Berlin Part II on Film

Hi Film Friends! Hope the week has been kind to you guys? It has been constantly cloudy and rainy here in Singapore. Reminds me of the weather back in Berlin. Anyway, we pick off where we left off last week in Berlin, after a great Currywurst! I made my way on foot to the Berlin Ostbahnhof Station to pick An Chun up! Along the way, I explored Mauerpark and the neighbourhood surrounding it.

As I sat waiting for An Chun, I was already looking forward to my next meal. Then, a tap on my shoulder. An Chun! It was comforting to see a familiar face in a faraway land. I wonder if it’s the same for you guys as well. So we sat for awhile and caught up before hearing some grumbling sounds originating from our bellies. Off to the next location we go! But on the way, why not appreciate a little art and history? We decided to checked out the Berlin Wall. Particularly the East Side Gallery.

Something I always do when planning for a new destination, is to watch youtube videos on the history and culture of that particular place. One video that really struck me was Vagabrothers’ guide to East Berlin. In it, was an interview with the artist of an artwork on the wall called the Fraternal Kiss which is photographed below. I really enjoy the brothers’ youtube videos and they are packed with information. Totally worth checking out.

An old taxi parked outside Ostbahnhof Station.

The Fraternal Kiss. A once common greeting between socialist party members.

East Side Gallery is a popular tourist site.

After a half hour of culture, we finally arrived at our final destination. Burgermeister. An interesting burger joint housed in former toilet stalls under another S Bahn bridge. Of course. This place was recommended to me by several of my friends and online guides so I just had to try their burger! I got the meisterburger and a beer which set me back around €7.10. Pretty affordable. The burger itself was pretty decent. Definitely above average but I think what really stands out for me was the ambience and that is something a lot of good restaurants do well. Recommended if you’re checking out the East Side Gallery.

Would you eat food out of a former toilet stall?

After the burger, we went to meet An Chun’s granduncle who happened to be in Berlin as well. We ate more food and An Chun brought me to a bookstore called Dussmann das KulturKaufhaus after. Dussmann is the biggest bookstore in Berlin and has a huge music section which he wanted to show me. It was magnificent. Shelves after shelves of music books, scores and CDs lined the basement level. I wish Singapore had something just a quarter the size of this.

Oh, a little backstory on my relationship with An Chun. So we met when we were in the youth orchestra back in Singapore where we both played the trumpet. Anyway, he is a jovial and chill kinda guy and we hang out every once in awhile. He’s currently studying music in Germany so I know who to hit up when I’m ever in Germany.

Dussmann das KulturKaufhaus. This shot lined up perfectly while I was waiting for An Chun who was in the toilet.

The next day, we had a nice little breakfast in a nice little cafe called Amici. Of course being in Germany meant cheep beer. So right after breakfast, we knocked down a couple of beers. At 10 in the morning. I’ve never drank so early in my life before. We made plans to pick up An Chun’s granduncle as he was joining us on a tour of Berlin. One of the food places on my list was nearby so we popped by for lunch.

Wiener Schnitzel is another Berliner staple that cannot be missed. Thinking about it is already making me drool. Essentially, Wiener Schnitzel is a breaded veal (baby cow) cutlet that is fried. I feel that this was one of the best meals I’ve eaten in Berlin. We tried the one located at the top floor of KaDeWe, which is short for Kaufhaus des Westens. KaDeWe is the second largest department store after Harrods. I particularly enjoyed the top floor because of its steel and glass structure, which reminded me of 1920’s New York architecture.

Restaurants on the top floor of the KaDeWe.

With Schnitzels in our bellies, we went off to meet An Chun’s granduncle for our tour. When I mention granduncle, keep in mind that this is his youngest granduncle so he’s roughly around 60. Very sprightly man. He kept pace with us and was sometimes even ahead of us.

First order of business was to get more food. Duh. Berlin is really a food paradise in that sense. So much affordable and good street food all around the city. Another round of Currywurst at Curry 36 and Döner Kebap at Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebap. There were already snaking queues when we arrived. It was 3:30pm. That’s how popular they are.

They were literally right down the street from each other and so our battle plan was for each of us to queue at the two different stalls. I managed to get the Currywurst first and then joined An Chun in the queue for the Döner Kebaps. 20 minutes later, we had the Kebap in our hands. A bite. Heaven. The combination of meat, cheese, vegetables and sauces from the Kebap work so well together it’s like they were made for each other. I would’ve gladly queued for another if not for the fact that my stomach was running out of space.

Photos up till now were shot on the Contax T2 with Fuji Pro 400H. Developed and scanned by Photocity Lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

So as you can see, the weather was not the best. It was drizzling and the winds were strong. We had to breeze past Checkpoint Charlie because the rain was threatening to trap us at a nearby McDonald’s. Continued walking and the weather cleared up. For now. Call it the calm before the storm. We managed to take our time at the Konzerthaus Berlin where the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, where An Chun and I met, performed in 2012. Then we made our way to museum island. That was when the storm started.

The winds were howling and leaves were slicing through the air. Signboards dropped from their poles and rolled into the streets and crashed into cars. A lady even flew out from a street corner. Luckily she caught a pole in time or she’d be on the road and run over. Something was happening. But we didn’t pay attention to it much as to us, it was just windy. So we continued on our route and actually finished the tour, checking the Brandenburg Gate and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe off our list.

We sent An Chun’s granduncle back to his hotel and had dinner together. The only way for us to get to the hotel was by the U bahn (underground metro) as all the buses were stopped. Probably due to the hurricane winds that swept through the city. Did I say hurricane winds? Yes. I meant it. There were literal hurricane strength winds blowing people off the streets and we were just continuing our tour of the city. What? Apparently it hadn’t occur in a long time and it happened while I was there. Luckily we were not hurt but I read that some people passed away from falling trees, so that really puts things in perspective.

Anyway, the infrastructure of the city was not meant to handle a situation like this because it was so rare. So there were jams and the U bahn situation wasn’t pretty. Trains filled to the brim with people pouring out of stations. An Chun and I even had to board different trains. But we made it eventually.

After dinner, we had a show to catch. Berlin is a cultural hub and a leader in classical orchestras, housing several world class orchestras in the city with the Berliner Philharmoniker being the best. Naturally, I had to catch them. Unfortunately, all their shows were sold out the duration I was there. I was really lucky then, to have stumbled upon the Staatsoper Berlin poster while walking around Berlin. They were celebrating the reopening of their home venue, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. To commemorate the event, the Staatsoper would be putting up a show in the Berliner Philharmonie led by maestro Daniel Barenboim.

It was an amazing programme with Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor played virtuously by Maurizio Pollini and Debussy’s Images pour Orchestre executed perfectly by the orchestra. All performed in the Berliner Philharmonie. I spent my secondary and post secondary school life dreaming about seeing this hall in person. What an amazing night to end my stay in Berlin.

Outstanding performance by the Staatsoper Berlin.

Photos up till now were shot on the Contax T2 with Agfa Vista 400. Developed and scanned by Photocity Lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

This brings me to the end of my blogpost on Berlin. Stay tuned as we move on to Munich next week and as usual, please feel free to let me know how I can improve and bring to you guys better content. I haven’t really written so extensively prior to these posts so I am really new to writing. Hopefully I will get better in time to come. Till next week, keep shooting!