Sao Darly
Home away from Home
After the trip to the Brandenburg Gate it was time to head back to the hotel to pick up the suitcases and catch the TXL bus to the airport. Everything went smoothly from having to wait only three minutes for the U and then walking to the bus stop and in less than a minute the bus was there and we were off to the airport. I was so tired and was falling asleep on the bus and when I opened my eyes we were pulling up to the main gate and I saw a flock of birds flew out from the darkest. There were so many of them and I thought I was dreaming at first and when I knew I was awake I was thinking about the movie “The Crow“.
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After a hot bowl of pho, it was time to check out the Brandenburger Tor or the Brandenburg Gate once again. The Brandenburg Gate has become the symbol of the divided city and Germany reunification. On the other side of the Brandenburg Gate is the Reichstag Parliament building, seat of the German Bundestag since 1999. I was too tired and the snow was pouring down so I didn’t walk all the away to the Reichstag. There is always the next time and Berlin is like a skip and a hop away from here.
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I decided to have lunch at Vietnam Restaurant that I found by accident the day before. A big bowl of pho (fer) gave me enough energy to last the entire afternoon. It was not quite like the pho that I am used to in Paris or in Amsterdam but it was delicious and good enough for 7.50 Euros, cheaper than here or in Paris, with less stuff of course. The next time I am in Berlin, I will look for more Vietnamese restaurants and have a big feast.
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The Berliner Fernsehturm is Berlin’s highest landmark at 368 meters high. Even though it was snowing outside and the view from the viewing platforms was not clear, that didn’t stop the crowd from going up to the Panorama floor and the rotating restaurant. It would have been great to be able to have lunch at the rotating restaurant. I still had a great time there on the Panorama lounge with the breathtaking views across the city. Check it out for yourself what it is like to be up there in the second video of the 360 degrees view of the city.
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It was February 15 and the last day of the trip. After checking out of the hotel at noon it was time to visit the Berlin TV tower and the Brandenburg Gate before heading back to NL. I was having more difficulty with breathing and needed my medication to get through the day but the pharmacy at Alexander Platz won’t be open till 13:00 hour. To kill some time, I took more photos of Alexanderplatz square.
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For dinner I made a decision to go to Mao Thai Restaurant after googling for a Lao restaurant in Berlin. Even though the name of the restaurant said it is Thai, Mao Thai also offers Lao dishes. The restaurant was opened in 1994 and was one of the first Thai Restaurant in the east side of Berlin after the fall of the Wall. The owner is Lao from Vientiane and has opened two more restaurants in Berlin namely Sisaket Thai Restaurant and Tuans Hütte (sushi restaurant), both located in Berlin.
I enjoyed the food and the service at Mao Thai Restaurant and had a fun time talking to the staff there. I would definitely go back to this restaurant again the next time I am in Berlin and will also check out Sisaket Restaurant, which is located at Checkpoint Charlie and also the sushi restaurant, Tuans Hütte. This might sound silly but I was proud and happy to be dining at a restaurant own by a Lao person. The staff came from Pakse, Vientiane, and also Isan. It was like a little piece of Laos in Berlin, especially with Beer Lao on the menu.
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After a trip to Checkpoint Charlie it was time to check out The KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens) Shopping Mall. This mall is well known as shopper’s paradise, located across from Wittenbergplatz, Berlin’s oldest tube station. The KaDeWe is the largest department store on the European mainland and renowned for its 6th floor, dedicated entirely to gourmet food. I didn’t check out the entire mall because it didn’t look any much different from the shopping malls here, except for more of the same stuff. If you love to go shopping then this would indeed be a paradise.
I went to check out the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche (Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church) instead since it caught my eyes as I was leaving the Wittenbergplatz U Bahn. It was only a few minutes walk from The KaDeWe and there were plenty of shops along the way to distract me. But since we are in economic crisis, there is no time for even window shopping.
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Checkpoint Charlie is another world famous sight not to be missed in Berlin. This historical spot marked the border crossing point between the US and Soviet sectors of Berlin during the Cold War era. I was not born yet when the Wall went up in 1961 and my mother was not even 10 years old and while her world was so far from Berlin, the tension here reached all the way to Laos. We all know how Laos was not immune from the Cold War and became another battle ground between the two superpowers.
I have always wanted to visit Berlin even when I was a little kid in Laos. I have seen photos of East Germany from my aunts and uncles when they went to study in Berlin in the mid to late 80’s. After all these years I was able to visit Berlin and bear witness to what is left of the Cold War era.
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After leaving the most beautiful square in Europe it was time to check out Checkpoint Charlie at Friedrichstasse according to the guide book. After leaving the S banh and not finding Checkpoint Charlie it was time to stop and ask for directions.
By fate I saw a sign for a Vietnamese Restaurant within a few meters from the Friedrichstasse intersection and I wanted to have Vietnamese food for dinner that night. In the end getting lost was not too bad after all.
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The spectacular Gendarmenmarkt is reputedly known as Europe’s most attractive square with the beautiful Konzerthaus and twin churches of the German and French Cathedrals. I would love to live in Berlin and hanging out at this square during the spring and summer months. The only thing that might put me off is the big crowd but that is the price to pay for being at a world famous sight.
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