour light filtering through the autumn leaves.

Photos up till now were shot on the Contax T2 with Kodak Colorplus 200. Developed and scanned by Photocity Lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

You can see some of Teufelsberg’s listening towers in the distance.

Many families flying kites on the windy hills.

Once you get in, you’d be met by these giant concrete structures covered with graffiti. There were some galleries and even a bar serving beer as well. I arrived a little too late and the place was closing in about an hour, so I went straight to the rooftop where the main listening towers were. I suggest climbing all the way to the highest dome as that was the least destroyed of all the domes. While I was there, someone was playing music out of their phones and man, the acoustics were amazing. I would’ve loved to bring my trumpet along to play some tunes. Anyway, we listened to a couple of songs in near complete darkness, just enjoying the strangely relaxing echoes and reverberations. Then some inconsiderate tourist came in and started shouting and everyone dispersed after that. But it was nice while it lasted.

The inside of one of the listening domes.

There were sofas and even a bathtub to lounge in if you so wish.

Through a peephole in the highest tower.

As the sun started to set, everyone made their way back home. But me, not knowing how quickly it would get dark, stayed behind to enjoy the sunset. And honestly, all was fine until I came across some bushes and a snorting sound sounded from inside the bushes. My brain quickly processed that I must’ve stumbled upon a wild boar. So I hastened my pace and went past it. Little did I know, in my hurry, I went down the wrong path and had to cross that patch of bushes again. Snort. I was really afraid that the wild boar might come out and charge at me. Nothing. A few minutes later, google maps led me to a dead end and guess what? I had to go past the snort bush again. This time I was prepared. I withdrew two of the sharpest things in my bag. Two pens. I was prepared to stab it if need be. A thought crossed my mind. Was I going to die in a forest to a wild boar? I quickly dashed across the bushes and this time there was some rustling in the bushes. It must have been as afraid of me as I of it. And that was the story of how I nearly died in a german forest.

A photo to commemorate me surviving a german forest. It was pitch black in there.

Got home safe and prepared for the next day as a friend of mine, An Chun was going to be arriving in the afternoon and would be showing me around. He was studying in Germany at that time. Finally, I familiar face I could travel with!

Anyway, I woke up the next morning and started exploring on foot. The first thing on the agenda was to have Currywurst, a Berliner staple. Currywurst is pork sausage, first steamed then fried, served with curry ketchup and a side of fries. Thinking about it now is making me drool. Damn. Obviously I was only going to have the best and one of the best was Konnopke’s Imbiss. Definitely a must try. The location is also really cool as well. The booth was housed under an S bahn bridge and has a really cool vibe. You’ll realise many shops and restaurants are housed under S bahn bridges in Berlin.

I can’t say it enough, but I enjoy walking a lot. Especially when the weather is really nice. On the way to Konnopke’s Imbiss, I stumbled upon a pair of twins whom I saw on Negative Feedback’s Facebook group the night before. They were dressed really well and looked like Elton John. I was so excited but didn’t have the courage to approach them so I just shot a photo of them from the back. Looking back, I realise my approach to photography really changed over the past year. I started to approach people more and this was all thanks to the people I’ve met in a Singaporean film group called The Film Initiative. I have learnt so much through shooting with different types of photographers and exchanging ideas and philosophies. If you’re interest in joining us, you can click on the hyperlink and it will lead you to our telegram group. It’s a cool group with many different types of film photographers and everyone is really helpful as well!

Photos up till now were shot on the Contax T2 with Fuji C200. Developed and scanned by Photocity Lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

After the Currywurst, I made my way to Berlin Central Station to meet up with An Chun. This brings me to the end of this blogpost. As usual, hope you guys enjoyed reading about my experience and feedback is always appreciated! See you guys next week as we continue exploring Berlin through film!