Peace - Make Friends Not War!

Remnants of the Berlin Wall at Potsdamer Platz

Ever since the demolition of the Berlin Wall, many sections of the wall have been auctioned off.
A few concrete remnants were positioned as a Cold War landmark, reminder of Germany’s divided past.

Once a sign of oppression, the Berlin Wall has converted into an illuminating stone canvas for the artistic expression of freedom at East Side Gallery

The one place I wanted to see was the East Side Gallery, where a section of the wall has been covered with murals by local street-artists and become an out-door gallery. It once formed an imposing, 90-mile-long concrete barrier that ran through the heart of Berlin.

The facade of Anhalter Bahnhof, what was once a bustling and enormous train station, and from here the Jews were deported to the death camps at Theresienstadt in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia

I passed by the remnants of a former railway terminus, The Anhalter Bahnhof along the Stressen Street that reminds me of the fuhrer and his infamous Gestapos. A bizarre feeling surrounds me as I stared at this sad facade of a building which suffered devastating damage from the Allied bombing during the Second World War.

Inside the Sony Centre at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin

By far, riding a bike is the best way to get around this vibrant city.
I crossed Kreuzberg or X-Berg, as the locals would call it. It was once Berlin’s poorest neighbourhood, but today the area is the epicenter of the city’s unique style and culture.

Me, posing at Graffiti Art by Street Artist Mateo (aka MTO ) Jack Nicholson, Here's Johnny! - The Shining

This place has some epic grafittis by Street Artist such as BLU and MTO, which are really stunning. Their drawings definitely strikes my eyes, with big scaled works that they left are as strong and affecting as the history of the city itself.

A place reminiscent of bohemian Paris, the famous Cafe Cinema alongside a popular tourist route in Hackescher Markt, Berlin

Surely the best part of the journey is to stumble upon something unexpected like this Cafe Cinema, which has a courtyard that was covered entirely with amazing Street Art. I could’ve spent forever sketching and taking photographs here. The cafe is really unique. Small, rustic and dark and is a great place to sit for a coffee and maybe a snack or two.

The Berlin Mosque modelled on the Taj Mahal in India, is the oldest surviving mosque in Germany, belongs to the Ahmadiyya community in Wilmersdorf district

Honestly, I hardly expect to find a mosque in Berlin, but alhamdulillah I stumbled upon this beautiful Berlin Mosque, surrounded by the residential homes in Berlin’s Wilmersdorf district. it is the oldest surviving mosque in Germany today.

*A mesmerising evening with "Big Three" Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin while enjoying the awesome view of Victory Column (Siegessaule) and TV Tower (Berliner Fernsehturmat).

The city is just unique in the most positive way possible. Sure, there are probably more hipsters than anywhere else in Europe, but this ever changing, rough and bubbling city is just a great place to visit.

Auf Wiedersehen Berlin- Goodbye Berlin

Till we meet again..Cheers!

@travellingartist.don