Prinzessinnengarten, Berlin - An Urban Garden Created Out of Recycled Material and a Kids Friendly Place

I was pleasantly surprised to find a variety of ethnic and vegetarian restaurants in Berlin.

We were at the Moritzplatz area and had a fusion dinner at a neat Korean restaurant. Sticking to my meatless diet, I was happy to order salad and tofu from the menu.

J. went to visit with friends and we went on our own to explore the area close by.

Always looking for interesting places to visit, we discovered an unusual venue not advertised in Berlin's tourist brochures.

It was the Prinzessinnengarten - an urban garden in the heart of Berlin!

As soon as we went into this place, we were greeted by an informal outdoor patio room built from what looked like salvaged material.

And then we saw a few children playing in a tree house or might be a stage, also built with recycled wood.

As we looked around, we found that most of this place has been fenced in with old pieces of wood as well.

I just love visiting places such as these!

 I like the idea of using recycling material to create something new and useful.

In fact, I wrote a blog entry on the topic years ago and still collecting pictures of beautiful / useful things made out of recycled materials.

I was absolutely delighted as we saw:

Planters made out of old wooden crates.

An entire children's play area made out of old metal barrels and cans.

A children's hide and seek place made out of old pipes and tubes.

A see saw made out of old logs and metal rings.

Everything can be recycled and reused in this urban garden!

These old unwanted material could have ended up in landfill sites.

But at the Prinzessinnengarten, they are recycled and made into benches, seating area and other useful items.

Many plants, herbs and vegetables were  grown in this garden made with old material.

We saw a perennial plant garden.

 Prinzessinnengarten - A Rustic and Relaxing Gathering Place Created Out of Recycled Material, Berlin

The people at the Prinzessinnengarten have created a warm and informal gathering place for residents in the community.

They also provided useful services to people who might need some help or be interested in recycling.

We saw a shed with recycled clothes free for the taking.

A mini library with books.

A sculpture created out of previously used material.

Visitors could order their drinks and relax in this garden.

We loved this informal urban garden and social gathering place.

I was glad that we stumbled upon this place while we were in Berlin.

Thumbs up to the people who have created this wonderful urban garden!

After visiting Berlin's urban garden,
we walked further along the street.

We came across the market J. was trying hard to locate earlier in the day.

There were lots of restaurants with people dining out enjoying a summer evening. 

The place was inviting and had a nice ambience.




























We had a beer and a cold drink and did what the Berliners do - drinking and dining outside and enjoying themselves!

People were still enjoying the outdoor at our hotel at 11p.m.

We took the train and went back to our hotel .

Though it was 11pm, there were still a lot of people outside our hotel's restaurant enjoying the evening.

We had a  very busy day indeed!

R.T.
Prinzessinnengarten
Berlin, Germany

Exploring Berlin on Foot and Appreciating the City's Architecture

Day 3 - Berlin

We enjoyed exploring Berlin on foot and by public transit.

We love travelling!

An interesting vehicle with many riders, Berlin, Germany

We enjoy learning and seeing new things everyday on our travel.



























Travelling in a foreign country is even better as we can learn about the country's history.

























Also, its people, customs and architectures.


























Much of Berlin was destroyed by the allies' bombing in WWll.

A post war building in Berlin

Some figures estimated that about 85% of the city was destroyed.

This explained why we saw a lot of new buildings and interesting structures in the city.






















It was interesting for us to see huge pipes hanging above us in the middle of the city. ( I 'll need to do more research on these pipes, They could be like our cables or wires in Canada. )

It was our third day in Germany, another hot day in Berlin!
























During our exploration of Berlin, we saw a sign hanging outside an old church advertising a cafe inside the building. We went in to see the church and for some refreshments at the cafe.

The cafe was just closing but we had a chance to see the inside of the church.

Surprisingly, the interior of the church was quite modern. It was not a highly decorative place, full of cravings and religious figures as we have come to expect from other European churches.

This particular church has had some renovations and modern additions.

We sat there and said our prayers.

We also sat outside, enjoyed its quiet garden with a fountain.

We enjoyed exploring Berlin on foot and by public transit as it gave us the opportunity to see more of the city which tourists might not see.




R.T.
Berlin, Germany

Walking the Passages at the Field of Stelae, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin

Day 3 afternoon

After visiting the bombed out church, we continued to explore the city on foot passing by some modern buildings.

Field of Stelae at the  Holocaust Memorial, Berlin

The Field of Stelae is made up of 2711 concrete blocks covering over 19,000 square meters in the heart of Berlin.























The slabs are of various heights, from very low close to the ground to the height of a person.

We walked along the alleys of the Field of Stelae. There was enough space for one person only in the passages

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People could  get lost there easily.
 After walking there for a few minutes, I lost my  family and they were nowhere to be seen.

I was a little confused, disoriented and lost myself while walking in the passages.

Walking among the slabs gave me time to think about what had happened to so many innocent lives in this country and across Europe.

People can learn more from the Museum at the Holocaust Museum

Since we didn't know much about this Holocaust Memorial, we wanted to learn more about it. We joined the line going down to the museum underground.

We took time to read the stories and desperation of the victims 

Visiting the Holocaust Memorial was a touching experience.

 We took our time looking at the pictures and reading the stories and documentations in the subterranean museum. The victims' cries and desperation were evident through their displayed written words.

The Story of one of the Holocaust victims displayed at the Museum

We have learned about how the Jews were discriminated and persecuted in Europe before.

But the Museum put faces to some of the victims and it made what we have heard and learned from the textbooks so much more personal and touching.

Translation of one of the victims' words

Some of the entries and dairies revealed the deep fear of those being imprisoned at the concentration camp.

Reading those last words, I had chills down my spine.





The holocaust was the darkest chapter in Germany's history.

However, I admired the German people's admission of their crimes and guilt. 

Their willingness to put their past mistakes on display in such a public way at the heart of Berlin should be an example to many other countries which have committed war crimes and atrocities against many innocent people, but are still denying their wrong doings.

R.T.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Berlin, Germany

Visiting the Bombed Out Church, a Close Up Look at the Damages of War

 


Germany was experiencing unprecedented hot temperatures during our visit to Berlin.

We were glad that we moved to the Bristol Hotel, Berlin

Moving over to our new hotel with air conditioning was a good decision as it helped us to get a good night rest.  In fact we slept so well that we got up at 11am, a little earlier than the day before when we had a difficult time sleeping in the other hot hotel room.

I have been following a strict diet. Fortunately, it was not too bad finding restaurants offering what I could eat in Berlin.

We went to have lunch in the area. While my family enjoyed some donner sandwiches again, I was able to stick to my special diet.

A bombed out church - a famous landmark in Berlin 

We bought a day pass, went to see the bombed out church, the Kaise Wilhelm Memorial Church, in the area.
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The church was bombed  and almost completely destroyed by the air raids of 1945 during World War II.

However, it is the only building in the area's square that was spared by the bombing and deliberately preserved as a ruin.

The church was built in memory of the first German Emperor

The Gedachtniskirche or Kaise Wilhelm Memorial Church was built in 1891 in memory of the first German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm 1.

Gendenkhalle - the Memorial Hall with photo exhibits

Though much of the church building is gone, the Gendekhalle(the Memorial Hall) was rebuilt and renovated.

The church before the bombing.

At the Memorial Hall, we saw a display of pictures and exhibits of the Church and the surrounding area before and after the War. 

Kaise Wilhelm Memorial Church after the WW ll bombing, Berlin, Germany

Rather than rebuilding the bombed out church or renovating it to its former glory, the German people built a brand new different church right beside the old one.

We went to visit the new church.

We were wowed by the contrast of the two churches.

The new church is such a contrast to the old one.

The new church is modern, beautiful, and spacious. I imagine it can be also used for multi purposes and other uses besides holding Sunday Services.


We were glad we visited the bombed out church. It was different from other things we have seen before.



R.T.
Berlin, Germany